Donald Keene, a prominent Japanese literature scholar, has mixed emotions about permanently leaving his Manhattan home for Tokyo, where he aims to become a citizen.
"I will be very, very sorry to leave New York, but I still think my decision is the right one," he said Monday from his apartment located near Columbia University, where he taught classes for 56 years until April.
"Japan has meant so much to me for so many years, it would be quite appropriate for me to die there," the 89-year-old added.