It's a little complicated and I don't expect anyone to remember, but this is how I met Ami.

Ami is a friend of Kaori whom she met at a home party; Kaori is a friend of Eric whom she met when she did her undergraduate studies in UMass; Eric is a friend of Ben whom he met when they were both doing an exchange in Hokkaido for a year and Ben is my co-worker whom I have been hanging out with.

We all had met in an izakaya one night when Eric was visiting from Niigata.

So Ami was a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend, but she's now my friend too. :)

In Tokyo, the city of chance meetings and random acquaintances, it is the most populous place in the world but perhaps one of the most isolating as well.

Which is why I count myself blessed to find someone like Ami, who is intelligent and independent and inspires me. I feel like we have known each other all our lives, except we really don't, because she was raised in Australia and returned to Japan for college and lived in London for a year to do a graduate course.

We started with a half-pint at the Hub, moved on to a sukiyaki nomihodai (all-you-can-eat) at Mo-mo Paradise and then ended with a simple coffee at St Marc's.

It was a no-frills night out, very low-key but meaningful in so many ways.

I will be bringing her and Jo to the Mori Art museum on Friday night for the contemporary art exhibit, and I'm looking forward to it! :)