John awoke and found the room darker than it was before. He had no idea what time it was. The warmth of the futon was begging him not to leave but he stumbled up into the cold and his body shivered in shock from the sudden temperature change.
Very slightly, John opened his door and noticed a light coming from one of the rooms down the hallway, the faint sound of a TV only barely reached his ears.   
John put some clothes on before heading over to the room and knocking twice on the slightly ajar door.
“John-san?”
John slid the door open and saw a short, slim woman with a straight-cut fringe in a bob standing and smiling at him, she had a can of beer in her hand.
John bowed deeply, “I’m John, nice to meet you!”
The woman bowed and smiled without showing her teeth, “John-san! Aren’t you just so handsome! I’m Tsukiko, nice to meet you. Welcome to Japan!”
John felt his cheeks flush red, he didn’t know what to say.
Tsukiko waved her hand and beckoned him to come into the room, “Come in! I saw you were sleeping before so I didn’t want to disturb you. Do you want a beer? Do you like Japanese beer? Is it okay if I speak Japanese?” Tsukiko was energetic and rapidly firing questions.
“Yes, please! I like Japanese beer.” He wasn’t well versed in Japanese beer but he wasn’t about to ask for a Coopers.
John sat while Tsukiko disappeared into another room before returning with a beer.
It was a large can, 500ml of a beer called Kirin which he had never had before.
“Kanpai!” They both said as they touched their cans together and John took a sip.
Tsukiko asked John a million questions about Australia and his life over there. Why did he like Japan? Could he eat sushi? And of course, did he have a girlfriend? To which he blushed and just said no.   
She raised an eyebrow as she took a sip of her beer, “Hmmm, the girls here will love you! Foreign men are so handsome! I love your deep eye sockets. Aaaah I wish I had deep eye sockets, look at this! I have no depth in my eye sockets.” She pointed to her eyes and John looked but wasn’t entirely sure what to say.
He’d never really thought about his eye socket depth before.
They talked back and forth for a while and Tsukiko explained that she worked at a small office a few stations away. She didn’t say what she did other than it was an office job and it was boring but she rarely had to do it over time and the money wasn’t bad.  
“Hey, have you told your family you arrived? They’ll be worried won’t they?” Tsukiko said as the conversation lulled.

Since John arrived, he had been so absorbed in everything that he completely forgot about calling home. Tsukiko gestured for him to use the phone.
After struggling to put in the country codes and number properly he finally heard the phone ringing.
Brr-Brr—Brr-Brr—Brr-Kcccht-“Hello.” It was Mum.
“Mum I’m here! Sorry I just managed to get to a phone now. I’m at Tsukiko and Tadao’s place.”
“Oh! Thank goodness, I was worried but there were no plane crashes on the news so I knew it wasn’t that- Love it’s John- he’s arrived!” Mum yelled out to Dad mid-sentence.
“Anyway, how is everything?” She asked.
“It’s amazing – people have been really friendly and helpful and the house is beautiful. How are you?”
“Oh, we’re fine here, nothing much just the usual. Oh, I’m so glad! I’ll put your father on. Hold on.”
John had a brief conversation with Dad before he suggested not to talk too long because the international calling fees weren’t cheap. John put the phone down and thanked Tsukiko.

The two talked a little more and John slowly drank his beer, realising he had not eaten anything since Ryo’s breakfast, he had an empty stomach and felt a little tipsy from the beer. Tsukiko insisted on giving John a proper tour of the house after hearing Ryo had only shown him his room, the kitchen, and the bathroom.
The living room had a similar cluttered feeling to the kitchen, with a TV and some seats. There was a kotatsu (a coffee table with a heater underneath and a blanket around the edges) with two-floor seats around it. It seemed as if there were bookshelves of different sizes occupying every part of the walls – they were crammed with books, plates and even some faded old photos. There was a liquor cabinet and an old-looking computer at a desk.
Tadao and Tsukiko’s room was similar to John’s except much more personal. Tsukiko only briefly opened the door to their room but it reminded John of Mum and Dad’s room. There were his and her clothes in different parts of the room, a dresser, and an ironing board.
The garden went all around the house and while it was relatively narrow, with no specific front or backyard, it all joined seamlessly with large, flat stones of all sizes with moss-like mortar joining them together.
Tsukiko explained that this house had been in Tadao’s family for a long time, it was an old house with many, many memories. “Did Ryo mention that Tadao, him, and myself were friends from a long time ago?” Tsukiko was staring off.
“Yeah…he did. He said the three of you used to spend a lot of time here.”
Tsukiko smiled, “Yes, the three of us are so close. Those men are idiots but they mean the world to me.”
The two continued to walk the garden and the sky became darker above them with the sun nearly completely set by now. John realised and appreciated that Tsukiko slipped into English for more difficult conversations, she must have sensed the limit of his ability.
“You know Ryo, he is a really good guy. If you’re ever in trouble and we’re not around – please go to Ryo, he will help you.” She added while stepping back into the house.

Tadao wasn’t due back for a little while and Tsukiko suggested they eat around Kichijoji so that way Tadao could meet them there. Even though Kichijoji was a train stop away, walking didn’t take long, particularly through the park. They took a slightly more scenic route and Tsukiko pointed out where places like the pharmacy and convenience stores were. 7-Eleven was close to the station but there was another one called Lawson nearby, “I am more of a Lawson fan but Tadao likes Seven.” Tsukiko rolled her eyes.  John was curious about what the difference was.

Passing the station, the two descended a path into Inokashira Park. By now it was dark and only the park lamps provided illumination in amongst the darkness of the park. Several people passed, they seemed to be going home, some were walking and talking with others. A man sat on a bench facing the lake with an easel and the dark lake before him.

Tsukiko explained that Inokashira Park was always fairly busy but there was a time Tsukiko recalled when she would never walk through at night alone. There were all kinds of perverts back in the day and it wasn’t that well lit. One of the most frightening things that she recalled was the time there were body parts found in a bin in the park, “I can’t remember what year it was but some guy was chopped up and but in bags. All his blood was drained out and it was very precise.” John looked at a bin as they passed and wondered how many bins they used to dispose of all the body parts.  
“They never found the guy who did it but it was probably some mob job. People don’t just do stuff like that but then again, you never know…” Tsukiko seemed to be talking to herself at this point.

