Yoko

Howard introduced me to Yoko before I went to Tokyo. She works as a freelance writer and translator. We made contact over email before I left. I was very excited; she invited me to a Cherry-Blossom viewing party during my visit.

I arrived in Tokyo and jet lag got the better of me - I completely lost track of the date and forgot to call her in time. Fortunately it was snowing and raining that day, so she took that chance to stay home herself. She did send me towards Shinjuku the next day, however - I'm not sure if she intended me to go to the large public park where lots of homeless men sleep, or one of the more composed imperial gardens - either way I had a very nice cherry blossom viewing time.

Sunday night we met for dinner; she took me to a younger, more hip place: the "Buttu Trick Bar."

Over dinner we talked about her regular magazine interviews, with big thinkers, actors, mostly famous folks. The work seemed to have wound her up - she sounded busy/overwhelmed. This is a caution to me as I set out to make a regular habit of interviewing people.

She sent me towards Tsukiji with a firm restaurant recommendation for an excellent but cheap hole-in-the-wall sushi joint. When I walked into the restaurant, a Japanese customer looked at me and said, "How did you find out about this place?"