CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO
Fujioka Penthouse,
Roppongi Hills, Tokyo
Japan
December 18, 2006
Early that morning after breakfast, Dee and Ryo went to the L-M Asia headquarters office in the Akasaka area of Tokyo. Bikky and Carol were allowed to go out on their own for the day, the two intending to meet up with some of their friends at some point during the day. Ayaka decided to join Bikky and Carol. Dee was certain Ayaka would give some of the friends near heart failure when they saw her, and the reason Bikky and Carol invited her to join them. Ryo made Bikky and Carol promise to get at least photos, if not video. Saburo and Yoshio went with Dee and Ryo to the office. At Saburo's suggestion, everyone going to the office dressed in their business best. Dee also packed a bag with a change of clothes for later that afternoon since he was going to Budokan from Akasaka. Dafydd and Momo suggested to Jirou and Eri to go sightseeing in the area for a while, taking the children and offered to take Darin and Ryoko with them, instead of Dee and Ryo having the babies with them while they toured the L-M Asia headquarters.
Down in the lobby, Ryo stopped at the front desk and inquired about Saburo and Yoshio having use of one of the hotel's transport vehicles later in the day to pick up more of Dee's family coming in from Nagoya. He was assured there would be a van waiting later that afternoon for Dee's fathers to use when they were ready.
They all left the hotel together and walked to the Roppongi-Itchome Station at Ark Hills, where they took the subway to Tameiki-sanno Station in Akasaka. L-M Asia Headquarters had a floor in the Sanno Park Tower, which was on the eastern edge of Akasaka, near the government seat of Tokyo. They emerged from the subway from an exit just outside the building.
As they came out of the subway, Ryo looked ahead and across the street. "Dammit," he exclaimed. "I forgot this is next to Akasaka." He indicated toward the glass structure behind a wall with trees between the wall and building. "We shouldn't have let Bikky and Carol go off on their own."
"Oh yeah," Dee commented looking where Ryo pointed. "I forgot the Prime Minister's residence is here."
"Why don't you go across the street to say hello to him?" Jirou said in a teasing tone.
"Are you crazy?" Dee asked his brother. "Even Ojiisan can't just show up there."
"But he's not the Prophecy Twins," Jirou shot back.
"Shush you," Dafydd said. "Keep your voice down." He gave his younger brother a slight shove.
"Papa! Chichi! Dafydd is pushing me!" Jirou exclaimed in a childish voice, making everyone laugh.
"Both of you behave," Saburo said in amusement.
"Dafydd, don't shove your brother. Jirou, I agree with Dafydd in keeping your voice down on certain subjects," Yoshio remarked with the long practiced patience of being a father, and then he laughed again.
"You know what else is near here if this is the Prime Minister's residence?" Dee asked, changing the subject.
"The National Diet Building?" Ryo asked.
"Well, that too," said Dee. "But Hie Shrine is around here. I forgot about that shrine until now. You're right. I wish we had Bikky here. There is a torii trail there. He'd love it."
"Oh, that's right," Saburo stated. "We went there with Ayaka and Tomoko several times when Yoshio and I visited them." He looked around from the corner they stood on. "Put it on the list for the next time you're all in Tokyo. Maybe even, if we're all here in Tokyo."
"If the Prime Minister's residence is here," Yoshio said, pointing across the street, "then I think Hie Shrine is on the other side of this building. I think it would be a good place to meet up when we are done," Yoshio said, looking at the group.
"I agree," said Jirou. "It sounds like a perfect place to meet."
Dafydd looked at Dee with concern. "Hopefully you'll get out of the meeting to at least do the torii trail before we find some place to eat."
"We should," Dee assured his twin. "It's just down a flight of stairs and not so widespread as at Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto. And while everyone is walking around waiting for us, you can find where we are going to eat to save time."
"We can do that," Eri assured Dee.
"It's almost time," Saburo said to Dee and Ryo. "We should be heading up to the office now."
"Text us when you're almost done," Dafydd said, "and we'll meet up at the main torii leading to the shrine."
"Good idea. We'll know whether we could explore, or go right to lunch," Ryo said. He smiled at Dee. "After all, we have to make sure this pop star here gets to rehearsal on time."
"If you insist," Dee remarked and stuck his tongue out.
"I can't believe I married an idol," Ryo said and batted his eyes at Dee, making his husband laugh.
"Let's get upstairs before we're late," Dee stated blushing slightly, while everyone else laughed.
"See everyone in an hour or so," Saburo said to the others.
OoOoOoO
L-M Asia Headquarters was on the 29th floor of the 44 story Sanno Park Tower. During the tour, they were given the opportunity to look out windows from each side of the floor, with views including Akasaka, Hie Shrine, the Imperial Palace, National Diet Building, and of course looked down to the Prime Minister's Residence and offices. In the distance, they were able to make out Mori Tower, the GPN Tower, Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Skytree, and of course, Mt. Fuji.
Dee was thankful for having his fathers along. While they had no problem with emailing or calling the office and speaking to the CEO and a couple of the CEO's staff who took their requests and suggestions, actually meeting the upper management in person as an owner was a lot different. Dee found he could not come up with the right questions after their initial introductions, and even more, how to act like a company owner. Ryo seemed to have the same problem despite both sides of his family having large businesses. The bottom line was they were just cops from New York who found themselves in this position, and felt it during the time.
The two older Japanese men were full of questions Dee and Ryo would never have thought to ask, but were thankful for them. They were given a tour of the office, meeting with different departments.
Ryo, Dee, Saburo and Yoshio sat down with the executives in the main board room to discuss various things, including their thoughts on the ryokan in Hakone, and asked about more input on the ryokan line hotels and inns. The executives, despite knowing they both had limited backgrounds in running big business, were still interested to hear what they hoped to see of the hotels and ryokans. Thankfully, Dee and Ryo had been discussing ideas and thoughts, and finally had something to say without prompting from Saburo and Yoshio. Dee noticed not only were notes being taken but more questions were asked at times for them for further expand on some ideas. They also let Saburo and Yoshio give their thoughts with the same attention. After all, they were Dee's father's, and they also knew who Saburo's father and Dee's grandfather was. That came along with the announcement to L-M Asia of their name change and why. Apparently in business, Fujiokas were given the upmost high respect when dealing with them.
