One Selfless Act

Good afternoon,

As many know, Scott Wilson and I spent last week in Japan with a delegation of parking dealers from across the US. During our six day trip we visited three different cities and toured several factories and customer sites as well. Our hosts were very proud of their country and made sure that we saw many nationally famous landmarks while we were in the country.

Below is a picture of a 1200 year old temple that is the centerpiece to a lavish garden property. It was built by a Shogun, a rich and powerful military chieftain who helped rule the country at the time. Your eyes are not fooling you as the fascia of the building is literally painted with gold.  Inside is a beautiful hardwood floor whose lacquer seemed a foot deep. The entire property is equally beautiful and is a national treasure to the people of Japan.

We saw many sights that I will never forget. It was easy to see so many from the bullet train we rode as we traveled at over 180 miles an hour! Very cool… As a motor head, I loved seeing all of the different type of cars and trucks throughout the country. Their standard service vehicles were very small vans- see the attached picture. I was also lucky enough to attend the Tokyo International auto show that happened to be in town during our visit. At the show there were cars/trucks/motorcycles that are made by the various manufactures as concepts that are one of a kind.  I have read about that venue all of my life but never thought that I would actually get to attend. See the motorcycle in the picture below.

Out of all the sights and things we saw, my biggest takeaway was the Japanese people themselves. As mentioned, we toured several factories that were very clean and the fellow employees actually bowed to one another as they passed in the hall ways. It may sound strange, but in Japan, about every 30th person that you see is wearing a surgical mask. Needless to say, this struck me as an odd sight. Our hosts shared with us that this is a voluntary effort that people will do if they think they may be getting sick. They wear the mask as a courtesy to others so that they will not spread something to others that they may encounter. That one selfless act sums up how the citizenry there treats everyone else.

The final picture attached is of Scott and a new friend. Not only do they have the same fashion sense, but she clearly knows how to keep him in line.

God bless the USA and happy Veterans Day…Charlie