An end of an era

I received some very sad news yesterday. John John Yoxall, dear family friend and peripatetic eccentric extraodinaire, died in hospital after complications resulting from his terminal lung cancer. I'm in shock, and finding it very difficult to comprehend a world without JJ. He's been in my life since I was a mountain boy in Yamanashi, always turning up with a new story to tell - fantastical road movie stories that fired the imagination and painted luminous landscapes in my mind. He surrounded himself with good design and good people, never afraid to speak up at times when others kept silent. I remember his wicked, infectious laugh and his insightful observations on the Japanese people and society. I thought my children would meet him and be equally awed by the JJ effect. His kindness and generosity. Endless cups of tea and the peeling of exotic fruits. His yellow bicycle and his jogging form coming into view down a Kichijoji back street. He never stopped travelling, and I dare say he now continues his travels into another world, another dimension and another time.
I'll miss you JJ.