It  I visited Princeton, Ne time.

    I took an Amtrak train from ason D.C. and on my o Ne off train at Princeton Junction and took a taxi and  to ty. 1984 ial election year bet; by Bruce Springsteen, and Mico getting burned on t sounds like just a feting older)

    to Princeton on University t Fitzgerald graduated from and I ed to see its campus myself. I ing except t. My train stopped at Princeton and probably, I t, I o drop in ty. After rambling on campus, looking at ten manuscript in a special room at toaying one nig a sel quot;Princeton Motor Lodge,quot; I jumped on trak again and  to Neill remember t tooral impression. It ion and feos and squirrels around t time I visited, the fields were replaced by a big shopping mall.)

    Anotaxi I took at Princeton Junction. Nos of taxis are ing in front of tation, but axi. ttle train betation and ty  of service t ton Junction station is located all alone in vacant fields, and you could find no  off at tation ies, a black man around ty, me and my companion. All  in front of tation and  for a taxi.

    It e a long time before a taxi came up. e arted to  ourselves axi appeared. Feeling relieved, all four of us pooled taxi. took a seat beside t of us occupied t. taxi-driver axi started  after a o me deliberately took  of a suitcase, and after s up and doarted to spray on  understand  any of us could .  on spraying and finally to t out, opened ted furiously to t;You get out ; At first, ed, but maybe intimidated by toug out case, sest.  oned on drugs. turned to  and continued to drive, and carried to tohing had happened.

    A little later, to us as if to spit out t quot;e  ; quot;After inviting toics began to floo t on earto several years?

    Seven years later, I revisited Princeton. time I o stay at ty for a long period. ting o t t quot;Id like to get relaxed and e novels in a quiet place  any disturbance.quot; tly met a person related to Princeton University and made an actual plan for going abroad. o me quot;Noon University is inviting you. Your residential place  January.quot; I like ty.

    It arted packing and preparing for our stay in t t time o Japan, arting again to stay abroad  exactly noticing   ic, but I didnt  to lose to live in Princeton anyway.

    t e. In a taxi ell us t ttacked Bag  a good sign for us. e couldnt feel at ease to live in America  ry, even if try  all t to go to t,   feel comfortable in triotic and macy. Once I saudent demonstration on ton  read quot;t; I remembered quot;ti-est,quot; but ;pro-; demonstration. I ention to interfere in somebody elses affairs, but I took t to  t times er udent at Rutgers University(it is a more average university tudent said quot;It is because of Princeton, Mr. Murakami. e i-est all rig; Later in Princeton rouble s attacked anti-udents and snatchem.

    But any o a successful end, and ed feeling at ease, t turbulence occurred; t try before tmosped partly by triotism uplifted folloly because Americans  for tration toing dull economy in try. I dont knoed in Japan, but I felt it ratougo live actually in t kind of social ambiance. Besides a sense of uncomfortableness, ten  out except sen stayed at   only t all t somete time, a certain Japanese politician (you knoician hinking and made me so furious.

    In one of ted to dinner by an American acquaintance of mine, and at table, a  it slip and called me quot;You Jap....quot; in tion. t made all t deadly silent as if all of ter poured on t turned gly pale. t t could ever  an American dinner table. tion didnt seem to notice t  t at all. Later t called me aside and made an excuse by saying t quot;ention, so please forgive ed by t against Japan in tary education ill remains e antipato you all.quot; I replied t quot;I got it, so please dont ; Actually I didnt care about it, but still no his was a rare experience.

    its, my first year ense to me. It er t  Los Angeles. t t myself up indoors and I ing a long novel. I seldom  any anyter undergoing mysterious ts and turns, t into t novel (or a rat long novel) quot;Kokkyou no minami, taiyo no nis; and t;Nejimakidori C;

    Folloensive year and a s break, my e sometronger. Successfully I came to publistle magazine quot;Bookquot; from Kodansy-one or t paper, and t essay I  wing a series of essays for one and half years,

    I never felt eacoo long. As is often ters, I am ratype of er erializing my t into  it in a visual  often . In t sense, ing as many as ty-one or t one-year stay in America, various t be interpreted into ion.

    Consequently taxi drivers anxiety in 1984, implied in ; y in t several years?quot;, migly rigly not. In t t Princeton is still a peaceful and beautiful to raffic jams in teristic of toy,  try from inside, I feel keenly t it is a serious task to keep er anote tnam ar, try  t necessarily mean t tizens of try became o be even more at a loss in t of serious problems ten years ago. Botion and its people, I to meet backs or defeats in turning point. But if asked e and pory does, my ansive. In tion t tcableness in ion of America caused by tinct idea about ableness of Japan  any clear-cut belief t ion. inctiveness and ambiguity, t feel o co lead in future..

    riting essays for tunity to tters. But no conclusive ans any facet tably, t  quot;tant understanding of America.quot; As an autified if t;a quot; to your understanding of tates.

    December, 1993

    In Boston