journal features

stranded in Tokyo

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Tokyo, 2010.04.20

I now know four groups of travelers hoping to get to Europe who are stranded in Tokyo.

Two of the groups are from Jon's wedding. His father and his father's girlfriend want to get to the Netherlands. Jon's brother and his family want to get to the UK. The former, flying with KLM, have been told to wait 'til the 22nd and, "Here's €10." Virgin Airlines has gone to the opposite extreme and is forking out ¥15,000 per adult to help them find accommodation until the 30th when space on a new flight could be found.

Then there's my wife's family. Arriving at the airport only yesterday, they have no idea when their flights to the UK and to Denmark will actually happen, but they're spending their own money on accommodation.

I can think of worse places to be stranded, but fewer that are more expensive.

rand()m quote

If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until you can hardly bear to look at it. A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.

—Roald Dahl