Nihonkoku Shoukan: Beyond

Chapter 37: Noah in Futureland

Room 2201, Palace Hotel Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo, 5th March 1640 CCY

"Whoa... I'm sorry, but are you sure this is our room?" – Noah

"Are you sure we are in the right place...?" – Kasper

As the door to the penthouse suite of the Palace Hotel Tokyo is opened, both Captain Noah and his First Officer Kasper are quickly overwhelmed by the combination of simple but tasteful decoration and the technologically sophisticated appliances of his new home for the next few days. As an heir to a prominent noble family, Noah isn't a stranger to the concept of luxury and opulence, but the Japanese brand of luxury that mixes exotic culture and advanced technology radiates its own unique charm that he has never experienced before.

The penthouse suite offers a beautiful view out to the city of Tokyo, where you can see the rebuilt Imperial Palace as well as the city skyline and Tokyo Bay.

"It's your room, sirs. The foreign affairs department has requested a room from the hotel for you, our esteemed guests. I'll go back outside after showing you how everything here works. Please bear with me for a moment." – Tatsuya Matsunaga

"Well... please tell your superior that we very much appreciate the gesture. I don't know what to say. But please, go ahead, I am very interested in how all the devices in here work." – Noah

"Of course, Captain Noah. Well, please follow me." – Tatsuya

The staffer shows the skipper and his first officer around the place. Tatsuya proceeds to show them around the suites, introducing the scenery and landmarks around the hotel such as the Imperial Palace located just next to it. As the penthouse suite of an exclusive 6-star hotel, the only one that exists in Japan, this room is decorated with real organic Kitayama cedar wood harvested from Kyoto Prefecture. First Officer Kasper looks at the various pieces of furniture around the room and analyzes them closely.

"Forgive me for interrupting, Mr. Matsunaga... but I think all of these furniture don't use nails or any form of wood glue, do they...?" – Kasper

"That is correct, Mr. Kasper. All of these items of furniture are made entirely out of wood by our traditional craftsmen, no nails or any other forms of fastener are required. They are made entirely out of real wood from our forests. The only trade-off is that these kinds of furniture that you see here are quite expensive and time-consuming to make, requiring craftsmen with high skill and experience." – Tatsuya

"I see... impressive craftsmanship... so these are all holding on with friction." – Kasper

"Forgive me... but wouldn't you want to have a piece of long-lasting furniture in your home? Wouldn't it be better to use nails and glues to make these things stronger?" – Noah

The diplomat staff looks at the two Gra Valkan officers and chuckles.

"That'd certainly be better, sir. But... in our culture, we believe in the circle of life. Everything will eventually return to Mother Nature. As all things should be, they would not be permanent. We desire to refine our crafts and better ourselves. Of course, we have furniture that uses more modern and easier techniques, but these are our traditions, we can't give up on them just because they are more expensive and harder to make. These material things... are just a form of art for our craftsmen, to be refined and sometimes, redefined. If they are damaged, they will be repaired. Without nails and wood glues, you'll be able to keep the integrity of the wood and remove the damaged pieces easily. But alas, I am not very well-versed in this field. If you wish, I can ask and arrange a visit to some of the traditional wood workshops." – Tatsuya

"Such a... beautiful way of thinking. I love that." – Noah

"We'll take up the visit to the wood workshop, Mr. Matsunaga." – Kasper