This post directly from the fancy Risonare resort hotel in Kobuchizawa (two hours west of Tokyo) is brought to you in collaboration with Faiz (who until Saturday shall be known as Fuzz), and his ultra-portable, yet well connected (wireless modem) Sharp Zaurus SL C-3000.

We (sixteen DreamArtists) are on a three-day team building training course organised by IWNC, a company that specializes in these kind of endeavours. I chose their somewhat intimidating motto for today's title. They have a bunch of activities in store, of which they keep us on a need-to-know basis. It started with a short walk from the hotel to a tent (it was raining) on something resembling the grounds of a boot-camp, complete with very tall, wooden structures. We were then asked to assign nicknames to ourselves for the duration of the stay ( in an outbreak of originality, I opted for Thilo). We were then divided into two teams of eight, and asked to assemble on top of a small wooden box, keeping our balance long enough for a rendition of a childrens' song.

Having demonstrated that we can hardly perform that feat on firm ground, they made us stand together four at a time on a roughly A3 size wooden platform attached to the top of an eight meter pole. This exercise is called Quadrophenia, probably because it reminded someone of flower blossoms and four falling petals (it reminded Fuzz of his short-lived airforce career instead, though).

Late lunch break with bento boxes. After that, the rain forces us to the indoors, where we are encouraged to discuss our impressions so far (the discussion sessions continued to alternate with the activities). The main afternoon attraction saw us erecting a pole (only about five feet high this time) with a candle on top (unlit, in deference to the resort's stance on fire on the premises) by manipulating it from a distance using ropes, wearing blindfolds.

Dinner was gorgeous, the rooms (three beds, two TVs) notably more spacious than anything in Tokyo short of the Emperor's own lodgings.

Update: Okay, Quadrophenia is an album by The Who, so this is not what the pole exercise was called. The closest thing I could find on Google was Quadrifolia, which makes more sense.