CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
November 3, 2006
Kappabashi, Asasuka
Tokyo, Japan
The group came to an intersection and as they waited for the light to change so they could cross, they heard Carol let out a gasp.
"Look at the teacups!" she exclaimed, pointing to the corner diagonal from them.
When Dee looked at Akira, who was leading the group on the day's expedition, she had a knowing smile.
Tsubasa and Kumi were laughing quietly.
"Mama, are we getting tea inside the tea cups again?" Aya asked expectedly.
"Are we, Papa?" Kento asked, clapping his hands.
Dee started to chuckle as Ryo held his hand down with fingers outstretched. With a sly smile, Ryo started to countdown with his fingers.
"Oh, kawaii!" Momo exclaimed, also looking at what had Carol's attention. "I need pictures." She looked up at Dafydd when he started to laugh. "You knew about this?" she asked her husband.
Dafydd nodded. "Hai. I've been here a few times, but I always forget until I see it again."
"Holy wow! It's a big chef!" Bikky exclaimed, causing Ryo and Dee to start laughing as Ryo had just put his hand into a fist at zero when Bikky spoke.
"You can all take as many pictures as you want," Akira stated as they crossed the street, "once we finish crossing the street."
"Obāsan, are we having tea now?" Tsubasa asked, as he quickly scooped Kento up to carry him the rest of the way across the street. The child kept stopping to jump up and down while clapping his hands in the middle of the street.
"I didn't plan on it until your little ones reminded me that they like to have tea when we are here," Akira replied and laughed. To everyone else she said, "The tea cups are actually balconies. They are also advertisements for the shop on the ground floor that sells café supplies, including many types of cups for tea and coffee." Looking at Bikky and Carol, she swept her hand to indicate the stretch of street ahead of them. "This is Kitchen Town, or better known here as Kappabashi. It is a very famous place to buy equipment for any food service. Most of the shops along this street sell pots, pans, equipment, tableware and everything else you need to run a food service shop. We won't find much food to eat along this street. This shop is one of the exceptions. In the back to the store, there are stairs to take you up to the floor above it, and a café. You can also buy loose tea and coffee beans, mostly imported from Europe and America."
"Aya and Kento love to go to the café for tea because it also has a cup balcony," Kumi explained. "Sometimes we're lucky and can get the table on the balcony, but most time we don't really have tea inside the cup. To them, having tea anywhere in the café is having tea in a tea cup, and they get really excited when we can get that table."
"Our group is too large to get that table if it is available," Tsubasa commented, and then laughed. "Sometimes our little bugs use their cute chibi faces on whoever is eating there and get invited on the balcony for a few minutes." He hugged Kento, who he was still carrying and kissed the boy's head, causing the child to hug him while laughing happily.
"I was so horrified the first time they did that," Kumi admitted. "But then it started to get funny. I have many videos of them in the café."
"I might use them to get Ryo, Dei, Bikky and the chibis on the balcony for a family photo," Akira said with a wicked grin. "We can get a light lunch to hold us until we get to Shibamata, instead of having lunch in Asasuka. I hope no one is starving."
Ryo looked at his grandmother and asked, "Did you have anywhere planned for us to eat here? Because if you had somewhere special, we should just order tea to make my little cousins happy and then we can get an actual meal."
Akira shook her head. "I had no particular place in mind. I thought we would walk around and when we see some place that interests us, we would go in to eat. I was not considering having a meal in Shibamata, but if we do, I do have somewhere in mind to be our meal destination."
Dee and Ryo looked at each other and with a slight nod to each other, gave their attention to the rest of their group.
Dafydd shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me. I am a little hungry, but a snack will be good enough for now."
"Me too," Momo stated.
Tsubasa smiled. "As long as the little ones can say they had tea in the tea cups again, I'm good with holding off until Shibamata." He looked over to Kumi, who nodded in agreement. "What about you, Carol?" he asked.
"I'm just happy to be here, looking at the pretty balconies, so I'm good with whatever everyone else wants to do," Carol replied.
"Tea cups, it is," Dee decided for the group, grinning at his youngest cousins by marriage and lightly patting Aya's head. Kumi stood close to Dee, with Aya between them. "Besides, if we stop here and then make another stop in Asakusa, we might not make it to Shibamata with time to explore."
"That is also very true, Dei," Akira agreed. "So we have a light meal here. Even if we do not go into the restaurant at Shibamata, there is still plenty of shops with delicious street food to enjoy."
Aya looked up at Dee, jumping up and down with a smile. "Arigato, Cousin Dee!" she exclaimed.
Ryo laughed. "That makes it worth the decision. Let's go have some tea." He grinned Kento, who clapped his heads, smiling. "I have to admit that after walking around the festival, I'm thankful for the light meal just now. I don't think I'm ready for anything heavy yet."
"We did walk off whatever we did eat there," Dafydd pointed out.
Dee nodded in agreement with his twin. "We also peddled it off," he added.
Both Dafydd and Bikky nodded to what Dee said.
Shaking her head with amusement, Kumi said, "Between here and Asasuka Station, there is street food within a block or two if we do not directly pass something. No one will starve before we get to Shibamata," she assured Dee, Bikky and Dafydd.
Ryo started laughing. "I swear, you two are definitely twins," he commented to Dee and Dafydd. "You both can eat your weight, and what sucks is you don't show it."
"You said otherwise when I was pregnant," Dee pointed out with a pout..
"Well, we didn't know you were having twins at the time. Now that we know about Darin," Ryo said.
"Meaning I really didn't have to cut down since I was eating for two," Dee quipped.
"Oh, you weren't starving," Ryo stated and then laughed again.
"The cup balconies are cool, but I like the big chef head," Bikky said as they started to walk again, going to the curb and wait for the light to change so they could cross Asasuka Dori.
"That's a restaurant supply store," Dee explained. "Yuki dragged me here enough times so he could look at what he would buy when he opened his shop. "There's a lot of stores here that are popular, but they are mostly dishes, utensils and stuff like that. This store sells a lot of the equipment like stoves, refrigeration units and anything else for an industrial kitchen. It is the most famous for restaurant owners to go to."
"Dei is correct," Akira said to Bikky.
"So, it's like the Restaurant Depot back home?" Carol asked.
"Yeah," said Dee. "It's not as large as Restaurant Depot, but believe me, you can buy stuff from that store that you can't find in Restaurant Depot."
"I don't think they even think some of the stuff they sell in the store across the street exists unless they are familiar with Japan," Ryo said.
