Gina patted Setsuko’s hand. “Erin is one of life’s mysteries.”
Setsuko shrugged her shoulders and launched into the latest update on heartthrob host brother’s every move.
Ignoring the girls, I had tremendous fun watching the bus navigate the small twisted streets as we neared our destination. I even spotted my first glimpse of fall. A lone red maple stood out against the green of the Ginkgo trees that lined the main street. The bus rounded the last spine-tingling turn and with one swift yank on the wheel, the driver managed to park the bus directly in front of the park entrance.
In fact, this was Ueno Park, the place known for the millions of pigeons that pelted the grounds daily. I had on my trusty hiking boots but had forgotten a hat, definitely increasing my odds of becoming one of the countless victims of the Ueno bombing brigade.
Gina, Setsuko and I got off the bus together as Mr. Shinji called the students to attention. “This is Kenzo Sawada. He will be the tour guide for one of the groups. I will lead the other.”
Kenzo stood up on a bench to get our attention. “Okay girls and boys, we’re going to split into two groups. Who wants to join mine?”
Without thinking, my hand shot up. I didn’t want to miss out on Kenzo’s guided tour. Not to mention the fact I was curious about the added benefits of joining his harem he teased me with last night.
Gina came up behind me. “Gee, Erin, I didn’t know you’d become part of the Kenzo fan club already. I do admit he’ll be more entertaining than Mr. Shinji.”
I smiled at Gina. Great minds think alike. Setsuko tagged along behind us as Kenzo motioned for our group to move forward. Wanting a front row seat, I pushed my way right up next to him.
Kenzo gave me a wink before he began to run through the itinerary. “First we’re going to Shinobazu Pond and view the Benten-do Temple. Second, we’ll take a ride on the monorail for a bird’s-eye view of the park. Last, we’ll be off to see the Toshogu shrines. A very mystical place.”
Kenzo almost had me convinced that after a day with him I might actually become a member of his fan club. Maybe I could ask him about why the temple was mystical. Couldn’t hurt if I tried to cross another thing off Tori’s list. Especially today—the day of the funeral.
I pushed back my building grief for Tori’s father and followed Kenzo as he led our group of twenty students to a large square packed with people.
“You have to promise you won’t tell Mr. Shinji, but I thought our first stop on the tour should be the famous Ueno Park street performers. Walk around and watch a few shows and meet me back here in twenty minutes.”
Setsuko squealed with delight. “How fun. Let’s go see if there are any magicians.”
Gina rolled her eyes. “She had a fetish since her eighth birthday party. Something about a suit and tails makes her crazy.”
Setsuko grabbed Gina’s arm. “You’re right. Now let’s go find a magician.”
I was having one of those third wheel moments. Longtime friends just had so much history together. I’d never be able to catch up. The sound of loud rock music piqued my curiosity, but Gina quickly looped her arm around mine. “You aren’t getting off that easy. Don’t make me suffer alone.”
Setsuko stuck her head through several groups of people to try and find her magician. Finally, on the fourth try, she squealed, “Over here.”
I’d never been one to fantasize about a magician, but one look at the cute guy dressed in black leather with a huge mop of hair like Kenzo’s and I was hypnotized like the crowd. He held a large glass sphere he moved so quickly through his fingers that the glass ball seemed to be floating. Each move was punctuated by gasps from the crowd—the loudest ones coming from Setsuko.
Gina shook her head. “How embarrassing. She sounds like she’s having sex.”
I burst out laughing and some of the crowd looked my way and frowned. I bowed slightly. “Sorry.” Then I whispered to Gina, “I guess the audience thinks magic is serious business.”
Gina nodded while the magician did his grand finale by rolling the sphere up his arm, bouncing it off his head and then it disappeared into the air. Instead of loud cheers, the audience gave the performer a light applause. The act was so seamless, part of me wondered if it wasn’t an act at all—but REAL magic.
Setsuko took off in hot pursuit of her next act. After ducking into three more crowds, she waved us over. “Look! This guy’s an Elvis impersonator.”
