Haneda, Tokyo's second airport, is conveniently located just a short train ride from Shinagawa in the south of the Japanese capital. On a recent Friday afternoon, I showed my passport to security. I was the only one in that particular line. It was a quiet day.
东京第二大机场羽田机场距离东京南部的品川只有一小段火车车程，位置十分便利。最近一个周五的下午，我来到这里，出示了护照。我是这条特殊线路上唯一的乘客。这是很安静的一天。

“And why have you come?” I was asked politely by a security official examining my passport.
“您来这儿做什么呢？”一位安检官员检查着我的护照，并礼貌地问道。

“Well I used to live here and have come back to see some friends.''
“恩，我以前住在这儿，回来看望一些老朋友。”

“You flew from…?”
“您从哪儿来……？”

“Beijing.”
“北京。”

And then this is what amazed me. “Ah,'' he said, “the bicycles, lots of bikes”.
接下来他的话让我很惊讶。“啊，”他说，“自行车，那里有很多自行车”。

“Yes,” I replied. “They are very popular now.”
“是的”，我回答，“自行车现在很流行。”

“It is healthy,” he said.
“这很健康，”他说。

He seemed ready to have a chat and I was ready to oblige. I was in no particular hurry. No one was waiting for me on the other side and no one was behind me. “Yes it is very healthy. And enjoyable. I cycle everywhere in Beijing.”
他似乎已经准备要跟我聊天了，我也准备好回应他。我没什么着急的事情，前后也没有人在等我。“是的，骑自行车很健康。而且还很愉快。我可以骑着自行车到北京的任何地方。”

“Where are you staying?”
“你打算住在哪儿？”

“Shinagawa.”
“品川。”

“Not far. Have a great time.”
“不太远，祝你玩的开心。”

With that, he stamped my passport and I went through.
然后，他给我的护照盖了章，让我过关。

I was only in Tokyo for two days. In fact I had no arrangements to stay anywhere. There is a certain freedom in not knowing how the winds of fortune will blow. I had packed light, just a small backpack. Tokyo is a city where memories are made even if plans aren't.
我只在东京呆了两天。事实上，我没安排任何住的地方。不确定命运之风吹向何处，反倒是一种自由。我的包裹很轻，只有一个小背包。东京是一个不经意就会留下很多记忆的城市。

Shinagawa is the first major stop from Haneda. I got off, had a walk, and then saw students setting up tables for a charity food fair. Delights from all over Japan were on offer. I sat down and asked a student if they could tell me where I could find a good B&B. Two students walked me around the corner and within five minutes I had a room at a very good price. I left my bag there and went back to the food. Nothing cost more than $5.
品川是我从羽田机场出来的第一站。下车之后，我慢慢地走着，然后看到学生们在为慈善食品会做准备。日本各地的美食都摆到了桌子上。我坐下来问一个学生，哪里可以找到好的家庭旅馆。两个学生带着我走过拐角处，走了5分钟，就找到了物美价廉的旅馆。我把背包放在旅馆，然后又回到那里吃东西。所有东西的价格都不到5美元。

After a marvelous night and a good sleep, I went for a long walk in the morning. Then this lady started following me and taking pictures of me on her phone. After 10 minutes or so, I went up to her to introduce myself and ask why she was following me.
经过了美妙的一晚，我睡得非常好，早上起来去散步，走了很远。然后有位女士开始跟踪我，还用她的手机给我照相。大约10分钟之后，我走到她跟前，向她做了下自我介绍，并问她为什么要跟着我。

“I know who you are,'' she said.
“我知道你是谁，”她说。

“That makes two of us, but who do think I am?”
“我有同感，但你觉得我是谁？”

“That's easy. You are Russell Crowe.''
“很简单，你就是罗素•克洛。”

“No, I am not.”
“不，我不是。”

“I know, I know, you have to say that. But I saw you in the Generaltor.”
“我懂，我懂的，你必须这么说。但是我在《角斗士》上看到你了。”

“The Gladiator?”
“《角斗士》？”

“Yes, I saw you. You were very good.”
“是的，我看见你了。你真是表演得太好了。”

“Look, I promise you, I am not Russell Crowe.”
“听着，我向你保证，我真的不是罗素•克洛。”

She took some persuading but eventually realized what was patently obvious. I was not a movie star.
她想要说服我，但最终意识到，显而易见，我不是电影明星。

I felt I had let her down, and offered to buy her a coffee.
我觉得我让她失望了，所以主动给她买了一杯咖啡。

No, she said, crestfallen, and started deleting her photographs.
她说，不用了。然后开始垂头丧气地删照片。

“Where do you live?” she asked, more out of politeness than interest.
“你住在哪儿？”她更多是出于礼貌，而非感兴趣地问道。

“Beijing.''
“北京。”

“Ah,” she said. “The bikes, loads of bikes for people to use.''
“啊，”她说。“自行车，那儿有许多自行车供人们使用。”