“Weird old man” wearing an Aloha shirt

Actually, I met my father once after I was fired from my job as Dr. Tanimura’s assistant. At that time, Aunt Ayako told me, “Your father wants to see you,” and I was like, “What? Is your father still alive?”

Moreover, when I heard the story, I found out that he was in the Philippines, and my mind went blank, wondering what on earth I was doing there. Not knowing what was going on, I headed to the Philippines alone for the first time.

The Philippines was not very safe at the time. Speaking only of Manila, it can be said that the whole of Manila is quite dangerous, except for a few areas such as Makati. Backpacking alone is not recommended, even for men. In December 1989, there was a military coup, and the whole country was in turmoil.

First of all, as soon as I left customs at the airport, I was hit by the humid and hot weather, and sweat started pouring down my face. Nowadays, people talk about how summers in Tokyo are hotter than in Manila, but the first thing I remember about my first visit to Manila is the muggy air that is typical of the tropics.

The instinct “I’m not in Japan anymore” kicked in. Also, the airport lobby was swarming with suspicious looking people. It felt like if I let my guard down for even a moment, I’d be caught up in an incident like theft or kidnapping, and I was so nervous I was stiff.

So, while I was looking around nervously in the airport lobby, I saw a strange old man in an aloha shirt, who looked a bit like me, staring my way. I couldn’t believe it, so I went closer… and it was indeed my dad.