My Favorite Type of Layover

With a seven-hour layover, I try to have multiple options. First, I make sure the airport lounge is comfortable, especially after a long international flight, just in case I don’t want to leave the airport. If I’m feeling more energetic, I’ll usually have enough energy to quickly see the city through a group tour.  My favorite scenario, however, happened this time around—my ANA flight was nothing short of fantastic, and arrival serendipitously lined up to meet my good friend John Fou, of RE/MAX Japan.

John’s surfboard toting Jeep was a sight to see curbside at Haneda Airport

After a quick stroll through Haneda Airport’s streamlined customs, I greeted John curbside. He was actually coming back from a trip in his new Jeep, after a stand-up paddle board adventure in the Amami Islands, 250 miles south from the Southern tip of Mainland Japan.  First order of business was food, I was craving some fresh fish! John guides us to a local favorite of his, a 6-seat omakase sushi bar that served some of the better nigiri and maki I’ve had recently. The head chef was a legitimate sushi master, perfecting his craft for many decades. His personality was vibrant and resonated through the small restaurant’s walls.

Tokyo Tower flanked by some of the buildings and streets around Ginza. 

I can’t help but say, John and my friendship is only possible through the RE/MAX family: birthed at our annual convention in Vegas, R4! This is a friendship and personal bond built business where we’re growing together, as well as growing our franchise.  This brisk tour of the city found us in a part of Tokyo that has some of the most expensive commercial real estate in the world, Ginza. Here you’ll find all the high-end brands of the shopping world, as well as nearby landmarks Tokyo Tower and Rainbow Bridge.

Gotta love no check-in lines, the ANA crew is impressively efficient

John let me know that a bunch of his broker owners and agents are interested in Kaka’ako and Honolulu on Oahu—which was timely considering my prior days spent checking out those new developments. These tours proved to be informative and useful in our meetings; another reason why I see as much new property as possible! Even though we have been traveling between Japan and Hawaii, quite a bit, it’s always great to to see my good friend John Fou. This short layover reminded me, it’s incredible what you can do with the right people in 7 hours!

A hui hou,

Dano Sayles