One day strange at Yokohama Hot Spa.

It was the Iast year spring when I met a young man in a bus on the way to Hakone-Sengokubara-spa.    

At that time, I monthly used to go spa-bathing for my rehabilitation by the Hakone-Tozan bus route from OdawaraStation. The bus services are not frequent such as about twice an hour, then even in the off season, it quitecrowded. Every time we(wife & I) are leisured person, we usually used to go to the bus stop early time and wait forthe bus, we used to have each seat even in crowded bus.
One day, a large young man of a clean-short-cut head rode on the bus with a large luggage of rolling casters, alsoover sized backpack, and a SLR cameras and in hand-laden handbag (may be a camera-case). His suit was properlydressed, neat and sophisticated If visibly Asian traveler rather than Japanese.

Placing the large luggage of rolling casters beside the seat, putting backpacks down from his back and put it underthe feet, and He sat on of a window-side seat,.
This bus runs the Hakone-mount way , climbing and winding hills of Hakone, luggage with non-stopper has a risk ofmoving, unless secured to the seat straps, etc. I know that by an example of westerners on the bus whom I helpedwith this manner earlier.
He did not seem that familiar with, and I felt he did not seem to be feeling the moving of the luggage with the mind.
We as usually had a two seat-er opposite to his single seat-er, I moved to a vacant seat behind him intending topress his large luggage against from running.
The bus started moving, and winding and climbing up into the mountain way, and the heavy luggage as expectedstarted moving too, and I must use also my left dominant leg to stop the luggage.

Co-operation working with him through this stopper, we naturally began to speak in English.  Guiding him the viewsand explanations on various viewpoints in Hakone way, I knew he is Malaysian, after leaving the university in the cityKuala Lumpur, and now works for a company that HP-related company in Shanghai,China. When I asked him by HPcoming from Hewlett-Packard in U.S.A., he said that's right. He may be an engineer of related from HP software.
He said that in that holiday away with friends who work together in Tokyo, he came traveling alone to Hakone for thefirst time. He has been even closer look at the Hakone situation by Internet, and said that he has been booked byInternet at the hotel capable of looking Mt. Fuji.

I've been there long before. A nice hotel for foreigners there he can choice eating freely at the restaurant attached.
Confidentially, from his asking for my age, I reply 74 years. He was surprised to say "2 times of my years!".

He gave me his business card, and I handed him a note of URL of my website and e-mail address. We descended firstfrom the bus at the Sengokuhara-office stop "Have a nice evening ".

After forgetting days an e-mail came from him returning to Shanghai. I can not use Chinese, and he can notJapanese, since there is only one common words of English. As a bonus, he challenged me chatting together too. Fora chatting, using the Internet, we have conversations replacing alternately live conversational sentence.
To me in English even in Japanese, chat is the first experience. Among Japanese person, It's usually enough using onthe phone.
His English is much better than my English, and probably he use blind touch (print the text without looking at thekeyboard with both hands) typing, he returns the answer like a machine gun alphabet and kanji in the mix. Speaking ofme, an one-finger touch of a finger of disabled left hand. Moreover, I have many English words which are notconfident spelling and forgotten spelling. By the computer on-line spell-checking aids, if the PC indicate out thecorrect spelling suggestions, I am helped being able to choice of the correct spelling out of faint words.
It is shame that an elderly Japanese like me even superimposed on the age factor hit wrong spelling English. And also,In addition to the computer spell check, I prepare an electronic dictionary beside me too.

He read my website using a Japanese-English google translation software(By my experience, it is useless formistranslation because of different sentence construction between them), and send me e-mails of impressed pointsand thoughts come from my blog site with reverence. But, once beginning to chat, we endlessly remain chatting, Ioften run away saying "Sorry my wife calling for a meal ""
He said around him, there are no one interested in IT or have a website of the years like me.
Honestly saying, it's the same in Japan. Reading my web-site, he began to study Japanese. It's nice.

Of course, he read my essays written in English but a few on my homepage.

