Sesame Whiskey

Having planned to meet Hayashi-san for dinner, I hurriedly approached what looked like an office building. Glancing at my watch, I found an elevator. In and up I went. I wandered around, unsure of which illegible sign signified the doorway of an eatery. Hovering near one, a maître’d emerged and asked if I were looking for Opera City. She escorted me to a table where I saw the grinning face of Hayashi-san.
“I was wondering if you had become lost,” he said.
“No. Please excuse me. I was running a little late.” We shook hands warmly. “How have you been, Hayashi-san?”
We went over recent events for NTI and for ITI. As we talked, I looked behind him at the view of the city. I could see lights extending into the far distance. Tokyo truly was an immense sprawl. I recalled earlier conversations about moving businesses out of Tokyo to ease the pressure. None wanted to be out of the center, the core of activity and prestige. Tokyo continued to swell.
“Have you ever tried Sho-Chu, Jim-san?”
“No. What’s it like?”
“It’s like whiskey. It can be made from many things. Barley is very common type. I like another.” With my encouragement, he ordered.
I let the liquid flow around my tongue, tasting a mellowness beyond the whiskey, like a malted barley. “I like it!” I said with honest appreciation. “It is like whiskey, but with a different flavor.”
“This is my favorite. It is made with sesame.”
“Sesame? I’ve never heard of liquor being made from sesame — good idea!” He smiled to see me enjoying his favorite drink. “Can I get this in the U.S.?”
“There are many kinds of Sho-Chu. This one is not so easy to find in the U.S.” I always enjoyed the slow, deliberate pace of Hayashi-san’s words.
“Then I shall have to buy some here. Can I get some at the duty-free shop at Narita, or should I buy it in Tokyo?”
“I don’t know if you can buy it at the airport shops,” he said. “It would be safer to buy in Tokyo.”
I made a mental note to do so. The steady flow of food began to arrive – all very excellent. All very expensive too, I was certain. Thank goodness for expense accounts and a culture open to their use! Traveling on my own nickel, I’d be allocating my sushi intake. Now, I appreciated every dish as they rolled on before me.
I contemplated Hayashi-san’s situation — an executive somewhere over sixty in a land where retirement began at 55. “What are your plans after NTI, Hayashi-san?”
He smiled and said, “I have no plans yet. We will see.” Some professionals, like Satake-san, enjoyed their work so much they continued into their seventies. What would Hayashi-san do?
“Do you wish to return to the U.S.? You have a condominium there, yes?”
“Yes, I enjoy the U.S. But my wife enjoys family in Japan.” I could appreciate this dichotomy. Annie and I differed on our preferred places of residence. Whereas ours involved the opposite sides of one country — the Sierra Nevada to the Florida Gulf coast — the Hayashis’ difference of opinion spanned an ocean. I wondered how those marital dynamics would pan out — for both of us.