Welcome to the Land of the Rising Sun. Unfortunately, the sun rose far too early for your correspondent's liking yesterday, as the jet lag he had smugly thought he comfortably dealt with hit home with a vengeance.
Sleep came dropping real slow on Wednesday night.
Tokyo time is eight hours ahead of central Irish time, but previous experience informed your man in Japan that it doesn't mean you won't be working around the clock previewing the major sporting tournament that's on the cusp of starting.
But that's why Karaoke was of such benefit during the 2002 World Cup finals and just two years ago, and at a greater frequency, during the Rugby World Cup.
If there's jet lag to be dealt with, there's no better place to see off those waking hours in the wee hours than murdering a popular song in front of a group of your similarly bleary-eyed peers.
Alas, the doors to Big Echo and the other karaoke joints in Ikebukuro are shut to us visitors and songs remain unsung. Thankfully, some might well say.
So it was 4.30am, the crows were already cawing (well, it sounded like they were laughing) and it's then you wonder a little bit about what you're doing, quarantining in a small hotel room thousands of miles from home. It will be worth it though.
As I write this before turning in for (hopefully) a half-decent sleep, tomorrow morning my time (in the middle of your night) Ireland's Olympics will begin with Sanita Puspure. And the roller-coaster will speed us through some thrilling spots, some joyous occasions and some heartbreak too, and the whole thing will fly by at break-neck speed.
The Headspace app got the shutters to come down eventually, sometime around 5am. And the next time my eyes opened, it was....7.45am.
But sleep is coming. Hopefully.
Hope for joyous Opening Ceremony
Liberation comes today in the form of escape from the hotel as quarantining day four has arrived.
And with it shall come a venture out into the Tokyo cityscape - well, to Sea Forest Waterways, anyway, to see the rowing.
But having absolutely loved the Danny Boyle's Olympics Opening Ceremony in London, there's been a bad smell about the place with the arrogant words of the Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates and then the sacking of the Opening Ceremony's director for a holocaust joke.
Hopefully in these Covid times there will be something celebratory in what is offered up to viewers around the world.
