The Pentium Era - South to North

Walking back, Zhang Xiangbei realized that Nishimura House was so close to Kekurakuji Temple. It only took three or four minutes to walk there. It could be said that it was right next door. It was also very close from Nishimura House to Yakushi Hall. It was located between Yakushi Hall and Yakushi Hall. In the middle of Kek Lok Temple.

Zhang Xiangbei was almost escorted back to Nishimuraya by Mikiya Taguchi.

Taguchi Miki also said that he would go back with him to change clothes. Zhang Xiangbei knew that he thought he was dressed too seriously, so he followed Zhang Xiangbei to the room. Zhang Xiangbei changed into his yukata, and the two of them sat in the booth outside drinking tea. , Lao Jiao walked in and said that he heard from the front desk that Mr. Taguchi was here.

Lao Jiao sat down and drank tea with the two of them. The female general knelt aside and helped them make tea.

The three of them sat for more than half an hour. Miki Taguchi also stood up and told Zhang Xiangbei that we were leaving.

Lao Jiao had to go to work and couldn't go with them, but he made an appointment and invited Mikiya Taguchi and Zhang Xiangbei to dinner the next night.

The store that Taguchi took Zhang Xiangbei to was also on the edge of the Daxi River. It was a very small shop, not eye-catching at all. There was not even a shop sign at the door of the store, and it was different from the shops nearby that were decorated to attract tourists. Compared with the somewhat exaggerated facade, it is too simple, so simple that it seems to be squeezed pitifully into a corner by them.

After walking in, Zhang Xiangbei discovered that the inside and outside of the door were completely different. In Kinosaki, the room rate at slightly better hotels and inns included breakfast and dinner, so people who ate out for dinner were not Most tourists eat in the hotels where they stay. The restaurants on the street are busy for lunch and late night snacks, but not very busy for dinner.

But the hotel was already full. Listening to the diners talking, they all spoke in Japanese. There were also many people saying hello to Asadaguchi. They should all be locals.

Zhang Xiangbei followed Taguchi to the second floor and opened the door of a box. Three people were already sitting inside, including a tall white man, about 1.90 meters tall. Like Zhang Xiangbei, he also He was wearing a yukata, but the yukata was too small for him, the sleeves became mid-sleeves, and his chest was almost stretched out.

The other two people should be Japanese. They did not wear yukata, but they also wore casual clothes similar to yukata.

Miki Taguchi also introduced them, and Zhang Xiangbei then knew that this white man was a Greek named Papalokas. He was the play that Zhang Xiangbei had seen last night, rehearsed at the Kinosaki International Art Center. director.

This play is an experimental dance drama and is preparing to participate in this year's Venice Biennale.

Two Japanese, the older one is called Yunxiao Fu. He was invited by Mikiya Taguchi from Tokyo. He is currently Kinosaki's Producer, that is, a planner or something like that. The three that Laoqiao gave to Zhang Xiangbei This book is the product of the "Books and Hot Spring" activity planned by Mr. Fu, including the Kinosaki International Art Center, and is also one of their overall planning projects.

There is also a young man who is about the same age as Zhang Xiangbei. He is Daisuke Kataoka, the tenth generation descendant of "Mikiya". "Mikiya" is an ancient hotel with a history of 300 years and is also a popular tourist attraction in the hot spring town. One is that when Naoya Shiga was recovering from his injuries in Kinosaki, he lived in "Mikiya". His famous work "In Kinosaki" was written in "Mikiya".

One can imagine the status of "Mikiya" in Kinosaki. Kataoka is also one of the sponsors of "Book and Hot Spring".

Papalokas did not speak Japanese, nor even English, and could only speak Greek. However, none of the people present, including Zhang Xiangbei, understood Greek, and there was no way for the two parties to communicate.

This guy Papalokas is a bit neurotic, and he seems to be still immersed in his creation. He starts talking about any ideas that come to his mind, and he talks endlessly. Mikiya Taguchi and the other three straighten their waists and slightly lift their upper bodies. Lean forward, put your hands on your knees, and listen to him carefully without still nodding.

At first, Zhang Xiangbei thought they could all understand Greek. He quietly asked Mikiya Taguchi, what was the director talking about?

Taguchi also looked at him and said in a low voice, I don’t know, neither of us can understand.

Zhang Xiangbei almost burst out laughing. He couldn't understand how fucking serious you guys were. You were too polite!

Papalokas talked excitedly for a long time, and then he realized that what he said was not understood by the other people at all, or maybe he looked at these guys and nodded without even getting to the point, and he was also confused. I was confused and didn’t know what they were nodding to.

Papalokas's high-pitched voice suddenly dropped and turned into a murmur. After murmuring a few words, he stopped.

They were drinking tea and thinking about something. After a while, they couldn't help but talk loudly again. As soon as he opened his mouth, Taguchi Mikiya and the three of them also straightened their waists, leaned their upper bodies slightly forward, and looked at him, Nod occasionally.

Zhang Xiangbei couldn't help laughing, and Taguchi turned to look at him, laughed too, and winked at him mischievously.

When the food started to arrive, Papalokas stopped talking and concentrated on drinking and eating. When everyone was toasting, he also raised his glass. After the toast, he continued to eat without being verbose.

Mikiya Taguchi and the three of them seemed to be slightly relieved.

There is no language barrier between Zhang Xiangbei and the three of them. Zhang Xiangbei can understand their Japanese English without any problem. The teacher from Laoqiao has been speaking English like this for four years by his side.

