I meet two men in one: Tomonori Saito, who works for a shipping company in Tokyo's Shinagawa district, and Saion, the nom de plume of a young Japanese poet.
Talking his way out of the office to meet at Starbucks, a copy of his first book of published poems, "Testament," tucked into his briefcase, Tomonori is hardly recognizable in his neat salaryman suit. "I chose to write under the pen name Saion, which means 'beautiful rhythm,' for two reasons: I thought it sounded enigmatic, and I was frightened to use my own name. I thought the public wouldn't take me seriously if they knew who I was really."
Now he's no longer scared, but thinks the name will help young people who like good bands and good music to relate. As someone who knows all about the dark side of life, that's good, he says; it is this generation to whom he is speaking. One of his last poems in "Testament" is "Save Your Life, Save Your Soul," about mass suicide incidents in Japan.