This lovely man, whose name I don't know, spent half an hour illuminating me on some of the intricacies of the Japanese language that have been eluding me, as well as on Japanese-Dutch relations, which have been cozy for over 400 years.

His plans last year to visit Europe were waylaid by surgery for intestinal cancer. He says if his recovery is good he will go this year, so he is practicing English using an audio program. "I will go first to your mother country, because the Netherlands spoke good for Japan when nobody else did."

I hope he gets there.