"That's true," Dee agreed.
Ryo looked at Dee and his grandmother and with a teasing grin said, "Excuse me, you two, but I have to ask, when you say this place is famous, is it famous famous or Japanese 'famous'?"
"Both," Dee, Akira, Tsubasa and Kumi replied at the same time, making Ryo, Dafydd and Momo laugh. Bikky and Carol joined in. Kento and Aya started to laugh because all the adults were.
"You should know that, baka," Akira said to Ryo, gazing at him in amusement.
Ryo shrugged. "Sorry, I had to ask."
Once they crossed the street, the group stopped again and pulled over so more pictures could be taken.
"The chef dude doesn't look Japanese," Bikky commented as he took a few pictures with the camera Dee and Ryo had given him before they left New York for Japan. "So, no balconies? Not even his mouth?"
The adults chuckled.
"That would be fun," Tsubasa said to Bikky. "But sorry, no balconies there. It's just a display to find the store and nothing else. No one goes up there."
"Don't even think of it, bud," Ryo warned Bikky.
"Aw man," Bikky exclaimed, looking slightly disappointed.
"You'll get over it, kiddo," said Dee. "So light meal then?" he asked the group.
"Did everyone get the pictures they wanted?" Akira asked. "I did bring us to this intersection thinking Bikky and Carol would find it interesting."
"We do," Carol said. "Thank you, Obāsan."
"Yeah, Obāsan," Bikky stated. "This is very cool. And I got some pictures." With a teasing look, he added, "I'm not like my dad."
"Hey," Dee commented. "I only took a couple, mostly of all of you with the buildings in the background."
"Carol, would you like to do a video?" Akira asked her.
"Can I?
"Go ahead," Akira replied with a smile. "I look forward to watching it, along with your other videos."
Bikky took over making the video, while Carol decided that since the corner was also new to Momo, to have her "co-host". They shared their thoughts about the corner, and then asked everyone who had been there before about it. Carol even included the little ones, who enthusiastically exclaimed in both English and Japanese that they were excited to have tea in the tea cups again, and that they usually did after going on the duck boats.
Dee talked about his experiences going window shopping with Yuki and then going for tea and a snack in the tea shop. He ended with how Yuki did go to the Chef store first to start picking out things for his noodle shop when he was opening it. Dee wished he was able to be with Yuki on that trip, but at least Yuki had Hide and Ken with him, and they'd sent Dee pictures and video. He added that Hide had also shopped there for the kitchen of his club when he was opening it. Both men still shopped there.
Dafydd told about how Saburo and Yoshio took him for tea in the café a couple of times when he was younger, and then later when he was older he would take Tomoko and Ayaka when he visited them in Tokyo during the time his younger sisters lived there.
Once everyone was done with telling stories with one of the shops in the background, they went to the café. Carol had her first snow strawberry sandwich. To Bikky's delight, they had yakisoba sandwiches, so he ordered one. Tsubasa ordered a snow strawberry sandwich for Aya and Kento to share. All the adults ordered either pork or chicken katsu sandwiches. Their sandwiches came with a cabbage and carrot salad with ginger dressing, while Carol and the children received fresh fruit in a parfait cup with choices of ginger and raspberry syrups.
When they were done, Akira got up and went over to the male couple eating on the balcony with their daughter. She spoke to them for a few minutes, and then bowed and returned to their table with a smile.
"I am going outside now. Everyone will stay here. Give me your cameras. Ryo, I will call you when I am ready. They said that they will allow you on the balcony so I can take pictures."
Tsubasa and Ryo started to laugh, knowing their grandmother well.
After Akira left, Dafydd asked Dee, "Is that us being told again because we are also family?"
Before the elder woman left, Dafydd and Momo had offered to assist Akira with the pictures, and she had made it very clear that they were to be in the pictures too, and she took their camera with the others.
With a laugh, Ryo replied, "You're family now, Dafydd. Get used to it. Ask your twin."
"I know exactly how you feel. I was there once," Dee replied.
"Tell me about it," Bikky added, making everyone laugh. "But we love her."
"Yes, we do," Dee agreed.
"I can see why," Dafydd admitted.
They continued to sit at their table until Akira called. The couple said they were done anyway and was just sitting there holding the table until they were ready to take pictures.
They ended up in the Chef store. Dee and Ryo picked out some pots and pans to be delivered to the penthouse.
As they walked along the street toward Kaminarimon Dori, Dee and Ryo managed to find some tea and sake cup sets that they liked and even some everyday dishes to start their collection to be able to cook and serve their family at the penthouse. It was a start, but they also wanted to look during their travels. The nice thing about Japanese tableware is nothing was expected to match. They just needed to have enough dishware in various sizes and the correct type of bowl to serve certain foods to accommodate any gquests they would be entertaining.
Momo also picked up some dishes and cups that were promised to be delivered by the next day to the penthouse. After after Dee spoke to the shops' clerks to have them added to their deliveries.
They ended up at the Hanayashiki Amusement Park for a while, allowing Bikky and Carol to take Tsubasa's kids on a few rides. Akira explained how it is claimed to be the oldest amusement park in Japan, dating back to the late Edo period. Bikky and Carol were happy to see the big electrical panda rides at the park. The adults also took time on them while Bikky and Carol took Aya and Kento on the other rides.
Dee realized that as much as he didn't want the twins to grow up too quickly, he could not wait until they were old enough to take them on rides. At least for now, he had Ryoko with him on the panda, while Ryo had Darin, while as Akira got it on video, along with some video of the kids on the rides.
When they left the amusement park, they entered the sublevel shopping street close to the park, to get to the train. Despite the expected deliveries, they all still had bags and added a few more items to Bikky's and Carol's by the time they reached the train platform.
At Shibamata Station, Akira led them the short distance to a pedestrian street lined with restaurants and shops, many that specialized in a particular food, such as rice crackers or mochi. The shops offered gift sets to use as omiyage, which why Akira felt it was a good place to take Dafydd and Momo to get the last of their gifts to give to family and friends in Nagoya. She also thought it would be a good thing for Dee and Dafydd select something together to present to their father for Dee's first meeting with Saburo Fujioka. There were also some other shops that sold non-food souvenirs. The wooden buildings were more traditional in design, the facades of the shops giving into the illusion of Old Tokyo before modernization took down many older buildings all over the city.
