CHAPTER THREE
October 20, 2006
Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture
Japan
True to her word, Akira got everyone up early, and after they had something to eat and she made sure everyone was sufficiently dressed in layers, they piled into the van to go to the beach. Nobu had to work that day, having taken the day before off so he could be there to welcome the family to Japan and had scheduled meetings all that day, so it was up to Ryo and Dee to transport the family. Once they had decided they were going to Japan, Akira had made sure they applied right away to obtain international driver's licenses so they would be able to drive in Japan.
Being that they had other places to go, Akira decided that it would be best to drive to the beach instead of walk. Ryo took over the driving duties for the first part of their day. It was not his first time driving on the trip because the night before, after some of Ryo's family who had stopped by for dinner and welcomed them had left, and the twins were tucked in for the night, they decided to take Akira up on her offer to use her car and had gone into Yokosuka for a date night. The last date night, which was also their first since the twins were born, was when Ryo's grandparents sent them off for a night out in the Hamptons.
The advantage of their night out had been that they both went through the comedy of getting used to driving on the left side of the road with the steering wheel on the right; just the two of them. There was no one else to tease them about it.
They did take a moment to appreciate that they were finally able to experience it together. Ryo drove them to Yokosuka, almost turning on the wrong side of the road and then getting confused with the left turn lights only once each. At least the control for the windshield wipers were on the dashboard as was normal for newer cars so there was no confusing the wipers with the turn signals anymore. He did have a little trouble getting used to shifting with his left hand and remembering the gear positions but it wasn't a major problem and he was much more comfortable with driving stick in Japan by the time they arrived in Yokosuka.
Dee managed to have better luck, having no problem with turns and looked as it if was as natural to shift gears with his left hand as it was with his right. Then Ryo remembered that Dee had learned how to drive stick in Japan. He also was the one who had driven the rental car from the airport to the parking lot for the hotel they stayed at in England. Originally, they had planned for Ryo to drive to the airport but with everything that had happened at the hotel, Dee took over the driving back to the airport, so he had more recent experience driving on the other side of the road than they were used to.
They had first considered going into Tokyo or Yokohama, but it had been a long day and Yokosuka was much closer for when they decided to call it a night. They knew that they would be out and about early the next day so they did not want to stay out too late. It was great to be able to getaway, to be just a couple, strolling hand in hand and enjoy being in Japan again. As much as they loved having a family, it did feel like they had almost forgotten what it was like to do things just the two of them that were not errands and were starting to appreciate date nights.
They passed up finding a restaurant or café because they had more than enough for dinner, even with all the relatives who showed up by dinner. Dee finally realized why when Akira cooked, she made so much food. She was used to random relatives showing up just to spend some time with her. Of course, the night before was all about welcoming Ryo back to Japan and Dee finally getting to meet some of the family that he had been talking to on the phone for many months. Some of the visiting relatives had already met Dee when they came to New York for the wedding.
Also on the way back from their walk along the main road by Akira's house, they stopped at the confectionary store near the house and picked up some things to have during the evening after dinner. As the others started to arrive, they also had picked up something for after dinner. By the time they left the house later that evening, they had no room to eat anything else, and just looked forward to walking off some of the food. They did not even care to grab a drink. They were content to find parking near the main gate of the Yokosuka Navy base and walk the streets along the water, looking at the ships docked and browsing some stores for a couple of hours before going back for the night.
There was not much to do at the beach in October, but they did take time to stroll along the surf a short way. Dee and Ryo each had a twin in a baby sling as they walked with Akira between them, offering her an arm. Bikky and Carol ran ahead of them, pants rolled up so they would not get too wet.
"You know, we should come back during the summer, even for a week," Ryo said to Dee. "Bring your little grill with us and have a picnic on the beach. It would give the kids something to fully appreciate the beach."
"I think Bikky and Carol are appreciating it enough," Dee said, his eyes ahead as he watched the teens laughing as they went along the surf.
"They do look like they are enjoying themselves," Akira agreed, "so imagine how much fun they would have when it's beach weather."
Dee grinned as he looked at Akira. "How about we'll come here for at least a week in the summer so we can enjoy the beach here if you join us for at least a week in our vacation home."
"If we have it by then," Ryo added, "but I'm going to back Dee up."
"If it means have double the chance to see you all, then I accept," Akira said brightly. "And when you get that vacation house, I definitely want to see it."
"Good. We have a deal then," Ryo said. He studied the beach in the comfortable silence. "I do see a few surfers getting some surfing in before the winter sets in," Ryo observed.
"You will see a few surfers even during the winter months," Akira replied, "but not as many in the warmer weather."
Darin started to fret some as he snuggled against Dee. "Alrighty," Dee said as he gently cupped the little dark head. "I think this one had enough fall surf for now."
They stopped so Akira could remove the extra blankets they had packed in the baby bag and she fussed with covering Darin and tucking the blanket edges through the harnesses of the sling so it wouldn't blow away. She turned to Ryo to do the same with Ryoko.
"Bikky!" Ryo called out. "Carol!" When the two teens turned in his direction, he said, "Time to head to our next stop. C'mon. The chibis are getting cold."
"Awww…. We just got here," Bikky complained but he started to walk back toward his fathers with Carol beside him.
"Yeah, we just got here," Dee agreed. "As in Japan. You'll be able to come back plenty of times. Don't forget when we're done taking you around some, you'll be on your own. If you want to spend a whole day freezing your butts off on the beach, you're more than welcome too. Just don't come back sick."
"Yeah, sure," Bikky said. He stopped by the adults. "What's the next stop?"
"We shall visit a few shrines until lunch. Moriko will be joining us for lunch," Akira said as they started to walk across the sand toward the sidewalk. "She would like to come with us to Odawara Castle."
