Nuggets of Gold!

DRESS UP

How's this for a send-off?

Some of our dear pals here in Tokyo invited us to a fireworks festival, and right before we set out from their house to see the lights, they presented us with our very own yukata -- summer kimono. We were overwhelmed, to say the least. Both with the incredible generosity and thoughtfulness of the gift, and with the daunting task of putting them on. Luckily, it became a group effort. Also luckily, I was wearing reasonably new undies. Our friends dressed us and off we all went.

It was a perfect evening, and it will be one of my most favorite memories from Japan.

SAYONARA TO JAPAN

Who wants some old news? You? You??

Here goes: We're moving back to the States! In the couple weeks we've known about this, things have been a mite crazy, as you might expect with a cross-planet move. So that's why the news is so late in getting here. Very bothersome, considering I toil in the world of new news. But I don't toil in the time-creation industry, so there it is.

We're very excited to get back home -- to Raleigh, N.C., specifically, which isn't actually "home" to either of us but it's goddamn close enough, OKAY??? We can read menus! Go to Target! Talk to strangers! But we'll miss the hell out of Japan. We'll miss having a vending machine within arm's reach at all times, the tiny dressed-up dogs, the high degree of cell-phone manners and, duh, all our wonderful pals here. And we'll miss the wackiness, big time. Not that the South doesn't have its share, as we well know.  But, well, it's hard to beat Eggplant vs. Radish, that's all I'm saying.

THANKS, DARUMA!