Here he is!

Young James's first pictures in this world. Welcome, grandson!



What a handsome young man!



I am already envisioning a scientist, an athlete, a leader, and most of all a sweet, loving human being, which, given his parents, is his true heritage.



I love you, little baby boy.

Grandpa David

Welcome, James!

7:00 pm

It has been a day of tense waiting for news from Portland.

Today around noon my daughter checked into the maternity ward and the doctors induced labor. She went into her labor in late afternoon, I believe, but then the baby came under stress and the doctors decided to do a C-section. They rushed her out of the room, leaving her husband, mother, and big sister waiting helplessly in the wings.

(later)

Sarah is awake and nursing her new little son, James, whose birth weight is 6 lbs 5 oz. Both mom and baby are fine.

Twenty-seven years, nine months, and five days ago, little Sarah Daisy was born here in San Francisco, weighing 6 lbs, 5 1/2 ounces!

First photos may arrive in an hour. I'm going to post this now.

In Japanese, I am now not only a Otosan(father) but a Ojiichan(grandpa).

-30-

Baby Watch...

Just in at 1:30: possible ETA: 7 pm tonight...

My daughter, Sarah Daisy, is in the maternity ward at the hospital in Portland where we expect her baby to be born sometime later today...

Arrigato, Nippon (、日本ありがとう。)

I flew home today (Thursday), which is the longest day of the young year so far. For me, it is a 41-hour day. All was well late Thursday afternoon as I took off from Narita, but when it reached midnight Thursday, we crossed the International Dateline, and had to return to Go.

We flew backwards through time the rest of the way until landing by 7 am Thursday in San Francisco. Mark picked me up, and we had breakfast -- my second of this particular Thursday.



Later, I had my second lunch today; later still my second dinner. Now it is dark again, and I am enduring my second Thursday night. My little children are here with me; they squealed with joy at the modest little gifts I brought them.



Given that I rarely can sleep on planes, I am back to that dark time of night, less than three hours until midnight Thursday, once again. I couldn't sleep the first time, high above the Pacific, nor can I yet relax this second time, at ground level or the equivalent here in the Mission.




I decided tonight to post a few final images from my ten-day voyage through Japan. I want to make it clear that any errors in interpretation of the many stories I've recounted in the thousands of words posted here the past two weeks are strictly my own, and not my Japanese informant's.



Since most of my readers still are Americans, some of whom may not yet have visited Japan themselves, I've tried to capture the place and its people the best I can.



But, as always, the story is limited by the storyteller's limits, and I am no scholar, nor even an expert journalist on the subjects I've discussed here. My hope is just to shine one light, capturing what I saw when among these gentle people in this beautiful land.



It is time now to speak of other things. We are on baby alert tonight. My first grandson is going to be born tomorrow, we think. There are some worries, as there often are at this stage.



But I have a sacred amulet given to me in Japan and I am holding it tonight to guard my daughter and her son, keeping them safe, as she delivers him into this world tomorrow.

My next post will be on behalf of my family.

Thank you, Japan. You may be the only nation on earth who can count on each and every one of your citizens to do their loving best to render you truthfully. And since Truth indeed is Love, you and I can love each other tonight, truthfully.

Arrigato.

-30-

Kichijoji

Rinky Dink Studio

Let it be understood, please, that I do not want to make fun of anyone's English here. If I had to write a sign in Japanese, say, advertising "Please come in and read my blog," it would no doubt come out as "Please admit I have a giant horse up my ass."

I know this. Nevertheless, there are many amusing signs here.


Koenji pigeons

Today, I had the pleasure of visiting one last Tokyo neighborhood -- Kichijoji. Like all the others it is built in concentric circles around its train station. Unlike Minatoku, where many gaijin live and Ginza or Shinjuku, where they shop, this seemed to be almost entirely a Japanese neighborhood.


Not a Japanese company, but European

I finally had an American-type meal, more or less, my first since arriving here, at Japan's original burger joint, called Mos Burger. If you have seen the recent Pink Panther movie, you'll recall the scene where a supposedly French Steven Martin tries to learn how to pronounce "hamburger" before he visits New York.

His is almost a perfect imitation of how the Japanese pronounce "am-abou-aguh." So, for example, you may wish to order Spicy Hamburger, in which case you want to say "aspiceeamabougah."

I find it interesting that at the time when hamburgers were introduced here (by Mos Burger) the Japanese experimented and eventually determined that a 70-30 ground pork-ground beef mixture maximized the flavor of their burgers.

