This is me in the kitchen of my apartment in Tokyo, probably in 1991 or so, which would make me about 23 years old. I had just graduated from college and rented that old, single room, second floor flat in Tokyo. There was only a squat toilet, and no shower or bath. Every other day or so I'd ride my bike to the sento, the public bath, where it cost about $3.00 to get myself clean.

The sliding wooden windows and doors had huge cracks at the jambs, which made it extra cold in the winter. The wind would blow right though, and everything would rattle and shake during earthquakes.