5. Possible Work Shop

Two months have passed since first hearing about Gaina. I am headed to Tokyo again. I carefully planned my business trip. Mr. Suzuki's "Home Gaina Work Shop" was on January 15th. My airplane arrived to Japan on the afternoon of the 14th. Well, on that day, Tokyo was in a panic. A sudden heavy snowfall hit the Tokyo area, worsening throughout the afternoon.

Airport runways were so congested, my airplane had to do an unusual zigzag flight pattern until we were cleared to land. After landing, because all the gates were full, we couldn't get out of the airplane. Finally, after an hour stuck in the airplane, we were allowed to disembark. Unfortunately, another problem was awaiting me due to the unexpected storm.

Very few forms of public transport were operating, so the Tokyo area was packed with people trying to get home. Just think, one major railway station in Tokyo, Shinjuku, averages over 3 million passengers everyday (Guinness World Records Certified). And I saw a lot of people at the Tokyo Station. It amazed me that people were continually moving forward even in the long lines at the ticket barriers.

Thankfully, I only had a short distance to go that day. My plan was to stay at the Hot Springs Spa, and be able to enjoy a nice relaxing evening before attending the workshop on the following day.

Meanwhile, the sudden snowfall caused a "Mr. Suzuki is missing" incident. The afternoon of the 14th, he decided to go to Costco, only 20 minutes away from his home. After his shopping was complete, on his way home, the heavy snowfall caused difficult traffic. Mr. Suzuki was stuck in the snow with all the other cars. On top of that, his phone was dead. Five hours later, Mr. Suzuki finally made it home. His family was so relieved! After seeing that he was safe, he got in big trouble from his family because he didn't answer his phone.

The 15th, contrary to the 14th, turned out to be a nice day. Still a lot of snow remained on the roadside, and some people fell down, but I arrived safely to Mr. Suzuki's home in the morning. Curiously, I didn't see anybody there except the grandma sitting in the living room. Because the snowfall caused so much trouble, the work shop had been canceled. Even so, it was good for me to come overseas. At least one person came to see how to apply Gaina, anyway.

During this trip, I learned so much about Gaina and became Mr. Suzuki's drinking partner. When I think back to the January 14th snowfall in Tokyo, it is almost comical.