"The tai, or sea bream, you've just eaten comes from the Inland Sea, and is considered the best fish in Japan," Saburo explained.
"I like miso [bean soup] very much. I shall miss it when we get to Argentina," Toshio butted in.
It was altogether a most delightful dinner, their last dinner in Japan. They enjoyed it, not only because of the good food, but also because they were about to embark on the first leg of their new journey and were filled with fresh hopes and expectations.
One hour before the departure time of the Brazil Maru, Mr. Enami and his daughter hurriedly came up the gangplank. Miss Enami brought a magnificent bouquet of flowers for Alice. The Tanakas had not expected the visit, since the Enamis lived in Yokohama. They had come all the way to Kobe by an afternoon superexpress, especially to bid the Tanakas good-bye.
"It's awfully good of you to have come all the way to see us off," Alice thanked them.
"I'm so sad to part with you, Mrs. Tanaka. My mother used to talk much about you. Will you come back to Japan again?"
Miss Enami was already in tears and was almost choked with sadness.
"Miss Enami, I shall always remember your late mother, Mr. Enami and yourself. You all have been so kind to us. Yes, I hope to come back to Japan one day."
Alice said this to comfort Miss Enami, but at heart she doubted the possibility of ever visiting Japan again.
The Rokko Mountain ranges behind the city of Kobe loomed dark, silhouetted against the evening twilight. In a few more minutes, the Oriental Hotel, Sannomiya Shrine and other familiar landmarks were no longer to be seen in the gathering dusk. By the time the Brazil Maru was ready to depart, billions of fairy lights, blue, red and white, were glittering like jewels as far as the eye could see. The narrow belt of thickly built-up areas between the mountains and the sea was now turned into a nocturnal panorama of extraordinary brilliance. Scattered lights atop the Rokko Range twinkled like stars in the sky.
Suddenly sirens sounded lugubriously.
The ship edged slowly away from the dock, finally off on the long voyage to Buenos Aires. Then she sped rapidly to the south, leaving behind long ribbons of foam which glistened in the bright light of the port areas like silver streams. In no time Kobe City was receding into the distance.
Saburo, Alice and Toshio remained on the upper deck for a long time, until Japan disappeared in the darkness.
Footnotes
* The Mongolian spot is about the size of the ball of the finger, and blue in color. It appears on the spines of Japanese and other Oriental babies and disappears at the age of about two years.
* keto: foreign devil. Literally, a hairy Westerner.
Alien Rice; A Novel. Page 12
