Today I'm going to call Pico Eyer. I first met him on the page when I was 20 and I read his book, Video Night and Catman do.

And right then and there, I knew this is a writer I'll follow anywhere.

He's published more than a dozen books, many of them

about his travels around the world, but more importantly about the journey inward. He very

beautifully captures the miraculous ordinary moments and exchanges that we have on our travels and in life.

And he's always looking for the deeper meaning in that.

His most recent book is called Autumn Light.

It's about his life in Japan.

He's there right now, and I'm gonna give him a call. you're going to be here. Hello? Is that Cheryl? Is that Cheryl? Is that Pico? Yes, I'm so happy to hear your voice. We get to talk at last.

I'm so excited at last we get to speak Pico.

The feelings mutual.

I mean, we've corresponded over email.

We've had a couple of almost meetings but it just never happened so here we are

One of the beautiful things this curious moment has brought us that you and I can speak more easily across 6,000 miles and perhaps if we were on the same

west coast.

Exactly.

So tell me where are you right now?

I'm in our tiny apartment in a boring suburb in Japan and there are cherry blossoms

flowering over every last stream and path, bright blue spring morning, the Nightingales have been teaching their young how to sing.

Old folks are taking themselves and their dogs for a walk around the neighborhood.

And as you probably know, things tightened up quite a bit in Japan.

So everybody is braced for maybe a spike in coronavirus cases.

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