Friends, food and gadgets

The past couple of days has been trying to balance family, friends and work. Friday was work. I'm here for Connected - a 4-day showcase of interactive performing arts from the UK within a bigger festival called Tokyo Performing Arts Market, which kicks off on Monday. My wonderful Japanese colleagues, Manami, Chika and Shihoko, have been working ridiculous hours pulling it all together.

The last time I was in the BC Tokyo office was two and a half years ago; then it felt very strange, sitting in my old desk, surrounded by familiar colleagues. But everything's changed now: we've shrunk to one floor, people have moved on, everyone hot-desks and it really is a paperless office. Emails, quick meetings, a long phone call to London, a welcome to Connected's vivacious curator, Deborah, just arrived... Everything going OK.

Meet Liz, Motoko and Ray for dinner in Shinjuku. It's drizzling and hard to find Ray amongst the neon-backlit, umbrella-carrying, Friday evening commuter-throng. Soooo Bladerunner. But finally we spot him and head up to the 3rd floor of a typically non-descript modern building. Inside it's beautifully designed and buzzing with salarymen and a smattering of gaijin. It's so full that we could only get a table in the smoking section (I'm surprised this is still allowed) but it doesn't bother us. We have a fabulous dinner. We get a taxi home but before we've gone 100m I realise I've left my camera in the restaurant. I rush back and of course it's still there. The taxi driver has been waiting patiently and apologises for the fact that I nearly lost my camera.

Today was family. Lunch with Simon, Pippa and family at their home in the British Embassy compound in central Tokyo, joined by Stan who's over for the Tokyo marathon. The girls play wii and watch Up with the three boys. They get on really well. Nice relaxing time catching up. Then off to Ogikubo in the western suburbs to visit Ken, Mayumi and family. We are plied with more food, watch Chihiro ride her unicycle (she's 7), more wii - this time figure skating - and Ken shows me around his iPhone. His train timetable app is brilliant. Japan is living up to its gadget-mecca status.