Destination

After struggling for nearly a whole hour, my wife decided to take a taxi.

The anti-climax was: the taxi driver didn't know the way either.

But he was certainly a traditional Japanese gentleman and was all too helpful. He drove us to somewhere (he believed) near our destination - which was probably a mile away - and stopped in front of a police station.

He went out and asked.

Another anti-climax: the police didn't know either. (The driver told me when he was back on the taxi.)

But our new friend seemed to have more confidence. He drove for another 200-m and dropped us - he pointed at a small road and told us that it should be somewhere inside.

We hesitated for a moment. Thank goodness we met another gentleman who spoke perfect English, and he gave us the same instruction.

It was, alas, already three hours after we left the Shinkansen (新幹線) station (enough for us to go back to Osaka). We put up the last drop of our courage (and strength) and went into that small road.

Around a corner there was a modern-looking building. At the door of which we found the (representative of the) housing agent.

He shouted aloud Ri Ha Min (my wife's name in Japanese translation) when he saw us.

Despite of the funny pronunciation, it was no doubt the most enjoyable circumstance when my wife hear someone yelling out her name.

PS. Some time later I found out why we went astray: We read the map up-side-down (or actually north-side-south).

And an old saying came to my mind: If the world appears all crooked, maybe you are just tilting your own neck.