We went to another floor, which was a different world from the hushed wood-paneled reception area. A tremendous number of people were crowded into an open room, with desks that were small and Spartan even by Japanese standards. His desk was shoved up against a pillar and was notably nondescript. "Quite a change from my office in the U.S., huh?" he said,
thinking ruefully back to the days when he had a huge desk in an expansive executive office.