Love and Romance Products from Accent Touch

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Stone steps leading up to the entrance of the teahouse had been worn down by millions of Japanese tourists who had visited here over the centuries. Yuko and her sister were waiting for us at the top of the steps. At first I didn't recognize her. She was dressed in a white business suit, high heels — and her dark hair was cut short. She was perfectly dressed and looked very contemporary. And to me she looked even more beautiful than she had the previous night when dressed in her traditional dance costume. I noticed that my heart was suddenly beating faster.

Tamura-san and I joined the two girls at the top of the stairs. Yuko was surprisingly friendly and, taking my hand, led us to an old stone table which was polished from centuries of use. A crude looking cast-iron teakettle sat on a small charcoal cooker at the end of the table. Teacups sat at four place settings. Yuko sat near the teakettle and motioned for me to sit opposite from her. Tamura-san sat next to Yuko and Yuko's sister sat next to me. It was a seating arrangement perfectly suited for our anticipated conversation. Sensing that I was about to start the conversation, Tamura-san said that first — we must have tea. Yuko went about putting tealeaves in the teakettle that had — as if on cue — just started to boil.

I realized, as I watched Yuko, that she was performing Japan's traditional tea ceremony and that her movements were as rehearsed as her dance movements had been the night before. I remained quiet. Following our ceremonial tea, Yuko began to tell me about her life. After completing her formal education, Yuko had begun intense training to become one of Japan's infamous Geisha girls. Being trained as a Geisha girl is a profession available to only a few highly qualified Japanese women. When I met Yuko in 1980 there were fewer than one thousand Geisha girls in Tokyo and less than half that many in Osaka. In a country with a population of more than 115 million people, being a Geisha girl is a very exclusive profession. However professional life for a Geisha girl is very difficult and generally misunderstood — even by many Japanese. Yuko left the profession and instead went through extensive training to become a Maiko dancer. Nevertheless, she felt that her training as a Geisha girl had provided her with valuable skills which would serve her throughout her life.

Tsuyama's rural countryside as seen from the grounds of the castle. The downtown section of Tsuyama is in the upper right side of the photograph and is partially blocked from view by the tree-covered hill on the right side.

Yuko had agreed to meet with me because she wanted to learn more about America and the American way of life. We made a pact. I would teach her as much as I could about America and she in turn would teach me as much as she could about Japan. We left the tea house to tour the castle grounds and to have lunch. We ate yakitori and sushi from the vendor's carts located throughout the park and we walked and talked for hours. As the sun began to set, we drove to an old restaurant for dinner, Yuko pointed out that the restaurant, named Hokasai, was 209 years old and it was one of the newer restaurants in Tsuyama . . .