Cherry Blossom Footsteps: Adventures in Japan and Hong Kong

By Gail Holloway

Twenty-something Lauren is embarking on her first-ever overseas adventure - to Japan for the cherry blossoms, Zen gardens and majestic temples, where she makes use of her uni studies. She then travels on to Hong Kong, where she traces the 1960s footsteps of her beloved nan, in more ways than one. This enchanting tale follows Lauren on a fun journey, through two vibrant Asian cultures. With ancient history, modern life, new friendships and romance, Lauren’s is a story of discovery - of new lands, and herself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tellwell Talent
• Release date: Apr 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9781922368669

Gail Holloway

I turned my attention to fiction after nurturing a love of writing journals to record my many travels. Some elements of Cherry Blossom Footsteps are based on my own experiences. (I'm not revealing which, though).My website is designed to add extra dimension to the reading experience by exploring elements of my book's subject matter.For my day job, I run my own safety consulting business in Melbourne, Australia. When not working or writing, I enjoy bushwalking, live music and live comedy.

Book preview

Part One

‘You must have a total view of the garden to

make it a whole and meaningful experience,

and yet in reality that’s not possible.’

Chapter 1

Lauren was trying her hand at making okonomiaki, in honour of the impending trip. She’d gathered all the ingredients, from eggs through to onions, and began to cook. Unfortunately though, what were supposed to be thick, luscious vegetable pancakes were just turning out to be rather nondescript, lumpy objects, that not even she could bring herself to try. She gave up and made cheese on toast.

Within a week Lauren and Helen would set off for their Asian odyssey. The last ten years had all been leading up to this point. As a child, Lauren had been held in thrall to her grandmother’s tales of travels in Asia. Now, having completed her course at Melbourne University, she was free to take off on her own adventure.

The best part for Lauren was that her nan was planning to go with her. This woman, whom she had looked up to for so long, was going to accompany her and show her first hand the places she’d described in her countless stories.

Lauren had planted the idea with Helen before she started the last year of her course in Asian history and politics.

‘Are you sure you want me along?’ Helen would ask. ‘I was less than your age when I went off to Britain. I wouldn’t have wanted my grandmother along for the ride.’

But Lauren had been persistent. ‘But I want to share it with you, nan. It wouldn’t be as good without you.’

Lauren believed Helen would make the trip more interesting by being a personal guide, and recounting the stories of her own travels. Perhaps she was acknowledging her inner apprehension, given her parents’ lack of travel. After this first trip she could venture off on her own, but for now she was keen to have nan along.

So, after a year’s worth of anticipation, and now the satisfaction of completing a major chunk of her formal education, Lauren was more than ready to start packing.

After majoring in Japanese history at university, Lauren had set Japan as their first destination. Helen was only able to get four weeks off work, so they planned twelve days in Japan, before moving on to Helen’s old territory of Hong Kong. Lauren had often heard Helen speak fondly of Hong Kong, with many interesting tales of life there in the 1960s, but she always sensed that Helen wasn’t telling the full story.

****

A few days before departure, Lauren went to the city with her friend, Jess, to buy some last-minute items for the trip. Years of part-time jobs, squirrelling money where she could, would allow her to enjoy the travel without having to watch every expense.

Her phone rang. It was Helen. ‘Darling, you know that hiking trip to the Organ Pipes National Park I was going on yesterday? Well, I’m afraid ‘trip’ was the operative word and I’ve ended up with a broken leg. I’m in a cast up to my thigh and I’m stuck at home, with Mike looking after me.’

‘Nan, are you alright?’ Lauren asked.

‘Oh yes, the rest of me is fine, but I won’t be walking anywhere much for the time being.’ It was only six days before they were due to fly out, and the news really threw Lauren. They’d planned the trip together for so long, and now nan wasn’t going to make it.

Lauren said goodbye to Jess, and stopped on her way home to visit Helen. She walked up the flower-lined front path of the old terrace house and knocked on the big red door. It was Mike who answered, and he greeted Lauren with a half grin, half frown.

Mike was Helen’s bloke, and Lauren liked him a lot. Lauren’s grandad had died when she was quite young. Helen had been on her own for a while when she and Mike paired up.

Helen was sitting with her leg in a very large cast, but busy writing in her journal when Lauren arrived.

‘Nan, you poor thing!’ Lauren said, as she walked into the front room. ‘Is it painful?’