From everyone's chat, Zhang Xiangbei learned that although Miki Taguchi was from Toyooka, he had always been in Tokyo. He only came back to Kinosaki from Tokyo in 2013, and Mr. Yuntaka Fu was from Tokyo. It was also in 2013 that he came to Kinosaki for the first time, and Miki Taguchi also brought him here.

"I fell in love with this place as soon as I came here. The hot springs, fine wines, delicacies, and Kinosaki are so refreshing!" said Mr. Zhang and Zhang Xiangbei.

Next, Mr. Kato came to Kinosaki once a month and collaborated with Kataoka and others to plan the "Books and Hot Spring" event. Finally, at the invitation of the mayor of Toyooka City, he served as Kinosaki's Producer. He moved his whole family from Tokyo. Arrive at Kinosaki.

Kataoka and Zhang Xiangbei said: "Actually, we are also very depressed. In Japan, hot springs are everywhere. Noboribetsu, Beppu, Kusatsu, Atami, etc. are all more famous than us. Even in Kansai, there are also some Ma and Shirahama, although Kinosaki has a long history, it does not have any more advantages than other places. On the contrary, it is a disadvantage in terms of transportation.

"Like us, our family has been running hotels in Kinosaki for generations, and our families handed over the hotels to us. We young people, the new owners of many hotels, honestly feel that if we continue to follow the old path, It’s definitely not going to work. There will only be fewer and fewer tourists. Changes must be made, but we don’t know how to change it. It’s very frustrating.

"In 2013, when it was the 100th anniversary of Naoya Shiga's arrival in Kinosaki, we felt that we should do something to make a change in Kinosaki. That is, in that year, Mr. Taguchi brought in Kinosaki from Tokyo. Mr. Liao."

Kataoka recalled the first time he met Mikiya Taguchi and said to Zhang Xiangbei with a smile:

"He just walked in and took out a 'nosy' business card. When I took the business card, my first thought was, is this a liar?"

Everyone laughed.

Kataoka and Zhang Xiangbei said that after several contacts, everyone finally had a firm understanding and confirmed that literature is the root of Kinosaki and the advantage that distinguishes it from other hot springs. We must transform this hot spring town into a literary town. In this way, everyone invested money one after another, and a publishing brand was born: "Books and Hot Springs", which became very popular after its launch.

The Toyooka City Government then participated and provided strong support, and the government and the people cooperated to further broaden their horizons and make Kinosaki not only a hometown of literature, but also a hometown of art.

This is where culture sets the stage and economics plays a role. Zhang Xiangbei thought of an old-fashioned and bad word in China and told them about it. The three of them were very excited and thought the word was very vivid and general. We Kinosaki, now It means that culture sets the stage and economics plays the role.

After saying that, several people laughed together.

Everyone was chatting, and Zhang Xiangbei didn't even taste the food here. Unconsciously, he drank a lot of wine and ate a lot of food. His stomach was full, but he couldn't quite remember what he had eaten. What.

Papalokas was also full and began to become impassioned again.

In the next few days, Zhang Xiangbei spent most of his time with Mikiya Taguchi, Mr. Kataoka, and Mr. Lao Jiao. Zhang Xiangbei would go to Kinosaki International Art Center almost every day, and Miki Taguchi would also come. He drank tea and chatted in his room. They took him here and there, to eat here and there, and he met different people every day.

Zhang Xiangbei felt that he was almost assimilated by this place. It seemed that he didn't know as many people in Hangzhou as he did in this small Japanese town.

Lao Qiao called Zhang Xiangbei and asked him, do you not want to leave?

Zhang Xiangbei smiled and said, Lao Qiao, I might as well live in your house.

Lao Qiao said okay, anyway, I'm not at home and my parents still need a son.

After the two chatted and laughed, Laoqiao asked: "Sister called me. She knew you were still in Kinosaki and asked me to ask you. There will be an auction of Kobe beef at the Kobe Central Auction Market the day after tomorrow. She will participate. Do you want to go see it?"

When Zhang Xiangbei heard about it, he said, "It's great. Of course I want to see it."

"Okay, I'll ask my sister to call you later." Lao Qiao said.

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Xiangbei remembered his sister's face and felt that it had been a long time coming, including the sadness.

He also thought that he should return to his country. Although a foreign country is good, it is not his hometown after all. He decided to go to Kobe to watch the auction of Kobe beef, then go to Tokyo, and then return to his country.

Zhang Xiangbei's phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was an unfamiliar number. Zhang Xiangbei answered it and heard his sister's voice. The sister confirmed that Zhang Xiangbei was going to attend the auction the day after tomorrow, so she told him , then you have to come to Kobe tomorrow. The auction will be very early, and we will set off at seven in the morning.

Zhang Xiangbei said yes, then I will come to Kobe tomorrow.

My sister told Zhang Xiangbei very carefully and asked him to take a note. Tomorrow morning at 7:12, there will be a train from Kinosaki Onsen Railway Station to Kobe. It will be about 9:30. You can get off at Sannomiya Station. When we arrive in Kobe, I will pick you up at the station.

Zhang Xiangbei quickly said, "Don't bother me. Sister, just tell me where we can meet the day after tomorrow."

There was silence on the other end of the phone. After a while, my sister said, "You will see me at the station."

Then he hung up the phone.

Thank you to Hai Kuo Tian Tian, ​​protosstop, and rainman for your monthly votes! Thanks for all the votes and reading! Have a good evening everyone!