Adventures in Asia

[Happysimsdude]

When I woke up, I was surrounded by people scuttling down the aisle with bags in their hands.
"Oliver, wake up!" I screamed, tugging his jacket. "What? Are we in Japan?!" he stood up and looked around.
"Yes, we're finally in Japan, c'mon!" I replied, grabbing my bag and running down the aisle, with Oliver behind me.
I turned around and stepped out of the plane, nearly tumbling down the stairs leading outside. Oliver stumbled down the stairs and quickly jumped right into me.
We jogged steadily down to the airport, smiling from ear-to-ear. The doors whirred open and we ran straight through the crowd towards the entrance.
The yellow cab was waiting for us, and we stepped inside. "This is so exciting!" I shouted to Oliver who replied "I can't wait, this is gonna be the best time in my life!"
The cab driver spoke English, so we had no problem telling him where to go.
"The hotel I'm going to is called the Hiroshima Hotel, what's yours Edith?" Oliver asked me, looking out the window.
"My hotel is called the Kuziyama Hotel." "It's **** stars, I heard about your's, it's a **** star too?" I told him.
We talked until I arrived at my hotel, where I kissed him on the cheek and told him to meet me in the morning at 9:35a.m.
I got my room key, "ROOM 260" it said written in gold. I hurried into the elevator and walked down the hall.
I stood outside my room, breathing in before grabbing the handle and turning it clock-wise.
The room was absouletely beautiful, with a view of the town from a window. I went over to the window and saw the hotel Oliver was staying in.
I suddenly felt tired and went to change into lingerie (LOL). "It's so sticky here, and this is the closest thing to keep me fine." I said to myself, I climbed into bed and closed my eyes.

[bobert26]

I stood and watched Edith dissapear down the street. She kissed me. Was this gesture romantic or friendly I wondered. I suddenly remembered my life in Dunedin. And for the first time in weeks my mind focused on my girlfriend. I hadn't even THOUGHT about her since I arrived in Los Angelese. Surely she wouldn't approve of my new-found friend... I undressed and showered before finally getting some sleep.  I was woken in the middle of the night. The ground shook and the lights flickered on and off. I sat on my bed hugging my pillow, terrified. After what seemed like hours (but was only minutes) the shaking subsided. I reached for the remote and turned on the TV, there was one english languge channel. Some movie. On the bottom of the screen a small box appeared: TOKYO SHAKEN BY SMALL EARTHQUAKE. NO REPORTS OF MAJOR DAMMAGE OR INJURIES.

I sighed with relief and returned to sleep.

[Happysimsdude]

In the morning, I raised my head up and shook my hair out of my eyes. The alarm beside my bed had been going off for about 10 minutes so I clicked it off and hopped out of bed.
"Good morning, Japan!" I yelled, after yawning. I hurried over the beige carpet towards the bathroom, and closed the door tight.
The bathroom was so fresh and they're was samples of different types of shampoo's lined up underneath the mirror so I picked up one and undressed to shower.
I quickly rummaged through the wardrobe for something to wear, not too short but not too grandma-ish.
I decided to wear a silky green blouse and high grey trousers with black boots.
"I don't care what I look like, I just want to meet Oliver again!" I told myself as I brushed my hair in the mirror.
I put on a cream-coloured coat before turning off the light and locking my room.
I remembered screaming last night because my lamp flickered and some of my perfumes fell off the vanity in the bathroom, aswell as my room shook wildly.
As I walked outside, I saw Oliver waving to me from the other side of the street. I paced over, trying to swerve out of the way of a young boy on a bicycle.
"Let's go to the park, I have something planned." Oliver told me, I wondered what it could be.

[bobert26]

The park was beautiful, small pagoda statues and koi ponds made the park uniquely Japanese. Roughly in the centre of the park was a large zen garden with a group of people meditating on it. We walked through the doors of a small building which I knew was the tea house.
"It's lovely!" Edith said, admiring the painted screens which served as the walls. The image depicted Mount Fuji in black and white, the only colour was a pale pink - used for cerry-blossoms. The scene was as Edith said, lovely... but in a strange way it's beauty was somewhat haunting.
"Isn't it?" I said quietly. We sat down on the small mats, a women in a blue kimono with white face makeup pured us both a cup of tea. We nodded our heads in thanks.
"Thankyou Oliver," Edith said, "Thankyou so much for taking me here."
I smiled, but my smile faded and I said, "Ummm Edith, there is something I need to tell you," She nodded her head, "I-I have a girlfriend, back home and I'm not sure that this - what we're doing is going to work." Pain filled her green eyes, and I looked away in shame...

