Japan, the journal: days 5-6
Day 5 We were up early and back to the trains on Thursday. Once again, we traveled from Uguisudani to Ueno, but we arrived so early that we had some time to kill before we were supposed to meet my friend. Luckily, the station has many interesting artworks and shops to browse. We watched as the morning crowd turned from a steady stream of businesspeople focused on their commute to those dressed more casually, coming in for personal errands or tourism. When the throng had thinned and become less devoted to the quest of making it to work on time, my pen pal Harumi arrived with her husband. I didn’t know Harumi when I was in Japan the first time. We connected as a result of an internet pen-pal program a little less than eight years ago. After putting my ad on the website, I was contacted by her husband Huw, asking if I would consider a cassette-tape letter exchange. Harumi has been blind since she was about 20, and enjoys correspon...