Julie Caplin - The Little Teashop in Tokyo

They got off the monorail and dived into the melee of people as Gabe led them across the concourse through to a platform where they changed onto a train line.

‘This is the Yamanote line. You’ll use it a lot, so it’s worth familiarising yourself with it. It’s a circular line that stops at all the major city stations. We’re headed to Nippori. Professor Kobashi lives in a lovely traditional area called Yanaka.’

***

After a crowded but silent journey they emerged into the pale sunlight of late afternoon nearly an hour later. Now the initial excitement of being here had faded, exhaustion had crept in to every limb and Fiona found it an effort to put one foot in front of the other as Gabe set a cracking pace along the street without even checking to see if she was following. At least he’d taken charge of her suitcase and was pushing it ahead of him like a man on a mission. A mission to rid himself of her, she surmised, watching his broad shoulders as he marched a few steps in front of her giving her the distinct impression he did not want to be here.

She followed him, disliking the intense sensation of disorientation because she had absolutely no idea where they were in relation to the city. It gave her an uncomfortable and unnerving fear of having lost control. She was a very long way from home. The sixteen-hour flight cocooned in the close confines of the aircraft had cushioned her awareness of the true distance. Now the reality hit hard as she took in the unfamiliar architecture of the buildings, the strange roads signs, the huge multitude of overhead cables that you didn’t see at home, and the lamp posts which looked more like ornate bird boxes. It was like nowhere she’d ever been before. Although the street was wide, the houses came right up to the edge of the road with pots of plants around the doors as if to compensate for the lack of front garden. Everything seemed to be made from wood apart from the dark green tiled roofs that sloped down sharply to create a slight overhang.

When she stopped to study the bamboo screens covering the windows, Gabe did pause and wait for her to catch up. ‘This is quite a traditional area. These houses are a couple of hundred years old.’

‘I love all the wood,’ she said, fascinated by the buildings even though they symbolised how far from home she was.

‘ Sugi . Japanese cedar,’ he replied as he kept moving, still a few steps ahead of her.

She glared at his back and picked up her stride to keep up with him as he veered off to the right, down another narrower street, and stopped to wait for her outside a shop front.

With a smile, she stared up at the big wood-framed square window, a cross between a bay window at home and a balcony. Trailing jasmine surrounded the window which had a gorgeous but minimalist display of elegantly spouted teapots and beautifully glazed traditional teacups. Underneath the window were several big pots with leafy camellias with deep pink buds about to burst into bloom.

‘This is gorgeous,’ she blurted out, wishing her camera was to hand.

‘Be prepared to get used to it. This is Haruka’s teashop; she and Professor Kobashi live upstairs, which is where you’ll be staying.’

Fiona clapped her hands in delight. ‘It’s so lovely.’ She took another moment to study the low tiled roof – curling up at the edges like sultan’s slippers – that jutted out above the window with its glossy green tiles.

Inside the doorway, a flight of stairs led to the right into the teashop, while on the left was a wider porch area. Gabe immediately toed off his shoes and called out in Japanese. She caught the words ‘ Haruka san ’.

‘You speak Japanese?’

He shook his head. ‘Basic greetings. The odd word. That’s all. You need to take your shoes off. The slippers there will be for you.’ He’d already pushed his feet into a pair of larger slippers.

The door of what looked like paper and wood slid open to reveal a tiny Japanese woman with her dark hair swept back from her face and piled in a lustrous bun which added at least two inches to her height.

‘ Gabriel san .’ She greeted him with clear delight, bowing before kissing him on both cheeks, her dark button eyes shining before addressing him in a stream of low voiced Japanese and patting his arms.

Fiona studied the enthusiastic welcome with curiosity. She’d expected Japanese people to be formal and reserved. There was no sign of that here.

‘ Haruka san , this is Fiona.’

She stepped forward and put both hands together before nodding to Fiona with a polite little bow. ‘Welcome, Fiona. It is very good to meet you.’ Her smile, though friendly, wasn’t quite as effusive as the one Gabe had received; he was obviously very popular round here.

‘Come, come.’ She led the way with small, neat steps, up a flight of stairs that turned right on itself on a small landing, so that Fiona guessed they were now above the teashop. She couldn’t wait to go inside that, although her curiosity was piqued by the very different Japanese interior. The woman led them into a large living area. It was decidedly minimalist with very little furniture and wooden floors which were covered with large mats encompassing the entire central floor area. There were a few very low-level chairs with high upright backs and an odd-looking table that seemed to have its own futon mattress. Apart from a few pottery items on a low-level wooden sideboard and a couple of painted scrolls hanging on the walls, Fiona realised there were very few ornaments and none of the sort of clutter that characterised her mother’s house. She smiled; she rather liked the clean lines and tidiness of the room.

Her hostess drew a few more of the sliding doors open and then led them up another wooden staircase to a series of rooms all divided by the same paper and wooden doors. Gabe carried Fiona’s case for her and they finally came to a small square room containing a futon on the floor. Haruka raised the bamboo blinds to reveal a balcony that ran the full length of the back of the house, overlooking a very pretty zen-style garden.

‘Oh, that’s lovely,’ exclaimed Fiona, clasping her hands together in delight and earning a warm smile from the Japanese woman.

‘I’ll show you later. Would you like something to drink?’

‘I can’t stay,’ said Gabe hurriedly. ‘I need to get back.’ He turned to Fiona. ‘For the first couple of days, I thought I could show you around Tokyo. Acclimatise yourself and then you can start thinking about the focus for your exhibition.’

Fiona nodded, pleased he knew that much. It was already causing her a fair amount of anxiety. Although she’d been drawn to the competition by the idea of a trip to Japan, the real prize was the guaranteed exhibition at the Japan Centre in Kensington in London two weeks after she returned home. It was a fantastic opportunity to gain some recognition and perhaps sell some work. She’d been looking forward to working with Yukata Araki, renowned for his beautiful landscapes, and hoping to learn a lot from him as well as seek his advice on a theme for the exhibition.

But now she was stuck with Gabe. She wasn’t sure he would be the right person to help her. He specialised in portraits, for a start.

‘Acclimatisation sounds good,’ she murmured, the punch-drunk reeling sensation of jet lag starting to make her feel dizzy. She swayed on the spot and Gabe caught her arm. Her eyes immediately shot to his and her breath caught in her chest, almost imagining a quick flare of something before he hurriedly dropped her arm again. Stiffening, she forced herself to focus. Gabe had nothing to fear from her. She’d made a complete dick of herself with him before with fanciful imaginings. She wasn’t going to do it again, no matter how flipping attractive she found him.