October 1, 2000 - Tokyo

Narita Airport, Japan - Waiting for the Plane to China

Stayed at a nice hotel by the airport. I talked to the waitress last night about Tibet. She saw my Tibet guidebook, then started talking. One of her favorite bands is "Rage Against the Machine". The band was part of the Tibet Freedom Concerts, that’s how she became interested in Tibet. We started talking about Cibo Matto, and she told me she had a copy of "Stereotype A". We had a really nice talk.

I went to the bar. I bought a coke. I looked at the view of the airport. I was the only person in the bar. I talked to the bartender about Cibo Matto, Namie Amuro, Tomoe Shinohara, Brillant Green, and various other musicans. It was a nice cultural exchange.

All the people at the Hotel were really nice. The room was clean and not too small. The food was simple and good. That’s Japan, I love this country. I haven’t studied Japanese all year. A lot of vocabulary came back to me. They know a little English, I know a little Japanese. We used dictionaries to close the gap. It all works out.

I am a little stressed. I couldn’t sleep all night. Weird dreams. Foreign food churning in my stomach.

Excitement, anxiety, and anticipation. I can feel them waiting for me. They know I’m coming. But who, what, and why? I doubt the answers will be revealed. I just have to follow the spirit.

I met a Japanese woman on the plane yesterday. She had met the Dalai Lama while she traveling in India with her husband. They asked the Dalai Lama what they should do to help the people of Tibet. He told them to go to Tibet, visit his country. That’s what he wanted them to do to help. That’s what I’m doing. I’m going to see what the situation is like for myself. She was like giving me the "high five" for traveling to Tibet.