Today was a long day. A really long day.

I awoke at 3:00am Friday morning (Central Time), my mind racing. Too excited to slumber, too stressed that I was forgetting something. I'm now writing this almost two days later and haven't gotten a lick of sleep, despite being in a predominanty stationary position on an airplane for 15 hours. And it probably won't change anytime soon ... for my stopover enroute to Vietnam just happens to be the most exciting city in the world: TOKYO! While I'm not here for long, just letting my soles touch the ground is enough to feel re-energized creatively and spiritually.

My last visit here was two years ago, just prior to joining the SIAST Marketing and Communications team. The trip gave me an insight into the future of design and marketing that no western frame of reference could possibly match and has since inspired much of the work I produce for the institute. Japan, and many other parts of Asia, are much more technologically advanced than North America. As the world continues to shrink, it's important to stay current with what is happening in other markets as it will no doubt influence you locally one day whether you are employed in the arts, business, health care or trades. A good website for research is japantrends.com

It's easy to get lost here - lost in thought, lost in wonder. You become one of 35 million+ individuals lost in the crowd in the greater Tokyo area. Good thing I won't have to ride the subway this time. In fact, I'm off to get some sushi and cucumber-flavored Pepsi.

When in Tokyo...

To read more on my trip to Vietnam, please visit goSIAST.com/Vietnam