"Oh, I can't wait to see a real castle!" Carol exclaimed, clapping her hands.
"I know," Akira said, smiling. "This is why we decided that you should see your first castle today."
"Notice she said first, Princess," Dee said grinning, "but not only."
"How many others will we go to?" Bikky asked.
"We'll be seeing quite a few during our road trip," Ryo said.
"Cool!" Bikky said.
"I guess that is a vote yes on the castle today?" Akira asked.
"YES!" came from both teens.
"That's a yes," Ryo summed up with a laugh.
OoOoOoO
Akira had decided they were to spend the morning going to some of the more interesting temples in Kamakura. Their first stop was the Hokokuji Temple. Akira directed Ryo to turn off the main street to a small road that led to the temple grounds. As he started to go down the narrow road, Bikky suddenly sat forward, gripping onto the back of the passenger seat.
"Stop!" he screeched as pedestrians walked alongside the car. Ahead of them were people walking down the road toward the temple and others coming from it.
"What?" Akira asked, concerned.
"Why are we driving down this road. It's made for people!"
Dee looked behind him as Ryo continued to slowly drive the van down the road, waiting for people to move to the side. "Relax, Biks. This is a road for cars."
Carol sat next to Bikky, covering her eyes. "Are you sure about that?" she asked.
"Of course," Akira assured them. "This is a typical road in Japan. So far we have taken the newer, wider roads. You will encounter many of these roads while in Japan, and I trust that both of your fathers are used to them." She looked at Dee.
"Yes," Dee said. "Actually, this is a two-way street, and it's not as bad as others that are lined with businesses. This is normal."
"Look, there's a parking lot! Can't we park there and walk?" Bikky asked.
"We could," Akira said, "but it is a bit of a walk and would make us late for lunch. That could also mean no time for the castle."
"Then let's go back to this temple one day when we have time to walk down this road," Bikky suggested.
"Biks, Obaasan wants to share something that is very important to her today, so if it's a choice between this temple and the castle, the castle will be another day," Ryo said.
"Maybe the castle is important to her too," Bikky commented, sounding hopeful as he glanced at Akira.
"Odawara Castle is indeed an important place I want to show you and Carol." She looked over to Dee. "We can go and pick up Moriko and go to the castle then."
Dee shook his head. "No way, Obaasan. He needs to get used to these roads because we're not parking and walking every time we go somewhere. Besides, we'll have to go down long stretches of roads like this just to drive places," he said. "Biks, just lean back and relax. Maybe do like Carol and not look. We'll be there before you know it. Besides, if this is our first place to see, then I think that means that Obaasan could not wait until she was able to show us. She took us to the beach first, because she knew that was important to you, so give this to Obaasan now."
"Bikky, Dee's right. We will have to go down streets like this just driving from one place to another. We can't leave the car then because we'll need to drive on that street to get where we're going," Ryo added. "Besides, it's too late. I'm past the lot for the restaurant and we're going to the temple."
"No more lots, Biks," Dee said. "Look at all the houses on this street." He pointed to a car parked in a space in front of one of the houses. "People live here. People with cars, and they have to get home while driving. Look at the parked cars as we go by."
"Fine, so they have to use streets like this to get home but we don't. We don't live down this street."
"This is Japan," Dee said. "Get used to it."
"Ryo! Watch out for those people!" Bikky yelped as Ryo came up to a group of people, including some older women in kimono walking in the middle of the road. They started to move to the side as Ryo came closer to them.
"I see them," Ryo assured him. "Don't worry. This is not the first time I've driven down streets like this."
They heard laughing behind Bikky, Carol and Akira to find both twins were up and laughing as they waved their hands around and kicked their feet.
"Oh geez," Dee exclaimed, laughing. "I guess you find your brother is funny when he's being silly."
"Are they laughing?" Ryo asked, not daring to look away from where he was going.
"At least someone finds it funny," Dee commented, and then started to laugh too.
Bikky turned behind him and reached out to tickle Darin's foot, since the baby boy was closest to him. "Hey little bug, why are you laughing at me?" He stuck his tongue out at his brother and sister, making them laugh more.
Carol also turned around and the two continued to make the babies laugh more, starting to laugh themselves.
"Thank goodness for the twins," Dee sighed and then chuckled. "Bikky loves making them laugh. Nice distraction there."
"I love making them laugh too," Akira said. "They have such wonderful laughs. The kind that happy babies have, and that makes me happy to hear."
"I agree," said Ryo. "I know we're doing something right."
"You're giving them love, Ryo. You and Dei, Bikky and Carol and Maria, and everyone else in your extended family."
"That includes you, Obaasan," Ryo said and Dee nodded. "And now my family here." He smiled. "Oh and look, there's parking for the temple."
"We made it!" Carol exclaimed happily as she clapped her hands, and made the twins laugh again.
Dee looked at Akira and grinned. "This is going to be an interesting trip."
OoOoOoO
They walked around the temple grounds for a while, going to several buildings. At first Bikky looked bored, but he did try to hide that from Akira, but not from Dee and Ryo. Akira started to take them around the grounds, telling them about the history of the temple. Once again, she had everyone spellbound as she spoke, including Ryo who had been to that temple several times and heard his grandmother talk about the history of the temple. Ryo knew enough about the temple to pitch in if he wanted to but he dared not break the spell his grandmother was weaving with her words. He had no doubt that by the time they left Japan, Bikky and Carol would have much knowledge on Japanese history.
It did not take them long to explore that temple, but then she led them on a path through a bamboo grove to a tea house where they enjoyed hot matcha. As they sat, Dee admitted that he had no idea why he did not explore more temples and shrines in Kamakura, especially since there were many others outside of Kamakura that he went to. He was known to find a place to pull over when he was driving if he saw something of interest and had to go check it out. He thanked Akira for giving him the chance to make up for it.
