in the footsteps of akira yamashita - a writing exercise

akira yamashita lives in the imagination of many.
this venerable japanese gentleman is part of a community of writers who congregate here

no one has actually met with or spoken with him. but he is a significant presence. with his delicately exquisite yet tautly minimalistic writing style.
he however reverts to a broken-english- incorrect-grammar style of writing in the course of other online interactions.

i chose the latter style to write in as part of a writing exercise and created a part fact part fiction travelogue and threw in some pictures for good measure.



Juno-san on the Mission Akira in the Tokyo

Now I am writing about the fine lady from Delhi who went to the Nippon.

The Juno-san works for a half Japanese half Indian office. But I am wondering how is it the cut in to the half and half ?
Juno- san is trying to explain to poor old Japanese man who knows only how to play sitar and is still trying to make the perfect sambhar and waiting patiently to find the Indian wife. I have the heard that Indian woman is best in the whole world. It is the possible that my old friend Professor Murthy-san may have said to me when I am first coming to the beautiful and colourful India. But now I do not the remember. May be I am getting the too old. May be I should be the brave and call the Professor-san and ask him about the Indian lady.

But, before that I tell you. The Juno-san sent me a message on the fine Ryze network and informed me that she was going to the Nippon, my father-land.
When she told me, I suddenly remembered my little baby and my beautiful Kimiko. And I was the thinking that I can ask the fine lady to go to meet Kimiko and tell her from me that it is all the over between us. Kimiko must not feel sadness for poor unworthy Akira and look for her new life in the other place. And with the other man.

Then I am helping with the problem. Juno-san is vegetarian lady.
She will not eat even the sushi.
She is the non-drink. She not drink the sake.
So, I asked her to eat dashi with wasabi. It is the seaweed soup in the Nippon. It is secret of my trim figure which Juno-san said she is wanting to the find.

The Juno-san had very long air flying to Singapore and then to the Tokyo.
My beloved JAL is not want to take her to fatherland, so no flight on day Juno-san was leaving. So the Singapore girl in sarong-kebaya is the taking her away .

When Juno-san is landed at the Narita, it was the dark and the cold. A sharp wind is blowing from across the Pacific Ocean. Juno-san carried the warm kimono and was happy in airport limousine bus for 70 km drive to Shinagawa in the downtown Tokyo.

Drive from the Narita to the Tokyo is the very different. There is no the empty land. Only the hotel, the factory, the buildings, the houses. Lots and lots of all.

The bright lights are so the many that poor Juno-san was dazzled since she comes from dark country.

Even the road is not the very large, she said , as it is in the fine city of the Delhi. But no so many cars. We are rich country, but not the many cars. Juno-san’s India not so rich but so many cars Juno-san is the telling. It is the very strange.

Juno-san reached hotel and gave phone call to my Kimiko. Juno-san was the given news that Kimiko is the working in the Roppongi in the bar.



I had asked the Juno-san not to go to Kimiko but she is the kind lady so she still is going to the Roppongi with all the bars and clubs. Brave lady I am the saying.

In bar in Roppongi, Juno-san asked for the Japanese dinner. And Noveau Boujeaulais wine. All for the my wishes. I am the honoured.

Kimiko was serving other table and Juno-san after doing the eating, got up and went to meet her.

My Kimiko is very sad when Juno-san is telling her about the lost and unfaithful Akira husband. Juno-san is the telling that she started crying, left her tray and is the running out of the restaurant.
Juno-san is the following, but in the Roppongi it is not being the easy. Many, many people from many world coming there for the fun. And the big black man blocking her way think she doing the bad thing.

Juno-san is the looking for her everywhere.

In the Roppongi Heights. Near Roppongi Tower. On the avenue of Keyakizaka which is lighting for Christmas and looking like fairy-world.

Juno-san is seeing Kimiko running in to Tsutaya book shop. She is going to find her but Kimiko is the vanished.

Juno-san is not the finding. She is having the jet-lag. Tired so she is having coffee at the Starbucks.
She is the going back to hotel in Tamachi and her single room.

Juno-san is the finding and wearing blue-striped Nippon nightshirt. I am wishing I could see the Juno-san looking so fine. She is being the so kind to an old Japanese man.
May be I will ask the Juno-san what she is the thinking of me? After all she is fine Indian lady. And I am the Japanese.
Juno-san is saying she is the half and half. Half Indian and the half Japanese. It is mystery.

