Content-type: text/html Ray Manning

Saturday, July 19, 2003 10:00 PM

Japan, Day 12


I'm awake for quite a while relaxing in my room. There's a phone call at 10:15am in Japanese. I guess the checkout time in Osaka is 10am - not 11am. So I scramble to pack and leave.

I get out for long walsk as I explore the city. I can't help but have a huge smile on my face and this is infectious as I greet strangers during my wanderings.

At 6pm I head for the Internet cafe of which I am now a member! I've scheduled an online chat session with Person K_K becasue he had a job interview today and because he was going to check on Nopesterini on his way home. There's a 5 minute wait for a computer so I grab an orange juice and hang out. As I'm waiting there's a ChiChi leaving. I make eye contact with the ChiChi, give a huge smile, and continue with, "Konbenwa. Don't go. Stay here with me." We have a brief conversation and after he grabs an orange juice he joins me at the computer. We have a verbal chat as Person K_K and I have an online chat. After about an hour the ChiChi, Person Akira, joins me for a walk. Eventually we end up at my hotel room and we continue the conversation. After the conversation and other activities I walk Person Akira to the train station before the last train at midnight.