On the way back, there were less people on the road, but Bikky was still nervous. Just when Ryo had a little bit more to the main road, a car turned onto the road going in the opposite direction and Bikky covered his eyes. Ryo simply slowed down even more and when he noticed the turn blinkers go on the other car, indicating it wanted to pull into the lot for the restaurant on Ryo's left, he stopped the car and allowed the other to turn into the lot. When he finally turned the car onto the main road, Bikky fell back in his seat, letting out a heavy sigh.
Once he had his wits about him again, he turned to Dee, who was still laughing. "I never want to go down a road like this with you driving, Dad," he exclaimed.
Ryo chuckled as Dee grinned. "Too bad," Ryo said. "Dee's driving to Odawara Castle after lunch."
"Obāsan!" Bikky exclaimed. "Can you teach me how to pray in the next temple?"
Dee stopped laughing and cuffed Bikky lightly in the back of his head. "Where do you think I learned how to drive like I do?" he asked. "Do you remember us talking about how I didn't drive until I got to Japan."
"I'm taking the train then!" Bikky stated.
Finally taking pity on his son, Dee leaned forward and said, "Don't worry, Biks. You get used to it. I had the same reaction the first time I was in a car with Ken. It gets better."
"Yeah?" Bikky asked. He looked at Ryo. "How about you?"
"I grew up in a car going along these small roads," Ryo replied. "I never had problem with it."
"What he's basically saying," Dee said to Bikky, "is that he's going to be the more manic driver out of the two of us."
"Hey!" Ryo complained, starting to turn his head.
Akira tapped him lightly and pointed ahead of them. "Don't look back."
"Sorry," Ryo sighed.
They went to another smaller temple and a shrine. Carol and especially Bikky were discovering that old buildings did not mean ruins or dirty molding stone structures. The temples and shrines around Kamakura were maintained, looking vibrant and beautiful. There were some with a long history, going back centuries but some of the buildings were replaced with newer ones because of either destruction during World War II or the Great Kanto Earthquake in the early 20th century. While walking the grounds, Akira and Ryo were focused on taking pictures or videos of the family with the gorgeous buildings in the background. Dee, who had the camera as Ryo took video, took photos of both family and capturing the beauty of the buildings along with the serene settings. Unlike the last time he was in Japan, he did not have to worry about buying film and getting the film developed. He took pictures of anything and everything he wanted with the digital camera. He had several more cards for the camera, purchased by Ryo before they left.
Ryo had handed him the cards before they left the house that earlier that morning with a knowing grin and a comment of, "Go make the Japanese jealous of your photo taking powers."
Dee did not even try to deny it and accepted the cards with a kiss.
Ryo really could not talk that much because as Dee turned to get a picture of Ryo and his grandmother to find Ryo taking video of Bikky taking pictures of the shrine. Dee decided he had to complete the scenario and took photos of Ryo. He also caught Akira in the photos laughing as she noticed what was going on.
At the shine, there were food stands along the main walkway before it branched off to the various lesser shrines and gardens. Once Bikky noticed it, he started for it, dragging Carol along.
"Hey Ryo!" Dee called out and started to smile when his husband noticed what Bikky was doing and shook his head.
Ryo and Akira came over to Dee, and together they walked over as Bikky bought vegetable korokke for him and Carol. They came up to Bikky and Ryo bopped Bikky on his head.
"You do know we're going to have lunch after this, right?" Ryo asked Bikky, also looking at Carol.
"Yeah, but I figured it would take us a while to get there and we wanted a snack," Bikky said.
"It's all the places selling food, especially in a lot of the locations they are around here," Dee said. "I mean, you can't buy a snack inside St. Patrick's Cathedral. Not that we don't have food to go around New York, but I don't think we have as many options either. Hot dogs and knishes basically."
"Sausages too," Akira pointed out.
Dee and Ryo shook their heads.
"I bought the most delicious sausage from a street vendor near Central Park," Akira said.
"Yes, they do sell sausages, but they showed up suddenly one day and popped up all over the place. Sausage is not a New York food," Dee insisted. "It's like if suddenly they started having hot dog stands around here. Sure, you can buy them, but are they Japanese? No."
Ryo started laughing. "Now Italian sausage on a grill with peppers and sausage in Little Italy or a street fair is different. Those have always been around too."
Dee nodded his head in agreement and laughed. "That's true," he said.
"I'll bet you won't be complaining if they had takoyaki or ikayaki stands on the streets of New York," Akira said.
"I might," Dee replied with a smirk.
"What?" Akira asked, surprised.
"New York is not Japan, and there are now Japanese restaurants that have such delicacies, so I'm not doing without. Takoyaki stands would be like selling sausages in New York City. Those stands belong in Japan. When I see them, I know I'm in Japan and not New York."
"Street festivals would be the exception," Ryo said, seeming to agree with Dee.
"Yes, exactly. When they have those international food festivals, or something going on at the Buddhist Temples in New York and they have food booths, that's okay. But selling ikayaki in Central Park? Oh hell no," Dee said.
"Oh, I get it," Akira said knowingly. "You're a purist." She started to laugh at the look on Dee's face. As Ryo started to laugh, she looked at him. "You too. I also see that Bikky and Carol have finished eating their snacks, so do we want to go in the main shrine or go back to the car?"
Dee looked up the at the steps going to the red and gold trimmed building above them and down at Ryoko, who was snuggled up against him in the sling. "Maybe we should have taken the strollers," he said.
"With those stairs?" Ryo asked. "We'd end up still having to carry the them and the strollers."
"True," Dee had to agree as Bikky and Carol came up to join them.
"This is your first full day here," Akira said. "We don't have to go inside all the buildings. I only insisted on the others because there was something famous and valuable inside."
"Like that big wood statue, right?" Bikky asked.