‘It’s more awkward than painful now, but what I’m mainly feeling is frustration that I can’t go on the trip. We’ve been planning it together for ages,’ Helen said, then let out a big sigh.

‘We can wait till you’re better. Maybe put the trip off for a while. It won’t be long before you’re out of that cast,’ Lauren suggested. The sun streaming through the window seemed to put a positive light on the situation.

‘Unfortunately, I think I’m going to be incapacitated for a fair while, Lou,’ Helen said. Lou was Helen’s nickname for Lauren since she was a toddler. ‘The specialist reckons I’ve done a pretty good job of breaking the tibia and, even once the cast’s off, I’ll need to do a fair bit of physio before I’d be fit to go travelling. I’m just so disappointed I can’t go with you. But Mike and I reckon you should go anyway.’

Lauren felt a pang of apprehension. ‘How can I go off on my own when this was going to be our trip, exploring the places you travelled in your twenties? You’ve told me all these stories ever since I was little, and I need you to clue me in.’ But even as she said this, Lauren began to wonder if maybe she should consider going alone.

‘There’s no reason you can’t do this, Lou. You’ll have a fabulous time. You don’t need me to be there, and anyway, we can stay in touch by email and whatever. You’ve got the flights booked, and you’re due to fly out next Sunday. Just go for it,’ Helen insisted.

‘I’ll think about it,’ Lauren said, but secretly felt a new level of excitement at the prospect of setting off on her own adventure. Helen had done it all those years ago in the 1960s. Now, at the end of the 2000s, she could emulate her nan in ways she hadn’t anticipated before.

Lauren stayed on and they chatted about the possibilities of solo travel, until it was time to head home. By the time she arrived, she was ready to tell her mum and dad that she’d be going on her own.

****

Once the decision was made, Sunday came around very quickly. Lauren’s mum, Rhonda, and dad, Mark, drove to the airport, along with her younger brother Daniel, to see her off. She’d said farewell to her nan the day before, with loads more advice and all Helen’s love to take with her.

Daniel was acting very cool about it all, but the others knew he was both excited and a bit concerned about his big sister setting off overseas. Rhonda and Mark were less cool and admitted to being just a bit anxious, but they knew that Lauren could look after herself, and were pleased she’d decided to go despite the late change of plans.

To see them all together, the familial resemblances were clear. Lauren had Rhonda’s blonde hair and blue eyes, but Mark’s round face and fair skin. Daniel was more the opposite, a thin build like his mum, and his dad’s dark hair.

After lots of hugs and kisses, the family watched Lauren disappear through the International Departures doors. Lauren stood in the immigration queue. This was really the beginning of her solo adventure – as the noughties were coming to a close, her own journey was beginning. The majority of the queue was Asian, and Lauren stood out with her blonde hair and relative height. This was the start of her travel experience.

Through the formalities, Lauren wafted past the flashy counters and merchandise of the duty-free stores. She stopped to get some yen at the foreign exchange booth – just enough to get by for her first few days. When the flight was called, Lauren boarded and found her seat. It was a window seat, as requested, and she waited to see who would sit next to her. She wanted to share her sense of excitement, and she was also aware of missing her nan’s reassuring companionship. Unfortunately, a rather dull-looking middle-aged man plonked down into the next seat, and although they exchanged a quick hello, it didn’t seem conversation was likely.

Lauren realised she didn’t really care about chatting. She was all too keen to put her head into the Lonely Planet guide to Japan, and add some further detail into her plans. The first few days’ accommodation in Tokyo had been booked, but that was all that was fixed. Helen had been keen to keep some flexibility in the itinerary, so although they’d set out several ideas for places to visit, nothing was locked in.

With her knowledge of Japan, Lauren was trying to balance the hundreds of things she wanted to see, with Helen’s insistence that it was better to go slowly to appreciate what you do see. Lauren decided she would try to honour her nan’s advice. With only twelve days in Japan this time round, she was never going to see everything she had on her list. This was only the first of what would hopefully be many visits to this country, Lauren reassured herself. Better to just get a feel for the place – to experience first-hand what she’d been reading about and imagining. Yes, that’s the way to go, she thought, and gazed out the window as the last bit of the Australian coast faded from view.

