March 13 - Hello from the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. My name is Jim Zumwalt and I am the Charge d'Affaires. Welcome to my new blog!

I'm delighted to start what I hope will be the beginning of an ongoing conversation with the people of Japan. I want this blog to be a way to share some of my experiences living, working and traveling in Japan. I also hope to provide readers with some reflections on my life in this fascinating country. Please provide me your feedback and suggestions.

Since 1983 I have spent about eleven years working for the State Department in Japan. Prior to joining the Foreign Service I studied American History and the Japanese Language at the University of California at Berkeley, and I studied Japanese at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and at International Christian University.

I have always found that I learn a great deal by listening to others. So I look forward to receiving your comments or suggestions for other topics to discuss. Please also feel free to ask questions. I will try to answer as many of them as possible.

Until next time,

Jim