"Exactly. Many of these have history but nothing as interesting especially if you have seen the interior of a few already, and we do have a long day today," Akira said.
"But they're still so beautiful on the inside," Carol said. "And they're not all the same."
"No, they're not," Ryo said. "The elements might be the same, but they're all unique and gorgeous."
"I am so pleased you noticed that, Carol," Akira said with a bright smile. "At least I do not feel like the only one here to notice that."
"I always noticed that, Obaasan," Ryo commented.
Akira laughed. "That's because of me and your parents. Probably your great aunts and uncles had something to do with that too."
"Basically, what she is saying, Ryo, is that you do not count," Dee said with a laugh. Becoming serious, but still smiling he looked at Akira. "Obāsan, I would love to go inside any temple or shrine that you want."
"And you will, but it's not important this time. There will be plenty of stairs to climb at Odawara anyway," Akira said.
Ryo started to laugh. When they all looked at him, he said, "I can understand wanting to buy something that you can't get so readily on the streets of New York, so getting something is fine with me as long as we have an appetite when we sit down for a proper meal. And I'm not worried about gaining weight either with all the walking and stairs we're going to encounter while sightseeing." He was looking at Bikky and Carol as he spoke.
"True," Dee said thoughtfully. "Besides, I think it's only the first few days anyway. By next week, it will just be an option that we have as we go about our days."
"Does that mean you would like something from the stand before we go to the car, Dei?" Akira asked. "What about you, Ryo?"
"Do you want to go into the shrine?" Ryo asked Bikky and Carol.
"I would," Carol said. "I want to see everything, please!"
"Then we'll take on the stairs," Ryo said looking at Dee for confirmation. "We'll be good until lunch."
"Yeah, let's go and start on working off all the food we'll end up eating by the end of today," Dee said. He looked down and kissed Ryoko's head. "Are you ready, little girl, for your first Japanese shrine?"
"She already did, Dad," Bikky said. "We've been in all the other buildings."
"Almost all of them," Ryo corrected. "And we're going to go into the main hall. The others are lower worship halls. There are prayer offers done at them, but you basically see a lot of people just looking and taking pictures. When we go up to the main building, I need to ask that everyone be on their best behavior."
"You will see many people up there praying," Akira added. "I do not expect everyone to pray, all I ask is that you give respect."
"Just as is expected inside any house of worship," said Dee. He looked at Carol. "Shinto has no prejudices, by the way. If you have no problem offering a prayer inside the shrine, it doesn't matter who you worship. You are very welcome to do so. Just keep to the customary way of praying."
Carol nodded. "I won't have a problem with it. But what about you, Dee? We all know you're Catholic."
"I am, but Mother will also tell you that I'm a holiday worshipper." He smiled. "Mother will also tell you to follow your heart. One of the things I love about my mom is that she doesn't believe everyone with other beliefs are on their way to hell. I might have been baptized but she still allowed me to learn about other religions. While I won't call myself Shinto, that doesn't mean I have never worshipped in a Shinto Shrine or even a Buddhist temple, especially during my time in Japan. However, I did find a church near where we lived that I also went to regularly."
"She's really cool about stuff like that," Bikky said. "When Dad approached her about not baptizing the chibis, she understood."
"That doesn't mean she didn't send a few prayers of fortification for us the next time she went into St. Joe's but that's her business," Dee said with a grin and a wink. "But she's cool with us giving the chibis a broad experience in religions and letting them decide when they are old enough," Dee said.
Akira was aware of their decision because she was there with Maria when Dee and Ryo had approached the nun about the subject of baptism. Dee had no problems being raised in the Catholic religion, but for his own children, after talking with Ryo, he realized he wanted them to make their own choices in religion. Just as they weren't going to force Ryoko to play only with dolls and Darin with trucks. They did not want to box their children into gender roles or religion. Shortly after taking Bikky in, Ryo also had discovered that Bikky was actually raised in the Greek Orthodox church, which was the one his mother was raised in. He would explain the differences in various holidays and Ryo had started to try to incorporate some of them into their lives. They were a family consisting of three races, various religions with two fathers, who were also Carriers. They were not going to try to mold their kids into anything.
"And in the meanwhile, they're exposed to Catholic because of Dee and Mother, and now they're being exposed to Shinto because of Obāsan," Ryo said. He also gave a small grin. "And I guess me, too."
"Ah ha!" Dee laughed. "I knew you leaned more toward Shinto. Free-lancer my ass."
"Maybe a little bit," Ryo admitted. "But I also take from the Japanese Buddhists. And some from Christians. As I said, I freelance." He looked at Dee. "You were so sure about Shinto, huh? Even if I have nothing in the house to indicate I do worship as a Shinto."
Dee pointed to Ryo's heart. "The same way I say I'm Catholic even if the last time I was in a church was when we took our guests to see St. Patrick's Cathedral. Besides you eat meat, so it can't be Buddhist."
"You're right," Ryo agreed. "But if I did start putting up religious items we'd have a conglomeration going on."
"Yeah, I know. Also, your parents seemed to raise you more traditional American for the most part. Meaning the child gets the mother's religion. Then there's your first five years basically living here for most of them, and in Obāsan's house. Yeah, I figured Shinto."
"Well then you're smarter than you look," Ryo quipped and then laughed at Dee's face as Carol took a picture. "So do we still want to go into the main hall then?"
Heads nodded in agreement. "Okay, up the stairs we go," Ryo said and looked up. "I have a feeling we're all going to be overtaken by an 80-year-old. Sheesh!"
Akira cuffed Ryo and laughed. "I'll hold you up if you need," she said to her grandson and laughed more.
Together the family went up the stairs toward the main hall. Despite the teasing, Dee and Ryo had Akira between them, each offering her an arm. Also as expected, Bikky and Carol were waiting for them at the top of the stairs.