Shibamata managed to avoid the brunt of bombings on Tokyo during World War II. What was damaged was repaired to its original splendor, just as whatever buildings were damaged in the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923. Very few buildings were taken down over time and was in need of being razed, the new buildings were in the old Edo style architecture. Renovations involved upgrading the restoring therestoration of old buildings to look like its original glory.
Dee hoped that modernization would never find its way to this area. Some areas were not meant to be replaced by shiny, tall modern buildings. There were areas in New York he felt the same, like the Seaport area.
As he made his way through Tokyo and Yokohama, he realized that some older buildings he had in photos from his time in college were now replaced by new, ultra-modern buildings. Even some of the older single-family homes were replaced.
Carol was filming as they walked down the long stretch of street lined with various shops that led to the entrance of a temple, and Akira was explaining to Carol and Bikky how this was also a movie street. It was the setting for a popular Japanese film series, and how it was also used for period scenes or for the atmosphere during a contemporary scene. When they came from the train tracks, there was a square at the Shibamata Station, and Akira pointed out the statue of Tora-san, the lead character of the popular movie series that ran from 1969 to 1995, and another of his sister, Sakura. Dafydd remembered some of the movies, having watched them with his father, and had to have pictures of and videos of everyone with the statues to show his father.
Dafydd, Dee and Momo, along with Bikky and Carol were the only ones who were there for the first time. Once they reached the street, Ryo exclaimed that he did remember it, but it had been a very long time since he was last there. Dee decided that he certainly wanted to come back again.
Dafydd leaned toward Dee and asked, "Does Akira-san know everything in Japan?"
Ryo heard him and chuckled. "She is a huge history nerd, so there's a lot she can tell you about, but she knows the most about the Kanto plain area. Of course, you realize she knows the most or have stories to share on the places she chooses to take us?"
Momo started to giggle as Dafydd exclaimed, "Oh!" and gave a sheepish look, making Dee also laugh.
"She'll do the same if you let her take you around New York, you know," Dee said and laughed again.
"Oh yeah," Ryo remarked with a grin. "She still managed to do that to us when we let her take us places while she stayed with us in New York."
"Hell, she did it at Mitsuwa," Dee added, laughing more. "Giving us the history of the company, even if it is an American company."
"What's Mitsuwa?" Momo asked.
"Our local Japanese supermarket," Ryo replied. "Marketplace, actually. Besides the full-size supermarket, there are also smaller shops selling tableware, there's a health and beauty store, another selling appliances, then there's popular culture, and there's a Kinokuniya book store. It's pretty much a one stop Japanese shopping outside of Japan."
"We go there every other week or so for our Japanese shopping," Dee said. "They also have a food court, all the shops having the main restaurants that are famous in Tokyo and Osaka. It's also across the Hudson River in New Jersey, but you can eat with a beautiful view of the New York skyline."
"Is that new?" Dafydd asked. "You mean there was this big Japanese marketplace just across the Hudson and I didn't know about it? I mean, I enjoyed the food, especially the pizza, once I got used to New York pizza, and the knishes and stuff, but when I found a Japanese place, it just didn't taste the same."
"Oh, there's some good places now," Ryo said, "but that's also only in the last few years. We have this ramen shop that opened a couple of blocks from us that we love." He started to smirk. "It's just like getting ramen here, except we don't slurp noodles in New York."
Dee started to laugh. "You should have seen Bikky's reaction the first time we went to have soup at Yuki's shop. It was hilarious."
Ryo also laughed. "He was amusing. I wish we got it on video."
"Yes, nobody slurps in New York, or drink miso soup from the bowl. Not even the Japanese," Dafydd said. "Even I stopped shortly after I got there."
"The family I knew when I was growing up did only in their home. That's how I learned," Dee explained. "But I was also told that was the only place I was allowed. They are also the ones who taught me Japanese," he added to his brother. "Anyway, Mitsuwa wasn't open when you went to college. It opened around 2000. I'm not sure exactly. We noticed it a couple of years ago, driving along the Hudson coming back from a friend's house and went in to investigate."
"Ask Obāsan," Ryo remarked and chuckled. "I forgot what she said."
"Me too," said Dee, looking amazed.
"She'll even tell you about San Diego, Los Angeles and many of the cities between the two," Ryo said.
"I lived in San Diego, but I was too young to remember," Dafydd commented. "But Papa took a lot of pictures that he gave me copies when I got older."
"But you do remember New York," Dee said.
"Yes, I do," replied Dafydd. "Most of it."
They started to laugh, and continued to talk as they took in the various shops until Carol and Bikky were done with their video. Carol said she wanted to do more but, on the way, back and include anyone else who wanted to help her with it.
Their destination was not the temple, but once they came to the end of the long stretch of shops, Dee and Ryo, along with Dafydd and Momo, decided that they wanted to explore the temple and the grounds for a little while. Bikky and Carol had no complaints. It seemed that the two were up to looking at everything Japanese, and they never seemed to be bored. The first day of going to shrines and temples in Kamakura, they did seem a little bored, but by the end of the day, they realized that while there were similarities, each shrine and temple were unique and had their own special features that were worth seeing.
Along the way back from the temple they stopped for lunch at the restaurant Akira had mentioned that was very famous because some of the series was filmed in it, and then went over to the shop where Dee and Dafydd wanted to buy some rice crackers as a gift for their father. The shop clerk offered to make a gift box for them, allowing the twin brothers to pick out what they wanted in the box in the colorful box with the shop's name on it. Ryo watched as then, both Dee and Dafydd took out yen and each of them paid half of the cost.
They had done some other shopping on the return walk, allowing Dafydd and Momo to pick up small gifts as omiyage to bring back for other family and friends. At a confection store, again Dee and Dafydd bought a small gift box for Ayaka. They had also bought fresh mochi, rice crackers and green tea soft serve ice cream cones to eat along the way. By the time they arrived at the train station, they all had more shopping bags. Dee and Ryo also picked up items for others in Dafydd's and Dee's family. They had no idea who they would be meeting, so they selected some general snack gifts that are generally liked by the average Japanese person. Dafydd and Momo assured that everyone in their family would happily receive one of the gifts.
JOYPOLIS
DECKS, ODAIBA
TOKYO, JAPAN
Akira stayed at the penthouse watching Ryoko, Darin, Kento and Aya. When they left her, she looked like she was about to have the evening of her life, being able to spend time with four of her great-grandchildren.
