Love and Romance Products from Accent Touch

Page 4 of 10

I mentioned that Hokasai had apparently begun serving food before America had declared its independence only 204 years ago in 1776. After an excellent traditional Japanese dinner and too many cups of sake, Yuko asked if Tamura-san and I were going to stay in Tsuyama overnight and could we get together the next day. Without asking Tamura-san I said of course. Tamura-san, who by now was quite taken by Yuko's sister, quickly agreed. The girls insisted on taking a taxicab home and Tamura-san and I went off to find hotel rooms for the night.

After another nearly sleepless night, Tamura-san and I met Yuko and Natika for breakfast and we continued our conversation about Japan and America. After breakfast we walked around Tsuyama's unusual indoor shopping malls which are like enclosed city streets which are many blocks long — but virtually invisible from the outside. We had lunch in a steamy tempura and sushi bar in one of these shopping malls and for dinner we returned to Hokasai where we stayed and talked until close to midnight. Finally, Tamura-san and I decided that we needed to return to Osaka. It would be 3:00 a.m. before we would get there and we had a busy schedule beginning at 7:00 a.m. the next day. As we were about to leave, Yuko asked if it would be possible for us to get together the following weekend. Perhaps we could visit Kyoto. Again, I quickly agreed. But I knew that it would be a long week between visits.

Japan's rampant consumerism was apparent even in rural Tsyama. There was block after block of these enclosed shopping mall-like streets that are virtually invisible from the outside. Travelers driving through Tsyama are most often unaware of their existence.

The week did, in fact, pass very slowly. Yuko was constantly on my mind and I looked forward with great anticipation to seeing her again. I also wondered if she might be thinking about me as well. And, I tried hard not to fantasize about our relationship. The next weekend finally arrived and Tamura-san and I again met the girls at the teahouse and within an hour we headed for Kyoto. Everything I had heard about Kyoto turned out to be true. Kyoto is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. Yuko turned out to be a perfect tour guide. We visited the Zen monasteries and gardens, the Shogun's palace, the pine forests, and we ate in exquisite restaurants. Yuko and I always walked hand-in-hand and I hoped that the warmth that seemed to be developing between us was not merely a figment of my imagination. We rented separate rooms in Kyoto's Grand Hotel and met for breakfast in the hotel restaurant before heading out to visit Kyoto's up-scale stores and picturesque downtown section. It was a wonderful weekend and I thoroughly regretted the upcoming trip back to Tsuyama and Osaka. Yuko solved the problem by suggesting that perhaps we could spend the next weekend in Nara where we could feed the deer that roam freely throughout Nara's parks. Needless to say, both Tamura-san and I happily agreed to return the following Saturday . . .