Toward the end of the meeting, Dee and Ryo were given the master list of hotels in the process of being purchased and another list of targeted hotels being watched if and when they went up for sale. The Westin in Nagoya was included on the list. The CEO stated that they were currently starting the process on the hotel in Shizuoka, and would be added to a future update to the list. Meanwhile the list included a branch of a popular American hotel brand that was not doing so well in Japan. It was determined that the hotels were too Western to attract many of the Japanese travelers, and in some smaller cities did not get enough non-Japanese booking rooms, preferring the larger hotels, including the brand's main hotels. It was explained that while the current owners were heard that they rather sell the hotels than renovating most of the buildings to Japanese style rooms, the executives were all positive that L-M Asia was quickly gaining the reputation of being a Japanese chain but also offering Western rooms for those who preferred, that they would benefit purchasing that branch, even with renovations, especially if the branch went up for sale with the brand deciding it was better to cut their losses to quickly get those hotels off their books. Again, Saburo and Yoshio had the right questions to ask, some which made Dee and Ryo think of their own questions to ask and then Dee and Ryo gave the approval to buy the chain when it finally went up for sale. Apparently the CEO of L-M Asia had spoken to L-M International's office in New York, and an agreement was made that L-M Asia would reach out directly to Ryo and Dee concerning the hotels in Asia.
Dee then asked about the yukatas and slippers from the ryokan, and if they could perhaps provide the same for at least the premiere rooms in the larger hotels, and for all rooms in the other ones. If the people who made them for the ryokan could not produce such high numbers, Yoshio suggested seeking out other washi craftsmen, especially closer to each hotel, to take on production. It would be good for the hotels local economy, particularly for those who cannot get enough traditional orders to make good business. The suggestion was noted and they were assured it would be looked into. Aiding to local economy would look good for their brand.
Before the meeting ended, Ryo asked what was involved with renovating hotels, especially penthouses. It did bring questions about his inquiry and Ryo stated that it was not something they were definitely planning, but he was curious if it was possible to add to their penthouse and what would be required. They would be willing, of course, to cover all expenses if it happened. The CEO assured he would have their construction team look into the possibility and licenses involved and get back to them on an estimate. He was certain it could be done, but the construction team would be best to get all estimates, and even probably reach out, asking more specifics if such a project would happen to get a better estimate.
OoOoOoO
Ryo, Dee, Saburo and Yoshio met the others at the South Gate of Hie Shrine. The gate was accessible from the Sanno Park Tower by a ramp connecting the side entrance to the building and the main walkway to the South Gate torii. Dee had time for them to walk around the shrine, going into some of the buildings, and then to the long flight of stairs with the torii trial. Dafydd, Momo, Jirou and Eri said they had picked a shabu shabu restaurant not far from the shrine on one of Akasaka's side streets lined with many restaurants along with other shops.
The restaurant was picked because it had a large interior with movable tables. Earlier Momo had gone inside and mentioned that a group of eight adults and five children, including two babies would very likely be coming in there to eat later that day. She was assured that tables could be moved so they could sit together. The manager Momo had spoken to earlier had noticed her as the group came into the restaurant and had the staff put together a large table with a smaller one. High chairs were brought over to place Darin, Ryoko and Kyoka.
It was an upscale establishment, but going into a cheaper shop would not have enough space to seat their group together, and in many of those shops, perhaps even with their group seated separately. When they were given menus, not everything was expensive. There were some inexpensive options for a meal. It was decided to order three different large-size shabu shabu meals to share, and everyone ordered individual smaller sets that included yakiniku wagyu sushi and vegetables.
When the food started to arrive, Momo and Dafydd let Kiyoshi and Tatsuya pick which meat they wanted and placed on the small plate for their sons. Kiyoshi was sitting next to Momo, with Kyoka on his other side, and Tatsuya sat between Dafydd and Jirou. On Dafydd's other side was Dee and across the table from Dee, sitting next to Momo was Ryo. Yoshio sat at the head of the larger table by Dee and Ryo. Darin was in a high chair between Ryo and Yoshio and Ryoko was in the highchair set between Yoshio and Dee. At the smaller table, Saburo sat at the head with Eri on one side, next to Kyoko in a high chair, and Jirou across from Eri.
Eri picked a couple of thin slices of the chicken and started to swish it in the hot broth of the hot pot on the table and placed it on a small plate and set it aside to cool off as she selected some of the steamed vegetables to place in a small bowl. Once it was cooled off enough, she placed the meat and vegetables on the tray of Kyoka's high chair, along with a small bowl of rice. As everyone started to eat, Kiyoshi and Tatsuya started swishing slices of meat in the pots before them.
"Shabu shabu," both boys started to say as they swished the meat.
Kyoka started to laugh and clapped her hands, dropping the slice of meat she held. "Shabu shabu," she repeated and laughed more.
Dee and Ryo looked at each other as the three children still said "Shabu shabu" as they swished the meat.
Yoshio started to laugh. "I see you never ate shabu shabu with children before," he said in Japanese. They had been speaking in Japanese all day since Bikky and Carol left with Ayaka.
"Does Bikky count?" Ryo asked.
"No," Saburo replied, looking amused. "But that is only because he is older and he wasn't raised eating in Japan."
"They say this is how shabu shabu got its name," Jirou said. "It's just something we teach all children the first time they have shabu shabu."
"Oh, I did hear that," Ryo said, blushing slightly.
"You did it when you were younger, didn't you?" Yoshio asked.
"He did," Dee said, starting to laugh more. "That's right. Obāsan, um, Ryo's grandmother told us that while she was in New York and made shabu shabu for dinner one night."
"I guess it's only right that if we're not in Japan the first time Darin and Ryoko have shabu shabu, we still have to teach them that," Ryo said. "It just seems fair."
"More than fair," Dee said, nodding his head in agreement. "It seems right. And you know what else?"
"What's that?" Ryo asked.
"Bikky will probably join the younger ones once he hears them," Dafydd said. "I know he will. He's just like that with the little ones."
Dee nodded his head in agreement and pointed at his twin. "What he said."
Ryo started to laugh again. "I don't know if we will have it again in the next few days, but if not, then we're going to have to make it one night when we're in New York."
"And have the video going," Eri said with a giggle.
"That's true too," Ryo agreed.
"I'm glad you're going to teach Ryoko and Darin that, but I do hope their first time will be in Nagoya," Saburo said. "Or if anywhere else in Japan, that Yoshio and I are there with them."
"Me and Momo too," Dafydd said.
"The whole family should be there, including yours Ryo," Jirou stated.