In this September an e-mail came to me from him saying he has a chanceto come again to Tokyo in late September to early October.
Attending to many hospitals for my health care, I have been absent fromthe computer, and I have noticed the e-mail after the time when he hadalready started from Shanghai.
To meet with me, he will come to Yokohama staying one day at a certainday of October at a hotel in Yokohama. He likes Japans onsen(hot spa).And his e-mail saying that at the previous day coming to Yokohama, Hewill go famous Arima-spa, near Osaka-Kobe area. After the day he comesto Yokohama by the bullet train from Osaka to Shin-Yokohama arrivingaround noon.
During his moving time, we can not exchange e-emails, I have beendeposited a memo for him directly at the hotel front where he had beenaddressed on the way to kamomeESS (English club I belong to) Sundaymeeting. After all, before his looking at my memo, An e-mail came to metelling that he could reach and check the e-mail while moving, then we arevery pleased each other to wait for lucky opportunity to meet.
On that day, waiting for him at the hotel lobby near the Yokohama-stadium, he arrived by train from Shin-Yokohama directly.
In the name of gifts, He bring to me a scroll of peony flowers common inChina and recently framed 3D pictures of water land. But after I guidedhim I will not come back to this hotel again, and I can’t carry the big giftsputting in the backpack with me, He kindheartedly carry them on thewalking way of Yokohama. I am sorry.

We two went by bus from the bus stop of Stadium stop in front of thehotel to Sakuragicho. Overlooking from the escalators and movingsidewalks beside of the Nippon Maru(memorial Sailor Ship in a dock ),walking the city's underground dining of Landmark Tower, and his askinghungry for his meal we entered the dining room saying "Chin Ken Yi"  Chinese restaurant.
Friend of mine Mr. Chin has same family name to this shop owner called "Chin Ken Yi".

Loudly talking with Chinese girls came from China, he ordered a super spicy Chinese noodles, and I ordered “Mabo-tofu” soup saying not so spicy.
The result, he says his food was never hot spicy, and mine was too hot spicy for me to be choked.
I was walking on my lame foot from the Land Mark Tower” to “Queen's Towers, in front of the great hotel thatimagine a boat propelled by sails. We came to "Cup-Ramen Museum," recently arranged at the side of " Manyo-noYu(hot spa.of Yokohama)" building.

Speaking of me along the way, I was apt to stumbling feet. He was supporting me with the side of my body climbing up-down of the stairs, and I felt finally just arrived.
He likes hot springs in Japan. Yesterday he aimed to visit “Arima-onsen” in the Kansai area, but had beenabandoned by the heavy rains. “Manyo Yu” is said that hot water of the spa. was carried in tank trucks fromYugawara Onsen and Atami Onsen 40-50 km west of Yokohama.

We can enjoy a relaxing day, but the fee is not cheap. However, to guide him, considering the time and money to goto Atami or Yugawara, It is reasonable.

Naked old Japanese and young Malaysian who “Take bath” talking English in Yokohama-Onsen like old acquaintancewas but a comics. But he took care of me handicapped with the feeling akin to his parents in Malaysia with respect, Ithank him and his sincere goodness of character, and admire him again.
There is a large bath-room, and the outdoor baths overlooking “the Bay Bridge” and “Minato Mirai 21” area. We cansee from the outdoor bathroom spreading sunset, surrounded by the port of Yokohama.  He returned to the lockerroom to take the SLR camera and took pictures of the port of Yokohama.
After taking a hot spa. Bath, we felt having been hungry, and we look a taxi to go into the back of Sakuragi-choStation area. Where we could choose Japanese taste foods in a street stall feel like stand for his souvenir in Japan.
He would like to go to Chinatown in Yokohama, but for my back home by metro it was inconvenient, so asking him forpatient we entered a susi-restaurant. Taking Japanese Bon Sushi(set of dish sushi) food , we toasted each otherwith hoppy and a percentage syocyu liquor as for a last dinner.
For super aged depending on annuity, it was few time dining out with young people. Even if we are understandingeach other in the Internet community, I feel the bright Malaysian capable youth who is working in nowadays Shanghai(I think probably he is a descendant of an overseas Chinese) shining with affinity and vitality.
He showed me a free path of the JR ticket in Japan, a thick passport recorded many abroad record. What a talented!
Moreover, the incumbent youth made me not pay for these various encounter affairs. When he come to YokohamaJapan again, I would like to invite him to my home and return to him.

Ten years ago, I and my wife joined to a cruise to Philippine which proposed by Ministry of general affairs "The AsianYouth Ship Nippon Maru" project as a member of PTA. There we spent joyful week with Asian youth and their PTA. Iremembered that pleasantmemories of days of cruising with them.
Today, Japanese youth also would flap their wings to all over to the world as well as him?

I eagally want them to flap their wings to the all over to the world with indomitable spirits. ★