[Happysimsdude]

"I'm sorry.." Oliver said with a smitter of sadness in his voice.
"HOT, HOT TEA!" I screamed, grabbing my throat in pain and I reached into my bag to pull out some cooling tablets.
Oliver spilt his cup of tea onto the red mats, and it splashed onto his jeans and I gave him a tissue to wipe it off.
Some people stared bewildered at us, two kids sneered at us before their mother slapped them with the bamboo handle of her bag.
"Oh my lord, I feel so embarrased!" I cried, covering my eyes. "But anyway, what did you want to say, Oliver?" I asked, shuffling to the side.
"Oh nevermind, let's just drink our tea in peace." Oliver said quietly, chewing on a piece of traditional Japanese dessert.
I suddenly felt like fishing in one of the beautiful koi ponds outside, so I asked the manager if it was allowed.
He spoke in a very heavy accent, but I understood him and it was allowed so I grabbed Oliver tightly by the hand and led him outside.
The pond we were fishing in had leafy plants covering into a large stone that was caved inside a wall around the pond, it was a wonderful place filled with so much life.
Three other people were gathered around the sides of the pond, one person sitting at the side with a drink watching the fish and two American's fishing.
I grabbed a sturdy fishing rod and Oliver grabbed one too and we sat at the far edge, waiting for a nibble on the line.
"Woah, it's a biggie!" I called to Oliver. "Give me a hand!"
Oliver walked over and started to pull along with me, "HELP!" I screamed, as I lost my balance and almost toppled over into the water.
Oliver grabbed my arm before I fell in and we gave another hard tug, and the fish flew through the air and landed onto the grass.
"Let's go shopping, Edith!" Oliver exclaimed and I laughed and put down the rod, before looking at my watch, 11:30...

[bobert26]

We walked through the underground markets, surrounded my merchants focused on selling their products.
"Imagine what would happen if there was a big earthquake," Edith said, but I payed little attention to what she was saying, my mind was else where, caught between to people - one who I loved and one who I feared I was falling in love with. I had to choose one. But who? My girlfriend in New Zealand - Anna - how could I explain to her that I had met somebody else? And Edith - I knew it would be hard to distance myself from this beautiful woman. "The place would collapse and we'd all be squished!"



*I know it's getting a little sloppy - but I didn't know what else to do. And also, I'm not sure if there are underground markets in Tokyo but I know there are in Osaka... or Kyoto?

[Happysimsdude]

It's still fun!

"Look over here, Oliver!" I called, out-curling my hand in a motion to come over. Oliver weaved in and out of the large crowds of people to get to the large stall I was huddled around with another crowd of people who gazed in amazement.
"It's a charm booth, where there's uh, charms." I smiled, looking at a long, emerald one, emboidered with a eye.
As I brought it close to my face, it glowed like magic. "NOOOOO!" A woman that was quite atlethic looking screeched, smacking my hand with a broomstick.
"Ouch! Hey, what was that for?" I cried angrily, rubbing my hand. "Do not touch it, stupid girl!" The woman retorted, raising her broomstick to smack me again.
Oliver grabbed the broomstick before it crashed onto my head and threw it across the concrete floor.
"What is your f****** problem, lady? Are you trying to kill her?!" Oliver yelled, pulling me by the arm away.

[bobert26]

My cheeks suddenly blazed red with embarrasment. I tried to forget my sudden out burst of anger as we walked away.
"What was THAT all about?" Edith said with a frightened tone.
"Nothing," I muttered, "Very suspiscous people, I guess."
"Are you okay?" Edith asked.
"No," I replied, "I'm going to go back to my hotel."
"Okay, will I see you tommorow?"
"No, I don't think so." And with that I turned around and left her standing alone.

[Happysimsdude]

I stared at Oliver as he stomped away into the crowd, leaving me stranded in a wave of people.
"Did I do something wrong?" I asked myself as I strolled through the town towards my hotel, waiting to have a rest and have something to eat.
As I walked into the hotel, a large man in a long black coat stood right beside the door, looking very suspicious.
"Hey, you got a sec?" He whispered in my ear, his coat fluttering around him as his pipe jiggled around in his mouth.
"Um, I should be getting to my room so no, I don't have a sec." I told him, trying to get away.
"Listen to me, I'm not fooling around, I have something important to tell you!" The man boomed, his voice was dry and raspy.
"What is it?" I asked, my voice was now turning sour. I tugged away from his grip on my handbag, but he grabbed me with tremendous strenght and pulled me half-way off the ground to his face.
"Help me, someone!" I cried, trashing my legs to kick him. A man came shouted at him and came over to help, along with three other people.
The man pushed us away, pulling something metal and large out of his coat pocket, A PISTOL.
"Aaaaah, oh my god, why is everything bad happening to me?!" I screamed, running away as a man called the police from underneath his desk.
I dashed up the stairs towards my room, muttering crazily to myself.
I opened the door and quickly slammed it, running over to my bed and hopping onto it, starting to cry.
When I stopped crying, I looked at myself in the mirror and my face was tear-stained and red.
I just wanted to sleep forever, but I turned on the TV and relaxed.

[bobert26]

You idiot. I told myself as I stood in the elevator, I couldn't believe my stupidity and rudeness. I had simply left Edith standing there. What if something happened to her? A young, attractive woman alone in a foreign country was a recipe for disaster.  Once in my room I turned on the TV, it was an American movie... but in Japanese, in a way it was rather comical as the words didn't exactly match the actors' mouths. I sat down on my bed and watched the film completely oblivious to what was happening.
And then my mobile phone rang.  I reached to answer it...