ONIGIRI MAGIC

Tokyo - perhaps the only place in Japan where I did not want to come. And now I am here in Tokyo, but I feel great! How pointless it seems to have any fear or prejudice!
I have a friend. Her name is Kimie. We met in the Brown's field - Kimie's WWOOF host when I was WWOOFing at the Shimoyamadas. Kimie has already travelled around the world once. I counted the globes in her home - found seven.

We were sitting in a forest (kimorebinomori 木もれびの森）in Machida (Tokyo) and dreaming. Kimie was dreaming of a cafe and I was dreaming with her.

"What is the name of your cafe?" I asked.
"It is called MOORING DECK," said Kimie.
"Why is it called MOORING DECK?" I asked.
"When the Peace Boat took me around the world, I often went to the mooring deck. It was from there that I saw the fjords of Norway or the glaciers of Alaska and many other places. Mooring deck was a place where many strangers would gather, but sharing the beautiful moments they would become one and not be strangers any more. I want my cafe to become a place for people to gather, to share beautiful moments. A place where they would be moored to nature in a way. People who will come to my cafe will ask me about the name and I will tell them stories about the wonderful places that I saw from the mooring deck of the Peace Boat when I was travelling around the world," explained Kimie.

Then we painted a picture in my notebook. I painted us under a tree sitting on a bench. Kimie painted a cafe with round shaped windows. I painted a sea and a boat. I painted a sun in the sky and birds. Kimie painted a stove in the yard of her cafe and a lamp in the window. I painted leaves on the tree.

"Spring is coming," I said.
"Let us go to my cafe," said Kimie.

We took a path in the woods, crossed the street, then took another forest path.

"It is right there!" Kimie pointed at a white house.

We went closer.

"Here will be the terrace," said Kimie and pointed at a small parking space in front of the house.
"Let us have onigiri and coffee here!" I suggested.

Kimie gave me the onigiri she had prepared and took the ones that I had made. We had coffee with soy milk in our thermos-cups. The onigiri was wrapped in a cloth and it became our table. We sat on a concrete floor picturing we were sitting on chairs and enjoyed the sunlight, coffee and onigiri. In Kimie's dream the terrace was made out of wood, so it was not at all cold.

Then Kimie made a phone call. It was to a real estate agent.

She has an appointment on Saturday.