Starting on last Satursay, Inta meeting at Boston attracted many trademark practioners (may be 5000 or 6000) and other trademark buniess persons all over the world.  I think the Inta has many pockets such as opened meeting sites, exhibition centers, wellcome and farewell parties. table topics, comittees, trademark sessions, and many receptions sponsored by IP firms, which are held in hotels, restaraunts, musiums, etc.  Each people has a different level of knowledge of trademark practice and a different type of trademark business situtation, but the inta meeting has power to absorb such deviations to have the attendees easily netwroked.  I like the INTA meeting, and see you in San Francisco.

Segway is a two-wheeled, self-balancing electric vehicle, and in Japan, such a Segway vehicle is prohibited from traveling on public roads.  Use of Segway in golf links may be a solution to promote the sales of the two-wheeled vehicle, and probably adds more funs to golfers. I think a couple of golf links already started to use Segway vehicles for golf players.  Golf style may be changed in future by the impact of this machine. The photo below was taken at a large driving range near Kasai Rinkai Park, Tokyo.

Supreme Court, the highest court of Japan, is located at Miyake-zaka near the Emperor House and the National Diet Building, as shown in the picture below.  One chief justice and fourteen justices consist  the judicial bench of this highest court.  For intellectual property cases, most cases go only up to the intellectual property high court, and quite few cases go to the Supreme Court.  The Supreme Court has discretion to review the case as certiorari.

Gyoza is a Japanese name of Jiaozi.  Gyoza typically includes filling of a ground meet such as pork and/or vegetable such as cabbage wrapped into a thinly rolled piece.  Gyoza is in general served as fried and steamed.  The photo below is one shop of chain restaurants “Gyoza no Ohshou” which provide inexpensive (gyoza: 220 yen for person, ramen: 460 yen, etc.) but good taste foods.

In our office meeting room, orchid starts in blossom.  The orchid was given as a present from a senior patent attorney at the opening of our firm, nine years ago.  Since then, this flower comes in blossom early spring of every year and still keeps its green state.

Narita Airport is located about 70 km east side of Tokyo and takes 45 to 50 min from the Downtown area to the Airport by a car.  JAL uses the terminal 2 while ANA and other star alliance carriers use the terminal 1.  Since the runaway is located near the terminal 1, departing and arrival at the terminal 2 is a little inconvenient for users of the terminal 2, but the user of the terminal 2 can have a better access to the highway to Tokyo.

Daiba area’s preteens and teens went skiing to Kitashigakogen Yomase ski resort, and I have been to there as one member of the supporting staff.  We have stayed at Hotel Kaiwa, established and owned by Mr Toshihiro Kaiwa, a well-known Japanese top level skier in the era at which Ingemar Stenmark was very strong.  This ski area is now well organized for athlete skiing purpose with institution of ski school, competition, etc.  Mr. Kaiwa friendly joined us at our night party, and we enjoyed conversation with him.

The picture is a crane illumination at Urban Dock LaLaport as a shopping mall located in Toyosu Area, Tokyo.  This location was used to be a dock owned by Ishikajima Heavy Industriy (IHI), for producing and repairing many relatively large ships even before World War II.   The crane is a symbol for such a history, and during night, it is shining with white and blue LED colors.  Sightseeing ships for connecting to Asakusa and Daiba can reach the dock right below the crane even today.

On Saturday, we played golf at Shin Tokyo G.C. with the tee off time 9:00 am. It was cloudy except shower we had at last two holes during our playing, which was better than we anticiapated because the forecast said rainy all day long.  After playing golf, we usually talk about that day’s playing, next playing plans, etc.. at the exit of the club house.  The picture is the beautiful white plam trees with blossoms coming close to its full blossom state.  

Japanese doll festival, or namely “Hina Matsuri” is a traditional custom begun during Heian Era, around 1,400~1,600 years ago.   Every year March 3rd is the Girls’ day, and we customarily celebrate the Girls’ day with display of Hina dolls and have a snack made of pop rice candy called “Hina Arare.”  There are many types of Hina dolls, and the picture below was taken while displayed at a store for facilitating selling of Hina Arare.  Great sets of hina dolls are composed of a tycoon or emperor and his wife, three associating maidens, five male musicians, and other staffs, which are displayed on several platforms with a red carpet.