"You're allowed to take photos of the outside of the buildings, but not inside this particular hall," Obāsan warned them before entering.
"Dad's probably out of space anyway," Bikky remarked, and started to laugh.
"Dee has five more disks for his camera," Ryo said with a smirk. "I know Dee, especially Dee with digital."
Dee sighed. "Be nice," he said. "I'm going forward now so if you want to keep on teasing me, you can stay here." He held his arm out for Akira to take it.
With a smile, she bowed slightly and accepted his arm.
Ryo had one more laugh and then shooed Bikky and Carol to follow Dee and his grandmother until they stood before the last few stone steps leading to the front.
They stood off to the side, allowing Bikky and Carol to watch what the worshippers did. They also looked around at the inside of the building, seeming impressed. They already knew from Akira that the building they stood in was rebuilt in the early 19th century, replacing the original shrine that had burned down.
Then they followed Akira, Ryo and Dee as they approached the front. Akira reached out for a rope and pulled on it. A gong sounded, surprising Bikky and Carol. Akira looked over at and smiled encouraging to them. She took their hands and stood between them. Dee and Ryo decided to take each end and together they clapped their hands twice and then bowed. They held their hands together as if in prayer for a few seconds, waiting for Akira to clap once first. Bikky and Carol went next. Ryo held the pose for another couple of seconds and with a slight nod of his head, clapped his hands. Last was Dee. They all stepped back.
Akira lead them around to the side where there was a museum.
"Dee was actually praying," Bikky pointed out.
Dee shrugged. "Pray is pray," he announced. He stopped and looked at his family with a warm smile. "If you must know, right now, at this moment, I am willing to pray to any and all gods to give thanks for having the family I have. Everyone, including those somewhere around here in Japan that we'll see later tonight and during our vacation, and everyone back home." He cuddled Ryoko more. "And especially for us having Bikky and these two in our lives," he said to Ryo.
"Amen," Ryo intoned seriously. He moved to Dee's side and leaned over to kiss him, careful not to make the babies bump heads.
"That's going to be an awesome photo," Carol exclaimed.
They moved apart to find that Carol, Akira and Bikky all were putting down their cameras.
Dee laughed. "And you keep calling me Japanese for taking photos," he looked at Ryo.
"At least I am Japanese," Akira said with a grin and laughed. "So is Ryo. There is one more shrine I would like to visit today, if you don't mind. We'll be meeting Moriko there and we'll have lunch nearby. It is a shrine dedicated to Carriers. I had gone there many times since finding out about Dei, offering prayers for your pregnancy and a healthy baby. And then when I first found out about Darin, I had to go to pray for his well-being. I would love to take you there and present Ryoko and Darin to the kami of the shrine."
Ryo was smiling warmly but he indicated both babies. "Not that we're complaining, Obāsan, but now we know what happened. I think you prayed a little too much and that's how we ended up with twins."
Dee started to chuckle. "Yeah, we're not complaining and if that's what happened, then domo arigato gozaimasu, Obāsan. And yes, we would be honored to take the twins there today."
OoOoOoO
On the way to the next shrine, Akira told Ryo that they would pass the street where his parents had their first store and if he wanted to drive past it. Of course, he wanted, so she directed Ryo where to go.
"Oh, you have to be kidding me!" Bikky exclaimed in horror as Ryo turned down another extremely narrow road. "This is worse than that other one!"
"We told you, Bikky," Dee said.
"Relax Biks," Ryo said, grinning. "I'm not going to speed down the road. We might even stop so I can get my honorary Japanese husband to take a photo of the building."
"Stop it," Dee said, "or I might just not take the picture."
"Do you not like the Japanese, Dei?" Akira asked in a teasing tone.
"I like them just fine, thank you, but I'm not Japanese."
"That you know," Ryo quipped, with a grin.
"Do I look Japanese to you?" he asked.
Ryo shrugged. "Sometimes." He started to grin. "Especially when you have that camera in front of you," he added, making everyone laugh. "Oh come on, Dee. We have no idea what the hell you are. And I'm guessing that there just might be a tiny bit of some type of Asian in your gene mix because I know Darin gets his looks from more than just me."
"I noticed today that when Dee has his sunglasses on, he looks more Japanese than Ryo," Carol said. "I mean he has that dark, straight hair. Just like most of the Japanese guys."
"And Ryo has that light brown wavy hair," Akira said. "He not only got that from his Scottish side, your grandfather contributed to that too, I'm afraid. You have the same hair as my Jordan."
"That's fine, Obāsan," Ryo said concentrating on slowly moving the car without hitting people walking on the street. There was no sidewalk on the street. People walked out of a business into the street for most of the stores. "I'm trying not to hit people. Unless I get a high score for running down someone in kimono."
"Oh my God!" Bikky exclaimed. "Why are there no sidewalks?"
"This is a two-way street, Biks," Dee commented. He looked over at Akira. "And when do we finally get to hear more about Ryo's grandfather?"
"I'll take the albums out first chance we get and tell you more," Akira said with a smile. She pointed a few stores ahead on the right. There was a café at the corner to a narrow alley. "There it is," she said. "Next to the alley."
"I see it. Dee, please when we pass get some pictures, and I swear I'll never call you Japanese again," Ryo said.
Dee laughed. "I already know how that's not going to happen, unless I stop taking pictures. And I know you really want this one, so I'll be taking pictures."
"Thank you, Dee."
Ryo slowed the car down even more than he was going. He gazed out the window as he came to a stop in front of it for a couple of seconds before starting to drive away.
"You know, we can always come back around here and find parking on another day," Dee suggested.
"Yeah. I think I'd like that. Sure." He passed the store, but Dee turned to get pictures from that angle until he couldn't see it anymore.
As they approached the intersection, Bikky commented, "Please, please PLEASE let there be a real street we're turning on!"
