End of Japan, Beginning of a New Era

I never left a last post for Japan, so here's a quick update: I spent more time in Kyoto, going to a castle, a palace (did I already cover these?), and awesome temples.
Now, to the present/President. Right now, I'm in a hotel room at the Marriott Wardman in Washington, D.C. I'm attending a four day conference (the University Presidential Inaugural Conference) revolving around the inauguration of Barack Obama. Highlights include the opportunity to try to grab a spot on the National Mall to watch the event (wish we'd gotten tickets for the money we payed...) and/or viewing the parade, addresses by Colin Powell, Al Gore, and Luke Russert, panels involving Mary Matalin, James Carville, Tucker Carlson, and Paul Begalla, and opportunities to tour D.C.
Today was arrival day. There wasn't much to do other than orientation and the chaos of the evening. By chaos I mean packing 5000 attendees into a ballroom with a capacity of 3,156 or so and forcing them to try to figure out how to get in line for food. The speaker wasn't bad - Luke Russert of NBC talked to us about how our generation (with Russert himself being a recent BC graduate, apparently) was not the worthless mass of sheep that many of our elders had labeled us, which is quite true. And yet, he still spoke to us with the realization that we are young and like to party. It was, as I say, a decent speech, and I think the point is valid: our generation will both have fun and leave a good mark on our country/the planet.
Tomorrow, unfortunately, I must awaken before the 5:15 - 6:00 check-in. It'll be worth it, though: we're going to see Colin Powell speak. After that, we'll try to get spots at the opening ceremonies of the inauguration, which will feature a concert. Awesome.