Welcome to the 400th Japan Lite column! If you have been reading this column since 1997, then congratulations on our 400th anniversary. Four hundred weekend dates is longer than most unmarried couples make it. How does it feel to be 400?
I'm just entering my teens compared to writers who have written far more than I have, but there is some satisfaction in knowing that I've made it this far. A column is something that must be produced on a certain day of every week of every year, no matter what else is happening in your life, such as your day job, near-"karoshi" and marital spats. All at once. Luckily, I write a humor column.
How does one measure 400 columns? It depends on how one measures time. You could measure it in years (almost eight), book offers (five -- zero that have reached completion), hate mail (hundreds) or deadlines (400).