Chapter VI: A Journey to Remember

Arms stretched, the plane waits
to carry us above the
hot, gray summer skys
While others stand on hurried
lines, clutching vivid passports

Russell Wasden
In-flight over the Pacific Ocean

So I arrived, and, thinking back to my own beloved NYC, immediately began to marvel at the beauty of Tokyo: clean streets, speedy subways, and of course, some of the kindest, most generous people on earth. For example, getting to Tokyo was easy; I managed to get from my house in Manhattan without incident. However, once here, I was unsure of how to get to my hotel. A patient but determined taxi driver spent 30 minutes with me, dodging hot ramen delivery bikes and speeding down one crooked, neon filled alleyway after the next, until we had found our destination. Once there, he charged me for only one zone -- the same, basically, as travelling down one street block. I argued with him, but he refused to take more, saying he should have known this arguably obscure address from the beginning.

Something tells me that the world would be a better place if more people were like him.