After circling the lake, they walked up some stirs to find what looked like a restaurant doing yakitori. It was extremely busy and the smoke wafted out as they passed.
It was the same street John had looked down when Toji showed him I 0 I 0 earlier that morning. The street felt different than it did in the morning. If it was still waking up when he first saw it, the street had woken up and put all of its accessories on. They came in the form of glowing street lamps, open stores, and things spilling out onto the street with countless people weaving in between the chaos of everything. Young men and women walked around holding menus yelling out the specials their establishment was offering in the form of all-you-can-drink or special set options.
Tsukiko pointed back to the smokey place, “Actually, we’re going here. Let’s wait in line and Tadao will join us.”
As they waited in the slow-moving line Tsukiko told him he should go and get himself a pre-paid phone from one of the providers. She suggested a provider called Softbank because they were okay with foreigners getting pre-paid phones, even on a holiday. “You probably would have seen a Softbank store this morning as you walked from the station right?”
John realised that he hadn’t told Tsukiko about his little detour, “Well actually this morning when I got to Kichijoji, I couldn’t find Marui and a guy helped me and ended up taking me on the train to Inokashira-Koen Station. I found Ryo’s place from there.”
“Eh? Wait – some random guy helped you? He wasn’t some kind of scam artist, was he? Did he ask you for money?” Tsukiko looked alarmed but slightly amused.
“No, he didn’t ask for anything and his English was really good. His name was Toji.”
“Hmm…okay. Maybe it’s because you are a foreigner. Just remember, while Japan in a peaceful country, you don’t always know what someone’s intentions might be. There is a lot that we can’t always see.” Tsukiko’s eyes seemed empty as she said this as if she had taken a step out of her body momentarily.
John wasn’t quite sure what to say, but assumed that this did not only apply to Japan, it could happen anywhere in the world.
“I will be careful. Don’t worry Tsukiko-san, Australia has a dark side too but maybe it just looks a bit different from how it does here?”
Tsukiko smiled at him, “I suppose you’re right. You’re a smart boy John-san,”
The line had progressed somewhat and one of the staff asked Tsukiko how many people before scribbling something down on the pad. Without looking at John she informed Tsukiko that they didn’t have an English menu. Tsukiko told her that wasn’t a problem.
“OH! Before I forget, you don’t need to call me Tsukiko-san or Tadao, Tadao-san. Please just call us Okaasan (Mum) and Otōsan (Dad).”
John agreed without processing it but then he thought how it would be calling other people Mum and Dad who weren’t his parents. With that said, the words felt different to him so he decided to approach it that way.
As they approached the entrance, Tsukiko started waving at a man in the crowd walking towards them. Tadao wore a dark check suit with a deep red skivvy underneath. Tadao was looked younger than John imagined, but then so did Tsukiko.
Tadao bowed deeply, “John-san, it is so good to meet you and welcome!” He had a slightly husky voice. The man standing before him had short hair, salt and pepper with a well-kept beard to match.  He wasn’t slim but also not overweight.
Tadao subtly touched Tsukiko’s back and she looked at him, smiling deeply with her eyes, “You kept us waiting! Unbelievable.”
“Hey hey! John’s going to find out how much you can’t stand me on his first night with us!” Tadao laughed and Tsukiko did too.
John laughed, not knowing exactly if he was meant to say anything so he just blurted out his formalities with Tadao, “It’s nice to meet you too, thank you for letting me stay during this time.” Bowing deeply in return.
“Gee, your Japanese is good and you can even bow properly!” Tadao laughed and patted John on the shoulder giving a light squeeze as he did.

Shortly after the three entered the restaurant. The room before them was like a hall with tables and seats lining the middle, booths around the sides, and repeated up two levels. Dark, old-looking wood and white panels with white lanterns uniformly lining tables and support beams. A smoky haze hung in the air and it wasn’t just the charcoal grill, people smoked as they drank and ate.
Smoking was legal in restaurants? John was surprised. He couldn’t even remember a time when people smoked in restaurants in Australia but his parents recalled a time when it was very much legal. They never spoke of it fondly.
It was loud, they squeezed between tables and apologised as they did. The young man guiding them darted effortlessly and unapologetically, looking back occasionally to see where the three were. As John walked awkwardly behind Tadao and Tsukiko, he caught glances, leaned in, an whispered before the whole table looked his way. He looked directly back and sometimes they looked away, other times they smiled or laughed.
“There’s a foreigner!”
Weave in between a long table with a bunch of co-workers.
“He’s handsome! Do you think he’s American?”
Side-ways walk between two tables with a ruckus group of uni students.
“Hey look behind you…”
A smaller group of four.
“Oh…there’s one here…”
Two young guys sitting at a table with beers and cigarettes hanging out of their mouths staring directly at John.
Once in their booth, Tadao ordered three beers, pulled out a packet of cigarettes, passed one to Tsukiko before lighting it and then doing his own.
Shortly after their drinks came out, Tadao and Tsukiko ordered a number of things that John had no idea about. He knew about yakitori which was chicken char grilled on a skewer but it seemed like there was more to it. In fact, when the plates came out, it seemed like anything could be grilled on a stick. They could be ordered with salt seasoning or a sauce that was almost like a thick, sweet soy.
John found that he was fond of chicken skin with salt seasoning, chicken hearts and beef.
He was not partial to liver at all.
Asparagus and gooey mochi wrapped in bacon were close contenders too.
Tsukiko ordered another serve of chicken skin for herself, “It’s full of collagen so it’s great for skin.” She poked her cheek as she explained. Tadao laughed, “I think you’ve got enough collagen in your cheeks don’t you?”
Tsukiko lobbed a slap his way before the two laughed again.
John hadn’t encountered a dynamic like this before, the couples he saw in highschool didn’t make jokes like this, it easily would have ended in tears. Even Mum and Dad didn’t joke like this, or if they did it was just about weird stuff that no one understood except them. John found himself wanting to laugh too but wasn’t sure if he should or could. Tsukiko and Tadao wouldn’t have noticed though, they were in their little world during those moments anyway.  
Tadao fired off questions to John all night, asking about how John’s parents were before reminiscing about the days back in Australia, “It’s a good country! No overtime and very peaceful like Japan.”, he took a puff of his cigarette as he surveyed.
“So what are you going to do while you’re here? Have you thought about places you want to see or things you want to do?”
If John were to be completely honest, he hadn’t thought much about what he would do at all. There was a part of him that thought they might show him around but it seemed like the two of them would have work most of the time during the days, “I think I might just go around and explore and see what I can find. I really don’t know. I’ve never been overseas before…”
It was only just dawning on John, still less than 24 hours in the country that he had three months ahead of him. He couldn’t begin to comprehend what he even had to do.
“First time? Oh gee!“
“We’ll both be working a lot but we can give you recommendations for places to go. What do you like? Anime? Sushi?”
“I like shopping, eating and walking around cities. I’m interested in Japanese culture but I don’t know where to start. Anime and sushi are fine…”
“Tsukiko and I can make a list. Oh- hey who was that kid that Ryo knows? He should be about John’s age right?”
“Aahh—you mean the one who lives a few stations away and had a job trial a few weeks back?” Tsukiko was racking her brain as she took a sip of her umeshu soda, “I don’t remember his name…maybe we can drop by Ryo’s place later and if he’s there we can introduce you John. He doesn’t start university until April so he’s like you – lot’s of time.”
“Oh cool!” John wondered what this guy was like and if they would get along.
“Good thing it’s not a girl or she’d probably be all over a handsome foreigner like you! Say John, what do you think about Japanese women?” Tadao gave John a wink.
John’s cheeks flushed red. He did not think he would be at risk of having to come out so soon. His heart started racing in his chest.
Tell the truth.
Don’t tell them.
What if they’re homophobes?
What did Japanese people even think about gay people?
There were always gay references and themes in anime but he really didn’t know.
“Oh…umm I haven’t really – well yeah of course super pretty!” He blurted out awkwardly. It wasn’t the best answer but it also wasn’t a flat our lie. Objectively, yes Japanese women were very pretty. Women in general were pretty but it didn’t mean he was sexually attracted to them.
It was a lie by omission. There were worse ways to go.
“Oh look at what you’ve done! The poor thing has gone bright red. He’s not even an adult yet!” Tsukiko threw a look Tadao’s way and clicked her tongue angrily. There was little jest in her eyes or words this time. She looked at John and softened to a warm and caring gaze, “Don’t listen to him! In your own time You’re just a boy.”
John felt the need to let her know he was eighteen but she waved a finger and shook her head smiling, “Aaah but in Japan you do not technically come of age until you’re twenty years old.”
This was news to John but it also begged the question as to why they let him drink. He wasn’t about to question that though. He was thoroughly enjoying his third beer.

