6am in Tokyo (2pm LA time). I'm even sleepier today than I was yesterday. I can't sleep here, even though I've been downing Benadryl, which usually knocks me out. I got about 4 hours sleep last night. I was awakened after an hour by someone in the hall outside my door. He was drunk and angry. I'm not sure if he was talking to himself or to someone on his mobile phone, but I didn't want to open my door to take a peek. (The last time I opened a hotel door to investigate a noisy person in a hallway, years ago in Copenhagen, I was greeted by a young guy out of his mind on drugs who made a beeline to my door and tried to force his way in, spitting and screaming. His eyes were rolled back in his head. After I finally got the door shut and locked, he pounded on the door and howled.) Anyway, this Japanese guy just kept going on and on about something. He'd start mumbling, then build up to loud ferocious staccatto bursts. Then he'd start over. I heard some other guy, maybe another hotel guest, speak to him in a low reproachful voice. It took a while, but he shut the jerk up. Thank you, whoever you are.
I was awakened a second time by the sound of power machinery. It took me a minute or two that it was actually someone in the next room snoring. So now I'm in the cafe, drinking a $6 not-very-good espresso in an attempt to reset my circadian clock. I don't know if it'll help or hurt, but I need to try something.
It's been raining steadily since I got here. From what I've been told, a typhoon is headed this way. I'm upset, because today is my day to go exploring around the city. I'll try to keep a good attitude about it. Tokyo is such a wonderful place, I can't let lack of sleep and lousy weather ruin it.
