With spring break only a couple of weeks ahead of us, Benedetta's principal 'discouraged' any earlier request of leave. I grimaced at the thought of facing Japan alone, but I packed a small carry-on nonetheless, with just enough to cover the four days I would be gone. Usually, I take a little suitcase with wheels but this time I chose a generously sized backpack. After a quick study of my itinerary, I dropped my cat into the extended arms of a very disappointed Benedetta and jumped on a sardine-can-sized, overcrowded plane to Memphis. From there I hopped on a bigger plane, less crowded, and headed to San Francisco, where we briefly refueled and took off for Tokyo. Almost a day later I arrived in Japan destroyed, but mercifully close to local bedtime. Outside, in the alienness of Narita air
