The world is flat

Konichiwa Japan! Finally I made it to the land of the rising sun. I actually wanted to come to Japan two years ago and had already booked my flight. However, one week before departure, the country was hit by a massive Tsunami caused by an earthquake off the Pacific coast. The disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant didn't allow me to go, and I had to cancel my travel plans. Therefore, going to Japan was the initial idea for this trip, and it just became a bigger idea overtime ending up with a five months backpacking trip across Asia.

I had a great first night in Tokyo with my Japanese friend Akira and my German friend Arne. Our stories and yesterday's get together exemplify how globalized today's world is. In 2007, I met Akira in San Diego during a study abroad semester. After San Diego, he went to Australia to get his MBA and moved back to Japan about two years ago. Arne is a friend from my hometown in Germany. Last year, he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area for work, and is currently in Tokyo for business. In my opinion it is amazing that there are almost no geographical boundaries anymore. Someone's origin becomes increasingly irrelevant and the ability to connect with people all over the world gets more and more important.