Dee and Ryo, along with Bikky and Carol, Tsubasa and Kumi, and Dafydd and Momo all headed by train to Odaiba. For Dee and Ryo, it was their second time going to Odaiba, and their first to further investigate beyond the area by the Hilton Hotel, and the Statue of Liberty. That time they were also in a van driven by Nobu to an area that the last time both spent any significant time in Japan was undevelopednot a place to attract tourists with warehouses and some office buildings. There were also Dafydd and Momo had never been to Odaiba before for the same reasons at first, and then time during a visit did not allow them to explore.. Bikky and Carol had gone earlier in the week with their friends, but after meeting their friends in Akihibara, they went up to Asakusa and took the Himiko down to Odaiba. One of the friend's father had met them outside of Joypolis and drove Carol and Bikky to the hotel before taking the other children home. This trip to Odaiba was also their first time taking the train.
They took the Hibiya line from the Roppongi Station to Ginza, where they transferred for the Ginza line to Shimbashi Station. Tsubasa and Kumi led the group from the main entrance of Shimbashi Station for a short walk to the newer and smaller station for the Yurikamome Line, which would take them to Odaiba. Tsubasa further led them along the walled platform to the very first sliding doors the wall.
"Wow, we can sure use walls like they have at a lot of stations here back in New York," Ryo exclaimed, looking at the high wall.
"This is the first full wall I've seenhowever," Dee said, "but I agree. It is a solution to keeping people from falling onto the tracks."
"Were there a lot of people pushed on tracks before the walls?" Carol asked.
"Mostly accidental here in Japan," Dee answered. "That or jumpers. You see how crowded these platforms are, and how hard it is to pass along the edge of platforms that don't have walls. I remember lots of people accidently pushed, or loosing footing and falling on the tracks. There are also a lot of people who for one reason or another felt as if they disgraced their families and decide jumping in front of a train was the better option. I see they started to do something about that in the last ten years."
"I noticed on the information boards that there are still delays because of passengers falling on tracks since we arrived," Ryo said.
"Walls along the platforms are still an ongoing project, but I believe that most, if not all, train platforms will end up with walls to prevent passengers from going on the tracks," Tsubasa said.
Bikky looked across the track at the long line of people waiting for the next train to pull into the station. They were the only ones lining up on that side of the platform. "Tsubasa, how come we're not taking the next train?" He pointed to the lines of people along the platform.
"Aren't they going the other way?" Carol asked.
Bikky shook his head. "Nah. The tracks end on both sides at this station. See?" He pointed far down to the other end of the platform. "Trains don't go in that direction."
"Bikky's right," Tsubasa told Carol. "We could take the next train, but there are already too many people waiting for it. We're not on a schedule and do not need to be there at a specific time, so since it'll only be another 5 minutes before the next train comes in, we'll wait. Besides, we're going to be the first ones in the first car." He smiled at Bikky and Carol. "Trust me, you want to be in the front of the train."
"Why?"
"You'll see when we get in. You and Carol can take two of the front seats in the car," Tsubasa answered. "And your dads can argue over who gets the third one."
"Unless one of them sits in the other's lap," Kumi added with a giggle. She looked over at Dafydd and Momo. "I think Dee and Ryo can argue with Dafydd and Momo over who gets that seat."
Dafydd looked at Kumi intrigued. "What's so special about those seats?"
"Our two rugrats love sitting in the front when we take the train into Odaiba," Tsubasa explained. "And when they're not with us, Kumi and I still take the front seats. It's all going to be your first time taking this way to Odaiba and you want the view in the front."
"We're able to look out the door or something past the train operator?" Carol asked.
Tsubasa started to answer and paused while the train pulled into the station on the other side of the platform. They were still the only ones lined up waiting for the next train as people coming up to the platform from the stairs and escalators rushed to catch the train coming in. A young couple with a small child came out of the elevator that was behind them and decided to get on the line behind them.
Dee started to chuckle. "The one thing I was never able to understand about the Japanese is the extreme need to get into the next train, even if it means squeezing into a car with no space. Especially since for most lines, you don't wait longer than five or ten minutes before the next car. The only times I squeezed myself into a crowded car was because I was really late for a class or important meeting. Thankfully I drove to school most of the time. But when the car was in the shop, it was trains for us."
Dafydd shrugged. "That's the one thing I'm at a lost for too, I confess. We Japanese tend to be punctual, meaning we aim to get somewhere early. I also found myself having time to wait for the next train if the one coming in was too crowded. I give myself extra time to get to work, and should I get there early, then I have some time to relax before it's time to start work."
Ryo smirked. "In New York, we had to squeeze into many crowded trains because we did not have the luxury of waiting for the next one going into work." He gently poked Dee in the ribs. "Your brother tended to wake up late until the last year or so."
Dee groaned. "So I liked my beauty sleep," he commented with a shrug. "Seriously, I think I was falling into a runt. Ever since Ryo and Bikky moved in, things started to get more interesting. Now I find myself needing to be up to help get Bikky out of bed for school."
Bikky stuck his tongue out at Dee, who started to laugh. "Well, I still have beauty to sleep late in for," he quipped to his father.
Dee shook his fist toward Bikky as he let out a growl. "What are you saying there?"
"Enough," Ryo cut in. "Ironically, now that he's on a school break, Bikky seems to have no trouble getting out of bed early the last couple of weeks, no matter what time he went to sleep," Ryo remarked amused.
"There's just so much to do since we got to Japan, who has time to sleep?" Bikky commented.
"Just make sure you sleep good to keep up the energy to get around," Ryo said.
"Yeah, I am. I'm sleeping really good when I go to bed, but I don't want to sleep in when we can be doing things, even if it's hanging with Obāsan in her house, or sitting on the terrace at the penthouse. That's some view of Tokyo."
"Yes, it is," Carol agreed. "You can't see everything you can from Tokyo Tower or the Skytree, but it is a pretty view. You can even see the Rainbow Bridge at night."
"Yup, I have to agree," Dee said. "I do like sitting on the terrace in between our adventures during the day, and to end a long day before going to sleep."
As they talked the train pulled in on their side of the platform, which now had lines of people going along the platform. The train on the other side started to close its doors and pull out of the station.
The doors slid open as the train's doors also opened. As soon as the last passenger exited the train, Tsubasa ushered them inside going directly to the front of the train, offering the two seats on the right side of the car to Bikky and Carol.