"I guess when they are finally old enough, we need to call in the family to have a shabu shabu celebration with Ryoko and Darin," Dee said to Ryo.
"You're telling me. And definitely in Japan," Ryo agreed.
When they were finishing their meal, Saburo asked Dee, "Are you nervous yet, Daisuke?"
"Not really, Papa," Dee replied. "But that's only because part of me still doesn't believe I'm going to do what I am this afternoon. I'm sure once I'm there and looking at the members of TUBE, it will hit. Last Friday feels like a dream."
"I agree with you on that. I still can't believe that happened," Saburo said.
"It did," Dafydd said. "I have to keep looking at the photos."
"Me too," Dee said.
"What about the texting you've been doing this morning? That doesn't make it real?" Ryo asked in amusement.
"What texting?" Dafydd asked.
Yoshio started to laugh. "Daisuke has been texting with Nobuteru Maeda this morning."
"He only texted me twice earlier, the first time to check how I'm doing and the second was a question. Apparently they're working this morning on figuring out the staging for the number," Dee replied.
"So you're saying you're just getting texts from your friend named Nobuteru," Dafydd commented.
"We're not friends," Dee remarked. "Okay, maybe a little now, but that's the same for all of us at the show Friday night."
"Not me," Jirou said. "And I was at the show." When Dee looked at him, he started to laugh. "Don't worry about me. I'm glad you, Papa and Dafydd got to meet them. And Ryo's uncle and cousin. It's just exciting knowing you met them."
"You're the only one with his number on his phone," Saburo said. "That means something more than a little. The members of TUBE were Daigaku Dude fans, especially Nobuteru Maeda. This is as a big a deal for them as it is for you and your friends. I could see that when we were backstage on Friday. Maeda-san really wants to be friends with you. And that's not just my wishful thinking."
"I have to agree," Ryo said. "I'm sure you'll have stories to tell when you join us again later today." Looking around the table, he added, "And on that note, while my husband is in rehearsal this afternoon, what do the rest of you want to do?"
"I would like to go to Bunkyo, near Tokyo Dome and University of Tokyo," Saburo said. "Yoshio and I got to see much of that area of Tokyo when Tomoko and Ayaka lived there, but since they moved back to Nagoya, when we are in Tokyo, we haven't had a chance to go to Bunkyo. And it has some interesting streets."
"Oh, me too," Dafydd said. "I really do like Bunkyo and Papa is right, it's been a while since I've been there."
"Then we should go after this," Ryo suggested. "Dee and I were in Bunkyo but where the Sakura Tram runs. We took the tram one day."
"I forgot about that tram," Jirou said. Looking at Eri, he asked, "We took it the first time you came to Tokyo with me."
"I remember it well. I would love to take it again, even if just for a couple of stations," Eri said.
"I want to take it too," Momo said. "I remember the cars are so kawaii."
"We'll try," Dafydd said. "Remember that Obāsan and Tomiji are coming to Tokyo tonight."
"Everyone doesn't have to be at Tokyo Station," Yoshio stated. "As long as your father and I are at the hotel with time to get a van and be at Tokyo Station when they arrive, everyone else can do whatever they want for a while longer."
"Just remember that we have plans to go out tonight after dinner," Saburo said. "And Ryo's cooking tonight, so be back at the penthouse in time for dinner."
"We know," Dafydd said. "We're not kids, Papa. We'll see how far we get with you, and depending on the time, Momo and I might go off for more exploring with Jirou and Eri."
"Watch your mouth," Saburo said, but his voice was filled with amusement. "And if it's okay with Ryo, that sounds like a plan."
"I agree," Ryo said. "That sounds fine. I should add that I'm just making some pasta and salad for a light meal, nothing big and heavy, because where we're going tonight, I was told there will be plenty of snacking."
"I understand. Nobu told us all about the racetrack over the weekend," said Saburo. "I'm looking forward to watching a couple of races and seeing everything else at Tokyo City Keiba."
"Tonight is going to be a good night," Yoshio stated with a smile. He looked at his watch. "But for now it's about time that Daisuke is on his way to Budokan. You have a little bit of a walk to the station."
"We're still good, Chichi, but you make a good point. I think we're done here," Dee said.
"We are," Eri said. "And it was a very good meal."
Everyone agreed with Eri. Kiyoshi and Tatsuya were very enthusiastic with their replies. That caused Kyoka to pitch in her own reply of "Oishii!" while she clapped and laughed.
"I agree Kyoka, totemo oishii!" Dee exclaimed, clapping his hands and laughed as his nephews joined in the clapping. It made Kyoka laugh happily, and in turn, amused Darin and Ryoko who started to laugh.
The group left the restaurant after Saburo paid the bill and they all decided to walk with Dee. Since everyone else was going to Tokyo Dome, it was decided they would all take the train to the Kudanshita Station, which was the station close to Budokan. In the station, everyone wished Dee luck and he headed out of the station.
Everyone else got on the Tozai line for one stop, getting off at Iidabashi Station, which was a short walk from the Koshikawa Korakuen Gardens. Koshikawa Korakuen Gardens is an Edo period Japanese garden, located next to Tokyo Dome. Their group decided to make it their first stop, taking time to walk along the paths along ponds and over bridges before walking to Tokyo Dome. On the other side of Tokyo Dome was a small amusement park and everyone decided to stop, while Ryo, Dafydd and Jirou took Kyoka, Tatsuya and Kiyoshi on rides. Darin and Ryoko were happily taken by Saburo, Yoshio, Eri and Momo for the time.
The next stop was along the Kanda River in front of Tokyo Dome, where Saburo and Yoshio pointed out one of the tall luxury mansions along the river, stating it was where Ayaka and Tomoko lived in an apartment on the top floor.
OoOoOoO
After they toured the University of Tokyo campus, Ryo, Saburo and Yoshio decided to head back to the penthouse and relax, taking Ryoko and Darin with them. Dafydd, Momo, Jirou and Eri decided to take the train from Ueno Park, which was on the east side of the university to Waseda Station and take the Sakura Tram.
By the time Ryo and his fathers-in-law got back to the penthouse, Dee had called, saying he was still in rehearsals, and then asked if they were still on for the plans for the evening. The plans for that night were made while in Hakone. Originally they were expecting Sakura to arrive early that morning, but she called Dee while they were on the bus back to Tokyo, saying that instead of arriving sometime on Wednesday, SJ and Kenny were going to Tokyo on Monday. She had already delayed her departure to give Tomiji time to prepare for the trip, so when she heard from Chiasa that her sons were leaving in the afternoon, she decided her and Tomiji would get on the same train as SJ and Kenny. Ryo assured Dee that everyone was still looking forward to the evening out. They did not need to make the first race, if it came to it.
