Solitude in a Throng...

My hotel is in Machida, a suburb of Tokyo. Machida has a population density of almost 16,000 per square mile (almost 5800 per square kilometer). Those of you who know me best already know what everyone else will now know: I do not like crowds and I do not like closed in spaces.

Escaping the crowds to the confines of my 220 square feet (~21 square meters) hotel room is not a good choice for me, though it is fine for sleeping. Nor am I able to find regions like Johnson County, Wyoming where the population density is less than 1 person per square mile. Where does one get out and find solitude and space? Be up before everyone else. I handle cityscapes best between 4:00 AM and 5:30 AM. Today, during my roadwork (intervals), I saw maybe 10 people out this morning, and most of them were storekeepers getting ready to open for the day. And, there is something revealing of a city in its morning nakedness -- of times that once were and the hope the sunrise might bring.

I still have an hour and half before breakfast, so it is a good time for some Living Water...