Hello Tokyo!

Al Yellon Al Yellon created Bleed Cubbie Blue and has been its managing editor since 2005. His latest book about the Cubs is "Chicago Cubs Firsts." Find him on Bluesky at @bleedcubbieblue.bsky.social

TOKYO — Yes, the flight from Chicago to Tokyo is long. Not as long in the air as predicted, though — it landed about half an hour early. Which meant — and you have probably seen this at O’Hare, too — we had to sit and wait till another plane cleared our gate.

Still, an early arrival was nice, especially in the evening Tokyo time. Clearing customs took pretty much no time at all, despite fairly large crowds, the Japanese customs folks were very efficient. And, of course, everyone here speaks…