Just before Ryo planned to start making dinner, Saburo got a call from Sakura, saying she was with Tomiji, Kenny and SJ and their train was pulling into Yokohama Station. Saburo and Yoshio left the penthouse to head to Tokyo Station.
After his fathers-in-law left, Ryo started to make the spaghetti. He was making a Japanese style with soy sauce and butter, with seasoned seaweed and maitake and shimeji mushrooms. While the water was heating, Ryo got a text from Bikky saying they were on their way back from Ebisu because he got a text from Kenny saying they were pulling into Yokohama Station.
OoOoOoO
Ryo heard the elevator doors open in the genkan. He had given Yoshio his keycard when Dee's fathers gwere leaving the penthouse. He left the sliding doors open so he would know when everyone was arriving. He wiped his hands and rushed over to find everyone taking off their shoes and smiled at the newcomers. "Welcome back, Obāsan," he greeted as Sakura hugged him.
"I am glad to be back," she said. Holding onto his arm, she continued, "I apologize for changing my plans last minute, but when I got the call from Chiasa that these two were coming into Tokyo today, I decided to wait and get on the train with them. I was already leaving later than I originally planned so Tomiji could join me."
"No apology necessary," Ryo said with a warm smile. "Hi Tomiji. I'm so glad that you're able to join us, even if it's a shame that Koji can't."
"I can't believe that he insisted I go anyway," Tomiji said.
"I can," Sakura said. "He is your twin brother, and he wants you to do something fun, even if he has to work."
Tomiji looked at Ryo. "That's not to say it's not fun helping out at the shrine on New Year's. Hectic, yes, but also it is fun. But I'm looking forward to doing something different this New Year's Eve."
"Please everyone, come in. SJ and Kenny, grab slippers there if you prefer, if not, some of us prefer to be in socks or barefoot. There are slippers for the patio and bathrooms provided by the doors."
"Hello again, Ryo," SJ greeted with a smile as Ryo moved aside, offering to take jackets. "I hope we did not inconvenience you and Dee by coming early, but we decided we wanted a couple of days in Tokyo while we had the chance."
Ryo waved off the apology. "Not at all. We were hoping you would have made it to Hakone and stay for the week. To be honest, having you already here today is more convenient than coming here on Wednesday. It's going to be a bit of a hectic day for us being it's our last day in Japan. So thank you for arriving today." He turned to SJ's younger brother. "Hi Kenny. Bikky should be home soon, but you and your brother make yourself comfortable."
"Tadaima!" Saburo called out when Ryo looked at him.
Yoshio laughed and said, "What my husband said."
Laughing, Ryo replied, "Okaerinasai. You two should already know to make yourselves at home. Obāsan, you too. Hell, you too, Tomiji, Kenny and SJ. Our home is always home to Dee's family."
"Thank you, Ryo," SJ said.
Once everyone was settled in the living room, SJ said, "We saw Dee on the news Friday night." With a laugh, he added, "We also saw Dafydd and Saburo."
"Saburo said that Dee is at rehearsal for tomorrow's TUBE concert," Kenny commented. "I think that's cool. I wish we could go."
"Ojiisan Hitoshi gave us extra money anyway and said to try to get tickets if we wanted to go," SJ remarked. "Because it's not only my cousin is going to sing with TUBE, but it's a Daigaku Dudes reunion show. Probably the only one. So many in our family are going to be so jealous, even if they know now that it's Dee in the group."
"We'll see what we can do," Ryo said. "When I was told this morning that you and your brother were coming here today, my aunts were willing to drop out of going and give their tickets to you and Kenny if we can't get any. Obāsan mentioned you and Kenny wanting to join in on the fun tomorrow night to Dee when she spoke to him with her change in plans, and he's going to see if he can get the extra tickets while he's at Budokan. So unless Uncle Hitoshi expects his money back, you have extra money now."
Saburo started to laugh. "You should know Uncle Hitoshi by now, Ryo."
"I do," Ryo replied with a smile. "That's why I mentioned it."
"Speaking of money," Sakura said. "Who needs to exchange yen to American dollars?" She looked at Ryo. "I know America uses plastic more than cash and we can also use our cards to take money out at ATMs in America to have some cash on hand." When Ryo nodded, she stated, "But it is always best to have cash when going through customs. Sometimes not having that country's currency can delay entry into the country."
"That's Canada," Ryo said. "I knew someone who that happened to, and once they found an ATM and took out the required amount they were told to have, they went through customs again. And money was not even mentioned that second time." He shook his head. "However, having cash is handy for smaller things, even if plastic is accepted almost everywhere in New York. You don't have to withdraw too much money while you're in New York as long as you have credit and debit cards."
"You never know if you need to get something before you can exchange money, so it's best to have even a small amount of local currency before arriving," Saburo said. "Then you can get something to drink or eat once you clear customs, should you find yourself thirsty or hungry."
"In America, tips are also expected for most sit down service," Sakura stated. "I have found that having cash on hand is much more convenient for tips."
"That is true," Ryo agreed. "We got yen in New York before coming here. But Dee and I still have US money in our American wallets, so if anyone needed something before finding an ATM, we can cover it. But on that note, Dee and I are planning on opening an account with Bank of Tokyo. We decided between registering residency in Tokyo, our name change in Japan and having a business based in Tokyo, it was a good idea to open an account here," he explained. "It would be a good chance for everyone to get US currency."
"That is a great idea," Sakura said with approval. "You should open a bank account in Japan."
"It is, isn't it?" Saburo said with a grin.
"Papa suggested it. We decided on Bank of Tokyo since we also have a branch in New York. We're going to set up having our money from L-M Asia be deposited into the Tokyo account," Ryo explained.
"What about Daisuke's account in Yokohama?" Sakura asked. "Is he going to close it and put the money into the new account?"