"What he said!" Carol added, covering her eyes and making the adults laugh.
Dee leaned back in his seat, laughing at Bikky. "Alrighty now, we're going to have a lot of fun in Japan."
Bikky just covered his eyes with both his hands, making Dee laugh again.
OoOoOoO
They arrived at the shrine to find Moriko waiting at the entrance to the shrine's grounds. Unlike the other places, it was pre-dominantly Carriers and Carrier families. The shrine grounds itself was much smaller and was built in 1929. It had a water purification basin and the shrine. The shrine was in the midst of cherry blossom trees. Ryo imagined that how it would look in the spring when the blossoms were in full bloom.
They went with Akira to the temple, this time stopping by the water purification basin to purify themselves. At the front of the temple, they went through the ritual of praying. Bikky and Carol was expecting the gong, but Akira had Dee and Ryo pull the cord together. Akira quietly presented Darin and Ryoko invoking their full names, touching each baby as she spoke. Dee and Ryo had them in the slings. They decided it was easier for certain places, such as temples and shrines. The strollers wouldn't be practical with all the steps that most of the larger ones had. There were enough benches to sit if they needed to rest. Akira also liked to have one of the babies at times too, and they could convince Bikky and Carol, if needed. They tried not to, wanting to allow the two to enjoy each new place they were exploring. Bikky was discovering that going to temples and shrines wasn't boring and was absorbing any information given to him about where they were. It helped much that Akira had a way of talking and knew how to present it to keep Bikky's attention and even get him to wanting more information.
Akira had explained that the presentation was not exactly a Shinto way, but an adaptation for Carriers. Once again Ryo heard about how Carriers were honored and revered, and how more shrines and temples were being built and dedicated in addition to the ones already in Japan. There were some customs unique to the Carrier temples.
It was a much different attitude toward Carriers than in the United States, and Ryo wondered if the country he considered home would ever have the same attitude. When he talked about it with Dee as they sat on a bench, watching as Akira and Moriko pointed out to Bikky and Carol various elements of the temple that was Carrier specific, Dee simply said, "If it doesn't get better, we can always move here."
He knew Dee wasn't serious. They could never completely move from New York City, but Ryo was thinking that they could split their time if it ever came down to it. At least if the worst happened and they felt it too dangerous for their family, they could keep them with Akira and split their time. They would prefer to be with their children at all times, but keeping them safe would always be a first priority, and they had options now.
"Excuse me," they heard a man ask in Japanese, "but are they yours?"
Dee and Ryo looked up to find a young couple standing before them, both Japanese. One of the men was very pregnant. Ryo smiled up at them. "Yes, they are our twins. My husband Carried them." He indicated Dee as he spoke in Japanese.
"They are so sweet. May I ask their names?"
Dee smiled up at the men and replied, "This is Ryoko and this is Darin."
"Ah, good names. Darin? That isn't Japanese, is it?"
"No, we're from New York City," Ryo replied. "We're here to visit with my grandmother." He pointed to Akira. "She brought us to this shrine along with my aunt."
"We're also here with our other son," Dee said, pointing to Bikky. "We adopted him before we knew we could have children of our own, but he's still our son."
"Oh nice!" the pregnant man exclaimed. "I am having twins too."
"Congratulations," Ryo said with a smile. "So are you both twins? Or have parents who are twins?"
"My father is. So are my siblings. I was the odd one out. It sometimes happens in my family line, but we suspected I would have twins if I got pregnant. Taichi, my husband, is not a Carrier, so we accepted we would have twins."
Ryo looked at Dee, and then to the couple. "So, if a Carrier has twins, does that mean he'll always have twins?"
Taichi nodded his head. "Yes. It is the twin gene. At least it is that way in Japan. Certain family lines will not only pass on the Carrier gene, but the twin gene. It is said that those families have the first Carriers in Japan as ancestors."
"We didn't know that," Dee replied. "That's interesting. From what we've been hearing bits and pieces of, it seems Carriers are different in Japan. Other than the overall attitude."
"Oh yes. Carriers are very much respected in Japan. It is said that Carriers will protect the Human Race. It is a shame that other countries won't accept Carriers like Japan," Taichi said.
"We keep hoping that one day America will realize the error of their ways," Ryo stated. "But I'm afraid that it's only going to get worse before it gets better."
"Unfortunately, that is the way it is with change," the pregnant man said. "We should go, but we had to come over and see your adorable twins close-up. Enjoy your time in Japan."
"Thank you," Dee said, bowing his head. "We intend to. And congratulations on your twins."
"May they bring you as much joy as ours bring us," Ryo added, also bowing his head.
The two men bowed, the pregnant man as much as he could. "Thank you."
Akira and Moriko came over after the two men walked away hand-in hand. "I see our little ones got some attention. I noticed others looking at them," Akira said.
"Twins might not be as rare in Japan, but like Carriers, they are still extra special," Moriko added.
"I think we should head for lunch now," Akira said, "so we have time to do the castle and still make it to Tokyo in time for dinner."
"Do you have reservations?" Ryo asked.
"Yes, I do. And I apologize, but our reservations are with your competition," Akira replied.
"Competition?" Dee asked, looking confused.
"Our reservations are at the Odaiba Hilton," Akira answered as they walked over to where the teens looked like they had made some new friends. Which was the reason why they sat and allowed Bikky and Carol on their own for a while. "Your hotel is a magnificent and very popular one. It attracts a lot of tourists who want to be near Roppongi and Ginza."
They stopped by the teens. "Bikky, Carol. We need to leave now," Ryo said.
"I'll give you a call when we have free time," Bikky said to the two boys and the girl around their age.
"Please. Talk to you later," one of the boys said.
"Bye Bikky. Bye Carol. Ja ne!"