A rush of fear ran through me. What if it was Hiroshi? Nope. There must be lots of impersonators in a city as big as Tokyo. Gina and I walked over and pushed our way through the crowd. Hiroshi was a vision in his white vinyl jumpsuit with King blazed across the front. “You ain’t nothing but a hound dog” blared through the speakers of his boom box. He wiggled his hips and threw out his chest as he sang along to the music. Setsuko dragged us over to a spot closer to the front. “Isn’t he amazing? He sounds so much like Elvis!”
I looked at her in disbelief. Was she deaf?
Gina shook her head. “She’s always had a thing for the King.”
“Well, I’ve seen enough. Can we go?”
It was then I saw someone standing next to the boom box waving in our direction—Fudo.
Gina looked at me puzzled. “You know that guy? He’s kind of hot.”
Setsuko stared adoringly at Hiroshi, completely missing Fudo’s arms waving madly. I sheepishly waved back.
Gina stared at me waiting for a reply. “His name’s Fudo, a friend of my host family.”
“Don’t tell me. The Elvis impersonator is your host brother.”
I nodded my head. “Yep. Nothing but Elvis twenty-four seven in my house.”
She patted me on the back like I was a puppy. “Now I understand everything.”
I let out a sigh. “Promise you won’t tell Setsuko.”
Gina gave me a hug. “I understand. It’s got to be a terrible thing to live with.”
I didn’t know how much more humiliation I could take. There was a loud whistle and Kenzo stood up on a large pillar waving and pointing at his watch.
Setsuko continued to be hypnotized by Hiroshi, totally oblivious to the rest of the world. Gina raced over and pulled her from the crowd. “Time to leave. You can get your Elvis fix another time.”
She stuck out her lower lip and reluctantly followed us over to where Kenzo had managed to gather up most of the group. “Okay, gang. Hope you had fun watching the performers, but it’s time to get some ancient Japanese culture. Follow me to Shinobazu Pond.”
The pond looked more like a lake with a small island in the center accented by a pagoda and temple. The entire surface of the water was carpeted with lotus, many of them still in bloom. A pungent fragrance drifted through the air like walking through the cosmetic section of a department store. Kenzo led us to a small marker. According to the bronze plaque, the large man-made pond was built in the 17th century to encourage tranquility. Something I could use after this morning.
Kenzo pointed to the pagoda that seemed to magically float on the lotus. “That is the temple created to celebrate the goddess of Benten, the patron of the arts. This is a perfect shot for all you photo hounds.”
Staring at the pagoda shining in the sun surrounded by lotus bobbing up and down, I ached for my iPhone. It was bad enough I didn’t have my cell phone to talk to friends. Mom forgot she was also keeping me from taking photos which she knew I loved to do. I should have never listened to Tori about leaving my old camera behind and getting the latest and greatest when I got to Tokyo. Like I had time to buy a camera the second I landed. That was something Tori would do—not me. I needed to start being myself in Japan.
While everyone, including the girls, took their photo opportunity, I sat by the edge of the pond sulking. I put my head in my hands wishing I had at least brought a sketchbook. Then someone tapped on my shoulder.
Kenzo knelt next to me. “What’s wrong? You look like your cat died.”
Great. So not the way I wanted him to thin
k of me. “I forgot my cell phone so I can’t take any pictures.” I gazed at the lily pads as they undulated across the surface of the water. “The pond is so beautiful I wanted to have a few pictures so I can remember this amazing day.”
He held out his hand and pulled me up. “No problem. There’s a bank of machines right over here.”
I followed him over to a row of machines much more impressive than the one back at the academy. You could purchase anything from a Coke to batteries. Right next to the batteries was a machine filled with different kinds of disposable cameras. Kenzo put a few yen in the slot and pushed a button. “Here you go. It only has fifty shots. Hope that’s enough.”
I took the camera from his hand. It had to be the nicest thing a guy had ever done for me. “Wow, thanks.”
“No problem. I always offer the best service. I expect a five-star rating after the tour.”
