Chapter 2: Just One Destination in Mind
Dragging me along with her tiny hand, Big crisscrosses her way across every corner of the capital city.
Here we are, on our two-day, one-night trip to Tokyo.
Just me and my little Big.
On the first day, we plan to march through all of the usual tourist spots.
The bullet train drops us off at Tokyo Station just before noon, and from there we head straight to the Yamanote Line and hit Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro. By the time we get to Ueno Station, evening starts to fall.
But these are no dark country roads. Here in the city, night glitters as bright as day.
We eat dinner at a restaurant overlooking the rail lines.
"I had a great time today. It's been so long since I just let myself go wild like this," she says.
"I'm glad, Big, but you're getting a bit too carried away. I think you took it a little too far today."
"Oh, give me a break. I'm not you. I didn't go that crazy."
"Who was the one freaking out about the skyscrapers, jumping around pointing at them like a maniac?"
"Who would do that? You? That is crazy."
"Who was hopping around like a little kid watching the trains rush by one after another?"
"Sounds like an immature idiot. Probably you."
Who was so afraid of getting swallowed by the crowd that they kept chanting "…stay close, don't get lost…stay close, don't get lost…" like some kind of weird mantra?
"Some scared little baby. Definitely you."
"It was all you, Big."
I don't see how you can get more country girl than that.
As she's talking, Big cuts her steak neatly into tiny strips that will fit into her tiny little mouth.
Must be some good quality steak if she can cut right through it with her tiny little muscles.
Proud of having spoiled her, I start to cut my steak into strips too.
"By the way," I mention, "we never got to Tokyo Skytree. Didn't you want to see that too?"
"You know I'm afraid of heights, right?" she shoots back, munching her steak.
Her face has a slack expression…I guess because the food is so good.
Personally, I would've liked to go to Skytree…if only to see Big get all freaked out up at the top. In any case, she seems to be enjoying her fancy steak. This will have to do for now.
"Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Tower…there are a million places to go in the city. I had the time of my life in the Shinjuku Subcenter, and think the day really couldn't have gone better. But I can't wait for tomorrow. Tomorrow is the whole reason for our trip."
"That's it. Today was just a warm-up. Tomorrow's the real deal."
It's true. Our little trip was planned with just one destination in mind.
"They say you can find almost anything you want there," Big tells me.
"But," I join in, "they also say that there's so much to find, you might not find anything at all."
"They say that anyone and everyone is there."
"Some probably go in and never come out," I say.
"They say it's like another world."
"Like being lost in a dream."
"I've heard people call it a holy place," she says.
"I've heard people call it hell."
"Do you think we'll find demons there?" she asks.
"We might find serpents," I reply.
So tomorrow is the big day.
My little Big and I will finally go to Akihabara.