Most of us can name a time when our lives changed forever, but few can do so as precisely as Nicholas Baker: 11.30 a.m. on April 13, 2002.
The scene is Narita International Airport. The bleary-eyed Baker, on a shopping trip for World Cup souvenirs, has just stumbled through immigration and into the customs area after drinking steadily during the long flight from London.
His traveling companion James Prunier is ahead of him and waiting at the carousel, holding his own suitcase.