Chapter 2

Arriving at Narita Airport, Lauren felt energised to finally be in Japan – a country brimming with both proud tradition and future promise. By the time she got through customs and immigration and found her way to the train, twilight was falling over the city. From the train window, the industrial landscape of Yokahama with its chimney stacks, cranes and giant factories was silhouetted against a dusky sky. The haze of the day lent the horizon a burnt orange glow, that gave way to a muted blue. As the train sped towards Tokyo itself, thousands of lights in outer city apartment blocks, then the inner-city buildings, glinted against a deepening indigo blue sky.

The train took Lauren into Ikebukuro, away from the main part of Tokyo, but still a lively area in which to stay. Ikebukuro House was a small inn that Lauren and Helen had booked a few weeks ago. Lauren took a taxi the short distance to the inn, then dragged her backpack out of the cab and into the tiny reception area.

The inn was clearly past its prime, but what it lacked in modern amenities, it made up for with understated charm. Mrs Tanaka, a friendly woman in her thirties, ran the inn efficiently. The staff were Japanese travellers who’d taken jobs to help fund their journeys.

Lauren had known to take off her shoes at the entrance to the inn. She now wore the slippers that had been laid out at the doorway, and the sensation on her feet made her feel both relaxed and at home. The atmosphere was welcoming as Mrs Tanaka showed Lauren to her room.

The room was a sparse, authentic Japanese-style room with a tatami mat floor and two futon beds. A small timber chest of drawers, with antique-style iron handles, was the only furniture in the room. Lauren closed the sliding timber and paper door behind her, and sat on the bed. She was actually in Japan. Just that morning, she’d woken in her own bed and set off on a plane. Now, a few short hours later, here she was in a very foreign land – one that she’d studied and dreamed about for many years. It felt somewhat surreal.

Lauren’s thoughts turned to Helen. Her nan was supposed to have been with her right now. They would have been able to share this moment of delight and wonder together. Lauren felt unsure whether she’d be comfortable getting around this city and the countryside on her own.

She made a quick call to her parents to confirm she’d arrived safely and then, with a mixture of excitement and apprehension, decided to try to sleep and see about facing the city in the morning.

****

Lauren had been hopeful that her timing was good enough to catch hanami, Japan’s cherry blossom viewing time, which is limited to a mere two weeks. She’d been checking the weather forecasts and the blossom predictions online before leaving home, but she knew how unpredictable and fleeting it can be. In the morning, her first question for the staff was whether kaika had happened yet. Kaika is the opening of the first blossoms. As part of the ceremony surrounding this major event on the Japanese calendar, a set of representative sample trees is selected to define the date of kaika for a whole city. In Tokyo, the sample trees are located at the historic Yasukuni Shrine. To her delight, Lauren was told the trees had burst into bloom just three days ago. This meant that there would still be plenty of chances to see trees in blossom around the city. The weather was mild with very little breeze – perfect blossom viewing time.

Lauren helped herself to the breakfast available in the inn’s kitchen. She deferred tackling the Japanese-style breakfast of savoury rice porridge, kayu, and various pickled items till another day. Instead she fortified herself with fruit and some reliable toast, washed down with green tea. She put on a smart striped top and a denim skirt, and was ready to face the city.

Arriving at night hadn’t given her a clear impression of the streetscape in Ikebukuro. In the morning, plenty of people were about, but it wasn’t particularly crowded. The streets in the busy commercial area were lined with small shops and lively cafés. People were going about their business on an average Monday morning, but for Lauren, this was anything but ordinary. She was in the capital city of one of the world’s most dynamic nations, and she was keen to soak it all in.

Young people, dressed for business in suits and smart shoes, walked purposefully along the street, while older folk took their time getting about, stopping to chat and pass the time of day. The younger people were in and out of the cafés, emerging with takeaway tea and sweet buns.

She headed for the train station to travel to Ueno Park, one of the main parks in Tokyo, and a popular cherry blossom viewing spot. To get there, she needed to negotiate the Tokyo metro train system.

She found her way back to Ikebukuro Station – a large and busy place with signs pointing in many directions. As well as the kanji, most of the signs denoting destinations were also written in the English alphabet. Having worked out which trains to catch and the platform, she was able to make her way. The rail pass she’d purchased at home not only allowed unlimited rides on the intercity trains, but also the Tokyo network. So, no need to test out her language skills yet.