Dee's eyes opened as wide as the teens, but he quickly came to agreement with Ryo and Dafydd that Momo or Kumi should take the single seat in the very front on the left side. Kumi offered it to Momo. Dafydd stood in the space behind the seat, while Dee and Ryo took up the spots behind Bikky and Carol.
Tsubasa and Kumi stood in the space between those standing. Tsubasa and Kumi stood in the space between those standing.
"Where's the train operator?" Carol asked. Ahead of the seats was a large glass window looking out ahead of the train, making it easy to see where they were going.
"The unique feature of the Yurikamome line is that the trains are operated by computers," Kumi explained. "And a beautiful ride to Odaiba."
"Going there on that fancy boat was a really cool ride too," Bikky said, "but this looks very cool too."
"I think I'm going to enjoy this ride very much," Ryo said with a smile. He had the camcorder up and already had started filming.
"Is this a monorail?" Carol asked.
"No, it's a normal train, with two rail tracks, while a monorail has only one rail. This train is just controlled by a computer along the tracks," Tsubasa explained. "Meaning we get to sit here and look out the front window of the train instead of an operator."
Bikky, Carol, Dee and Momo took advantage of their where they were settled for the ride to Odaiba, taking pictures as the train went along the tracks toward Odaiba, promising to share with anyone else who wanted photos. Dafydd took a few from his place, including others in their group, while Tsubasa and Kumi looked on in amusement. Kumi decided to take a few pictures of the others during the ride to share with the family.
Tsubasa allowed the two young children who had stood in line behind them with their fathers in front of him and Kumi so they could stand by the window. Tsubasa assured their fathers that he would make sure they were safe, but Dee saw that Momo and even Bikky, who sat on the end seat had an eye on them.
Momo started to talk to young children in Japanese, making them smile and giggle. She introduced them to Bikky and Carol. The two children started to excitedly chatter in Japanese to Bikky and Carol, who basically kept repeating "Hai!" and "So desu ka?" to the children. Bikky also made faces, making the little ones laugh before their attention went back to looking out the window, and taking pictures. Dee made sure he got a few pictures of Bikky and Carol with them, and looked over at Ryo, who nodded a Dee with a grin, meaning he also caught the exchange on video.
The train went over the Rainbow Bridge, and they got off at the Odaiba-Kaihinkoen stop, which was the first one in Odaiba. They went into Decks and found a restaurant on the seaside half of the mall that served tonkatsu and had tables on the deck overlooking the bay, enjoying deep fried pork cutlets and shrimp for dinner before going to Joypolis.
When they entered Joypolis, Ryo and Momo started to laugh at the expressions on the twin brothers' faces. Dee and Dafydd looked around at the open area with a stage on the first floor and then upward at the dark interior lit by areas of bright lights from the many attractions along the three floors of the amusement center. To their left was an escalator lit with neon lights going up to the second floor.
"Whoa!" Dafydd exclaimed as a roller coaster car came rushing along the track over them.
"What the hell?" Dee exclaimed.
"Now that is pretty awesome," Ryo had to admit, starting to grin widely. "I think I understand why Bikky insisted that Dee and Dafydd had to come here with him, but I'm glad I was also invited to come along."
"Oh yes," Momo agreed. "I think we're all going to have a very fun night."
Ryo was glad he was talked into getting a full passport ticket for the evening. They entered after 5 pm, so the tickets were discounted. Tsubasa and Kumi suggested that they start at the 3rd floor and work their way down. They went on all the VR simulated rides on the third floor, taking a break in between rideswhen they were almost done with the rides on that floor to get ice cream cones and dorayaki, along with drinks at the Frame Café, and sat at a table near the window, again appreciating the view of Tokyo Bay with the Rainbow Bridge lit in all its brilliance, with the Tokyo skyline including the brightly lit orange of Tokyo Tower.
"Tokyo is a beautiful city," Ryo sighed happily as they enjoyed their snack.
Dee nodded his head. "I hate to admit it, but there are a lot of things that are more fascinating than New York, but New York has its own unique beauty to it."
"New York is great," said Bikky, "but Tokyo is greater. All of it, including Kamakura."
"You're just saying that for Obaasan, who is not here, Bikky," said Ryo.
"I didn't say it for her. There's so much cool stuff to explore in Kamakura. We still have areas to explore, right?" Bikky asked. "And we have to go back to Enoshima too!"
Ryo nodded. "Yes. When we come back from our road trip, we'll be staying with Obaasan for a few days before going back to the penthouse."
"We also have a trip to Hakone and Mt. Fuji planned when we get back," Dee added. He smiled at his brother before continuing speaking to Bikky. "I think you're also going to like Nagoya a lot. There's a lot of fun things to do there, too. A lot of interesting places with history."
"I guess you liked Nagoya enough to go back a few more times," Momo commented.
"Yeah, it's an interesting city," Dee stated. "Besides the Tokyo Metropolitan area, I think Nagoya is my favorite city." He grinned at Ryo. "And I'm not just saying that for Dafydd. I know I still have things I want to see in Nagoya if they're still there, and there's probably a lot new. So yeah, after Tokyo, it's Nagoya and then Hakata." Looking at Bikky and Carol, "Not to say there's nothing in the other cities we're going to."
"Japan has so much to offer, whether it's in a city or rural area. There are some areas I've been hearing about that we can stop to explore for a couple of hours on our road trip," Ryo added.
"I want to see it all," Carol said, enthusiastically.
"Me too," added Bikky. He looked at Dafydd. "You're going to show us all the cool places in Nagoya when we get there, aren't you, Uncle Dafydd?"
"In between meeting your family, yes, I would love to," Dafydd replied. "But I think your dad would like to see some places again and share them with you. I also think that your grandfather will want to take you all to some places."
"That's cool. If your father has places like Obāsan has, I'm going to like it a lot," Bikky said. He smiled at Dee. "Of course, I want to see some of your favorite places in your birth city, Dad."
"I'm still getting used to that," said Dee, "even if I feel like I've known Dafydd all my life. Which is strange because I'm still learning things about him and our family." He patted Dafydd's shoulder and then finished his beer. Starting to stand up, he said, "We better get back to the fun, if we have any chance of getting through everything tonight."
He waited a few minutes while Carol and Momo finished the last of their matcha ice cream cones and went back to going on the the rides on the 3rd floor.
On the 2nd floor, they noticed the D-Lounge and a massive screen on a wall. "What the hell is that?" Dee asked.
Bikky and Carol started to laugh. "You'll see. Let's go."
