The Exchange Hero

Episode 14

As a reward for our efforts in the sports festival, UA gave all students a few days off. I just think they needed the time to clean up and restore the campus from the damages that several hundred thousand wild sports fan and pro heroes did to the place. The exchange program organizers saw this as an opportunity to offer their American guests some traditional cultural experiences. So, Pony and I, along with our host families, were off for a weekend of sightseeing at and around Mt. Fuji. Ectoplasm-sensei was to be our guide.

We met Friday at 0800 in front of Shinjuku Station in central Tokyo.

"It's sooo crowded," I whined as the seventh salaryman bounced off me as we stood outside the south entrance. The kinetic energy generated by a single person walking next to me is too slight for me to notice its unconscious absorption. But standing in a mass with tens of thousands of people rushing to work, constantly moving and colliding with each other, was generating sufficient energy that I was getting a little antsy from the continual influx. "Shouldn't we have arranged to meet after rush hour was over?"

"I like crowds," Ectoplasm-sensei grinned. Of course, with his lipless mouth he was always grinning, but you could hear it in his voice. "Besides, we wanted to get an early start to see all the sights in the beautiful Fuji Goko region. I suppose we could have meet at 0600. We would have avoided the crowd then."

Kyoka-chan jabbed my side with an ear jack. "No. this is just fine, sensei," she rushed to assure him.

"The Hados should be here soon. Then we can get started." The masked man concluded. I wondered why he was in costume. He was drawing more than a little attention. I'm convinced half of the people who ran into me did so because they were staring at the teacher. I guessed he felt he was 'On Duty'. A few moments later Pony and her family arrived in a taxi.

Mrs. Hado was paying the driver while Pony and Nee-chan came bounding over, weaving through the crowd. "Ohaio!" Pony chimed. She was excited and fell back into her California habits, hugging Kyoka-chan and me. She started towards Ectoplasm-sensei, but he took a step back and she stopped, blushing.

"Ohio Gozaimasu, Sensei," Nee-chan bowed. "Thank you for this opportunity and for your guidance."

"Think nothing of it," he replied in English. "When possible I think we should speak English this weekend. Part of this exchange is the opportunity for UA students to improve their English skills, so neh?"

"Does that include parents?" Nee-chan asked, smiling at her mother.

"My English is just fine, de wanai Pony-chan?" Mrs. Hado bragged.

"Almost perfect, Hado-san." Pony praised diplomatically, though it sounded pretty good to me.

"Right! Let us get to the train." Sensei clapped his hands and started forward. The crowd parted as much as it could to make way for him. I motioned the ladies to proceed me, but they demurred. I had seen this before. My Grandma had taught me the ladies go first, but women in Japan, especially older women, did not seem to be comfortable with that. I outwaited them and was able to bring up the rear of the procession.

Almost an hour later we were traveling through a somewhat rural region in the mountains southwest of the capitol. While the ladies carried on a conversation, I was half asleep looking out the window. We had been roughly paralleling a river for the last several miles. I was surprised at how picturesque the Japanese countryside was. I knew there were lots of mountainous areas in Japan, but seeing them was different. I was looking forward to seeing Fuji more closely.

We were in the front car of the train and, as there was no engine pulling us, I was able to see directly ahead. As we came out of a small town, I saw we were about to cross the river on a long bridge sitting high above the river and the farm fields on the other side.