He walked back to the group, I wanted to believe his gesture was more than just because of his job. The way Kenzo looked deep into my eyes meant he bought the camera because he liked me. But something else lingered in the back of my mind. Kenzo seemed to be watching over me—but why?
Gazing back at the pagoda sparkling in the sun, I quickly took two shots of the temple.
Kenzo looked at his watch. “We better start jogging, or we won’t make our rendezvous time with the other group and I will be in deep shiiiiiit.”
I loved the way Kenzo knew American slang. He really would be the perfect person to help me learn enough Japanese so Tori’s country relatives could understand me.
Kenzo wasn’t kidding about picking up the pace. We sprinted towards the stairs to the monorail. I couldn’t wait to get onboard. I really enjoyed the monorail at Disneyland, even though my cousins teased me. “Only non-thrill-seeking adults ride that thing.” I didn’t care. I adored being high off the ground and gazing down on all the other rides.
Setsuko caught up with us. “This is going to be fun. It’s my favorite ride at Disneyland.”
What a strange thing to have in common with Setsuko. I smiled watching her place her nose against the window. She loved seeing things from high up as much as I did. Unfortunately, we only rode two stops. Not enough time to take in much of the park.
After exiting the monorail, Kenzo motioned for the group to gather. “Okay, gang. We’re going to head first to the Toshogu temple. If that’s not enough of a religious structure for you, we’ll take a quick glance at some of the smaller shrines in the Gojo complex if we have time.” He took a deep breath. “It’s a lot to see, so let’s hustle.”
One of the guys yelled, “Hey, what about lunch?”
Kenzo let out a sigh. “Don’t worry, guys. We’re going to have time for a quick bite a bit later. Let’s get going.”
Our group headed through an open gate made of bamboo and walked down a pebble path lined with stone pillars and lanterns. Huge trees on either side towered over us and blocked out most of the sun. For the first time, I actually felt the history of Japan.
I turned to Setsuko. “Now this is what I pictured when I dreamed of Japan. Ancient temples and the forests where the samurai used to walk.”
Setsuko was too busy taking pictures to respond. I decided to join her taking two shots of the temple framed by the trees.
We walked through the imposing wood gate that led to the Toshogu complex. The main temple, which even from this distance loomed large through the trees, had a huge double gabled roof with elaborate gold scrollwork covering the brackets. The roof’s green tile shone brightly in the sunlight. Without thinking, my finger shot off three pictures.
The compound looked just like all the historic photographs I’d seen in books. I pinched myself. Here I stood in front of one of the great ancient temples of Japan. Toshogu looked a little worse for wear, but I wished I could look half as put together if I was over three hundred years old. Kenzo stood in the middle of the grounds letting the group take it all in. I took the opportunity to sneak a picture of him.
“Hey, let’s go over where it’s less crowded so we can see all the detail close up.” The girls nodded as I led the way. The roof’s overhang shielded us like a giant umbrella.
Huge hand-painted wood reliefs flowers and Japanese cranes bridged the space between the brackets. The rafters covered in black lacquer made the gold detailing practically hit you in the face. At the end of the brackets hung carved Fu dogs ready to leap out into space. I took a picture of them leaping from the roof for Tori. She had a thing for Fu dogs.
I’d read about the temple’s ornamental carvings, but to see all the detail in person left me breathless. The magnificent old building had an attention to detail that had all but disappeared. As an artist, I appreciated all the hard work that went into designing and making the temples so magnificent. I had a sudden twinge of guilt. Tori would have loved to see this temple.
Gina and Setsuko wandered off without me. I guess I couldn’t expect them to be so appreciative of the temple’s ancient beauty. Setsuko would much rather be shopping at the Shinjuku underground mall.
Staring up at the way the red, blue and green colors lined the edge of the temple roof, I felt a hot breath on my neck. “You sure are fascinated by the roof structure.” Kenzo gave me a smile.
“I am. The brackets and trim painting are so beautiful, yet they are only holding up the roof.”
“Yes, we Japanese are crafty like that.”
I laughed. “Can I ask you a totally random question?”
His charming smile grew larger. “Sure.”
“Are there ghosts in Japan?”
