T minus 4 days

White out: One inch of snow dusted Tokyo today, icing the roofs of single family homes below our fourth floor windows. Not that the wintry blast prevented the neighbors from hanging the daily wash on the lines along their terraces as usual. Since our building (the "Manor") is at the crest of the zaka (hill) we seem at a higher perch. Bulbuls and sparrows visit our terrace, as well as the occasional karasu (crow). Alfred Hitchcock would delight in the yakuza-like crows that patrol Minato-ku's streets.

Time for a brief meeting with the (Japanese) Librarian and the (Chinese) Event Planner at the Tokyo American Club to discuss February 6th. Our chat sheds light on the challenges at the United Nations: One cautious, the other bold, while the American bumbles along. Prizes are modest, with a signed certificate from Maki Kaji for each contestant. Already the event is three-quarters full, which is a vote of confidence. At last count ages of our guests range from 7 to 77.

Shades of the Stamford (CT) Crossword Tournament where the average age was retirement! Last time I organized that nerd-fest eons ago I invited E.J. Kahn who rewarded me by writing about it for The New Yorker. Nowadays the film "Word Play" has glamorized the Tournament, with high-profile ink solvers like Bill Clinton and Jon Stewart. ("Mom, you mean you actually know these people?" asked our resident critic about the blue haired set.) If only we could invite a politician on February 6th! Certainly ex Prime Minister Aso has the look of a sudoku man, more than the current leader (nicknamed the "Alien").

Meeting adjourned, off to the Yoshimichi Fujimoto exhibit at the Musee Tomo. Three underground rooms carefully appointed with ceramics by this top sensei who was named a "Living National Treasure" in his lifetime. (LNT is an honor bestowed upon performers, although no idea what it means or who bestows it.) The masterpieces are not behind glass but temptingly within reach, and I am tempted by the covered box with kingfisher. The hawk-eyed security lady keeps me in her line of vision.

My good behavior is rewarded by a small envelope in my mail box: I have passed the Level 4 Japanese Proficiency Exam.