After dinner they walked through the much darker and quieter Inokashira Park. It felt much colder than it did earlier. The air was still and John could see his breath billowing out in front of him.
The stillness of the park really struck him. There was something eery, there was something missing but he couldn’t figure out what it was.
The three made their way up the path and the steps near Inokashira-Koen Station. A few of the stores had glowing windows and people inside. One of those was 万星.
“You would have gone here this morning right?”
“Yeah! Actually, how do I read it? I know it’s 10,000 and stars, is it man-hoshi?”
Tadao laughed, “Aah close. You have the meaning of those kanji correct but it’s actually a name, Maho.”
“Maho? Okay…” John didn’t understand how it worked but he wasn’t about to question it. He knew jack all about kanji so this showed he had a lot to learn.
They entered into the warm, smoky space, except compared to Iseya, the smokiness of Maho was purely cigarette smoke.
Ryo was behind the bar talking to some customers at the counter and looked over towards the three standing at the door. His eyes lit up, “Irasssshai!”
Ryo was wearing a denim happi with a black t-shirt underneath. His long hair tied up as it was in the morning. 
With all the chairs and tables arranged and people sitting at them, the bar felt completely different from when John had eggs there that morning. There were quite a few people scattered around. It’s not like the bar was huge but if Dad was there he would say, oh it’s a great use of the space!
The walls were smoothly rendered in a light beige with countless dark floating shelves scattered in an almost random selection along every wall. Some were high, others were low, long and short. Vinyl records of retro Japanese pop singles, little figurines crowded one shelf while photos of different locations taken on film were neatly lined up on others.
A few customers glanced his way with stares lingering before going back to their own business. A young man with a similar coloured hapi and black t-shirt was collecting some glasses from an empty table and wiping it down. He smiled and greeted them too, “Irashaimaseh” his voice deep and almost didn’t match his face which was soft and young looking. His eyes disappeared as he smiled, there was something fox-like and delicate about his features. This was compared to Ryo who whose thicker and more prominent features gave him an old-world masculinity.
“Ahh that’s the guy! He’s your new friend John.” Tsukiko tapped John on the shoulder and obviously pointed at the fox-like staff member with the deep voice.
Noticing this, the young man quickly made his way over to the three, “Oh I’m so sorry, that was rude of me. Where would you like to sit?” He bowed deeply.
Tadao stepped in, “No, no take your time. We were just saying that our friend’s son John will be staying with us he’s your age and we think you two could be friends.” He said matter-of-factly.
The boy laughed and raised both eyebrows before turning to John, “AH! WELCOME. MY – NAME – IS – KENTA. WHAT – IS – YOUR – NAME? JAPANESE OK?” he said in the loudest and almost patronisingly slow Japanese John had ever heard. The token English at the end was also loud and slow.
John blinked multiples times before stammering out his response, “My name is John. Nice to meet you.”
Kenta turned to Tadao and Tsukiko, “Ohh he can speak Japanese. That’s so cool.”
The two chuckled politely before Tsukiko launched, “Kenta, you’re starting university next year aren’t you? You live on the Inokashira line don’t you?”
Tsukiko had a mission, she was gathering information with a steely determination. Her bob and dead straight fringe accentuated the power in her eyes. Soft Kenta barely stood a chance, “Oh-uh-yes. My family lives near Highashi Matsubara Station…” He was extremely polite in his answers but John could perceive a stress growing within him. He knew where this was going.
Tsukiko continued, “So, John is the same as you. He starts university in his country next year but he’s with us for three months. Won’t it be a great chance for the two of you to hang out? You can show John around when you have time. That won’t be an issue right?” Tsukiko was asking questions, but it didn’t seem like there was more than one answer. The answer was going to be yes, of course it’s fine.
Kenta laughed, it was extremely unnatural sounding and John just stood there awkwardly observing the whole situation. Tadao had walked over to Ryo and the two were snickering while looking over at Tsukiko and Kenta, presumably about the massacre taking place before their eyes.
Tsukiko delivered the final blow, “John doesn’t have a phone yet so you can give me your number and email now or I can just get it off Ryo.” There was absolutely no malice in her voice or actions, Tsukiko was just connecting two people based on them being similar ages and have a similar amount of spare time.
Kenta’s mouth was open slightly, “Uh- I’ll just go get my phone…” He was about to turn around when Tsukiko stuck the knife in even further, “Huh? Don’t you know your own phone number and email?”
Kenta turned around reluctantly and laughed nervously, “Oh yeah! Sorry I just…”
He recited his number and email with Tsukiko checking it with him.
After the awkward exchange, John and Tsukiko joined Tadao who had taken a seat at the bar near Ryo and was busily chatting away. Kenta quietly passed them each hot towels.
John wasn’t sure what to do with it so he just cleaned his hands with it, the sting of the hot towel on his cold extremities made each finger feel like it was throbbing. It was odd, it felt nice.
“Three warm sake!” Tadao seemed to proclaim out of nowhere. Ryo nodded and chuckled a bit as he took three small bottles and put them in what looked like a hot water bath. Steaming, but not boiling.
Once they were done, a small bottle and an even smaller cup were placed in front of John. Tsukiko wordlessly poured his and then her own.
“Kanpai!” With a steady gaze and deep eye contact, Tadao joined in and so did Ryo who had a cup poured too. In unison the four of them downed their Sake. The slightly sweet, frangrant and reminded him of moist earth. The warmth spread within him, his eyes closed for a brief moment.
“Kenta! Come here and join in with our new friend!” Ryo growled over at Kenta who was pottering around the kitchen looking busy. He shuffled over before apologising.
Now there were five cups.
“Welcome to Tokyo John!”
“Thank you!” John bowed his head before they all clinked their full cups and downed another shot.
Kenta put his cup down slowly before bowing and drawing away wordlessly.

After the warm sake, the three took their leave and headed home. Tsukiko and Tadao allowed John to have a shower before they did. He made it quick because he felt guilty. He just wanted to get the smell of the smoke out of his clothes and hair and skin.
By the time he got to his room, he found a small bottle next to his clothes and while he couldn’t make out everything written on it, the pictures on the back indicated that it was a clothing deodoriser. John found some coat hangers in the cupboard, hung his clothes in the sun room, sprayed every inch of them before closing the shoji.
The light above his futon had a string he pulled, once made it dim, twice turned the light off.

Once more John sunk into the futon. The light, fluffy warmth wrapped around him and he found his tingling body sinking into another time and space. His eyes closed and he fell asleep.

The house was quiet and everyone was asleep. Outside, the silver moonlight flooded the garden which was still and silent except for the trickle of the water flowing into the pond.  

*italicised dialogue is taken to be spoken in Japanese*

“Passengers, we have arrived at Narita International Airport where the local time is 7:30 am, and the temperature outside is 8 degrees. To those of you returning home, welcome home, and to those of you visiting, we hope you enjoy your stay.” The announcement was followed by English, and John was unsure how much of the Japanese he understood, but then again, the PA system on the plane was muffled, so how was he expected to clearly hear everything? As John walked off the plane and into the airport, he saw the world outside. It looked like any other airport. There were trees and greenery in the distance, but there was no sign of a city nearby. Wasn’t this airport meant to be the closest to Tokyo?