Juno-san is having difficult night in strange bed in the Tokyo. It is the hot inside. Juno-san is not having water so she is going to vending machine to buy water bottle for 120 yen.

She is telling how she is getting awake at 5 am. She is the looking very careful at the Japanese style wash-closet. Juno-san is not the understanding the controls and the warm water flow. She is looking at instructions and is the happy.

Juno-san is going to take shinkansen train to Mishima to my and Kimiko’s old home.
It is the very cold but Juno-san is kindly doing all this for poor, miserable Akira.

It is the cold and dark morning at Shinagawa station. The platform is the deserted.

Juno-san is the afraid but in the land of the Nippon, it is the all right and correct.
Bullet train is the arriving with people coming to Tokyo for the work.

Shinkansen train is taking the Juno-san to Mishima. Juno-san is the told me that shinkansen is the so different from Indian train. I am happy that Juno-san is enjoying high-speed train. But Juno-san is seeing Mishima and is the getting off. Kind policeman is showing the great Fuji-san to Juno.
She is folding her hands and bowing to Fuji-san. I am happy that Juno-san is the doing Japanese way for Akira.

But the Juno-san is the honest lady. She is the looking for our old home to find clueing to the Kimiko disappear. Looking and looking. The people in the house are no helping. She is taking lots of the pictures to showing me when she comes back for proving she went there.

Then in the city, next she is going to the office where Kimiko would do the work. Yuriko-san who was the Kimiko’s boss is most kind. Yuriko-san is giving the help to her and telling her about Kimiko. Yuriko-san is calling the conference to discuss the way for finding Kimiko again.
The all kind people give Juno-san list of places to look for Kimiko.
Juno-san is weary now after long day and is the going to eat with kind people at Kimiko’s old office. But Juno-san is telling that it is the very strange – they are doing happy cheering with the Suntory Beer. Juno-san is having only the orange juice the good lady.

Next day Juno-san is telling how she is going all over Tokyo city to find and talk to my Kimiko.

Every place in the list given to her by the kind people at the office is the visited by Juno-san.
Asa-kusa is great Sensoji Buddhist Temple where Juno-san is the going to pray for peace and happiness of poor Kimiko and miserable Akira.

Juno-san is offering humble prayer and the temple priest is the calling her inside to ask her to sit there and offer the prayer. It is the good thing for us all. Juno-san is then buying lucky charm from temple for us all.


Then she is wandering the Nakamise street looking for a glimpse of Kimiko who is loving to come and shop there.

Juno-san is the looks and looks and then in the corner is seeing a flash of Kimiko’s red jacket. She is the rushing to follow Kimiko who is running to subway line. Juno is following Kimiko in to metro train and is the seeing here there. It is strange that metro which was first in Asia in 1927, and is older than me is still looking so fresh and I am the so old.
Kimiko is found at last by Juno-san.

They are sitting together and talking about my happiness.

The women are so the wonderful, they are giving so much to the poor old Akira. Juno-san is the explaining to Kimiko about how happy Akira is in India.
Kimiko must find new life very soon. Juno-san and Kimiko hold the hands and people in metro look very strange at them.
At Otemachi station, Juno-san and Kimiko are going to Imperial Palace Gardens.

They go around the Ni-no-ma-ru castle and grove. Juno-san is having such big beautiful eyes says Kimiko. Juno-san is telling Kimiko that she is only humble friend of Akira and she only wishes everyone to be happy wherever they are.
After long talk, Kimiko is the understanding. And Kimiko and Juno-san are the good friends.
Kimiko is taking Juno-san for the Japanese shopping at Ginza and Tokyu Hands Store in Shibuya. Juno-san is the loving the shops. She is doing the shopping for Japanese presents. Juno-san very kind lady.



Kimiko is offering Juno-san to go to Tokyo Tower and see city lights.

Both Juno-san and Kimiko are seeing from high spot Tokyo lights. Then they are having the coffee and listening to Japanese singer in restaurant in Tower.

Now Juno-san’s work is the over. She takes the leave of Kimiko and both are tear-eyes. She is sending me my favourite candy and lots of affection.

But I am wondering how is Juno-san going to give me the all that ? After all, that Kimiko is sending but Juno-san is only my good friend.

But I will ask Juno-san and then let all kind members at Shakspear board know it all.

It will be the good thing. I am the sure. I am finding the peace.



Akira Yamashita

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