Day 1 - Tokyo - Itchy Knees

Japanese. Ichi Ni - English. One Two.

I arrive safely in Tokyo.

At 5pm it is already starting to get dark. It's another hour before I catch the train from Narita to Shinjuku. A month ago I did extensive research into the optimal travel path to get from the airport into town. Now that I am here I elect the easiest and quickest route - the Narita Express.

Guenter will meet me at Shinjuku Station. I have a present for him. Three painted glasses which I promised him about 15 years ago. He actually commissioned 4 glasses but I lost one. That's ok because apparently Japanese prefer odd numbers of gifts. The Japanese also value the care used in wrapping gifts. I was running late so I packed them quickly in a box of twisties and cheetos. Australian delicacies that Guenter misses. Unfortunately something went wrong when I cured the paint on the glasses last week and they came out of the oven with a frosted finish. They will permanently look like they are in need of a good wash.

I have sent Guenter recent photos of myself but I haven't seen any of him. Will I recognise him? Its odd how people change. You still recognise all the things you liked about them. How much of that is real and how much is imagination?Are they attributes of the person or is it just our perception. A person could change completely but if our perceptions don't change then we see them as unchanged.

I arrive at Shinjuku station. On the platform, I look around for Guenter. I see him approaching from a distance. Trim, tall and handsome. a good deal of white in his hair but a full crop. (In an email, he had referred to my changed appearance as 'more streamlined'.) So many wrinkles enhanced by his broad smile. I suddenly remember many things I had forgotten about him.His height for one. The sound of his laugh reminds me of his good humour. It's hard to explain. I feel good in his presence. It is a familiar feeling with a unique emotional pattern. It was something that I missed and valued.

He welcomes me into his home and family. We go out to dinner for sushi with his wife Kaori and their 10 year old daughter Sahara. Sahara is precocious and a delight. She reinforces my desire to have a child in my life as does Guenter's joy in parenthood.

The next day Guenter and I take a train to Mount Takao. From there we can see Fuji. Impressive even at a distance. You can see photos and videos of any place in the world but when you see a place with you own eyes it takes on a new reality. It becomes a part of your life experience. Now whenever I see a photo or painting of Fuji or even hear the word I will think about the view from Mount Takao.

That evening the four of us have dinner with Gavin and Deb. I wish I could have spend more time with all of them but I have to leave the following morning.