“Please be careful when riding on the travelator,” said the travelator next to John. He walked towards immigration and saw various signs in Japanese. He had seen some of the kanji before, but he couldn’t read everything. John felt a pang in his stomach. Where was he meant to go?

As he frantically looked around, an older man gestured for him to turn. “Foreigners, this way please.” The man smiled and bowed deeply as he did so. John wasn’t entirely sure what he said, but when he looked in the direction the man was gesturing, it was obvious:

IMMIGRATION LANE FOR FOREIGN ALIENS

John shuffled over into that lane where most of the non-Japanese seemed to be funnelling in from the wider crowd of confusion.

Approaching the counter, a woman sitting behind the screen gestured for him to approach. “Hello, I’m Jo-” John started, before the woman at the counter cut him off with a deadpan expression, “Passport and incoming passenger card please” John awkwardly fumbled for the documents before passing them to her.

Eyes on the passport,

eyes on John,

reading over the immigration document.

She typed on an unseen keyboard before a little whirring sound printed something out. She affixed it to John’s passport.

STAMP

STAMP

STAMP

The lady passed the document back to John and gestured for him to proceed. “Thank you!”

After picking up his luggage and clearing customs, John realized he had the instructions Mum and Dad gave to him and pulled out the note from Tadao. Finding the Narita Airport Limousine Bus Counter wasn’t as straightforward as he anticipated; it seemed there were quite a few bus services. John looked at each sign carefully, not noticing the squat little woman appear on his left. “Welcome to Japan! Can I help you?”

John nearly jumped out of his skin because he was so absorbed in finding the Limousine Bus Counter. “Oh, thank you! Yes, I’m looking for the Narita Airport Limousine Bus Counter…”

“Oh yes! This way!”The woman wore a black uniform with gold buttons and a white collar. At almost a full head under John in height, she marched ahead with great speed, and John jogged after her with his suitcase awkwardly rolling behind him.

Surely enough, the woman took him to the counter. “Where will you be going?”
John looked down at his instructions. “Kichijoji Station…I think…”
She tilted her head slightly, and her eyes narrowed slightly, “Ah…Kichijoiji, right?”
John nodded.

The lady walked over to the counter and spoke to the younger girl behind the counter, who nodded intently as she stared blankly off into the distance. The lady gestured for John to come closer again, and John made his way over.

“It’s 1880 yen for one way, is that okay?”
John nodded.
He pulled out an envelope and took out a 2000 yen note.
“A 2000 yen note?!” The lady chuckled in surprise.

John wasn’t sure what was so surprising about the note but went to pass it to the woman at the counter. She sat there looking at him slightly confused before smiling and politely gesturing to a small plate in front of her, “Put the money here, please.”

John cautiously put the money on the plate before she took it and processed his ticket.

“This bus leaves in 10 minutes from outside Door 23. Please make sure you check your large suitcase in because you will not be able to take it onto the bus.” She smiled at John.
John had no idea what she said and blurted out, “Thank you.”
The young girl looked confused and turned to the woman who took John to the counter, “Does he speak Japanese?”
The woman smiled back, “Don’t worry. I will show him and make sure he gets on the bus.”
“Oh, thank you!” before bowing deeply.

John was unsure about the exchange except for a few words. He felt sweaty and stressed because he wasn’t sure what was going on.
“Come on! I’ll get you to your bus.” The woman was off again and gesturing for John to follow her.

Surely enough, there was a black bus outside Door 23. John checked in his suitcase with a young man who gave him a little ticket back.
John got onto the bus and took a seat near a window. The bus wasn’t full; there were only a few people on the bus at this time, with a few more trickling in before the departure.

“Thank you for using Narita Limousine Bus. This bus is going to Kichijoji Station, Kichijoji Station. We will depart shortly.” Went a nasal voice over the speaker.

The bus left the airport before getting onto the freeway. From here, John felt like he could have been in Australia too; nothing looked particularly different. But then he noticed the trees were different. There weren’t any of the trees he saw in Australia. There were no eucalyptus trees.

The signs along the freeway were different colors, and they were written in Japanese, some with English at the bottom. John was definitely not in Australia anymore.

The bus was silent, and it was at this point John noticed no one was talking. The seats were high, and each section felt quite private. Some of the other passengers had drawn the curtains to the window next to their seats and were presumably sleeping.

John felt tired. He felt like he wanted to shower, but he would obviously have to wait, and the idea of sleeping seemed dangerous because he didn’t want to miss his stop.

Past the highway were rice paddies and green mountains further in the distance, some closer to the highway. Traditional Japanese houses were clustered together looking exactly like he imagined them; ornate tiled roofs with slight curves, white outer panels with wood lining separating each panel. Old and sturdy. Were they hundreds of years old? Maybe. Some houses had gardens with trees that were sparse except for cloud shape puffs of green and large rocks around them.

The rural scenery soon fell away and was replaced with something more urban and surprising. The uniform apartment blocks were scattered throughout the landscape as well as some other buildings that stood out from the rest. John couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was, and it took him a while to realize what exactly was odd about these buildings; they almost seemed fake. They looked like the kinds of buildings one would find in a theme park. It was as if they belonged on the set of some American film. Some of them had signs with their names written above;

Hotel Eden

Pink Play

Magic Park

John wondered what exactly they were. One of the buildings even looked like a European castle. The bus passed a sign that had various place names along with Tokyo (60) among others. Was the airport really that far? John wondered.
His eyes closed.

John came to and found the scenery had changed again. The bus was cruising along an elevated freeway amidst all kinds of buildings. Rice fields and trees had been replaced with a concrete forest. In the distance, he saw a red and white tower that reminded him of the Eiffel Tower. John felt he had seen this tower many times over as it had featured in anime and some drama that he had watched in his early high school days. What was it called again? He wondered to himself.

At another point, he saw another spire that looked to be under construction, but he wasn’t quite sure what it was. Some buildings had nets and sports grounds on them. There were concrete buildings that had little houses on top of them and others that had nothing at all. As the bus glided down an exit onto the ground level road, John looked at the people and streetscapes. It was familiar in the sense that he knew he was on Earth, but everything was different. The streets were different from those in Australia, but they weren’t. The shops weren’t any he recognized except for the odd Starbucks or McDonald’s. The tiles on the footpath, the street lights, and even the markings on the road. John was transfixed by his surroundings as the bus continued to navigate the seemingly endless city. Tokyo really was all city. It was like one endless CBD.

After what seemed like hours. An announcement came over the speaker on the bus, “We will soon arrive at Kichijoji Station. Please make sure you don’t forget your belongings and ensure you have your luggage ticket to show in order to receive your stowed luggage. Thank you for riding with Narita Limousine Bus. Just to repeat, we will soon arrive at Kichijoji Station, Kichijoji Station,” the nasal voice of the driver announced over the PA system.

John struggled to understand most of what was said but he grasped Kichijoji, luggage, and don’t forget.

The bus slowed as it went past the front of a big building with a sign written in Japanese with a smaller English sign that said JR Kichijoji Station. There were people pouring in and out of the station and walking along the street, moving across the pedestrian crossing and going in all directions. There were suits, other kinds of office wear, and people dressed quite stylishly in casual clothes. Within these groups, there was a certain level of consistency and uniformity in colors and coordination; it was all completely different from what John knew.
The bus slowly passed the station building and came to a stop under the rail bridge coming out of the building.

People slowly got off, and so did John, waiting in line before getting his luggage. He noticed the way people ducked their head in a quick and shallow bow as they received their luggage.
Taking note of this, John did the same. He wanted to say thank you, but he got nervous thinking about how to say it and missed his chance.

