Obama in Tokyo

President Obama's motorcade arrives at ARK Hills.

UPDATE: Okay, I'm back home. Yes, I went into downtown Tokyo and Suntory Hall this morning, hoping to catch a glimpse of President Barack Obama. I shot that photo with my camera phone while standing by a pack of TV news crews standing on the corner by Wolfgang Puck's, and caught a glimpse of the motorcade as it came down the hill from the Hotel Okura and into the ARK Hills underground parking garage, then and e-mailed it directly into Typepad.

It may not be of the highest quality or very informative, but with modern technology it was by-God fresh.

Update 2: I was joined by a friend outside Suntory Hall, where we waited, hoping (along with a small crowd) that President Obama would step outside, even briefly. Also thanks to the wonders of other modern technology, by the time we finished our wait, had lunch, and walked back to the Metro station, I was able to download and read the New York Times' story on the speech, and my friend and I could discuss what it meant.

Anyways, I might just as well put up a better photo, one taken with an actual camera:

Comments

[Gaijin]

He he, I also stalked Obama's route from the embassy to the Imperial grounds and out again.

Anyone notice how the Tokyo temperature rose about 5 degrees when Obama was here? He is speaking hot air...

[Calton Bolick]

It's a side effect: basically, you're so full of shit that the decay process has overheated you.

I recommend a good colonic, and don't forget to insert the nozzle into the right place: your ear. Good luck!

[IP address: 202.57.235.60]

Yh, wll hw bt y gt rl pht f bm's cr dpsht. Th cr y phtgrphd s mmbr f th xtndd ntrg nd NT th prsdntl vhcl bm ws n.

[Trolling disemvoweled]

[Calton Bolick]

I'm not a press photographer, Mr Internet Tough Guy, I was using a camera phone. You've heard of those, right? They do let you use complicated stuff like that at your group home, right? Ask your attendant to explain it to you.

[Calton Bolick]

And what do you mean by "the car"? There are at least a dozen vehicles in the original photo: don't know how to count either? Or is the whole "definite article" thing in the English language a bit of a challenge for you?

[IP address: 202.57.235.60]

Tt tt...scnd pst wt s vry mbrssng, hwvr srcsm frm n mrcn s rr cllctbl trt. 'Th cr' rfrs t th vhcl tht s blckng ny mnngfl vw f ny thr crs n tht pht, hnc yr hrrd pdt. Hy, 'm nt crtczng yr phn cmr, t's yr tmng tht's lckng. Hnd y crdntn. Whr d y rcmmnd fr gd clnc rnd Tky? 'll tll thm Cltn snt m.

[Trolling disemvoweled]

[Calton Bolick]

Don't flatter yourself, moron, it wasn't a "hurried" update: it was one of the many photos I took that day, and I'd already uploaded it before your previous bit of superior--minded-yet-utterly-unearned idiocy was posted. Let me guess: you read The Daily Mail and you move your lips when you do so.

'The car' refers to the vehicle that is blocking any meaningful view of any other cars in that photo

Ah, so the answer is you can't count. Grammar school not work out for you?

however sarcasm from an American is a rare collectible treat

Buckwheat, "sarcasm" is the Designated Mode of Expression for the entire city of New York, so you're sounder even stupider. News of the World your paper, then?

[Calton Bolick]

Oh, and I've blocked you from any further commenting, so you're free to go back to your drinking and moaning. Say hello to Nick Griffin for me, will you, the next time you see him?

[IP Address 118.157.57.78]

Slw dwn 'Mn Cns', y ccdntlly prssd th 'llw n xtr pst' chckbx, gvng m frthr pprtnty t ntllctlly pss n y.

'll hv y knw tht my dcy cst frtn nd ws pd n fll wth csh, thnk-y vry mch.

'm nt nglsh, s y'll hv t brdn yr crmnl prfl fr ggrvtd ss whppry.

cn cnt, bt rrtnl hyprbld frctns wr nvr my thng, hnc my prblm cntng th crs n yr pht. vn trd sng scntfc pckt clcltr, bt tht ls rndd t dwn t 1. Mst b lk th Y2K bg r smthng.

Nvr mnd th nglsh lngg, th 'dfnt rtcl' n yr pht s chllng, vn f n sqnts. bm's cr dsn't mk ndfnt, t's nvsbl, vn f, n vn, n wr t sprsz th mg. f...

nyhw nc pht f rndm cr n bm's ntrg. bm pprntly sd h t th drvr nc, s th pht s nt cmpltly wrthlss. Y cld ctgrz t n trv sctn r smthng.

nd wth tht, nw y cn g hd nd prtct yr frgl g, mn, blck m.

[Calton Bolick]

My ego's quite fine, thank you. My patience with morons -- particularly persistent ones, and especially persistent lying ones -- is rather thinner, however.

You WERE blocked -- by IP number, which you dodged by the simple expediency of using a different one this time. I've helpfully included those numbers in your comments so you can see. Kita Cable the first few times, KDDI the most recent.

As persistent --- and thick -- as you've shown yourself to be, I guess your next stop will be your neighborhood Internet café so you can indulge in some more dick-waving, but since you'll be paying for the privilege and contributing to the salaries of the café employees, I can't really object to the positive effect on the economy. Of course, you'll still be disemvoweled and blocked so it will be pointless, but hey, everyone needs a hobby, even gaijin morons with self-control issues. Good luck with that treatment, by the way!