At My Limits Writing a Correspondence from America While Jet-Lagged - The Thoughts Pouring Out of My Half-Asleep Babbling...

It's Friday night in West Hartford, USA, and a DJ is getting into playing jams directly behind me. The speakers are proudly from Sound House’s from the renowned U.S. brand QSC. The volume is loud, and the bass is also thumping in your stomach. I was glad that the music was a fun collection. But then I realized that it was Cinderella time and before I knew it, the clock had struck midnight. It is usually very crowded at this Bell Taco restaurant, but today, perhaps due to the cold weather, I looked around and saw that half of the customers had disappeared. It had been very busy until then, and there were many people around the bar counter, but I felt as if a spell had been cast on Cinderella's slipper.

This perhaps was unavoidable but there was no way that Cinderella and her friends would come to Deltaco to pick me up at midnight. Reality is harsh. At my age (I'm still so young, you know)? Why am I still working in a corner of a bar in the middle of the night on the other side of the world in the United States? While I was busy, the deadline for this Weekly blog has arrived. It's midnight on Friday in the U.S., but it's 1:00 p.m. on Saturday in Japan. The noisy staff from the general affairs department keep asking me to write a manuscript for them. I wish I weren’t so lazy, but I desperately try to do something about it. This is another hard thing. As a result, I end up sitting at the edge of the bar counter and writing furiously. On what should be a glamorous weekend, a painful reality is bearing down on me.

I have a feeling that employees are pleased when I write this kind of boring stuff (this bedtime story). I think that many young people, especially these days, no longer expect serious content, but are always looking for stimulation. It may be similar to how when you start eating spicy food and get used to it, you want more spicy food. I have no intention of joining such a trend, but to be frank, there is no way I can write a serious article with jet lag and the amount of work that I had to do, so I decided to just let the hit songs chosen by the DJ performing in the background flow and write about things as they are. However, I have passed my Cinderella time, and my eyes are getting to be past their prime.

At 12:11, the lights of the bar suddenly became brighter. It was already closing time. Thinking back, I realized that two days ago I was in Japan. Yes, I left Narita on Wednesday evening for Los Angeles. Of course, I always fly on Singapore Airlines with my free air miles, and after a nine-hour flight, I arrive in the U.S. at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, the same day due to the time difference. The person in charge of my business partner picked me up there and we had a meeting at a restaurant in Torrence, a town near the airport. I was jet-lagged and sleepy, but I was patient. Patience is always necessary in business, and those who win the endurance contest are the ones who produce results.

However, this is not necessarily a guess. My brain was already mush at that point. It feels like Pink Floyd lyrics, as if "Lunatic" is attacking my brain.Immediately after the meeting, I walked into a nearby Thai-style massage parlor and fell asleep, albeit only for an hour of blissful rest, and suddenly realized that it was already over. Then, in the blink of an eye, it was time to meet my friend for dinner, and there I would be picked up. I knew I had no choice but to ride in his U.S.-made Tesla to his favorite steakhouse., as he is one of my American friends whom I see all the time. However, due to jet lag, I wasn’t very hungry. Despite eating at a steakhouse, we barely managed to order sautéed rainbow trout to appease our stomachs. Still, the wine was good, and I decided to take the plunge and drink three glasses. Why did I do that?

Because this is where the real challenge awaited me. After all that, I was supposed to catch an 11:00 p.m. flight from Los Angeles to Hartford on the East Coast via Charlotte. I was predicted to be a struggle from the start. After all, I had just arrived in the U.S., was coming out of a meeting, and was exhausted from the time difference. There was no way I could take a bath. It wasn’t like I could have just gotten on a plane and simply have gone to bed right after dinner. How could I have slept like this?

Of course, being the iron man of travel, I take every precaution to be prepared. There are few Japanese who fly as much as I do, so I am willing to use any means to rest my body in the limited time I have. The basic premise is that by the time you board the plane, your body will be exhausted, you will ache all over, and you will not be able to get a decent night's sleep. I knew that. Moreover, this time, there was a layover on the way to the airport, and despite my exhaustion, I would have to wake up in the middle of the night. Such a flight should be avoided by all means, but this time it was unavoidable.