"He already made arrangements with the cruise line for those funds to be deposited into that account, along with taking care of the name change too," Ryo explained. "We did discover that the Bank of Yokohama also has a small branch in New York City, so Dee can make transactions from New York if he needs, but Bank of Tokyo is a larger bank with heavy international transactions, especially Japan, obviously. Actually we feel better having the money that is ours and not a family dipping pool be separate. And having it under our Japanese names and ID numbers, will make it harder for anyone in the MacLeans who are looking for ways to take from our funds. The Yokohama account was instructed that if there are any withdrawals, that Dee is to be contacted immediately. We have no plans to touch that account for now, except maybe some deposits."
"If we can get the cruise line to be extended into Japan, the money will be used for initial set up fees," Yoshio explained.
"The next time we're in Nagoya, Dee and I decided to open an account with a local bank there too," Ryo said. "Even my grandfather agrees that considering the situation, putting our money into Japanese accounts is probably the best protection for now, since we are also Japanese citizens now. Besides the New York branch of the Bank of Tokyo, we're going to still maintain our current account in New York with mostly our pay, and the monthly check I get from the joint family holdings. For now. We might move a good portion of that to one of the new accounts. We don't really touch much normally anyway. Except for during this trip," he added with a laugh.
"That does seem like a sound idea, and I agree. Not only with having accounts in Japan, but not keeping all your money in one account," Sakura commented, with a nod of approval. She then looked around the living area. "Now where is everyone else? It's so quiet in here."
"Dafydd, Momo, Jirou and Eri took their kids to explore Tokyo for a while," Ryo replied with a smile. "Bikky, Carol and Ayaka went out with Bikky's and Carol's friends they made early in this trip. Ayaka probably gave some of the friends heart failure," he added with a laugh. "Darin and Ryoko are taking a nap in their crib. We're trying to start bringing back some routine that we will have once we're in New York. Or at least, we hope. So instead of napping on the go, or in a playpen, they're in their crib. It will be time to wake them up soon to feed them. When is your luggage arriving?" Ryo asked the newcomers.
"Uncle Takehide gave us a phone number to call," SJ said. "He also insisted again to call him Uncle Takehide. All our luggage for America was picked up and taken to the Chikaiki freight terminal in Osaka. It was flown out last night to the terminal here. And Uncle Nobu said he has our suitcases for this week and will bring them with him tonight."
"As you know, my luggage for America was forwarded to Tokyo with everyone else's from Nagoya, and Nobu also has my suitcase for the week," Sakura said. "Takahiro called the number to have Tomiji's luggage for New York picked up and sent to the freight terminal in Tokyo."
"I packed light for this week in Tokyo, and it's all in here, so nothing of mine is being sent here," Tomiji said, indicating his medium size suitcase he had with him, along with a backpack.
"I must say it is nice knowing someone in the transportation business." Sakura smiled at Ryo.
"Oh, I know it," Ryo said. "Tomorrow morning will be the big move out of our accumulated stuff."
"Nobu mentioned something about going to the racetrack tonight?" Sakura asked.
"Yes. Tokyo City Keiba. Which is why I am making some spaghetti and salad as an early dinner to keep us until we get there and settle somewhere to eat," Ryo replied. "My uncles say it's a fun place even if you're not into horse racing, and also has things for kids to do. Dee and I thought it would be something different from everything else we've done on this trip."
"I'm looking forward to placing a few bets," Saburo said. "We don't go often. Maybe once a year, but I always enjoy it. I did go to Del Mar Racetrack several times during their season while I was in San Diego. My first time going to the races was at Del Mar."
"The local track for us is in Mie," Sakura said. "So it's usually going to or from Toshijima when we are driving and taking the boat from Toba. I have had the opportunity to go to racetracks in America and Europe. I have never been to Tokyo City Keiba."
"My first time too," Yoshio stated.
"Oh good," Ryo exclaimed. "Then it's a first for everyone here. And forgive me. We just started talking and I never offered you something to drink after your trip."
"We can hardly go thirsty in Japan," Sakura teased and laughed. "I thought we established, that if I'm thirsty or even want a snack, I know where your kitchen is. That has not changed, has it?"
"No, Obāsan. But SJ, Kenny and Tomiji are yet to find it."
Kenny pointed across the living room to the kitchen. "It's right there."
Dee's fathers and grandmother started to laugh. "Kenny found it," Saburo said.
"Obviously," Ryo said and laughed. "Okay, that's me being told."
"Don't worry about us. When we want something to drink, we'll get it," Yoshio assured Ryo.
"Then I should get back to finishing our meal." Ryo looked over to the genkan when he heard the door slide open.
"Tadaima!" Bikky called out.
"Okaerinasai," Ryo replied and went back to the kitchen as he heard Bikky say hello to Kenny, and the rest of the family.
Carol and Ayaka also joined in greeting everyone. While Ryo finished their meal, Dafydd, Momo, Jirou and Eri returned. Saburo had Ryo continue with finishing their dinner while he went to let everyone in.
While they were eating in the dining room, and discussing sleeping arrangements for the night, Dee returned.
"You look tired," Sakura observed as Dee sat down at the dining table. "Are you sure you want to go out tonight?"
Dee started to grin. "Yeah, I'm tired, but not that tired. I think I'm too wired from spending several hours with TUBE. We worked hard, but we also had a lot of fun and plenty of laughs. It was too good to be true. Now I gotta work off the excess energy or I'll never get to sleep tonight."
"How was it?" Saburo asked.
"They already had an idea of how we were going to do it, but wanted our approval. Hell, we were all fine with it. No one was going to say to change things. TUBE has been doing this a lot longer than we have. They're the experts. So we got with the choreographers, ran through just singing the numbers and then they had everyone come on stage, and we ran through everything a few times until me, Hide, Ken and Yuki at least looked like we know what we're doing and not too out of synch with everyone. Tomorrow, I have to leave early. We're doing the soundcheck and run through the numbers a few more times," Dee stated. "I forgot how hard it is." He looked at Ayaka. "And yet, this is only a small part of your normal day."
Ayaka giggled. "It gets easy once you get used to that being your life," she said in Japanese.
"Do you know what you're wearing?" Bikky asked.
"Yes, we worked that out too. And I'm not saying," Dee replied with a grin. "You'll see tomorrow."
Bikky started to laugh. Looking at Darin and Ryoko, who were in their high chairs, he said, "Darin, Ryoko, our Daddy is a Japanese pop star." He clapped his hands, which made the two babies smile and attempt to imitate Bikky.
Everyone laughed, although Dee did groan a bit before laughing. "That was a good attempt there," he said about Darin and Ryoko.
"It was," Ryo agreed.
