Meet-Up At Shinagawa Station

Above, Tom Logan and I at Starbucks in Shinagawa Station.

A little jaunt was taken today down the Yamanote Line to Tokyo's Shinagawa Station to meet up with Thomas Logan at what has to be the coldest Starbucks in the world.

The Starbucks was inside Shinagawa Station, but it was open air and right next to the Konan Exit where it was snowing outside and the cold air was rushing in. Thankfully, Starbucks had nice green blankets available to keep patrons a little bit warmer. I managed to grab a couple of them for us.

It was an enjoyable get-together with Tom, whom I hadn't seen since he was on Congressman Robert K. Dornan's staff and I was 53rd Assembly District GOP Chairman back in the 1980s. Tom currently lives and works in Yokohama. It was an appropriate occasion for me to wear my USS Ronald Reagan cap.

We talked about our current lives, our days at El Camino College, past political events and of people we knew back in the 1970s and 1980s. One highlight was re-enacting the Inglewood School Board meeting where a riot nearly started during a debate over the book Roots due to comments by longtime buddy Michael Triggs (who was elected to the board at age 19). We had some great laughs over that!

Tom wrote after the get-together:

Great to have met, thanks for the signed copy [of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan]. You have a good memory of lots of names which all came back to me.

Sometimes it pays to have a mind like flypaper. Having reunions like this make travel all the more enjoyable!

Great times!

And, thanks, Tom, for the treats!