They looked at the others to find Momo and Kumi were before another video display. Momo and Kumi were on the screen, along with an animated character that looked like an idol. The two women were trying to follow the instructions from the character, doing some dance routines.
"I'm surprised you're not there with them," Tsubasa said to Carol.
"Oh, I did it already," Carol said. "She kicks if you don't get it right."
Dee started to laugh. "I don't think you were really kicked, Princess."
"No, but it was annoying. Bikky jumped in and started pushing her around."
"I tried to, but it's hard trying to push air," Bikky commented with a huff and then laughed.
"She got the best of us," Carol sighed and then also laughed. "But we did have a lot of fun too. I just thought to let them have their fun."
"Kumi has to do it every time we came here," Tsubasa stated. "She's determined to get it all right one day." With a wicked grin, he added, "What I would really love to see is the twin brothers give it a try."
Dee stared at his first cousin by marriage while Dafydd looked horrified. Dee let out a laugh. "If I get enough cocktails in me, I might be willing, but I'm not too sure about embarrassing myself in front of the kids."
"Too late, Dad," Bikky remarked.
"Biks!" Dee yelped, while Tsubasa and Ryo laughed.
"It's true," Bikky said. "So what's one more. Go on, Dad. I'll let you see video that Carol took of me in front of that."
"You did it?" Ryo asked in shock. "And let Carol take video?"
"She has ways of talking me into things sometimes," Bikky admitted, "and I didn't let her. She just did and was sneaky about it." He shrugged. "At least she can't add some footage into one of her videos for You Tube. At least not while we're still in Japan, since I'm the only one who can add footage while we're here."
Ryo raised an eyebrow as he looked at Dee. "Is that so? I would love for us to sit down one day soon and you show me and your dad what you can do with video editing."
Dee smiled. "Yeah, if you're really good and enjoy it, we could consider getting you a better laptop with a good graphics card for video."
"I would love a desktop," Bikky said. "I know it's not practical when we're travelling, but I do like it a lot. I would also love to learn more about animation.""
That got both Dee and Ryo sharing surprised but pleased expressions. "A desktop it is, then. You'll need something good for school anyway. We can even start looking while we're still in Japan. I doubt it'll be any trouble taking it home on the plane," Ryo said.
"Oh cool! Thanks Pops! You too, Dad. You do know I started to get interested in it watching you do those graphics."
Dee shrugged. "They're just for fun. I find it relaxing working on something, especially around the time of challenging cases."
"I can see why," Bikky agreed.
"Well, we're learning a lot on this trip about the kiddos' hidden talents," Dee remarked and smiled.
"They offer animation classes at school, and I was hoping to try to get in the introduction class this semester." He looked at Ryo and Dee, "If there's an opening, I'm going to need a signed permission slip."
Dee and Ryo looked at each other and smiled. "If this is something you enjoy, and you'll do your best, then you have our permission," said Ryo.
"And support," Dee added with a smile. "That's a good career if basketball doesn't pan out."
"Awesome. Thanks Dads!" said Bikky.
Momo and Kumi came over to join the group. "What did we miss?" Kumi asked.
"That Dee and Ryo have some talented teens in their family," Dafydd said with a laugh.
"Speaking of video," Tsubasa said. He held up his phone. "There is video of you two with that crazy anime character."
"You didn't!" Momo exclaimed, covering her cheeks with her hands to cover her blush.
"I did," Tsubasa remarked with a wicked smile. "And you and Dafydd will get a copy. Don't you worry. Dee, Ryo, I'll send you a copy too." He winked at his cousin and his cousin's husband.
"Now Dad and Uncle Dafydd," Bikky said, giving the brothers a pleading look.
"Dee and Dafydd is are going to try it?" Carol asked, amazed.
"Not yet," Dee said and Dafydd nodded. "Maybe if there's time after everything else on this floor before we go down."
Dafydd stared at Dee. "You're joking?"
"Let's hope we're running out of time," Dee said. "Now about those things on that screen that look like alien walruses."
Ryo started to laugh. "Thanks, Dee. Now I'm thinking about Chief Smith. And that is all your fault."
He shrugged, and to the others who did not know the in joke said, "I used to refer to our Chief as a walrus. It kinda caught on. Even Ryo slipped up a few times eventually."
"As I said, all your fault."
"What is it with you and animals?" Momo asked amused.
"What is it about Dee and getting people called by something other than they go by?" Ryo added. He smiled at Dee and then leaned in for a brief kiss. "But I'll keep you anyway, Daisuke."
"Oh oh," Kumi remarked. "I think Dee's unit will be calling him Daisuke, if Ryo gets his way."
"Nah. Not going to happen," Ryo said. "Unless that's what Dee might eventually decide. Until then, that's my thing to call him that. Other than his natural family who will most likely insist on calling him that." He looked at Dee. "You know how stubborn the older generations can be."
"I do. I know your father's family," Dee quipped. "Mother already warned me about it."
As they spoke, they went further into the D-Lounge. Ryo looked at the name over the small food counter and laughed. "Hey, Dafydd and Daisuke, it's the D-Lounge."
Everyone laughed with Ryo. "It doesn't matter whether it's Dee or Daisue," said Dafydd, "but if you're talking about me and my twin here, then it's Double D to you."
"Oh shit, Dafydd," Dee commented as the group laughed more. "I'm not sure I want the guys in my unit hear that."
Dafydd suddenly looked serious. "You're right. I wouldn't want mine either, but I couldn't resist. So are those human faces on those weird things?"
"They're manatees, not walruses," Tsubasa informed them.
Dee took another look at the screen. "Oh yeah, you're right. They are. So Biks, gonna show us what we need to do?"
"Yeah, watch," Bikky said with a smile, and went over to the side of the large video screen and stood in a spot on the floor a few feet away from the wall. "See? You scan your face. Like this." A digital display indicated that it had successfully scanned Bikky's face. "And then you wait for your face to appear on one of those creatures, umm, manatees."
They all ended up scanning their faces and sat in the lounge for a while, laughing ast their faces showed up on the manatees, appearing to swim through water and do flips. Dee, Dafydd, Tsubasa and Bikky scanned their faces a second time, making silly faces during the scan.
Because of the length of some of the lines, they realized they could never do everything in the indoor theme park, so they skipped a few attractions, and went down to the first floor and got on the line for the roller coaster. It wasn't the most thrilling coaster they had been on, but being that it was all indoor, with the cars zooming along a track over the people on the first level, and past those watching from the second and third levels as the track went up and down in hills and also included several loops in a corkscrew spiral, the car going upside down for a few seconds in each loop, it was an exciting ride and everyone had fun. It even got Carol and Momo to let out a few screams during the ride.