"Uncle Daisuke is a pop star!" Tatsuya commented and clapped.
"I think that's really exciting for you," Kenny said.
"I didn't even consider this when we planned our trip to Japan," Dee said. "Of course, if I had never met any of you, this wouldn't be happening. Right, Ayaka?" Dee added in Japanese and looked at his youngest sister.
"Oh, you're loving it, so shush," she remarked in English, and stuck her tongue out at Dee, making everyone laugh.
"Kenny, SJ, Tomiji, you're all on the list. Actually everyone is. And you need to be at the Will Call window about a half hour before they open doors to let everyone in. They're going to have the outside area set up early afternoon, so if you want photos with me, Papa, you'll have to get there early, then I can slip back in and get ready for the show."
"We're on the list?" Saburo exclaimed. "For TUBE?"
"You're on my list, yes," Dee replied, laughing. "But Nobutera made sure I included everyone. Obāsan, that means you too. You don't have to watch the whole show and you'll be in an area that won't be so loud for Darin and Ryoko. Probably Kyoka too."
"Wait!" Dafydd stated. "Does that mean Kiyoshi and Tatsuya too?"
"Yes, them too, if you and Momo want."
Momo sighed. "I knew it was going to happen soon. I guess it's time to start taking our sons to shows now. They've been to NGY already."
Dafydd looked at his boys and said in Japanese, "Do you want to see TUBE with us tomorrow night?"
"Season in the Sun! YAY!" Tatsuya exclaimed happily, tossing his hands in the air, still holding his fork.
Kiyoshi dropped his fork and started to clap. "Yes, Papa! And we see Uncle Daisuke be a pop star!"
"That's settled," Dee said with a big grin. "Obāsan, you can either stay here with Darin, Ryoko and Kyoka. Unless Jirou and Eri don't mind having Kyoka with them at the show. Or you can come, hang out in a dressing room and watch the show on a monitor and come out to watch when the Daigaku Dudes go onstage."
"We've seen children around Kyoka's age at the shows," Jirou said. "Eri and I were discussing when we will start taking her with us."
"I guess we'll start tomorrow night," Eri stated with a laugh, making Jirou smile.
"Oh Daisuke! How can I pass up that chance?" said Sakura. "As long as we don't hurt the akachans' ears, I will be happy to see you onstage with TUBE."
"Remember, we're wearing our make-up this time, so I won't be looking like me," Dee reminded everyone.
"We still know it's you, Daisuke," Saburo remarked. "But does that mean you won't be watching the show with us?"
"That's why I need everyone to get in before they open the doors. We have special seats, where I can hide and still enjoy the show with you. And I need the tickets back, because the show is sold out, and since we're not using the seats we have, then they're going to anyone looking for tickets."
"That's a good thought," Yoshio said with approval. "But where will we be sitting?"
"You'll see tomorrow. Don't worry. You won't end up far from the stage," Dee assured everyone.
They finished their meal, and then everyone started to get ready for the evening. Being it was a casual night out it wasn't long before everyone was ready to go. Not long after, Nobu called saying he was on the bus with Akira, Hoshi, Tsubasa and Kumi and their children, and would be arriving soon, and he will text Ryo once they are passing Tokyo Tower.
OoOoOoO
Tokyo City Keiba
Shinagawa City, Tokyo-to
Japan
December 19, 2006
It was a fun evening for everyone. Nobu explained that the track usually closes around 5 or 6, depending on the last race, except for designated days when they would stay open until around 9 or 10 for what they called the Twinkle Races. Nobu had noticed that night was open later for that week, which was why he had suggested they go. It was much more than just going to horse races. That was obvious from the moment they entered the complex from the parking lot. There was a covered walkway to the track that was dazzling with twinkling lights in amazing patterns.
"Oh this is so pretty!" Carol exclaimed. "I need to get this on video before we leave."
"This is some entrance," Bikky said. "Carol is right. It would be a shame not to get this on video."
"I'm with you there," Dee said in agreement. "Wow, we wanted illuminations and here are more amazing illuminations. But it's not all holiday either, isn't it?"
"No it isn't," Nobu said. "This is just the way it is at night when it's open late. There are some areas that are seasonal, so there should be some Christmas lighting here and there."
"Is anyone in any hurry to make a particular race?" Ryo asked.
"We're here just for a night out in some beautiful illuminations," Akira stated, "and maybe get a race or two in. But if we don't, there is still much to see. But we do need to see the track, because of the illuminations in the inner field. One section is themed Edo rice field."
"Believe me, it's more exciting than it sounds," Tsubasa said. "We can even go to the inner field and see what they have going on there. There are also a few rides for our younger ones."
"And another amusement area with ride near the grandstands," Kumi added. "There they have a few rides for us bigger kids to enjoy."
"Oh cool!" Kenny exclaimed as Bikky nodded his head in agreement.
"We can do a little video now, but I would love to see everything and then concentrate on the best spots," Bikky said.
"Yeah, that's a good idea. At the least, we can do one video with all the clips and a little editing," Carol said. "And I want to go on some big kid rides too."
"Me too," Ayaka added, nodding her head.
Nobu started to laugh, and pointed to Dafydd. While they were talking, the group still moved along the lighted entrance. Dafydd had gone back to where they started with his camera out and was filming as he walked toward them. "If nothing else, you now have footage going through here."
"Yeah," Bikky said, laughing. "Thanks Uncle Dafydd."
Dafydd held out his left hand, giving Bikky the thumbs up.
"Dafydd might be onto something," said Tsubasa. "Everyone feel free to start doing video of whatever interests them. Then we can get video of Carol introducing each area."
"I like that idea too," Carol said.
"Well damn!" Dee exclaimed as they reached the end of the covered walkway and entered the complex. "I know I was expecting something, but wow!" He looked at Ryo's family. "Coming here just to look at the illuminations would definitely be worth it. And it cost only 100 yen. This is a good deal."
"I noticed Carol was the only one who used her passport to get in free," Hoshi pointed out with a sly smile.
"Well, they asked for my passport, and let me in for free," Carol said. "It's obvious I'm just a tourist."
"To be fair, they did ask me, Ryo and Bikky too, but we don't carry our passports anymore," Dee said. "We had to show them our Japanese IDs. Drat! The first downside to being Japanese citizens. Whoa, we had to pay the 100 yen entrance fee." He started to laugh.