Today, most stores and shops still use the 70-30 formula, or some other mixture, like 50-50, because they say it is more flavorful than pure beef. They also somehow manage to cook the burger so it is soft and juicy, never hard and dry.


Swan boats after dark in pond at Kichijoji

Today, I also visited a "100 Yen" shop, which is the equivalent of a "dollar shop" back in the States. Actually, it is the equivalent of an 85-cent shop at the current rate of exchange. In any event, I was shocked at the quality of the workmanship in the goods being sold at these bargain-basement prices.

I purchased several items made of wood -- the kinds of things my father would have loved. I wish I could have brought him these items, because I know he would have marveled at both the grains in the woods and the workmanship. I will give them to his grandchildren instead.

-30-

Ginza, Yurakucho and Marunouchi Nights

As my trip begins to wrap up, I'm trying to see all of the key parts of Tokyo. But it is such an enormous city that covers so much territory here on Honshu, the "main island" of Nippon, it really will not be possible.

I had heard of the Ginza for many years before I first visited Tokyo. My first mother-in-law told me about this central shopping district, and her memories of visiting it as she raised her children here in the '50s.

Her name was Grace Symroski and I loved her dearly. Because of her stories, I always wanted to visit Ginza. Since the '80s, when I was last here, the Ginza district lost favor among young people, who started flocking instead to other areas.



In recent years, a major effort has been undertaken to revitalize this old section of Tokyo. Now, it is the center of amazing architecture and tony international shops. Young people now flock to the area, especially if they have money. Nine out of every ten people on the street tonight were young women.



The Tokyo government built several white elephants with "Bubble" money, including the utterly amazing Tokyo International Forum. The sculptures and artwork captivated me, especially those laced with rainbow colors, like the glass balls pictured at the top of this post.



Many young and middle-aged Japanese women eat alone at the cafes near Ginza after work, as this is a major center of corporate employment in Tokyo. You can feel the sheer financial power of this country best here and in Shinjuku.



Whenever I travel anywhere, I cannot help fantasizing about moving there for a while and trying to make it as a writer. For me, Tokyo feels like a very easy city to live in, although given my awful sense of direction, which is more properly described as the lack of any sense whatsoever of direction, I am afraid I would get easily lost on the subways here, even though every sign in every station is clearly labeled not only in Japanese but in English.



The Japanese honor their writers and poets and artists. They used to have many local coffee shops, the faded signs for which can sometimes be glimpsed here and there amidst the modern glitz. But Starbucks has taken over the market. Besides the coffee shops, there are the tiny pubs and big bookstores, with readings by authors. Any writer would feel at home here.



I know I am not talented as a photographer, and I apologize to anyone who happens to read this blog for the poor quality of my pictures. But I get so excited wherever I go, I just want to create some sort of record in images, not just in words.



All too soon, of course, I must abandon this exploration of an exotic place, and the feelings of renewal and hope that have swept over me here. It is time soon to go back home, and continue my life as a commuter to the land of computers.

I hope some of you have enjoyed these travelogues. Thank you, "Anonymous," for the one comment I have received since arriving here.

Land of Gentle Beauty

Japan is an intensely emotional place. The people carry so many feelings around inside of themselves, and rarely let them show, especially to a stranger.



But their gentleness comes out in their art forms, and even in the workings of their infrastructure. The trains do not lurch about the tracks as in New York; if you have to stand, you barely need to brace yourself as the train pulls into or out of a station.



The gardens are breath-taking. I have visited this country in springtime and the beauty of the cherry blossoms could never be overstated. Even the phone booths are like little Pagodas -- so pretty.



It is a land of beautiful women. They move their hands with lyrical grace as they speak in soft, clear voices. None of which is meant to imply that Japanese women are docile or passive; they are not. Today's modern woman in Tokyo could be in New York or Los Angeles or London quite easily.

They are serious career women, educated, fashionable, worldly. What Westerners often mistake as subservience in fact is a certain refinement of sensibility that Americans -- men and women -- would be wise to emulate.



Japanese men are also very gentle and often very kind. Modern Japanese men can make great fathers -- rarely have I seen fathers so openly affectionate and loving as here in Japan. The one public display of affection that seems permissable is for a Dad to nuzzle, and kiss his little child on the train.

On my other trips, I perceived some of what I have written during this visit, but never in any depth, because I was working most of the time here, giving speeches, participating in conferences, touring factories,conducting interviews.

Also, now I am older, I think I see more. My eyes gather a different kind of information now. These may be the most gentle people on earth, and it is easy to love them.

-30-