After the roller coaster, they went on the Half Pipe ride. Instead of being split up, when they reached the front of the line, the group allowed others behind them to go ahead until all eight were able to take up all four tracks. Dee noticed Ryo talking to the first person behind them for the next round and handing the man the camcorder. Dee started to grin because Dafydd or Momo seemed to notice the exchange.
It was Dee and Ryo on one track, Momo and Dafydd next to them at the end, Bikky and Carol at the track on the other side of Dee and Ryo, and Tsubasa and Kumi next to Bikky and Carol on the other end. It was a standing ride, each person on a track standing on what looked like a long skateboard. Tthe trick was to get the car board to go as high as they could along the half circle track. The higher you went, the more points you got. A little competition was added with each ride by the team able to get the most points received prizes, along with their track lighting up and the video screen that played the car action on that track for all watching to see also had a colorful display and announced the flashing words 'winnerWINNER'. Tsubasa and Kumi won their round, but being they had won on the ride many times before, they gave their prizes to Bikky and Carol.
Next, the group went up to the second level again and settled around the race car attraction. Dee and Dafydd competed against each other and another man, while the others watched. The attraction had actual race cars that moved side to side and bounced along with the direction the drivers turned the steering wheel while a race track was on the large video screen before the vehicles. Dafydd came in first place, while Dee came in second and the other man came in last. Dafydd was given a prize for winning as they exited the attraction.
Dee was surprised when Ryo passed up the race cars and got on the line for a jet fighter simulation. With a grin, Dee got on the line with him, Dafydd and Tsubasa following. It was also another race with a winner at the end of the round. Dee should not have been surprised when Ryo won, and then Dee endured the ribbing from everyone for almost crashing his jet and coming in last.
They spent the rest of the evening until almost closing playing the various arcade games. Tsubasa, Kumi, Dafydd and Momo had proven very adept in playing the UFO game, where the object was to get prizes to drop in a slot. Being that they lived in Japan, they played the games often, especially having young children who would enjoy their prizes. Both couples also said that their children enjoyed watching them, pointing out what they hoped their parents would win and cheer them on. The prizes included small and large plushies to anime action figures that were not cheap if bought in stores. Both couples ended up with plastic shopping bags provided by a worker filled with prizes they won. They did spend quite a bit of money but the collected prizes in their bags would cost many times more if bought in stores. Dee, along with guidance from Dafydd and Tsubasa, also managed to get a bag half-filled with action figures and a figure from a popular idol anime. He decided he was definitely going to hit up those games again during their time in Japan and hopefully get almost as good as the others were. Ryo didn't have much luck, but there was a determination on his face that said Dee was going to have company.
Dee let Carol know the idol figure was hers when they got back to the penthouse, while Bikky could choose something he liked. The others would most likely end up on display somewhere in their lounge back in New York, so the whole family could enjoy it. Tsubasa and Kumi explained how Bikky and Carol could choose something from their bags, but since Kento and Aya knew where they were going that night, would be expecting their parents to bring something back for them. The prizes for Kento and Aya were obviously for younger children and was not anything Bikky and Carol would be interested in. Whatever was left after Bikky and Carol made their selections would go to the collection Tsubasa and Kumi had on display through their halls and in the family room of their house. Dafydd and Momo were careful to select items to win that Bikky and Carol would like and said that Bikky and Carol could divide up their winnings when they got back to the penthouse, much to Bikky's and Carol's excitement.
In the time approaching closing time, the lines thinned out, so they went back to take in a couple of more attractions. There were lockers where they were able to stash their prizes as they continued to go on attractions until it was closing time.
As they left Joypolis, Dee promised Bikky that they would go back again once they were back in Tokyo. Dafydd added that if he had enough warning when they were going that he and Momo would come into Tokyo for the day along with their sons. They were old enough to be able to enjoy many of the attractions, and Momo would take them to play arcade games while everyone else went on the rides they were too young for, or did not reach the height requirement. Kumi added that she would join Momo because she hoped her and Tsubasa could join on that adventure and bring their two children along and get to know their cousins by marriage.
Before getting on the train, they walked to Aqua City, which was another mall next to Decks. Almost everything but a few late night cafes was closed, but the group decided they wanted to walk along the boardwalk on the sea side of the mall, appreciating the view as they engaged in small talk. They sat on the promenade between Aqua City and the Hilton after walking on the ramp that went around the Statue of Liberty, adding to the family photos by the statue.
Finally, the tired group got on the train at the Odaiba Station, which was near the promenade and went back to the penthouse to settle in. Akira was already asleep and had the twins in the room with her. Bikky and Carol said their goodnights and got ready for bed. The adults decided to go on the terrace for a while, enjoying a nightcap and each other's company.
November 4, 2006
Laytner-MacLean Penthouse
Tokyo New Crown Star Hotel
Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, Japan
The next day their guests woke to find Dee and Ryo in the kitchen making an American style breakfast of scrambled eggs and pancakes with bacon and ham for everyone. There were also pastries from the bakery Dafydd and Momo would stop in during the week before arriving at the penthouse. Bikky and Carol had gone to the bakery since they were the first ones up besides Akira. Earlier, when Dee and Ryo came out of the master bedroom, they found Akira getting Darin and Ryoko ready for the day.
After breakfast, Ryo's family got ready to go back to Kamakura. Before leaving, Akira pulled Dee to the side, making sure he was really fine with meeting his biological father and his stepfather. She had no doubt about how Dee felt about his brother, but was still concerned about how Dee felt about his father and potentially meeting the rest of his large family. Dee let her know that he had no grand notions about how meeting his father would go, and was also prepared on not meeting him, if it came to it. If he did get to meet Saburo and his stepfather, Yoshio, he was okay with it. He knew that he was not abandoned by his parents. And if everything didn't go right with meeting his family, he still had Dafydd, who, by then, he could not imagine his brother not being a part of his life going forward.
Once Akira was satisfied, she made him promise to call if he needed someone to speak to, letting him know that she would be on the next shinkansen if he needed, since Maria could not be with him while he was in Japan. Dee hugged and kissed the woman he saw as his grandmother, showing his gratitude.
