Andrew Bender

France was closed, so after college Andrew Bender left his native New England to work in Tokyo. It ended up being a life-changing journey, as visits here so often are. He's since mastered chopsticks, the language, karaoke and taking his shoes off at the door, appeared in Japanese TV commercials, earned his MBA, and worked with Japanese companies on both sides of the Pacific in fields from finance to film production. His writing has appeared in Travel + Leisure, Forbes, The Los Angeles Times and many others Lonely Planet titles. In an effort toward even greater trans-oceanic harmony, Andy also consults on cross-cultural issues from his current base in Los Angeles. Find out more at www.wheres-andy-now.com