Tokyo!

Arrive in Tokyo after two hours sleep – one on the plane, one on the bus into town. The city reveals itself gradually, morning mist through blurred eyes giving way to one of those gloriously crisp, sunny Tokyo winter days. It seems like I can remember every street and building as the bus takes us through the centre of town, past the Imperial Gardens, Akasaka Mitsuke, Roppongi and finally Shibuya where we’re met by Motoko (who’s only just got back from staying with us in Bangkok). The GPS on the dashboard takes us back to her home in Yoyogi Uehara through those wonderful, narrow lanes that Tokyo makes its own – sort of chaotic yet neat & tidy at the same time.

Lunch then Motoko drives us to Ichigaya to see our friends Kazu, Koko and their daughter Yumi. But not before on impulse I ask if we can detour via our old neighbourhood in Wakaba-cho, Yotsuya. It hasn’t changed a bit. I feel a surge of nostalgia as we tour slowly past where we lived from 1999-2005, the old supermarket, the lovely tree in the tiny park that I passed every day on the way to the station, the bench where the bag lady used to live. Liz and Koko had met changing nappies in Isetan department store; it turned out A and Yumi were born on the same day and the two became good friends as toddlers.

Unfortunately I have to leave them and jump in a taxi to the British Council. I’m quite surprised at how much Japanese I remember. The office has shrunk from three floors to one; everyone hot-desks; there’s very little paper around. It feels good, fresh ‘though rather quiet. I work for a few hours while catching up with a few old colleagues. A day of quiet, blissful nostalgia.