Instead of laughing, he turned serious. “Have you seen something?”
“Well…” I sucked in a breath. “I think my host family’s house might be haunted.”
Again, he didn’t laugh. “All the islands of Japan are haunted. They’ve had a violent history.” His dark brown eyes gazed deeply into mine. “Has something tried to contact you?”
The hairs on my arms stood up. How could he know that?
“Um…kind of. Something whispered in my ear.”
Kenzo’s eyes grew wide. “You are a special person to be able to sense their presence, and even more so to be able to hear them. Let me know if it talks to you again.” And with that life-changing pronouncement, he turned on his rocker-boot heels and headed back toward the main group of students.
Talk about having your mind blown!
Was Kenzo just messing with me—or could he be serious about Japan being loaded with ghosts and for some crazy reason I can hear them?
Gina waved in my direction. She yelled out, “Kenzo’s leaving. We better go.”
I shook off Kenzo’s words and walked back toward the girls. Gina looked at me cross-eyed. “Gee, Erin, I thought you’d break your neck the way you were staring at the underside of that roof. I mean… it’s just supports.”
I gave her a smirk. “They are beautiful.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Whatever.” Then blocked my path when I tried to escape. “Hey, why was Kenzo talking to you?”
Before I could come up with a snappy comeback, Kenzo motioned for us to join him. “It’s time for a snack. You’re going to love the great selection of machines. You can even get a necktie.”
At the mention of food, Gina grabbed my arm. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”’
We walked down the impressive row of multi-colored machines. Kenzo was right. I had my pick of endless lunch possibilities. Everything from rice balls, Cup of Noodles, to a machine that made freshly cooked French fries. The greasy aroma made my stomach churn. All my nagging questions about what Kenzo said vanished. I stopped dead in my tracks when I stood in front of a florescent green colored machine. Nudging Gina in the side to get her attention, I pointed to the cans neatly lined up in rows. “I think you should try this.”
Her eyes grew wide when she read the label. “Water Salad? What the hell is that?”
Setsuko chuckled. “It’s exactly what it says. Liquefied salad.”
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br /> Just the thought of it made me want to gag. “Barf!”
Kenzo heard me and came over to see what the fuss was about. “You girls better decide fast, you only have ten minutes left for lunch.”
I tried my luck down another row of machines and found a sandwich machine. I put in a few yen and crossed my fingers. Gina followed me with a bag of fries in her hand. “They aren’t Heavenly Burger’s, but they’re not bad.”
We’d somehow managed to lose Setsuko. I turned the corner. She stood in front of a machine full of multi-colored umbrellas. “They have a machine for everything.”
She smiled. “Yes, we Japanese are quite ingenious.”
Gina popped a fry in her mouth while Setsuko picked out a blue umbrella covered in white daises.
“What the heck do you need an umbrella for? It’s eighty-eight and sunny.”
She stroked the umbrella as if it was a pet. “It’s typhoon season. They said one might be headed our way tonight.”
A typhoon? The fact I was on an island in the middle of the ocean suddenly hit home.
Kenzo waved his hands in the air. “Okay, gang. It’s the five-minute count down.”
Setsuko ran to buy a rice ball, while Gina and I shoveled down what was left of her fries.
Kenzo gathered us around him. “Now that you’ve finished lunch, I want you to grade the tour. How many of you think I get five stars? Raise your hands.”
Something about Kenzo’s tone just begged for a smart-ass answer. “I’d rate it a two and half on the temple tour scale. We missed half the stuff.”
The guys in the group laughed as Kenzo dramatically crossed his arms over his chest. “Well. I would have to say I give you and your friends’ one star for temple tourists. While you were talking, you missed some of my best material.”
I wanted to say something back, but no one would hear me through all the laughter. Somehow, I’d get even with Kenzo. I just had to wait for the right opportunity. Setsuko stood devastated. She had no idea how hazardous it could be to hang out with a bad girl like me.
Nothing kicked my competitive streak into high gear faster than a challenge. I walked up to Kenzo. “Do you enjoy making fun of your clients?”
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