I decided to study abroad in Kyoto this autumn because I finally steeled my resolve.
Stepping into the antique store Kura, Yilin Jing bowed and said, “Thank you for having me.”
Aoi Mashiro, who’d been diligently removing the cloths draped over the wares, turned around and smiled. “Oh, good morning, Yilin.”
Kiyotaka Yagashira was nowhere to be seen. Today was his first day of work at the accounting firm, so it was only Yilin and Aoi in the store.
Since it was before opening hours, the usual jazz music wasn’t playing. Perhaps the silence was why the air felt so tense. Then again, this was only Yilin’s perception. Spending a significant amount of time alone with someone always made her nervous, no matter who that person was. In a group of three or more, she could get away with just listening to others, but that didn’t work when it was only her and someone else. Many of the people she interacted with were pleasant in group settings but changed their tune when it was just the two of them. She wondered if her current anxiety stemmed from scars left by those bitter experiences.
Come to think of it, I’ve never spent an extended period of time with Aoi before. How will she change when we’re alone?
Aoi excitedly went to the kitchenette and returned clutching something to her chest. “It’s a pleasure to work with you. This apron is for you, Yilin.” She held out a black apron still in its plastic packaging.
“Thank you...”
“Please leave your belongings on the shelf at the back of the kitchenette. There are coat hangers there and small lockers for your bag. You can keep your phone in your apron pocket.”
“I can keep my phone? Um, I mean, am I really permitted to carry my phone with me?”
Aoi chuckled. “You don’t have to force yourself to speak politely.”
“But you’re my senior...”
“You’re older than me, and either way, I’d prefer you to keep talking naturally to me like before.” Aoi took her phone out of her pocket. “You’ll probably need your phone to take pictures of antiques, look up things you don’t know, and take notes. That’s why you’re allowed to keep it with you.”
“So I’m allowed to look things up in the store?”
“Yes, feel free. Just try not to be blatant about it when customers are around. And if you get a phone call while other people are here, please take it outside or in the kitchenette.”
“Got it.” Yilin nodded and entered the kitchenette.
The room was the size of a typical household kitchen. It had a sink, gas stove, and kettle. The shelves were lined with various cups and saucers—Meissen, Copenhagen, and Arabia, among others—as well as mugs engraved with the name Kura.
“These are lovely...”
Even the tins of coffee and tea were stylish. It was like being in a specialty store. There was a curtained-off changing area at the back of the room, which had a full-length mirror and an overhead tension rod with clothes hangers.
Yilin hung up her jacket. Looking down, she saw the lockers that Aoi had mentioned. There were four in total, just large enough to fit a small handbag. She took her phone out of her purse and stored the latter away. She then donned her apron, which was the same black one that Aoi always wore. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Not bad. Pleased, she slipped her phone and the locker key into her apron pocket and exited the kitchenette.
“Oh!” Aoi’s face lit up. “You look great, Yilin.”
“Do I?” Yilin shyly placed a hand on her chest.
“Yes! The white blouse and black Kura apron really accentuate your trim figure.”
“Trim?” Unsure what the word meant in that context, Yilin took out her phone to look it up. She frowned at the long list of definitions.
“Oh, sorry! I forgot you’re not a native speaker. It doesn’t help that I’ve gotten used to using Kyoto slang.”
“What does it mean?” Yilin looked up from her phone.
“Um...” Aoi looked up at the ceiling. “It means having a slim build, or, like, looking neat and tidy...”
“So, like Kiyotaka?”
Aoi chuckled. “Yeah, exactly. Holmes is the embodiment of ‘trim.’”
In other words, it was a compliment. Yilin felt proud and happy.
“Should I wear armbands too?” she asked.
“I think they’d look good on you.”
After that, Aoi explained the work that had to be done. First, they had to get ready to open the store. This began with removing the cloths draped over the antiques, folding them, and putting them away in the cupboards. Next was cleaning. Aoi liked listening to music while she worked, so she usually played it during this time.
There were four steps to the cleaning process: carefully dust all of the merchandise, sweep the floor while paying extra attention to the corners, collect the dust and trash, and vacuum.
“But it’s impossible to finish dusting everything in the morning, so please work on it whenever you have a free moment,” Aoi said as she brought out the cordless vacuum cleaner.
Yilin looked at her, surprised. “We have to clean all day long?”
“Yes,” Aoi said matter-of-factly. “Most of the items here are very old, so if we let dust build up, the atmosphere will quickly feel gloomy.”
Now that she mentions it, Kura’s storefront may seem intimidating to newcomers, but the interior lacks the somber air that antique shops tend to have. Instead, it feels bright and refreshing.
With a distant look in her eyes, Yilin murmured, “Come to think of it, Juhua said that dust clings to people’s thoughts...”
“I can believe that. When antiques get dusty, it feels like the sentiments they carry are amplified. Who did you hear that from?”
“Oh, Juhua was my nanny.” Yilin blushed since she hadn’t expected her whispered words to be heard.
They continued their work. After sweeping outside the store and wiping down the windows, the next task was to prepare the cash register for the day. Yilin had never taken a close look at Kura’s register before, so she was surprised to see that it was a wooden antique.
“How retro,” she remarked, staring at it. “It must be as old as some of the items for sale.”
“It’s the owner’s—or, well, the Yagashira family’s taste in general. Nowadays, it’s only used for holding cash, though. We do the calculations on this tablet over here.” Aoi grinned and showed Yilin the small device propped up beside the register. “I’ll explain how to use it later.”
Aoi took out a small safe from under the counter, turned the number dials to unlock it, and began transferring the cash within to the register.
“Once this is done, we can put the floor sign outside and hang up the ‘OPEN’ sign. Opening time is generally 10 a.m., but on some days, it’s 11 a.m. We hardly ever get customers in the mornings anyway.”
Proving her point, even after she put up the “OPEN” sign, no one entered the store. The street itself had a lot of pedestrian traffic, but everyone passed right on by.
“Is this store even profitable?” Yilin blurted out without thinking. Realizing her mistake, she closed her mouth.
Aoi giggled. “I wondered the same thing at first. I think the owner only really sees this as a place to store antiques. In reality, all of the revenue comes from visiting clients at their homes or businesses.”
“Oh, I see.”
Yilin had heard that at jewelry stores, the big transactions came from sending sales representatives to celebrity homes rather than in-store sales. It made sense that an antique store would work similarly—but that raised another question.
“If that’s the case, why keep the store open at all?”
“Holmes said that having run this store for so many years is an important indicator of trustworthiness. And most of all, the owner wants to show these antiques to anyone who’s interested enough to come in. But times have changed, and it seems like they can’t afford to take it easy anymore. As the owner’s successor, Holmes has been considering various options.”
These options included a decor subscription service for traditional restaurants, Kyoto-related consulting work, and becoming a certified tax accountant. According to Kiyotaka, it was best to have more than one source of income.