As it was entering a new millennium and a new year in Tokyo, I went to Yabu in Kanda at Central Tokyo, a buck wheat noodle house, to take New Year Eve's noodles. When I arrived at Yabu at 11:00, a long waiting line of guests was formed already on the nearby street to the entrance gate of house. A uniformed guardsman told me that cameras from TV stations just left after taking pictures of waiting line, and that I was lucky because I would never be on TV news at noon time. The house installed fire stoves with charcoal along the line. After waiting for forty five minutes, I could enter the house. Beside an accounting counter, there was a big round mirror shaped rice-cake offered. But every thing other than that was as usual. The madam of house was sitting at the counter, transferring orders from guests to cookers with a sharp but beautiful voice. The guests were enjoying their meals as usual, not caring about people waiting in line outside the house. Waitresses never showed signs for hurrying guests to eat, paying attentions only for guests to enjoy the New Year Eve’s　Noodles satisfactory. This might be an old house's dignity.

On my way back, I took a train from JR Akihabara station. There were few people in the street today although many shops were not closed yet.

Around my house, in the morning when I was washing my car, many people were passing by with dogs usually. But I did not see any of them this morning. Most of them have left for their home towns or holiday trips with their dogs, I presumed. A friend of mine told me yesterday that while he was riding on the new super express train, a small dog in a portable cage was barking when someone passed by.

It is six o'clock in the evening of December 31, 1999. I wrote a diary of the day, because no one knows exactly what will happen at and after midnight.

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