Japan 2018 — Carol & Scott On The Road

In June of 2018, we visited Japan to participate in Alcon Japan’s 45th Anniversary and enjoy time in some of our favorite places!

We spent a couple days in Tokyo and then visited Nikko which is one of our favorite areas. While in Tokyo, we visited multiple areas (Azabu Juban, Roppongi, Ginza, Shibuya, Parks such as Arisugawa) that brought back many memories of years living in Japan and also, enjoy meals at many of our favorite restaurants.

After eating our way through Tokyo, we rented a car and drove up to Nikko. While in Nikko we stayed in a Japanese Inn (Ryokan) and enjoyed Kaiseki cuisine. We also ate their sobu and udon noodles, and of course, spent a full day visiting the many temples and shrines. Nikko has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site and dates back to the 17th century. It is a monument to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of a shogunate that ruled Japan for 250 years. The sacred sites are absolutely amazing, and the area’s natural beauty is also worthy of a visit.

We returned back to Tokyo for Alcon Japan’s 45th Anniversary celebration held at the new headquarters. The celebration included many activities including; tour of the headquarters, meeting with the current management team, speeches from the current and previous 3 Presidents of the company and following was a group dinner with wonderful food. There were also several breakfast, lunch and dinners with Scott and several current employees and previous colleagues when he worked at Alcon Japan from 2003 – 2009.

Overall, we had a wonderful visit that was the perfect mix of getting reconnected with Japan, Alcon Japan and our many good friends!