Tired. LAX. Thirsty. Still worried that I'll miss the flight.
Got on the flight with no hassles. Yay!
The plane was not completely packed. I shared a middle seat with Mr. Nozaki (pictured).
He is a "plant-grower" as he liked to put it. It was a challenge to understand his English even though he said he came to the U.S. in 1949. Oh yeah, he's 90 years old. 90! He still has a full head of hair! When he first came to the U.S. he could not land any job except as a farmer. He later grew his business to a respectable nursery, raised four (that's crazy!) four children: two boys and two girls. He's also a 9th dan judo master to boot. We exchanged cards. I told him why I was in Japan, and he listened with clarity. He called me "a high-class" teacher. Funny. He's here strictly to relax in his retirement house in Nagano. He showed me a picture of his house. A neat four-story rectangular dwelling, all painted in white.
I write this after about 3.5 hours of sleep in the arrival gate of Haneda Airport.
I'm leaving now for the great adventure of phone renting, getting lost, meeting students, and watching this huge city wake up and move to its deliberate, quietly desperate motions. "Roger lost in Tokyo." That's sounds cool for the first 15 minutes. Here are some more pictures.