He made it. John was actually in Japan. It was everywhere, all around him and in the air. The air smelled different, and yet there was a familiarity about everything. He was so sure he’d seen places like this before but he couldn’t quite put his finger on which movie, anime, or drama he had seen it in.

Remembering the note, John pulled it out of his pocket again:

1. Leave the international terminal and find the Narita Airport Limousine Bus Counter.

2. Get a ticket to Kichijoji Station (Should cost 2000 yen).

3. From Kichijoji Station, find the park exit and look for the I 0 I 0 building and walk straight down the little street with lots of shops.

4. At the end of the street, you will see Inokashira Park, enter the park and walk around the lake to get to the other side (go from the left).

5. Walk up a small hill, and you will see Inokashira-koen station on one side and a 7-Eleven on the other side.

6. Please look for a shop that has 万星 written on the sign.

7. Please knock, and Hashimoto-san (man with long hair and mustache) will show you to the house. He has the key to give you.

8. Please make yourself comfortable at home! We will be home later. Sorry to make you wait.

John had a while to go, but at least he was in the area. He wasn’t sure where the park exit was, and he couldn’t see a park nearby. There were lots of buildings though.

Walking under the bridge, he noticed a narrower street with another exit from the station. He had to look for the I 0 I 0 building, whatever it was. Was it one – zero – one – zero, or was it i o i o? Perhaps it was ten-ten?

Standing in the narrow street, there were people walking silently. One young girl was handing out small packages to people as they passed by, who mostly ignored her. She was saying something in a sing-song voice, but John couldn’t quite understand what she was saying.

Looking up, John saw buildings towering over the narrow street on either side, and it’s not that they were skyscrapers, but the narrowness of the street made them seem taller. The buildings were covered with countless signs in varying colors sticking out from the buildings. Most were in Japanese, and some were in English, but they were just random words like OK, SHOP, PACHINKO, SLOT, BAR, DARTS. John couldn’t read a lot of the kanji.

Continuing slowly, partly to see what was around him and then also in awe of everything his eyes could take in, John realized he was overwhelmed and couldn’t find the I 0 I 0 building. He started getting worried and was conscious that he had a big suitcase on a narrow street with many people passing around him.

“Hello. Excuse me,” came a voice from behind John in English. John, slightly startled, turned around and saw a young man in a neat navy suit holding a briefcase in his hand beaming right at him. His hair was slick, and his eyebrows jutted up slightly. He was extremely handsome.

“Oh…hello!” John blurted out.
The man smiled, almost laughing, “Are you lost?”
“Umm I’m looking for the ten-ten building. Can you tell me where it is?”

The man tilted his head, “Eh? Ten-ten building?” On first glance, the man had dark brown eyes, but as the light hit them, there was an earthy red hidden within.

John showed the instructions he was given and pointed to I 0 I 0.
The man laughed, “Oh! You mean the Marui department store?”
“Marui?!” John looked again at the word. How the hell was that read as Marui? Three scripts in Japanese were enough; he couldn’t fathom the thought of a surprise fourth script to learn.
“I can show you. This way, and do you mind if I have a look at this?” The man put his hand lightly on John’s shoulder and gestured for the instructions.

John felt a slight jolt run through his body from the touch, “Oh yes.”
They walked along, and the man gestured for John to keep left, “Is it your first time in Japan? Where are you from?”
“Yes, it is! I’m from Australia.”
“Oh wow, why did you come here? Sightseeing or work? Australia is a beautiful country. I love Aussie beef!”

Aussie beef? John found this slightly amusing.

“I’m staying with my parents’ friends who live here and will stay for three months. Did you visit Australia before?”
“Oh wow! So nice. No, no, never, but I would like to if I have the chance.”
The two emerged onto another street, and before them stood a large building with I 0 I 0 on the top. John felt a wave of relief wash over him and turned around to the man, who didn’t seem interested in the fact they had found Marui; he was looking again at the paper printout.
“Hmm…down the street…lots of shops…Inokashira park…Inokashira-koen station…huh?” The man looked puzzled as he seemed to read over the page again. He looked at John, “You need to go to Inokashira-koen Station?”
“I think so, the shop I need to go to is there so I can get the key.” John wasn’t entirely sure.
“I know a better way; I can take you, is that okay?” The man gave the paper back to John.
“Oh…I don’t want to put you out; don’t you have work or something?”
“It’s okay. I can take you. It’s close by, and I’m heading that way too.” The man smiled.
John hesitated, but he really didn’t want to get lost again. “Alright, thank you!”
The man nodded and started walking, John following closely behind.

The inside of the station was a hive of activity, but with very little speaking. The sound of footsteps, like the sound of marching, was constant. Slow beeping sounds and the escalators telling whoever would listen that they were going up or down and to hold while riding. The man walked towards the escalators and gestured for John to follow.

With his suitcase amongst so many people, John felt extremely awkward, and the endless waves of people coming toward him would move around him and his suitcase without a word or any seeming effort. John hopped onto the escalator and kept the suitcase behind him.

“Wait over here for a moment, please.” The man gestured for John to stay put and went over to a machine before coming back with a small ticket which he passed to John. It had Japanese of varying sizes written and a numerical 120 on it, “You put this in the barrier and it will let you through, take it with you when it pops out.”

The man walked to the barrier and put his wallet over a glowing symbol, and the gates opened; he glided through. John clumsily pulled his suitcase and held the ticket and looked at the barrier. It took him a while to find the little slot, and he looked at the ticket for a moment before seeing an arrow. He put the ticket in, and it disappeared before popping up out of another hole at the top of the barrier. The gates opened.

As John passed through, he took the ticket with him, and almost instantly, someone had slammed their wallet down on the same barrier waiting to get through. John hastily pulled his suitcase before joining the man.

Two trains sat at the platform, and they moved towards the one that has Shibuya, Local on the display. The inside of the train was relatively empty.

“We will only go one stop, and usually, everyone gets on the express train.”

A few more people came on and took seats. John noticed that they were the only ones standing, and a few of the people getting on discreetly glanced John’s way.

“The local train for Shibuya is departing. Don’t rush for the train because it is dangerous, Don’t rush for the train,” said a woman’s voice over the loudspeaker.

A nasal voice came over the loudspeaker, “This is the local train, the local train bound for Shibuya. The doors are closing. Please be careful of the gap. Doors are clooooosing.” As all the doors closed automatically, they chimed as they did.

Within seconds, the train began to move ahead, and people were already lining up for the next departure. John found it interesting that no one seemed particularly annoyed that they had just missed the train.

As they pulled out from the station and onto the open tracks, the train started speaking, first as a kind old Japanese lady and then as a slightly peppy but nasal English-speaking woman, “Thank you using the Keio Inokashira Line. This is the local train bound for Shibuya. The next stop is Inokashira-koen, the doors on the left side will open.”

Buildings gave way to smaller houses of varying shapes. Some were oddly geometrical and had little skylights on the roof. They crossed a level crossing and then some more bushes before the train started to slow down.

The nasal man started again over the loudspeaker, “We are arriving at Inokashira-koen. I-NO-KA-SHI-RA KO-EN. Please mind the gap as you exit the train.”

As the doors opened with another chime, the man gestured for John to follow, and he did.
Only a few others got off, and the station was much simpler than Kichijoji Station.