Ryo started to laugh. "Since we arrived in Japan, sometimes they think I'm Japanese but Dee isn't, or he is and I'm not, or that we're both not. Once or twice we were both taken for Japanese at the same time."
"I think that was because we both were speaking in Japanese just before," Dee replied.
"Yes, you both do sound very Japanese. Even the English words when you speak Japanese are pronounced the Japanese way," Jirou said. "I have noticed that Dee pronounces some words in the Japanese way even when he's speaking English."
Dee started to laugh. "Those are the things of Japanese origin, most I heard for the first time in Japan. Like karaoke. By the time I got back to New York and I heard that word, I had no idea what the hell those people were saying. And they had no idea what I was saying."
"And that is the difference between living on base and living off base," Ryo said. "Even if you did have English speaking friends and went on the bases at times." Looking around, he shook his hand and laughed more. "And I am beginning to understand Uncle Nobu telling us not to have a full dinner."
"What did you expect, Ryo?" Nobu asked. "I thought you knew Japan better by now."
"Bikky, do you want KFC?" Dee asked in a teasing tone.
"Hell no! They have takoyaki," Bikky replied.
"Among other Japanese favorites," Yoshio stated. "And considering the preferences of most of this group when it comes to food, I can understand why we don't have a reservation at the fancy restaurant here. Because all race tracks have at least one of those."
"Yes, there are two, but there's street food, there's festival food, and there are smaller shops around here, and even sweets," Tsubasa said. "Usually, we pick up a variety to take to the grandstands. Maybe place a bet and watch the races while enjoying our food."
"I know Ryo has, but have you ever been to the races, Dei?" Akira asked.
"A couple of times I've been to Aqueduct, but it's been years. But not enough to forget how to place a bet. I'm assuming the types of bets aren't really much different, except for being in Japanese," Dee said.
"They also have the information in English, including instructions on how to place bets, and the machines you place your bets have an English option," Hoshi said. "Chinese and Korean is another option."
"There is also a counter with people who speak English, Chinese and Korean to assist anyone who is here for the first time, or even first time horse betters who do not speak Japanese," Tsubasa added.
"They certainly cater to their foreign visitors, don't they?" Yoshio asked amazed. "And I do see many non-Japanese here. That is good for their business."
"Looks like we have a lot to see, and do, and eat," Ryo said. "So let's get moving."
"That's what I'm saying, Pops!" Bikky exclaimed, making the group laugh before they started to explore Tokyo City Keiba.
OoOoOoO
Fujioka Penthouse
Roppongi Hills, Tokyo
Japan
November 19, 2006
It was an interesting set-up the night before, Dee reflected as he made coffee and tea, while Bikky and Carol made their usual trip to their favorite bakery in the hotel for pan, taking Kenny and Ayaka along. The night before, everyone agreed on a simple and easy breakfast, and pan seemed to be perfect.
They managed to fit everyone in the penthouse for the night. Bikky had given up his room to Jirou, Eri and Kyoka. Dee's fathers slept in the bedroom next to Bikky's room, while his grandmother took the room Dafydd and Momo slept in previously, but had offered it to Sakura. Carol finally got to share her room with Ayaka. Dafydd and Momo grabbed some futons and settled in the dining room. The Japanese room was taken over by Bikky, Kenny and SJ. They also had Kiyoshi and Tatsuya with them. Originally Tomiji was going to sleep on one of the couches in the living room, but upon watching all the futons being set up in the Japanese room, he exclaimed it looked like fun, and asked if anyone minded if he joined the fun.
Once the pan arrived, instead of eating in the dining room, everyone settled on couches, chairs and the floor in the living room to have their breakfast. Everyone was still talking about the night before at the races. Nobu, Yoshio and Eri all had won. It wasn't a large amount, and considering the group, the amount won wasn't a factor in the excitement that they had actually picked some winners. The big winner was Ryo, much to his surprise, and like the others, it wasn't the 26,800 yen win that got him excited, as much as it was the win itself. They did pretty good for a group who did not go to the paddock to seriously look over the horses for their bets. They did go to the paddock to look at the horses and get some photos, but that was it. Bets were placed based on horses' names, where the jockeys were from, or in Ryo's case, the jockey's family name. Akira assured everyone that he was no relation, but the jockey's family name was Aoki and that was good enough for Ryo. Obviously, very good considering his win.
Among other topics during breakfast, Jirou stated that while he and Eri were very comfortable in Bikky's room, they did not think it was fair that Bikky could not spend his last two nights in Tokyo for this trip in his own room, and they decided to take out a Japanese suite in the hotel for the next two nights.
"Don't worry about it, Uncle Jirou," Bikky said. "We had a lot of fun last night. I didn't mind not being in my room."
"I felt bad that Dafydd and Momo were sleeping in the dining room," Tomiji said. "Yeah, yeah, I know you're going to say that as long as you had futons, you were very comfortable because we are Japanese, but the dining room has a hard wood floor. Tatami mats are much better for futons. And I know you enjoy staying with your twin. I completely understand that, Dafydd. I do enjoy getting to say I stayed in my older brother's apartment in Tokyo, but I think it's best I get a room too."
"I'm with Tomiji," SJ said. "I'm extremely thankful for you letting me stay here in your beautiful apartment, but I think it's best that I take a room to sleep in. I'll still be up here when everyone else is. Kenny can stay in Bikky's room, if Bikky doesn't mind. And I heard that Tatsuya and Kiyoshi love sleeping in Bikky's room, even if they did have fun with us last night until they fell asleep."
"Are you sure?" Dee asked.
"Definitely. Don't worry. My parents did say we could cover any extra costs and they gave me money. And Ojiisans also gave me extra money for me and Kenny, besides the ticket money for TUBE."
"We're still going to call and check the vacancy of the hotel for the night," Ryo said. "Business is pretty good, so first let's see if there's any rooms open, if you insist. But Dee and I are not going to cry over losing money on a few rooms, and you are all still our guests here, so let Dee and I handle the rooms. Please."
"Tomiji, Jirou and Eri, that includes you too," Dee added. "I do love having everyone staying here, but I don't want anyone to be uncomfortable either. And like you said, we'll still be here during the day when we're not out."
"If that's the way this is going, then Momo and I insist on taking the tatami room this time. Papa and Chichi, you stay in the room you're in now," Dafydd insisted.
"It is good that Bikky gets to sleep in his own room, but are you okay with having Kenny, Tatsuya and Kiyoshi in your room too?" Sakura asked.
