Rob Richardson in Onomichi, Japan:
Ohayou gozaimasu!

"It's about 5 a.m. now, on the first day of the new year in Onomichi, Japan, a small town on the Inland Sea in eastern Hiroshima Prefecture.

Everything seems to be working: electricity, gas, and water. I'm watching some beautiful scenes of Mt. Fuji (with operatic accompaniment) on NHK's general channel. And both my computers started up, and my ISDN phone line is working fine. It's still dark outside, but I feel reasonably confident the sun will rise in about an hour or so.

I am embarrassed to say I didn't make it to midnight. I drank champagne and watched part of the "Red vs. White Song Contest" which is a New Year's eve staple broadcast by NHK, and then I went to bed about 11 p.m. New Year's is a very quiet time in Japan, and New Year's eve particularly so... Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu, Happy New Year."