A weekend excursion to the Pacific coast brought about some deep reflections on cultural expectations and values.

Of course, some sake had helped to get and to keep our conversational flow going. Yet I had to wonder: What was the reason for this profoundly different conception of a worthwhile personal sacrifice, shining through the widow’s speech? (tbc)

*The next episode of my Tokyo comic series appears on Tuesday. It will deal with the more fundamental riddle exposed here.*