"We can take Kiyoshi and Tatsuya with us, no problem," Momo offered.
Bikky shook his head. "I'm kinda enjoying having the little rugrats bunk with me, so it's cool. And Kenny is not only my cousin, but he's a really cool friend, so I don't mind sharing with him either."
"That's good to know," Ryo said. "Because that's pretty much how it could end up at times when we get to our New York home. And don't worry about arrangements once we're in New York, because Dee and I already have it worked out."
"Papa, Chichi and Obāsan, you're going to stay with us for at least the first night. If anyone is uncomfortable with the arrangement, we can get you a room in The Rivington after that. Kenny, you're staying in Bikky's room until the rest of your family arrives."
"Ayaka is staying with me and Aunt Elina for a couple of days," Carol said.
Dee nodded. "Ayaka already let us know about that arrangement, and we know that Elina is good with it too. Everyone else will be staying at The Rivington, at least for the first week. We might switch you over to the hotel in Times Square then."
"Everyone, including Dee and I, will be staying in the Times Square hotel for New Year's Eve, just because we can," Ryo said. "Besides, that's where the party will be, and after the party, everyone can either go to their rooms and go to sleep, or some of us can hang out for a while before calling it a night, and we don't have to worry about traveling to our home or other hotels."
"What's the name of the hotel?" SJ asked.
"L-M International bought a subsidiary from a major hotel chain, including the hotel in Times Square the week after we arrived in Japan back in October," Ryo replied. "It's still open but going through conversion. I was told the official name change will be on December 28th, and they are holding a grand opening that day. Dee and I are supposed to be there in the morning for the ceremony. There is a party later in the day that we all can at least make a show before doing something else. The name will be L-M Times Square."
"Since almost everyone else who will be joining us for the New Year's Eve party is arriving on that day, we decided to put them in the Times Square hotel, at least until New Year's Day," Dee said. "Owner's privilege that we get to share the event with family and we have a block of rooms held for us."
"I hear there is a very nice Japanese hotel in New York," Eri stated, "but I understand how you don't want to pay your competition."
"In a way, a Japanese operated hotel with many Japanese style rooms isn't much competition to ours in New York, since ours is the usual typical western style hotels, but yeah why give them the money?" Dee said. "However, we are willing to if someone decides they don't want Western rooms. We won't be offended if anyone says they want to stay at the Kitano."
"At our meeting yesterday at L-M Asia, Dee and Ryo did bring up the idea of giving the Kitano competition," Saburo said.
"It will very likely be a joint effort by both divisions of L-M International," Ryo said.
"If they can make it happen," Dee said. "We probably won't hear back on it for several months, at the least. But hell, Ryo and I are both half-Japanese, we have a hotel chain in Japan, so why not look into opening Japanese style hotels in cities with a large Japanese community and tourists, starting with New York?"
"I like that idea very much," Yoshio agreed. "I'm sure it will happen, but as you said, it's just going to take time to get the projections before they can even start looking at locations."
They finished their breakfast as everyone continued to talk about the next couple of days, until talk turned to the concert that evening.
While everyone was cleaning up from breakfast, Takehide arrived at the penthouse, bringing a crew of four men. They also had boxes and packing supplies with them. It looked like a moving company had arrived.
In a way, it was. They were there to take everything that was going to New York from the penthouse. Dee and Ryo were already told to just gather everything and don't worry about boxing it. They had things in a corner of the tatami room, in the sunroom that was part of the master bedroom suite, in Bikky's and Carol's rooms, and in the walk-in closet of the master bedroom.
For the next hour, there was a controlled chaos as everything was efficiently and expertly packed for safe shipment. Bikky, Carol and Kenny took Mochi and Hanabi on the terrace, so the puppies would not get in the way, or accidentally get stepped on.
After saying he would see everyone later that night at the concert, Takehide, and his crew left, taking the last of the items bought during the Laytner-MacLean's time in Japan.
And then all that Dee, Ryo, Bikky and Carol had in the penthouse was just what they needed until Thursday afternoon, along with perishables they intended to have on the plane with them, and the two puppies they had also acquired in Japan.
Dee suddenly found himself staring at the penthouse. It really wasn't anything very noticeable. The penthouse still looked as it did before Ryo's uncle arrived, but some things were gone. Like the mochi maker and a few other appliances obtained while in Japan that was intended to go to New York, but was also used while they were in the penthouse. It just felt empty to Dee.
At that moment, as much as Dee couldn't wait to go back to New York again, he realized that he also did not want to leave Japan. And in about 50 hours this amazing, wonderful, magical trip would be over, and they will be on a plane heading back to New York.
He found himself wiping his eyes as he turned his gaze to the view of Tokyo beyond the living room windows. An arm slipped around his waist, pulling him close.
"Yeah," Ryo said, resting his head against Dee's. "Me too."
Ayaka came over with tissues for the two of them, which made Dee smile.
"At least I don't have to say goodbye to my family for another 3 weeks," he said after thanking his youngest sister. "God, I don't want to think about when it's time for them to go back to Japan."
Saburo came over to them. "I don't want to either, so how about instead of thinking of that, let's start thinking about tonight's concert."
Ryo started to laugh as he hugged Dee and kissed his cheek. "At least you don't have to figure out which tee-shirt you're wearing tonight."
"Oh, but I do," Dee said and laughed. "For the souvenir photos before the concert. But I also already know I'm wearing one of shirts Papa bought for me last week."
"At least you now have Nagoya shirts to add to your Yokohama ones," Momo said in a teasing tone.
"I do have Nagoya shirts from previous trips, and Tokyo and Osaka, but I didn't take them to Japan with me," Dee said. "But I do have new ones, including non-TUBE shirts that have Nagoya on them, and even running pants and shorts."
"And you will have a new TUBE shirt from Tokyo if they have any special shirts for tonight's concert," Saburo said.
Dee shook his head and smiled at his father. "Yes, Papa," was all he said.
There were no plans to go out until it was time to leave for the concert, so everyone was staying in the penthouse. Ryo did call the front desk and got rooms for Jirou and his family, SJ and Tomiji. SJ and Tomiji decided to share a suite that had two full beds. The rooms would be ready for them to settle in after lunch, the hotel manager promising to call as soon as they could pick up their key cards.
After lunch, Dee put on one of the shirts Saburo bought for him at the concert last Friday, and got ready to leave. He made them promise to text when everyone was leaving for Budokan.
OoOoOoO