"Ja ne!" Bikky and Carol said as they followed the adults.
"Who was that?" Dee asked. "I sense Americans."
"Their mother is Japanese and their father was in the Air Force," Bikky said.
"Going to get together with them next week?" Ryo asked.
"If it's okay with you, yeah."
"I'm good with you going to do something together, but no going over houses unless we meet their parents, okay?" Dee said. "I know it's safer in Japan, but I rather us not take chances."
"I agree with Dee," Ryo backed up his husband. "And Obāsan was telling us that we're eating at enemy camp tonight." He winked at his grandmother.
"What?" Bikky asked.
"Enemy camp?" Carol asked.
Dee started to laugh. "We've having dinner in a Hilton tonight," he clarified.
"So?" Bikky asked. "Hiltons are nice."
"Yes, they are, but we don't own the Hilton," Ryo reminded Bikky with a smirk.
"Oh! Okay. I guess it doesn't bother you?"
"No, there's plenty of people in Tokyo for all the hotels," Ryo said.
"Besides, when the Hilton fills up, the overflow needs to go somewhere," Dee quipped.
"Every hotel serves its own purpose in Tokyo," Akira said. "Yours is popular for the Roppongi, Akasaka and Ginza areas. It's also close to Shibuya. The Hilton we're going to basically serves Daiba area. Your hotel does have some views of the bay and the Rainbow Bridge, but the featured views are Tokyo Tower and Roppongi Hills. I thought since Carol and Bikky wants to see Tokyo, we can have dinner overlooking Tokyo Bay and the bridge. It is much like having dinner at the River Café with the views of Manhattan."
"Can't complain about that," Ryo said. "I'm looking forward to it."
"Me too," Dee agreed.
They walked to the car and started to get the twins buckled into the car seats.
OoOoOoO
They sat in a café not far from the Carrier shrine and a popular spot for visitors to the shrine to stop for lunch. They ordered their lunch; sets of Japanese hamburger over rice covered with curry that came with miso soup and salad. They also added a couple of orders of pork and garlic gyoza made from scratch to split between them. As they ate, Dee and Ryo talked about the vast differences of Carriers in Japan and America.
"I'm starting to realize just how different Carriers here are here than in America," Ryo said. "It's not just attitudes toward Carriers. It's the Carriers themselves. It's as if the Carriers are from a different line of Carriers. Do you think we can buy books? I mean about Carriers in Japan and not those books about the pregnancy itself."
"You can find some of the history in a book store. I did not say much because I have learned through my life that seeing is much more than just taking someone's word. I could tell you that things are better here, and I believe I have several times, but I knew you had to see it. I am so glad you are here for much longer than a week or two. It will give you a chance to experience what it is to be a Carrier in Japan during your time here," Akira explained.
"We understand, Obāsan," Dee said. "I would not have believed it to be like this, even if you did bring books for us to read."
"We don't get much with Carriers in Japan back home. Not the manga, or dramas," Ryo said. "I'm guessing part of the blame is on the media companies, but I'm also guessing that in many ways Japanese are a private people."
Akira nodded. "That is correct. We are taught not to discuss too much detail about Carriers to gaijin. I apologize, but I was raised to respect that. Had you decided to stay in Japan and change your citizenship, I would have felt free to talk. As much as I love you, Ryo, you were born in America and you chose to live in America. That makes you Japanese-American and as far as the Carrier subject is concerned, you are gaijin. I did give as much as I can in sharing what I could during my time with you. I am only sorry that it did not occur to you to pay more attention to what was going on around you during your time in the Army."
"I do understand, and I should have paid more attention," Ryo said. "To be honest, most men in the military didn't care or had problems with them, so no one was coming back giving out secrets, especially if it means helping Carriers. I never thought about being a Carrier or even Carrying so I never paid much attention to it, even in New York, except what I needed to do my job."
"Even if they talked, as your grandmother stated, it is something to be seen. You cannot comprehend how it is here for Carriers if you are in an environment like it is in America," Moriko said in Japanese.
"I'm ashamed I ignored it too when I lived here," Dee said, "but I'm definitely not now. As you said, we can try to use Japan as the model but it is something to be seen. Like Ryo, I never figured Carriers applied to me, so I only learned what did concern me in being a cop. I only started to become more aware once I found myself pregnant."
"First clue that you were a Carrier, huh?" Moriko asked with amusement. "We do have some people even here in Japan that are oblivious to Carriers except that they exist. If it doesn't concern you, you don't pay much attention. It's a universal concept. Even I tend to do that with things that do not interest me. Don't beat yourself up over. I mean that to the two of you. Understand?"
"Listen to your Aunt Moriko," Akira said with a gentle smile. "She speaks the truth."
"Thank you, Aunt Moriko," Ryo said. "You too, Obāsan. I understand."
"I hear you both loud and clear. Thank you," said Dee.
"Now shall we finish our lunch?" Akira asked.
"The gyoza is really delicious," Ryo remarked.
"Oishii!" Bikky exclaimed enthusiastically as he picked up another gyoza with his chopsticks.
Everyone laughed and agreed.
"We might have Bikky speaking Japanese by the time we get back to New York," Ryo said, smiling.
OoOoOoO
Despite all the jabs at his driving from Bikky and Carol, Dee did not encounter any small streets along the way to the Odawara Castle. He chose to take the toll road that ran along the coast from Kamakura. They encountered some traffic, but they made it there in just over an hour. To Bikky's disappointment, he went past the PA because of time. He promised Bikky that they would be going past it again during their vacation and they could stop at another time.
