... in London, with such a wealth of culture on our doorstep. My Events page looks pretty full, and I'm amazed at how new Japan-related events keep coming up. Last night I went to Sokurov's 'The Sun'. Issey Ogata's portrayal of Emperor Hirohito was spellbinding. And on Monday I'll be at RADA for a Noh-style version of Ibsen's The Doll's House. Not quite sure what to expect, but hey.


That seems pretty trivial and self-indulgent in the light of what others are going through. Not to get too mushy, but I was relieved to hear from the great Dr Gary Ramdeen, formerly of the Beijing Languages Institute and the China Medical University, now living in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, that he and his family are all fine.

Here he is in Beijing in 1982, with a taxi.