Before she left, she had big hugs, once again welcoming Dafydd to their family and letting Momo know that both of them could contact her at any time. She also expected to hear from Dafydd's father, especially if he accepted Dee as his son.
When Ryo's family left, the rest of them decided to settle in the living room for a bit and watch TV while they had more coffee and nibbled on the leftover pastries. Ryoko and Darin were in their bouncy chairs, adding to their entertainment as the infants made cooing sounds, laughed when someone laughed and attempted to chatter.
They eventually made their way to Hamarikyu Gardens shortly just before noon, taking the train. They choose the park because it was close to Tsujiki Market, which was their next stop. The park also was a historical landmark, dating back to the Edo period, belonging to the Imperial family. It was an enjoyable time for all, with Bikky and Carol absorbing more culture and history of Japan thanks to the guide provided at the entrance. Bikky seemed very amused at what seemed to be the main attraction of the park which was a 300-year-old pine tree. There were signs all over the park in Japanese and English directing visitors of the park toward the tree. There was also a pier for the water buses that were going to or coming from Hinode Pier. While they were at the pier, they noticed one of the other boats from the line besides the Himiko and Hotaluna boarding passengers.
As interesteding as the kids were with the park, they were much more fascinated with the strange looking building they saw a few blocks up while walking from the Shiodome Station and crossinged Kaigan Dori to the park's entrance. The building was comprised of two towers, both no higher than 15 floors. Most of the floors consisted of concrete pre-fab blocks. Both Dee and Ryo explained it was the Nakagin Capsule Tower, but it was not like the current other capsule hotels around Japan. They were small cubicles and some of the capsules were rented or owned for people to live in, while others were used for office space. The rest were used as a hotel. Dafydd remarked that he heard about it and seen pictures of it, but it was his first time to see it, with Momo agreeing with her husband. They were amazed they had missed it during their previous times in Tokyo since it was close to Ginza, where they had been many times.
When they were done with the park, it was decided to take the long way to Tsujiki Market, and they walked over to the Nakagin Capsule Tower for a closer look before going onto the seafood market area.
Tsujiki Market not only had all varieties of seafood available, but many shops and stalls along the streets in the area sold many different types of food, offering a sample of the best of Japanese specialties from not only Tokyo, but other areas of Japan. Depending on the shop, fish was sold whole, cleaned or filleted. There were also packages of fish in blocks and fillets or cut for sushi and sashimi.
Instead of finding a restaurant for a lunch of sushi, they decided to explore the streets of the outer market area, and bought whatever looked good to them from the places with grills or frying pans, selling meat and seafood skewers, okonomiyaki, takoyaki and ikayaki and many other foods that were new to even the adults. They even found a booth selling tebasaki chicken and tenmusu, which were both Nagoya specialties. Ryo said that they had both at a food fair at Mitsuwa once, and that Dee was able to make a decent tenmusu at times. Tenmusu wasis onigiri wrapped in seaweed, but arewere smaller than the typical size onigiri and on the top of the ball, sticking out of the seaweed wrapping wasis a small tempura shrimp. The one thing Ryo had heard about, and was sure he had but could not remember, was kishimen noodles, and was looking forward to having them during their time in Nagoya. Dee was anxiously waiting for when he could have them again, since there were no kishimen in New York or Mitsuwa.
When the group had collected enough various foods, they went inside the main market and found an area with tables near a cluster of small restaurants and waited until a table opened. Once seated, Ryo handed out chopsticks and small paper plates he managed to get at one of the supplies stalls they passed, as the rest of the group opened the various containers, so everyone could pick and choose what to put on their plates. There were vending machines close by so everyone could get a drink, and they enjoyed their lunch.
After lunch, they walked around more. They went into a couple of tableware stores in the area and picked out some more tableware for the penthouse, allowing Bikky and Carol to pick some things they liked. By the time they were done with the market, they had shopping bags filled with fresh fillets and slices of various fish, along with octopus, whole squid, shrimp and other seafood, as well as fresh and pickled vegetables.
They returned to the penthouse by 6 5 pm. It was already decided by the time they had finished lunch that once they were going to stay in for the evening. The additional food shopping was for their dinner.
Everyone was going to make something to contribute to dinner. Momo was going to broil the whole fish she selected at the market various ways, and make a couple of hot vegetable dishes. Dafydd decided on making a seafood rice casserole, and prepared the liquid for the shabu shabu hot pot. Dee was to make pork garlic gyoza and ikayaki, and while shopping, Dafydd talked his brother into also making tenmusu. Ryo planned to make eel and sea urchin dishes. Bikky offered to make okonomiyaki and along with Dee's and Dafydd's guidance, takoyaki. Carol was making yakisoba. They had picked up pickled cucumber slices and eggplant. Everyone was going to work together on the cutting and prepping ingredients, so it would be ready once the cooking started.
First, they were going to relax for an hour before getting dinner going. Ryo did pull the larger rice cooker from the its place in the cupboard and put the rice on, while Dee got drinks for everyone. Dafydd and Momo offered to help, but Ryo said they would have enough to do once they started dinner. Momo pointed out that so would Dee and Ryo, and insisted they handle the dishes when they were done and was not taking no for an answer, including Dafydd, who looked horrified at the prospect of just the two of them talking on all the tableware and cookware.
Once everyone was settled in the living room, watching TV, Carol excused herself to get changed into something more comfortable to lounge around for the night. While she was in her room, Dafydd's phone rang.
It was Ayaka, checking if Dafydd and Momo were still returning to Nagoya the next day with Dee. Dafydd handed the phone to Dee, telling him to calm his sister down, and assure her that they would all be in Nagoya the next day. It did not even occur to Dee that he was speaking to a top Japanese celebrity, already overwhelmed that the excited young woman talking to him in Japanese was his baby sister. She was the youngest of nine siblings and that because he was born a few minutes before Dafydd, he was the oldest sibling of the nine. He couldn't have been more in awe of that thought even if she had been a favorite celebrity of his.
He was reminded of who she was when she mentioned she only had a few minutes because she was getting ready to go onstage. He thought about Carol in the other room, and Ryo started to get up to get her when he realized who Dee and Dafydd were talking to, but Dee repeated that she only had a couple of minutes. Dee gave her the time they were aiming to get to the hotel, and that he could not wait to meet her. Ayaka also stated that she also could not wait to meet Dee and his family. She hung up after adding to tell Carol that she said hello, and could not wait to meet her too.
By the time Carol joined them, it was decided not to say anything about the call to her until they were in Nagoya.