This is where the blasting power comes in, and this is where Halcion comes in. Of course, I have a prescription for insomnia while traveling. But that alone is not enough to help me sleep on a packed airplane. That's where the traveler's secret tools come in. First, I pack a pair of thin pajamas that can fit into a small bag. By changing clothes, you can be assured that the quality of your sleep will improve, even if only slightly. Next, earplugs are a must. They must be good quality earplugs, and they should be tight enough that after you pinch them and squeeze them as hard as you can, they will immediately expand enough to fit into your ears. In addition, you need an eye mask. Without something to cover your eyes, your sleep will be disturbed because the cabin is somewhat bright. Therefore, being fully equipped with these items will make you ready to fall asleep deeply right after takeoff.

However, in the case of airplanes, it’s not possible to fall asleep before takeoff because the seat cannot be reclined until a short time after takeoff. This is because the seats cannot be folded down for a short time until after takeoff. Therefore, you have to stay awake until the captain makes an announcement. Since it is easier to sleep when the seat is reclined even a little, I have to be prepared to wait about 5 to 10 minutes after takeoff. Since I was seated in business class this time, wine and beer were served after takeoff! Cheers to the wine! I consoled myself and planned to make an effort to sleep. But then, something happened.

The lady sitting next to me on this flight was a nice white lady, who at a quick glance looked to be about 70 years old. At first, she seemed happy and relaxed, but as soon as the plane started to take off and rattle and shake, she started saying, "I'm scared!” She suddenly started squeezing my hand. “Uh…" I was not expecting this lady to start holding my hand. I wondered if this was her first time on an airplane. Then she said to me, “Are you okay with all this shaking? Are you really okay?” I immediately felt the need to be kind to this woman, so I replied, "I'm fine, don't worry!” As soon as I said that, I knew that I was going to have to take care of her.

Yes, there was a reason why this woman took a friendly liking to me. Before the plane took off, there was a drink order. The first thing she said was, "White wine, please," and right after that, I said, "I’d like the same!” It was a fateful encounter. “You like white wine too!” She continued to speak to me in a friendly manner. Since we were sitting next to each other, this was a reality that could no longer be avoided. I couldn't just ignore her, so I went along with her story. But my mind was occupied with strategies on how to sleep. The plane took off, and soon entered level flight. Good Night, Baby!

It is extremely difficult to sleep well on a flight of only 4 hours and 45 minutes from this situation to North Carolina. Of course, the Halcyon helped a little, but the plane arrived in no time at all. It was 6:30 AM, given the time difference. With only 40 minutes to change planes, I walked briskly to the boarding gate for the 7:10 a.m. flight to Hartford. Two hours later, I arrived in Hartford, west of Boston. I rented a car right out of the airport and headed to a meeting with a supplier in the early afternoon. Sometimes I surprise myself with my almost nonstop schedule. Patience is the key, after all. As a result, the meetings lead to accomplishments and serve as a catalyst for the development of the company's business. If you do all you can, you will have no regrets in life.

Looking back at my schedule, there is no time for relaxation, and I can see myself moving steadily along according to the plan while being pressed for time. I have been doing this for decades, and recently, I really feel that it is time for me to call it quits. I wonder if there is anyone out there who would be willing to work with me. The most important thing is to understand and respect people's feelings. Secondly, you need to be a person who is well versed in foreign countries, not just a frog in a well, but a person who has an eye on the world. On top of that, product knowledge and musical experience would be even better. The hurdles are high! But actually, it's not a big deal. It is a path that anyone can walk if they continue to work hard at what is very natural. This year, I dream that such a person will appear, and I will go to sleep now. May you have good dreams. Tomorrow is Boston, and the day after tomorrow is my beloved Japan. I can't wait to go home.