We started off our voyage to Tokyo with an exciting morning consisting of a kitchen fire and my toiletry case as the only casualty. Japanese apts don't come with appliances, so Nick's prior roommate bought a typical Japanese stove -- it has a little drawer for broiling (the closest thing to an oven that anyone has in Japan -- no ovens! Can you believe it?) While I was in the shower, Mike made some toast for breakfast. This led to the igniting of the stove, and since my toiletry case was sitting on top, the flames that were shooting up through the back actually melted my case. agh. After a minute of being frozen in disbelief, Mike valiently grabbed a stein of water from the sink and doused the flames. Catastrophe averted. Good morning Nick. The
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