Japan-Day 1

In Japan, recovering from the effects of jet lag. It's around 7:30 am. I've been up since three or four but waited until it got light out to get out of bed and make some coffee. One of the reasons it took some coaxing to crawl out from under the covers is that it is damn cold here. I am staying in my friend Paul's apartment in Kowagoe--about a mile outside of Tokyo. I am sleeping on the floor on a rather thin futon, thankfully wrapped in blankets. The temperature outside feels like its in the mid-forties. Perhaps it is a tad colder inside. There is a kerosent heater in the room, but I don't really trust kerosene heaters.

I can't complain about the flight over. Yes, it was a thirteen hour flight from Atlanta. But thanks to a buddy class from my cousin Jim, I got on first class. And if you have never flown first class overseas, well, there is truly no way to describe it. It is no more like flying coach than riding a bicycle across town is like being escorted in a chauffered limo. Few things live up to their hype. But in my book, flying first class overseas is one of those things that do.

I am in tht tatami room, which is the sleeping/living room. It is the one room in the house that does not have wood floors. Instead there is a bamboo matting that serves to insulate from the chill. So I have folded up my futon and blankets, put them in the closet, and am seated on a pillow typing at the computer that is place on a table no more than one foot off the ground. I am wearing wool sweater and wool cap and my fingers are numb, as are my legs from sitting cross-legged. At least there is good coffee.

Paul has recently moved into this apartment after separating from his wife of fifteen years. It's a long story I won't go into. But a large part of the reason for coming here was to spend some time with him. He's going through a rough patch. In a period of less than a year his wife threw him out and his mother died. And he is struggling to get by. His main work consists in editing journal articles for Japanese academics who want to publish in English. It's spot work that doesn't pay all that well, and it's not exactly clear whether he is going to be able to make a go of it on his own.

Not that I can lay claim to any better prospects. Indeed, he does have an income stream, albeit an inconsistent and rather low-level one, and health insurance since this is Japan. So maybe he should have come to visit me.