A Friendly Face

I went running this morning to explore my side of the mountain. As I was jogging along one of the many winding roads in the area, I noticed a foreign woman coming toward me on her bicycle. Usually when foreigners meet on the road in Japan one of two things happen; slight eye contact and a little head nod to acknowledge the unspoken "foreigners' club," or complete avoidance of eye contact or any recognition of any kind. I don't have a reason for the second one, we just do it. However, this morning this woman stopped and said, "Do you go to Boston University?" I thought, do I know her somehow? Then she says, "I'm from Boston and I saw your sweatshirt..." Right, I forgot I was wearing BU gear. She says her husband is doing research here and she just came over, so she's still in the "glad to see a familar foreign face" mode. That's about that, and we continue on our way. This evening I was riding down along the river for an evening of dinner and karaoke and a special city "light up" when I see the same woman riding toward me. We exchange surprised "hey!"'s. What are the chances that I would see this woman again, and in the same day? It's a small world, especially in Kyoto, and even more especially if you aren't Japanese.