They exited through the barriers, and this time, with less rush, John was able to concentrate on what he was doing. The machine ate his ticket, and the gates flung open for him to pass through.

There was a small plaza around the station with some bus stops. John saw a 7-Eleven as well as some other stores. The man gave John back the instructions, “Do you think you can see the shop from here?” He smiled as he said this.
John took a moment, looking at the word 万星 and then scanning the shop names. Surely enough, there it was on a wooden panel in white stencil writing. “It’s that one, right?”
The man smiled more, and his teeth showed, “Very good! Ah, it’s so rude of me I forgot to ask. What is your name?”
Now that John thought of it, they had not even exchanged any kind of formalities. “I’m John. What’s your name?”
“John! That’s a very cool name. My name is Toji. Nice to meet you.” He bowed deeply.
There was silence as they looked at one another. John felt his cheeks burning and quickly looked away.
“Well, John, I best be going. I’m sure we will see each other again.” He grinned broadly, and this time his eyes disappeared as he did.
“See you again!” was all John could manage.
“I live in Kichijoji so we are neighbors! Maybe I will see you at Inokashira Park sometime, no?” Toji turned and headed down some stairs rather than via the station. He disappeared from view.

Wow, John thought to himself – he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was something about Toji. Maybe it was just that he was handsome, nice, and John was probably tired from the flight.

He started walking over to 万星 and realized it was closed. He peered into the dark windows and saw what looked like a bar. Not a soul in sight. If it was open and had people in there, it would have been really cozy. The instructions said to knock so John gave the door a good, hard knock-knock-knock.

Nothing.

John stood awkwardly and looked at the street around him.

An older woman with short hair who glanced at him earlier was watching him again but looked away as their eyes met. John started feeling hot under his clothes.

It would have been nice if Toji waited with him, John felt suspicious knocking at a closed bar as it was. If anyone came and asked him what he was doing, he had no idea how he could possibly explain himself. He started trying to make up sentences in Japanese in his head.

“I’m from Australia. Hashimoto-san has a key.“

It was dawning on John in this moment that his Japanese was quite rubbish. He thought he could speak a bit more than that at least. All those years and this is what he would be able to say when the police came to question some guy with a suitcase knocking on the door of a closed bar which he couldn’t even read the name of.

Knock-knock-knock

In amongst the dormant bar, towards the back behind the counter, John saw some feet, then legs, and a body descending a narrow staircase. A man emerged who was not as narrow as the staircase but by no means overweight with a surprising level of grace. This must have been Hashimoto-san with his mustache, goatee, and long, black hair but tied up in a loose bun on top of his head. He wore a loose denim top and some dark shorts. As he approached, he bowed slightly and faintly smiled.

Hashimoto-san pushed open the door which appeared to have not been locked in the first place, “Sorry, sorry! I was sleeping and didn’t hear you knocking. You’re John, aren’t you? G’day mate!” He chuckled to himself and looked at John expectantly. John didn’t grasp everything he said, “Hi, I’m John, it’s nice to meet you. What’s your name? G’day!” He laughed nervously.

Hashimoto-san smiled kindly, “It’s nice to meet you John. My name is Hashimoto Ryosuke, but please just call me Ryo.” He spoke more slowly this time.

“Tadao is my Dad’s friend, and you have a key…” John tried his best to explain the situation.

Ryo smiled and nodded, “I know, the Tanaka’s are my friends too. They often come by here for drinks. We all grew up together.” Tadao and Tsukiko’s family name must have been Tanaka. Ryo continued slowly with lots of gestures, “I have their spare key, so if one of them is drinking here and gets a bit too drunk I can let them in.”

John was surprised to hear this, what kind of people had a key with their local bar? How was that even a thing? Maybe he didn’t quite catch what Ryo was saying.

“Do you want a drink or something to eat? You must be hungry, right?” Ryo patted John on the shoulder.John nodded, and Ryo gestured for him to come into the Bar.The bar smelled of faint cigarette smoke, beer, and a few other things that John couldn’t quite identify. Basically, it smelled like a bar.

“Sorry, sorry it’s a mess, put your suitcase anywhere and come take a seat. I want to hear about you!” Ryo got behind the bar and got busy wiping the bench and pulling a few things out of the fridge below the bar.John pulled up a seat and sat down watching Ryo; he wasn’t sure what to say, “It’s my first time in Japan, sorry, my Japanese isn’t very good…”

Ryo was whisking some eggs and adding what looked like soy sauce and a few other liquids into a bowl. He pulled out two of the thickest slices of white bread John had possibly ever laid eyes on and put them in a microwave-sized oven/grill. He pulled out a small frypan and set it on the stove. Tsk-Tsk-Tsk and then a huge flame surrounding the pan. He turned around and looked at John, “One thing is for sure, your Japanese is better than my English. This – is – not – a table. This – is – a – what was it again? – Fu-rai-pan!” He said as he pointed at the frypan and burst out laughing. John laughed along too but wasn’t entirely sure what was so funny, it must have been some kind of Japanese joke.

Ryo grabbed the bowl and poured the contents into the hot pan, tossed the bowl into the nearby sink, and grabbed two extremely long chopsticks. With a flame that strong, the scrambled eggs were done in no time.

Two slices of bread on a plate and the gooey scrambled eggs on top. Ryo pulled out what looked like a pepper shaker except all kinds of sprinkles came out – nori, sesame seeds, and brown-looking flakes. He slid the plate of food over to John, “Eat up! I’ll get you a drink.” He winked.

Ryo had an energy about him; John couldn’t place it, but he didn’t feel like he had just met Ryo. It was as if he was being looked after by a relative he saw every so often. Despite being quite rugged and almost grumpy-looking when he wasn’t smiling, Ryo was not at all intimidating.

Ryo walked out of the store, and John turned to his food. He took a bite – the bread was soft and almost sweet. The eggs were creamy, and the sprinkles on top were delicious. He swore he could almost taste some kind of fish.

By the time Ryo was back, John had cleared the plate. “Oh, you were hungry! Here’s a tea. It’s called genmai-cha. Good Japanese tea.” The tea was in a P.E.T bottle, but it was hot. John recalled drinking a tea like this before, but he could never remember the name. It was almost nutty and had a roasted earthy flavor. He remembered the label in his mind so he could get it again. Orange lid, lots of kanji, and a little blue teapot with a funny handle. The word warm was floating in a little orange bubble.

Ryo leaned in, “So, shall we go to the Tanaka residence? I think they’ve set up your room, and so I can show you everything.” John got himself off the stool and went for his suitcase, but Ryo grabbed the handle and started pulling it along as he walked out the door, “No, no let me do it. You must be tired.”

John muttered a thank you and gave a deep bow.Ryo chuckled, “Wow, look at you, so polite! Do they bow in Australia too?”

They walked up a street that had a few shops, John couldn’t tell what all of them were. Some words were in English and others were potentially French, but he wasn’t entirely sure.John realized there was no footpath or parking spaces, just a white line either side of the road. There were no nature strips, and some of the shop fronts had pots with plants and flowers outside. At this moment, it dawned on John that he was very much in another world. The parts were all the same, but the way things were arranged was different.“You’re lucky to be staying with the Tanaka’s; they have a really nice place! Very Japanese,” Ryo said out of nowhere, speaking slowly for John again. John just agreed because he didn’t know what to say.The shops fell away again, and there were more houses now.

