Summoning the Japanese Empire

''Memoirs'' of Foreign Ministry Official Yagou

Day 1 Month 2

Upon receiving a summons from the Deputy Chief of the Foreign Affairs Bureau, I was ordered to conduct a much-talked-about inspection trip to Japan. Moreover, the departure is in two days, and I was instructed to pack minimally. The expenses for meals, transportation, accommodation, and other costs during my stay in Japan will be covered by the Japanese side. Regarding changing clothes, it was suggested that I prepare them domestically in Japan, and the costs for that will also be borne by the Japanese side. Everything seems to be well taken care of; perhaps this is typical in my line of work to be skeptical of such smooth arrangements.

However, based on the results of a meeting held a few days ago about Japan, there is speculation that it is a nation with an advanced magical civilization and considerable prosperity. Colleagues Orangue and Natada, who attended the meeting, shared during yesterday's lunch that Japan has ships made of iron and magic that can make iron boxes fly in the sky. Orangue has also been added to this inspection team, and it seems that the Japanese side has a reason to urgently establish diplomatic relations and trade. He is looking forward to his business trip to Japan, so he believes that the information obtained during the meeting is likely accurate.

I have already finished packing: writing tools, pen and ink bottle, along with a few days' worth of underwear and outerwear. Although I was advised to prepare cold weather clothing, our country has a mild climate. The last time I learned about the concept of "cold" was when I went on a business trip to support the change of ambassadors in the Kingdom of Topa. At that time, a senior colleague at the Foreign Affairs Bureau who had been assigned to Topa kindly lent me the necessary clothing. It seems I'll have to rely on a similar arrangement this time as well.

Tomorrow will be busy with handing over work responsibilities and preparing for the journey.

. . .

Day 2 Month 2

I have completed my preparations, thanks to the cold weather clothing lent to me by my senior. However, I decided to prepare a generous amount of underwear. According to the Deputy Chief of the Foreign Affairs Bureau, the Japanese plans to provide multiple guides for our delegation. While the delegation is expected to generally move together, a small number of individuals are allowed some freedom of movement if accompanied by Japanese guides. These guides are said to be official employees of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, not mere assistants. It wouldn't be appropriate to assign laundry or miscellaneous tasks to official employees. I jokingly inquired about bringing along laundry or cleaning staff, but the deputy chief assured me it wasn't necessary. It seems that professions such as laundry or cleaning staff don't exist there, and laundry is done by machines. When I asked about the meaning of "doing laundry with machines," even the deputy chief seemed puzzled. To ease any concerns during the journey, having extra underwear seems like a good idea. Although I was told I could prepare writing tools on the other side, I still prefer using the ones I'm accustomed to.

Tomorrow, we must arrive at the port of Maihark before the sun rises. Originally, we were supposed to depart on the first day and travel to Maihark throughout today. Even so, it will be a tight arrival. However, the Japanese have arranged transportation. The route to Maihark requires us to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier than usual tomorrow morning, but they assured us that we would arrive on time. I wonder what means of transportation they have arranged.

The members of the delegation have also been informed. The leader is General Makisui Hanki, who serves as a military advisor in response to a request from the city of Maihark. It seems to be a temporary assignment from the Military Affairs Bureau to the Foreign Affairs Bureau. I, on the other hand, will take the role of being under General Hanki and providing diplomatic support. Orangue will work with Mr. Honto from the Finance Bureau to consider the quantity of agricultural products available for trade with Japan based on the quantity of taxed harvest. According to Orangue, the Japanese are interested in trading a significant quantity of agricultural products. Subtracting the amount consumed by farmers and livestock from untaxed agricultural products will determine the amount that can be traded with Japan. However, transporting agricultural products requires carriages, and it remains to be seen how many of the carriages within the country are available for repurposing. It will take a considerable amount of time to assess how much surplus agricultural produce can be redirected. I informed them that the results of this investigation might not be available before departure, but they assured me that they would maintain regular contact using the manacom, so there would be no inconvenience in negotiations.