China!

(Note: I am in China right now, without access to a memory card reader. I will update this post later with pictures.)

It's been an eventful eight days since my last blog post. I started work at the Tokyo office on Monday, December 15. Big chunks of my first two days were spent being escorted around by someone from the relocation agency who helped me apply for an "alien registration card" and a "multiple re-entry permit", open a couple of bank accounts (one for reimbursements, the other to get paid!), and get a fabulous new Japanese cell phone. Pretty much every other waking hour was spent at work. Yeah. More on that in a future post.

Then, on Wednesday afternoon, I headed to Shanghai, China to attend the WINE 2008 conference. I spent Thursday through Saturday in Shanghai doing conference-related stuff (e.g., giving a talk on my research and attending a keynote by Eric Maskin), and on Saturday night I caught an overnight train to Beijing. The basic plan is to travel around China until January 2 (I had this trip OK'ed by work before I joined). I visited the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square this afternoon. It's also been bitterly cold in Beijing (-10 C with wind chill), which I think adds to the city's 1950's Cultural Revolution feel.

My laptop has suddenly started blue screen-ing since I left London. I think I have to do a re-install of Windows once I get back to Tokyo. Damn it.

Oh, and some Russians supposedly stole a big list of Citibank ATM card numbers, of which mine was one. So, my ATM card has been frozen until I get a replacement sent to Asia. Very annoying.

Jan 19 edit: And now, some photos!

Nerd-ing it up at WINE 2008.

For some reason, when I checked into the Crowne Plaza Fudan (the conference was being hosted by Fudan University), I was given Eric Maskin's room. He was a keynote speaker at the conference. The room came with this gift basket and a personalized greeting card. I wonder if Dr. Maskin was given a crummy room that was actually intended for me.

Bikes and moped parked outside a dorm on the campus of Fudan University.

Hordes of shoppers on a Saturday afternoon, East Nanjing road, Shanghai.


Paying my respects to Chairman Mao outside the Forbidden City, Beijing. (I'm a warm, toasty cinnamon bun.)