A Quick Trip to Japan, Part 1
November 13, 2006

Sitting on the Plane: It's three in the afternoon. I've read two papers, done two crossword puzzles, written for three or four hours, and am not yet ready to sleep. Yet everybody else on the plane seems to be bedding down. The flight is 14 hours. We've been flying for four hours. Why would they be sleeping now? Hmm.

LP picked me up at 5:30 this morning. I took a seven o'clock flight from WPB to Newark. Then, at 11:00, I got on this flight that will travel north and west over Canada and directly on to Tokyo.

I'll be staying at the Four Seasons in Tokyo, which might be the best hotel I've ever stayed at. I'm looking forward to testing it against my previous impression. After I check in, I'll take a taxi over to M's hotel and see what he's up to. He will probably be lying around doing nothing ... if the weigh-in hasn't occurred. If it has, he'll probably be eating.

He'll be nervous. This will be the biggest fight of his life. If he wins, he'll be a Pride world champion. He'll be famous and reasonably well paid (at about a hundred grand per fight) so long as he can maintain his belt. But the chances of that happening for any length of time are not great, because the Pride ownership doesn't want him as their champion.

Everybody thinks I'm crazy to take this trip - to fly from Florida to Japan just to watch M fight. I don't think it's crazy at all. He's my friend. My Jiu Jitsu instructor. He has gotten me backstage passes to the event. How many chances will I ever have to do something like this?

In Tokyo Again: I'm on a bus, on my way to my hotel. I'm very tired. I'm lucky if I've had three hours of sleep all together. I couldn't sleep much on the plane, so I watched videos and did puzzles.

I am reminded of how civilized the Japanese are by the service people at the airport:

* The information girls who are extremely knowledgeable and helpful

* The money changer who apologized for having to tell me to fill out a form before I could give him my dollars

* The uniformed valets standing like soldiers at their stations

* The luggage handlers who got on the bus after the bags had been stowed, said something in Japanese, and bowed

And, of course, everything runs smoothly here. The buses are clean and on time. The lines move quickly. The directional signs are clear and plentiful.

A Good Travel Tip: I get to the hotel and it's the wrong Four Seasons, not the one that's downtown. I asked my assistants to make sure they booked me into the same one I was in last time, this summer. But they made a mistake.

This reminds me of a lesson I learned a long time ago: When it comes to travel plans, it pays to review all the details before you leave. Take time to make sure you know all the flight and hotel information and have copies of everything. Double-check (against a list you keep for travel) that you have packed everything. Make sure you confirm all appointments, in advance. In traveling overseas or to new destinations domestically, mistakes are especially frustrating because it is sometimes difficult to fix them.

Return to this issue of Early to Rise.

posted by M. Masterson @ 9:13 AM,

2 Comments:

At 2:37 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Michael,

As a rabid fan of MMA, especially the elite fighting organizations like Pride and the UFC I am shocked and delighted that the mild mannered copywriting genius whose words I read every morning is another fan!

I love how you can relate the concept of stories into your writing and I am positive that MMA fan veterans and newbies alike were drawn into your fascinating trip to Japan.

It's funny, actually. I have been to a few UFC events in Vegas and pondered the idea of an information product geared towards MMA fans. Actually heavyweight contender Brandon Vera of the UFC has his own direct response website as well as an email newsletter and autoresponders to capture names for his herd. I'm sure the thought has crossed your mind once or twice?

Direct response is invading MMA!

It was great hearing about your experience because it is also my dream to go to Japan, 1st class all the way, and catch one of the Pride events at the gigantic Tokyo Dome! (I think it's the Tokyo Dome...)

Great blog and I hope to hear more on this topic in the near future.

Sincerely,


James Lee
Glendale, CA

 
At 7:29 PM, Anonymous Michael Masterson said...

James,

I've been practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for about seven years. My main teacher is Marcus Aurelio. He just lost a split decision to Gomi in Japan. That's where I was. At his fight.

For a master of martial arts and direct marketing, check out Matt Furey.

Michael Masterson

 

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