Why not?

Boti did not take no for an answer, and it became apparent that she knew what Japan was like better then you did. She took care of the cab, she took care of lunch, she took care of you. There was even a quick stop to get a better language book then the ones you had learned Japanese from.

But what made you feel better was the ramen. Real, honest to god, ramen. Thick noodles, hot soup, wonderful chunks of pig. You started to forget your introduction to japan and started to have fun.

“So, your Kara, tell me about yourself.” Boti made you feel inadequate; you were 18, fresh out of school, with only the ability to speak English and a way to stumble through Japanese. Maybe. She however clearly knew 3 languages, was in her early 30s, was gorgeous, and had something to do with African/Japanese relations.

“Um, well… first time away from home,” and not knowing what to say you just started stammering out fun little quips, “I like long walks on the beach. Holding hands. I’m a cuddeler.”

This made Boti laugh between her slurps of Ramen. They were large, long slurps that inhaled the stuff in a single breath. “You remind me of me when I left home. You didn’t know what you were going to find until you found it. Word of advice: you never find it.”

“Well then you tell me about you,” you asked.

“I am the Botsawian ambassador to Japan.” Whoa. “Don’t worry, I don’t do much. We have some formal relations, but mostly I help tourists come to Japan, and encourage Japanese tourists to visit my country. Right now I am mostly just spending time around here.”

Now you really felt small.

She then walked you through the history of Japan, as far as she knew. It was especially hit The Decline, and the isolationist feeling of Japan before The Decline rapidly disappeared. Now Japan tried to be the center of the world, with mixed results. The Yakuza transitioned from a loose collection of gangs to an organization to protect the few men they had left. Now the word Yakuza and Man were synonymous. But Japan had some extra quirks to it: men were considered Yakuza, but were also tasked with being monks and taking care of Japanese spiritual needs. While other countries saw a conflict with monks and celibacy with the Decline, Japan made their monks and sex one in the same. The country was in a sort of ritual marriage with itself, to the point that the Prime Minister, typically a woman, was symbolically married to the Emperor of Japan, typically a man and the highest-ranking monk.

With the last slurp of ramen you looked up at Boti, really looked up at her. To call her “brown skinned” and “brown eyed” was a sort of misnomer and of no justice to her actual build. It was brown, but it wasn’t the kind of brown you had in your crayon set at home. There was a deep red tint to her, like she had been made from the baobab tree. She was taller then you, but only by a bit. And her hair was soft and in a bob around her head. There was a single streak of black down the left side of her face that was flanked by a streak of blue and white on either side.

“I like the hair color.”

“The colors of my flag. I think it is a nice touch.” Boti finished her ramen. “While you are here there are a few things you should do: go see the red light district, there is a great fish market if you like that, the electronic district is fun at night, and…” Boti started to rattle off a half dozen other things.