Maybe Life Is Just A Collection Of Meaningful Moments
Don't overlook the random connections. Plus, 'Yellowface,' an underrated comfort watch, and sources of grounding in NYC.
After schlepping my luggage on multiple trains and getting semi-lost on the subway, when I arrived at the Ritz-Carlton in Fukuoka, I wasn’t exactly keen to socialize. So when the marketing manager asked to join me for what was supposed to be a solo Kaiseki dinner at their restaurant Genjyu, I begrudgingly obliged. Several courses in, it became apparent her English was the best I’d encountered yet on my trip. After a week of travelling around Japan by myself, I didn’t realize just how starved I was for a conversation that went further than pleasantries. The elaborate multi-course meal, served overlooking a cool blue horizon from our window seats on the 24th floor, was impressive but faded into the background as I became completely immersed in our conversation.
My dining companion had previously lived in New York, and so she received my observations of how Japan compares to the West enthusiastically. We shared our contentme…