“You know, pulling this suitcase makes me feel like I’m going on a holiday. Aaaah, to be able to travel somewhere!” Ryo seemed to be talking to himself rather than John specifically.
“Do you like traveling?” John asked.
“I love it! I went to Guam and Hawaii. I really wanna travel more, but how can I close the shop for that long?”
“Oh…I see. I haven’t been to Guam or Hawaii.”

They came to a rendered, white fence about two meters high, a stone base, and dark blue terracotta tiles capping off the top. They led to a slightly higher entrance with two transparent wooden doors. Ryo stopped at the gate, “Pretty nice right?”

John could see some of the single-story house over the fence, the walls were white, windows had wooden slats over them, and the roof used similar terracotta tiles. Pine trees grew tall above the fence.

Ryo pushed the gate open, and they walked in over large stones in amongst moss and other little plants growing around. The garden felt cool in the shade with greenery and large stones here and there.

There was no lawn, just moss and earth. There was a small pond in the corner, and the slow trickle of water from somewhere else.

“This has been in Tadao’s family for a while, and him and Tsukiko moved in after Tadao’s parents passed away.

It’s the most authentic Japanese place I know!” Ryo looked around almost proudly.

John was impressed and felt a bit out of place.

Ryo continued, “I think they have set up a room for you on the ground floor so you don’t have to worry about climbing stairs. I’ll show you around and then let you settle in.” He started leading John towards the door.

“In Japan, we don’t wear shoes in the house because it’s dirty. Whenever you come in, take your shoes off. Even if you are in a rush.” Ryo said to John as he removed his own shoes at the entrance.
John knew this but said thank you anyway as he did the same.

“You guys wear shoes in the house, right? Whenever I watch American movies, they even sit on their beds with shoes on! You foreigners sure are crazy,” Ryo kept on going as they got into the entrance.

“I don’t think many people wear shoes on their bed in Australia, actually…”
Ryo said nothing as he lugged John’s suitcase up a step from the entrance onto the main floor of the house. Even though it was so bright outside, the house was relatively dark. John was sure there were no people in the house, but he sensed something else as he stepped into the hallway.

Dark wooden floor, white-panelled walls framed with wood. The wood had an unusual smell. It was almost herbal, mossy, and maybe even peppery. It wasn’t overbearing, but it was very much present. John did not know what this smell was. Maybe this is what all Japanese homes smelled like.

Ryo slid open a door into a light-filled room. As John entered, he drank up the beauty of what he saw. It was a tatami room with a futon laid out in the centre, a low bedside table, opened shoji screens extending into what looked like a sunroom with a wooden floor and large floor-to-ceiling windows. The room was clean and minimal. He could see a small garden beyond with more small trees and rocks on the moss-covered floor. John thought to pinch himself; this was his bedroom?

“So, this is your bedroom,” Ryo piped in. He was looking out towards the sunroom with misty eyes and a faint smile on his face; it was as if he was recalling a memory as he looked out at the sunroom.

John walked around the room, walked towards the sunroom, and looked into the garden. It was so peaceful to look at; it felt like a warm hug. It felt like it was smiling at him. He imagined the times he would be sitting and studying or just watching the garden from the sunroom. He felt excited at the prospect. Memories that would be, things he would experience that he couldn’t even imagine.

“Let me show you the rest of the house; you’ll have all day to be in your room,” Ryo was already walking out of the bedroom.

During the tour, Ryo talked about spending time in the house as a kid; it was a lot of fun, and there was always something interesting. Especially during festivals nearby, Tsukiko, Tadao, and Ryo would get ready here, take a break here, and even sometimes all stay over during the summer holidays.

Ryo spoke with a lot of nostalgia in his voice, his face lit up as he recounted when looking into the kitchen or the bathroom and living areas which expanded when all the shoji screens were opened.

There was a hint of sadness in his voice though. John wondered what this might have been.

There was something about the way that Ryo told the story; John could almost see the house go back in time, and three children and then teenagers had various adventures both boring and eventful in a house that had seen it all. The emotions and memories were in the walls and the air. There was a lot of love in the house, but there was also something else. It was the feeling John felt as he stepped into the house for the first time at the entrance.

There was some food in the fridge and a note on the kitchen table telling John to help himself to whatever he wanted and that Tsukiko and Tadao would be home later on, a key lay next to the note.

In comparison to his bedroom, the kitchen was somewhat cluttered. Around the bench and sink, there were shelves of all kinds of sauces and packets of things. Mismatched porcelain cups hung on hooks, and the utensils were closer to the stove.

Cabinets filled with plates and bowls, a bookshelf overflowing with books and nick-nacks. The room was cluttered, but not dirty.

“John, I’m going to head off now; I bet you would like to rest and unpack a bit first. If you need anything, you know where I am. My place is upstairs from the bar, so drop by whenever you like! Even for a drink,” Ryo stood under the door frame, smiling.

The two walked towards the entrance, “Thank you for showing me everything. This house feels really special; there’s something…” John felt himself blurting out his thoughts.

Ryo looked mildly surprised, “Ah, yes. Don’t worry, they’re very kind. You have nothing to worry about. Tadao and Tsukiko are alright too.” He winked at John playfully.

They? John wondered to himself. Who else lived in this house?

After Ryo left, John took a shower and then soaked in the bath. As he soaked in the hot water with his eyes closed, he listened to the birds outside and the occasional drip of condensation from the tiled ceiling in the bathroom. There was an unreality about everything.

This time yesterday he was still in Melbourne with no idea what was ahead of him, and now he was in Tokyo, somehow managing to make it to his destination and having some interesting encounters on the way.

He unpacked his things and organized them in the closet space before pushing his suitcase into a space towards the back and out of sight. He didn’t want to see his suitcase because it only reminded him that his time in Japan was limited.

John looked around the room; he looked outside and felt peace. Without thinking, he crawled into the futon and closed his eyes.

As John slept, the sliding door to the garden opened ever so slightly, and something unseen bumped the wind chime as it entered the room before poking around and sneaking back out.

The flight from Melbourne to Tokyo was scheduled to leave at around midnight, but John had set his alarm for 9:00 AM to make sure everything was ready. He woke up at 5:00 AM.

For a moment, he lay there, believing that if he didn’t move too much, he might fall asleep again. This, of course, did not happen, and he watched as the faint purple and orange dawn slowly lit up the room with a vaporwave glow. John was absolutely exhausted, and his head was so foggy with sleep it almost hurt. He’d only had four hours of sleep after being up late the night before, researching the town he was meant to be staying in. No matter which way he looked at it, he couldn’t seem to work out where the central area of Tokyo was. When John looked on Google Earth, it all looked like one big city, but that wasn’t possible. Whenever he watched movies or anime set in Tokyo, he wondered which parts of Tokyo they were based on. He couldn’t seem to work it out.

Where did Shibuya end and Shinjuku start? Were they the main areas? What about Ikebukuro and Akihabara? They all seemed like large areas, and some of them weren’t even close to each other. How did Kichijoji fit into all of this? Was it a boring area? Where did everyone go on Saturdays and Sundays when they had their days off?

By the time John had actually gotten into bed, his hours-long internet search had produced more questions than answers. He realized he knew very little about Japan. The anime and manga he had pored over hadn’t really provided much useful insight. In bed, John was hot and bothered. He felt that sense of worry ballooning in his chest, but in the end, he was so exhausted he eventually succumbed to a light and restless sleep.

John had realized he would have no idea how Tokyo worked until he got there. He didn’t even know how he would get from the airport to Kichijoji. Maybe Tadao and Tsukiko would pick him up at the airport. John was going to have to ask Mum and Dad.

