(Leaf 24) – Looking Back
 |
| An old advertisement for キリンビール (Kirin Beer) |
In my old job I used to travel
overseas often, always in the company of a group of other colleagues. These
trips were usually for several weeks at a time, sometimes even a month or more.
We always had a tradition that on the last night we’d have a ‘drinking party’
in the room of whoever was on the highest floor of the hotel. I think the idea
being they probably had the best view perhaps. On one occasion while staying in
Tokyo it was my lot to be the host of such a party. It being the last night of
the trip was always a danger. There were a couple of times when I woke up the
next morning with a sore head and had to rush like an idiot to check-out of the
hotel and get to the airport just in the nick of time. On this occasion though,
I was looking forward to staying on in Tokyo over the Christmas and New Year holiday period on my own, so I wasn’t quite so concerned about getting up the next
morning after this particular ‘nomikai.’
Evening guests gone
– empty sake bottles
and tobacco smoke,
I open the window.
.jpg) |
| The Sofitel - Ueno, Tokyo (2003) |
