John’s Blog

Another good & full trip to Tokyo — just got on the Narita Express — and I have to say that Tokyo trains are an absolute marvel. I bought my ticket at 2 minutes to 2p, with the train set to board at 2:03, and made it all the way through a very complex Tokyo Station to get to the train with a minute or 2 to spare — and of course the train left precisely on time.

Over the past couple of years of coming here, I’ve really come to appreciate Tokyo as a city — it never really feels super-dense anywhere even though there are lots of people living in a close space — and there are lots of green areas, sidewalks, public transportation, on and on. When you consider that it’s an absolutely gigantic city with maybe 28 million souls, the way that it works and feels is a stunning accomplishment.

The past couple of mornings I’ve gotten up early to jog 10k or so from my hotel and around the Imperial Palace, and it’s been great. Or, rather, yesterday was a good run, but not all that great, since it was rainy & cold and I was jetlagged. Today was much nicer, and felt great to run around a place that’s been important (and beautiful) for centuries. I’m starting to really like running in the early morning in urban areas like this (although I don’t do it too often, and Sunnyvale isn’t quite dense enough to be interesting) — it’s a bit of a communion with other runners — a shared start to each of our disparate days.

I found today & yesterday that it really helped my running, too, as there was always someone ahead of me on the loop around the Palace — so I always had someone to work to catch up to (and occasionally fall behind). As a result, I think I (re?)discovered something about myself: I tend to run better from behind. It’s easier for me to concentrate and focus enough to catch up, and it makes me a better runner. (Or at least a more consistent, faster runner.) That’s probably a little window into my non-running psyche, too, and maybe a clue to why I’m drawn to work at a place like Mozilla.

Or maybe not; I’m a little jetlagged for psychoanalysis. On to Narita, then heading home. Thanks to everyone at Mozilla Japan for another very good trip, and for an unbelievably great launch here in Japan. See you in Vancouver.