In Deep Kimchi - By Imari Jade Page 0,17

a busy sidewalk near the club and waited for the others to catch up. Bumper to bumper traffic passed on the street before them.

"So, how are we supposed to get there?" Harper asked.

"Walk," Masaaki answered him. "It's just three blocks away."

The announcement was met with several groans from the Americans.

Shaundra looked down at her heels. Had she known, she would have opted for different shoes.

"Shibuya is beautiful by night," Masaaki explained as they began walking again down Dogenzaka. They had enough people with them to be considered a tour group. The only problem they had was moving quickly amongst the hundreds of people out walking with them.

"What is this area called?" Jackson asked as he looked around like a kid.

"Center Gai," Masaaki explained. They walked through a narrow street, which had a Starbucks. "It is the birthplace of many fashion trends." They passed by a busy pedestrian zone lined with stores, boutiques, nightclubs and restaurants. He took them pass Tuntanna Silver Shop, a small cafe and a Sapporo ramen restaurant. "Over there is Shibuya Station," Masaaki continued to explain. He pointed. People exited it as he spoke.

Shaundra looked up. There were three huge televisions screens attached to the sides of three buildings. As if by magic, they all three began playing the same announcement simultaneously.

"Look, it's our commercial," Takumijo said to Yori and the others.

Everyone stopped and watched the promotion for Aomori's upcoming concerts at the Tokyo Dome. It featured a couple of clips from their previous concerts. Harper told them that they were all going to attend. She didn't like the idea at first, but the promotion had peaked her interest, especially when she'd seen Aomori in costume.

They started walking again once the commercial ended, stopping at a corner. Traffic came to a complete stop from every direction to allow for the massive crowd of walkers to cross the streets safely. This would never happen back home, she mused as she walked alongside Dorothy. Drivers weren't that courteous. She looked back. Aomori had stopped and were looking through a big glass window. They spoke to each other rapidly in Japanese.

"Arcade," Masaaki explained. "They're still just boys at heart."

Aomori rejoined them shortly. Yori ended up at her left with Satoshi at her right while the others sort of blended into the crowd. They passed another building. Shaundra stopped to look at it. There weren't any windows to the place, just a door. "What's this place?"

Several of the Asians laughed.

"What's so funny?" she asked as she walked around to inspect it.

Yori took her hand and led her away. "This is love hotel."

"Love hotel? Who would rent a room in a place with no windows?"

"Lovers," Yori explained.

Shaundra did not understand at first. "Oh!"

The Asians continued to laugh at her naivety.

"In the middle of a shopping district?"

"It's very discrete," Satoshi said, looking down at her and Yori's interlocked hands.

Shaundra pulled her hand away. "You mean it's for secret liaisons?"

"We have a lot of lonely single men in Japan."

There was no way Satoshi or any of Aomori had to visit a place like that. She couldn't imagine them lacking companionship.

"It's a very lucrative business," Masaaki explained. "It is operated solely for the purpose of allowing couples privacy to have sexual intercourse. It's windowless so no one can see in. There is minimal interaction with the staff, and the bills are paid through the use of pneumatic tubes or given to a pair of hands behind a pane of frosted glass."

She looked back, half expecting to see scantily clad prostitutes lurking about. They walked past another strip of shops with tiny cafes that served snacks and coffee, clothing shops and more video arcades before Masaaki turned the corner and stopped in front of a restaurant. There was also a long line of people waiting to go inside.

"Maybe we should have made reservations," Dorothy replied.

"Already taken care of," Masaaki answered. "Mr. Niigata has planned ahead." He walked away from them and to the front of the line to speak with the young woman at the door. He signaled for them to follow him in.

Shaundra expected some groans from the waiting crowd, but they didn't offer a peep.

Delicious aromas assaulted her nostrils as soon as she stepped into the waiting area. Masaaki spoke with the kimono dressed hostess who led them into the restaurant to a large room in the back. Shaundra was thankful to see chairs because she doubted that she could sit down on cushions in the mini dress without flashing everyone.

Each little area had