By the time he heard Dad shuffling around in the kitchen, John was dozing off and while he thought for a brief moment to get up, it didn’t happen. Once again, he entered a deep and dreamless sleep.

By the time John came to, it was nearly 2:00 PM. The painful exhaustion he felt in the morning when he first woke up was gone. Now, he had to get up.

He was terrified about what was waiting for him in Japan. He had never felt such a combination of excitement and dread in his life. John realized that things were going to be different. He was going to meet new people, even. People he didn’t know existed yet, people that didn’t know he existed yet. What a concept.

The rest of the day was a flurry of packing, cleaning, checking, repacking, worrying, re-checking, and then everything all over again.

When it came the time to head to the airport, the whole family crammed together in the car and sat mainly in silence apart from Theo coming up with some interesting facts about Japan. “Apparently, there’s this little street somewhere in Tokyo with hundreds of tiny little bars where some can only fit three or four people.” Dad seemed to be the only one capable of a response as he drove, “I heard the ceilings are low too because Japanese people aren’t the tallest!” He let out a laugh and looked around as if he expected everyone else to laugh too. All he got was a slap on the arm from Mum, “Stop it, don’t say silly things like that! Tadao wasn’t small at all! He was about 5’10”, wasn’t he?” Dad scoffed, “I’m only joking around, lover!”

They pulled into the airport and shuffled through the international terminal. It was eight o’clock, so there was still a fair amount of time before John had to go through the gates. John checked in his luggage and went to find everyone sitting down at one of the cafes. “So how do I get to their place?” John realized he still didn’t have any instructions. “Oh yes! I nearly forgot. So when you get there tomorrow morning, both Tsukiko and Tadao are going to be at work, but Tadao gave me an email with instructions; he said it’s pretty easy to get to this Kichijoji place from Narita.” Dad was searching his pockets. Mum shot him a look as she pulled some paper out of her bag, “You gave it to me, remember?” John looked at the paper in front of him.

1. Leave international terminal and find Narita Airport Limousine Bus Counter.

2. Get ticket to Kichijoji Station (Should cost 2000 yen).

3. From Kichijoji Station, find the park exit and look for the I 0 I 0 building and walk straight down the little street with lots of shops.

4. At the end of the street, you will see Inokashira Park; enter the park and walk around the lake to get to the other side (go from the left).

5. Walk up a small hill, and you will see Inokashira-koen station on one side and a 7-Eleven on the other side.

6. Please look for a shop that has 万星 written on the sign.

7. Please knock, and Hashimoto-san (man with long hair and a beard) will show you to the house. He has the key to give you.

8. Please make yourself comfortable at home! We will be home later. Sorry to make you wait.

It didn’t seem too complicated. John imagined he would probably be able to get to their place from the airport in about 1 hour, judging by the instructions. When John looked up, he noticed that everyone was looking at him. Dad asked, “So does it make sense?” “Well…as much sense as it can?” “I didn’t know they had 7-Eleven in Japan too…bloody globalization…” Mum seemed to mutter to herself. “You’ll be right, matey,” Dad said without looking so convinced. “If you have any problems though, you can speak Japanese, so you’ll be able to just ask someone, right?” Theo added encouragingly. John felt a pang in his chest. Well, could he? He hadn’t even thought about how good his Japanese actually was. “Oh…yeah, of course!” he blurted out.

The four sat around the table, sipping their drinks as people around them came and left from tables. There was a stream of announcements overhead, giving information about flights going to all kinds of places. Reminders to not leave baggage unattended. Terror warnings, reminders to be vigilant.

It got to about two hours before departure, and the group shuffled towards the doors before customs. John always felt like airports had a lot of emotion, but this spot was particularly emotional. It was a place where people parted ways. Not just with other people, but places and memories too.

See you soon, be safe, please come back, don’t go, this is the last time, goodbye, have fun. I love you more than anything.

Perhaps more bluntly, Dad called it the wailing wall. John had become increasingly aware that his Dad was probably not the best at dealing with intense emotional situations and became a deflector, particularly when things fell into the realm of sadness and loss. John recalled times growing up when whenever there was an emotional scene in a movie or TV show, Dad would loudly exclaim, “Ah! Too corny…they went too far,” before quickly losing interest in what was on. This was a frustrating situation for all involved. There were times when it seemed as if this reaction became almost contagious, with John witnessing other members of the family parroting along, including himself.
The only time John saw or heard Dad cry was when they found out his grandmother had passed. It was Mum that picked up the phone and went over to tell Dad, who stopped for a moment, then running off into the bedroom, letting out whimpers before closing the door behind him. John had never met his Great Grandmother, so he just looked shocked and didn’t say anything while the emotional pandemonium unfolded before him. He felt sad seeing his own father so upset but it also made him deeply uncomfortable because he didn’t know how he could help him.
It seemed that there were some events that could not be brushed off as too corny. Some things had to be experienced as they were intended.

John stood opposite his family. Theo stepped out first, “Have the best time, brother,” he pulled John in close. “Just be yourself, don’t hide.” He whispered. John felt his eyes sting slightly. Why was it that Theo knew exactly what to say?

Dad came in next and put his arm around John, pulling him in and kissing him on the head, “Be good, little fella…” His eyes were watery as he smiled at John. Dad pulled out of the hug and gave John two rough taps on the back before he turned to face the other way.

Finally, Mum came forward. Without a word, she pulled John in. He felt her trembling, “If anything happens, just let me know, okay?” She pulled a tissue out of her bag and dabbed her eyes, “Sorry. But it’s just going to be so quiet at home without you…they have earthquakes over there, so be careful…”

Theo put his arm around Mum; she looked so little and fragile next to him. Mum had a sharp tongue and held her ground, but at the heart of it, she was a deeply emotional, sensitive and caring person.

John didn’t care that he had tears streaming down his cheeks. He was overcome with emotion. There was so much going on inside. A mixture of sadness, excitement, dread, and possibility – and while he cried, he also felt numbness. It was overwhelming.
“See you in a few months!” John waved and turned towards the doors. His lip trembled slightly as he tried to smile at his family. They had gone through so much, and while his parents pissed him off sometimes, he realized how much they did for him and tried their best.

A man at the gate was checking boarding passes. He glanced at John and skimmed over the pass, “You can go through now.”

Until departure, the time went by in a surreal blur.

Passport stamped. Departed Australia.

Browsed shops in international departures.

Ate food to kill time.

As John boarded the plane, he looked around him. There were whispers of Japanese around him. Some of the flight attendants were Japanese too.

He took his seat, and it seemed he had the row to himself. John wished someone would sit next to him, and as each person walked past, he couldn’t help but look slightly hopeful that they might be the one to sit next to him. No one came to fill the seat, but John soon realized that this wasn’t such a bad thing. A flight attendant came over; he was clearly gay and could tell John was too, “Hey mister, that spot is empty, so feel free to lift the armrest up and spread out after we’ve taken off and the seatbelt sign is off.” He winked and walked off. John smiled and thanked him.

As the plane moved along the tarmac and slowly increased in speed, John was becoming increasingly aware that the announcements were bilingual.

The plane sped up and shook slightly before John felt the machine become airborne. John was flying. As of that moment, he no longer existed in Melbourne. John thought about what lay ahead; he couldn’t imagine anything. A rush of emotions came to him before he was overwhelmed with sleep. A tear rolled down his cheek.