I'm back from Japan, but suffering from a lingering cough, buried under a pile of cutesy gifts, staggered by some (more!) familial drama, and cursing my stupidity in thinking that six days was plenty of time to fit in all the packing and saying goodbyes. Argh.

Tomorrow I'll update about the whole trip. And sort through more papers. And throw away more clothes. And pack up some shoes. And sweat. Because Seoul is going through the hottest heat wave in 10 years (36 degrees C/96.8 degrees F today -- and don't forget the humidity, which makes it feel 5 degrees hotter).

On the other hand, Nagoya, where I was last week, was 37 degrees C/98.6 degrees F today, with matching humidity. It's like the whole country has become a massive human body, and we but the sluggish cells inside. (I'm aware that doesn't make sense, but I think you'll agree that fried brain cells do not always sense make.)