If I had not met this man, I have no idea where, or who, for that matter, I would be now. He is the most remarkable individual I have ever met, or will probably ever meet. He was far more than just a teacher: he was a life-long challenge, a true aristocrat, a gourmand of life, a dauntless pirate raiding the world of pleasure and seducing it to reveal its beauty. There were many things which we did not agree on, and in this too, he was an invaluable teacher.
Although I tried, I could not meet him one last time. I always thought that there would be one more river that we'd journey down. There might be one yet. When it's my turn to toe the Styx, I hope to see the old boatman lift his hood and find Mr Aso laughing at me. And we we'll paddle our kayak to that bend where the swirl of the galaxies and the black river eddies tangle and mingle...