Bikky and Carol were impressed with the castle. They had seen Japanese castles in pictures, including those in Ryo's and Dee's photo albums, but it was nothing like being at one. They walked the castle grounds first, taking pictures and video. Moriko took a picture of Dee and Ryo on the bridge each of them holding a baby instead of having the babies in their slings, with Akira between them with Bikky and Carol on each side of the adults. Photos were also taken of Bikky and Carol alone and with the babies, or Dee and Ryo and Ryo with Akira and Moriko, and any other combination they could think off. Not only were pictures taken on the beautiful bridges going over the moats, but everywhere. For once, Ryo was also too involved in getting photos they would love to look at again and again once they were back in New York to pick on Dee.
Once they were done with walking around the grounds, they did a thorough walkthrough of the buildings, stopping to admire the museum pieces. Once again, Bikky seemed captivated with the history surrounding them, asking questions and many of them had Ryo and Dee looking at Akira and Moriko for answers. Darin and Ryoko were starting to get fussy as they finished looking at everything, so they let Bikky and Carol to go exploring on their own while Dee, Ryo, Akira and Moriko sat at a bench near the castle, enjoying cold drinks from a vending machine while feeding the infants.
"You mentioned before that Carriers here seem to come from a different line than in America," Akira started after some small talk. With Dee's and Ryo's attention, she continued, "What I am to tell you is not common knowledge in the U.S. It is not really talked about here. Carriers appear in our history books around the time of the first Carriers in the United States, but Carriers have been in Japan longer than any other country. When the first successful Carriers gave birth in that project, Japan already had many Carriers. The history is unclear, because as I mentioned, they are not in the history books prior to Carriers in America. All I can tell you is that Carriers were accepted into our society before I was born."
"The first Carriers did not come from the Carrier project?" Dee asked amazed.
"No, they did not. I don't know if the idea was borrowed or what, but it is highly probable that the multi-nation project came from the Japanese," Moriko explained. "Also, the presence of Carriers already in Japan did not stop American forces to use their methods to produce more Carriers after Japanese surrender in WWII. That is when the real boom in Carriers here started. And why there are so many more Carriers here."
"So that means there are two types of Carriers in Japan," Ryo commented.
"Three if you consider those descendants of the original line who have children with those who has the implanted gene. They are similar but as you can see, there are differences. Some claim that the Japanese Carriers are a product of evolution rather than science. At least there are tales and legends that imply that, but there is not enough information available to the general population to know for sure," Akira explained.
"What matters most to our society is not how Carriers came to be in Japan, but that they are part of our culture and very honored," Moriko said. "They were also the ones who helped women step from the non-Carriers' shadows, leading to the rights we have in Japan today."
"I can understand why," Dee said with a nod.
"So can I," Ryo said. "That's interesting information. Dee and I were able to read what is being claimed as the actual documentation from the Carrier project, and there was no mention of Japan. We're led to believe Carriers started in Japan because of the war."
"And I am sorry I continued to lead you to believe that until now."
"That's okay, Obāsan," Ryo said. "Chances are if Dee didn't get pregnant, if I made it here now for whatever reason I still wouldn't have noticed. Besides, I am gaijin. I was born in New York City, I was mostly raised in New York and I'm an American citizen." He smiled at his grandmother. "You know that Dee and I discussed possibly moving to Japan, but as much as we both love this country, we can't move from New York."
"Ryo's right. And with me not even being any part Japanese, that definitely makes me gaijin," Dee said.
"I still believe you have Asian in you," Akira said. "Maybe even Japanese, but I guess that is something we'll never know."
"You may be gaijin, but you're all family. Not just Ryo, but you too, Dee," Moriko said with a smile. "And Bikky, Darin, Ryoko and even Carol. I am so glad you came here and I'm finally able to meet you. I'm looking forward to our time together."
"Keep your eyes open and go to libraries and book stores since you both can read Japanese," Akira said. "I don't know if you can use Japan as a model, but with more knowledge on how things are here, you might be able to figure out a model that will work for America. Meanwhile, Ryo if you do Carry, even if you were born in America, you still have your mother's Carrier genes, which come from both me and your grandfather. Ours is pre-war gene. Also you passed on those same genes to Darin and Ryoko, combined with Dei's gene, which most likely came from the Carrier Project in the U.S. That means they have the 3rd Carrier gene. Dei, you went to school here and I see you adapted well to the culture during that time. It is still evident now. You made it a part of who you are now. Because of that, you are more than just family. To me, you are honorary Japanese. Now that you see how things are here, I am now willing to share what I do know and answer questions you might have as you read whatever you are able to get."
"Thank you, Obāsan," Ryo said, taking Dee's hand and squeezing it.
"I am honored," Dee said, a slight blush going across his face.
"Do you want to do another walk around before we leave?" Akira asked.
"I'm good," Ryo said, having been to the castle many times. It was his first time in a decade but it brought back so many memories of his previous visits to Odawara Castle.
"We did a very complete walk around," Dee said. "And it's not my first time seeing this castle, so I suggest we find Bikky and Carol and head back to get ready for dinner."
"We do have a little time but you can use that time to rest up a little before tonight's adventures," Akira said as Ryo took out his phone to call Bikky to head over to the bench.
"If we're running you around too much, don't be shy to speak up," Moriko said with an amused smile.
"We're fine with the pace. I suppose by Monday we might want to have a lazier schedule," Ryo commented.
"We'll have more time to kick back when we check into the hotel," Dee said. "Because, except for coming over to your house when we can't get you into Tokyo, we'll be closer to what we want to see during that week."
"We all know having you take us where you are taking us is very important to you, Obāsan," Ryo said, "so it's very important to us too. Bikky will tell you the same."
"Besides, we're having a blast," said Dee. "All of us, so bring it on. I got to hear you talk with so much love about places in Kamakura, and now we're getting a chance to see them with you. I can't wait to see everything else like you promised us during your time in New York."
"I'm glad you feel that way and consider yourself warned," Akira said with a smile.
They continued to talk while they waited for Bikky and Carol to meet up with them.
