Japan: First Impressions
<p>We flew into Tokyo this morning, 5am local time. The flight was uneventful, unless you count being comfortable in economy an event.</p>
<p>First off, it was less than half-full, so Yuanyuan and I got three seats for the two of us and spent the flight doing acroyoga, trying to find all the comfortable sleeping positions.</p>
<p>Then the stewardesses took their oaths of service to the next level. At some point I got up to go to the bathroom and found it occupied. I parked myself near the door and got out my phone so I wouldn’t have to spend a second alone with my thoughts. But before I could unlock it, two stewardesses swooped in like air traffic controllers or kindergarten chaperones, waving their arms and smiling and “Please this way”-ing me to the vacant bathroom on the other side of the aisle. It was nice. Surreal but nice, as Hugh Grant would say. In Israel I once saw a kid fall off a bike and three strangers — also women, probably not the same ones — rushed to his aid while I stood, paralyzed by the bystander effect. As I peed 3 minutes earlier than the universe expected, I flashed back to that moment.</p>
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