Around the world in seven days

After more than 14,000 miles in the air, three cities, three hotels, four train rides and four cab rides, I would say it was well worth the trip.

My first journey across the world to Japan was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, a mixture of business and pleasure that made for a truly unforgettable week in the “Land of the Rising Sun.”

The reason for my trek across the International Date Line and all states, countries and bodies of water along the way was the inaugural Global Press Summit hosted by i-PRO at its facilities in Fukuoka and Tokyo.

Myself and 11 other security journalists from the U.S. and around the globe enjoyed an exciting and information-packed week to gain deeper insights into i-PRO’s vision for the future of security, how the global technology manufacturer leverages edge computing technology, and how it plans to advance security applications beyond traditional uses.

In between sessions, which included an overview of the company by CEO Masato Nakao as well as one-on-one interviews with Nakao-san and top i-PRO executives, we took a tour of i-PRO’s R&D facility in Fukuoka to see how the company develops its nearly 300 models of cameras.

We also took a city tour of Kyoto, which featured visits to two cultural landmarks protected by i-PRO technology – Kinkaku Golden Temple (see pic with yours truly) and Kiyomizu Temple.

After spending time in Fukuoka and Kyoto, it was time to embark on our third and final stop of our Japanese tour – the largest city in the world, Tokyo. We visited i-PRO’s global headquarters and checked out the experience center featuring the company’s line of AI cameras monitoring the surrounding areas with their amazing zoom capabilities.

Following a series of thought-provoking panel discussions, Chief Product Officer Gerard Figols gave his own scoop to us journalists by announcing the product launch of i-PRO’s High Zoom Bullet cameras designed for long-distance monitoring across environments including highways, parking lots, bridges, ports, and stadiums.

Oh, lest I forget the amazing Japanese food that we enjoyed throughout the week. Now, even though I have a really bad seafood allergy, I still was able to enjoy Japanese food such as Kobe beef that was just so tender and delicious that I went back for seconds (okay, thirds). 

I would be amiss if I didn’t give a huge “Arigato” (thank you) to the i-PRO staff and respective PR representatives for putting together an amazing event, one I will certainly never forget. Hope I get back to that part of the world in the next year or two.

In the meantime, after a very turbulent flight back to NYC, it’s back to reality for this journalist. Although it took a few days to adjust back to Eastern Standard Time, I’m ready for my next event, ISC East, right in my neck of the woods. Just a train ride and a walk for this show.

Until next time, Japan.