Straight outside the train station was Ueno Park. She joined the throng surging along the narrow footpath, and was almost carried along by the crowd. Once there, the people dispersed quite readily, allowing Lauren to gain a sense of her surroundings. It was a very large space, dotted with historic buildings, water features and bridges. The vast lawn was mostly filled with people, and the attraction they were all there to see was the trees – hundreds of them, and they were beautiful.

The colour palette was stunning, with the trees and their blossoms contrasting the rich blue of the sky, and the verdant greens of the lawn. It might have been crowded, but the whole place was alive with happy people and natural beauty. The blossom trees were dotted around the park, and lined the paths that dissected the lawns.

Most of the crowd looked Japanese, but in this most popular of tourist spots, were some European faces. A range of other languages could be heard everywhere. Many people were just wandering around, but others had set up rugs and mats to sit back and settle in for a while.

Lauren found a relatively clear space and sat on the lawn, immersed in the most sumptuous of surroundings. Every now and then, a slight breeze would cause a few petals to dislodge. People nearby would gasp, partly because it was a pretty sight, and partly because everyone wanted the flowers to stay intact for as long as possible. It was still very early in the hanami season, and wind was the natural enemy of cherry blossoms.

Lauren reflected on her luck arriving in Japan at this time. This was one of the world’s iconic sights and she’d walked straight into it. The weather was perfect, the atmosphere enchanting, and she could take it all in at her leisure.

After a while, she went to explore the rest of Ueno Park, which had many traditional buildings in the form of temples, shrines and pagodas. The place simply demanded to be photographed.

It would be hard to imagine more cameras in use in any one place in the world – this was Photo Central. Everywhere that Lauren looked, people were lining up photographs. ‘Happy snappers’ were busy taking multiple shots of their family and friends beside the flowers. Camera enthusiasts were adopting a variety of positions on the ground, up close and from a distance to capture every possible angle. And everyone in between – wherever Lauren looked, someone was taking a photo. Now that cameras were digital, the number of pictures to take was virtually limitless.

Lauren was keen to take her own photos, and had bought a neat compact camera prior to the trip. The large lake there was known as Shinobazu Pond. If Lauren wandered to the other side, she could frame a photograph with cherry trees across the lake, reflecting in the water. With so little breeze to disturb the surface, the photo would turn out really well.

After wandering for a long while, Lauren’s mind turned to food. People were coming from one part of the park with food in their hands, so she headed in that direction to see what she could find.

A large number of tents had been set up to feed the hordes. Alongside the food stalls were an equal number of souvenir stalls, selling a great range of merchandise of questionable quality, at unquestionably inflated prices. Despite this, the majority of the crowd was milling around the souvenir stalls, and Lauren was able to find a stand selling quite decent looking bento boxes.

She took her lunch over to where people had laid out their picnics. Initially, she sat down to enjoy her lunch on the lawn, but before she’d taken the first bite of a nori roll, a young woman approached her. She introduced herself as Suki, and was from a nearby group having their picnic. ‘Excuse me. We see you are on your own. Would you like to join us?’ she said, in mannered English. Lauren hadn’t expected to find people so friendly in this big city, but she welcomed the invitation.

Suki took Lauren over to the spot where her family had set up their picnic and introduced her to each person in turn – her mother, father, younger sister and grandmother. They’d come to the big city from Nikko, which was in the countryside west of Tokyo, to visit one of Suki’s aunts in hospital. The family had taken the opportunity to experience hanami, city style and had come early to the park to stake out their spot.

Each of the family was eager to converse with Lauren, but only Suki spoke any English, so Lauren was given her first real opportunity to converse in Japanese. It was one thing learning it in a classroom, even if she had practiced a lot for her exams. It was another thing to engage natives in their own tongue. Accent can be an issue, and English and Japanese aren’t very complementary languages. Despite these obstacles, the group managed to communicate effectively.

Many questions: Was this Lauren’s first time in Japan? Why was she travelling alone? How old was she? How long would she be staying? Which parts of Japan would she be seeing? Would she come to Nikko? Which part of Australia was Lauren from? And so on.

Lauren took a while to get into the rhythm, but found she was able to come up with enough of the right words to make herself understood. She had trouble with some words, and was unsure if she had the right ones, but it turned out to be the accent that was the problem, rather than the choice of word and after a few variations, found she could hit the target. Suki also came to her aid with some exchanges in English, and subsequent translations for the family.

The family was sympathetic when Lauren explained about Helen’s last-minute injury, and they were impressed with the idea of a young woman travelling on her own. But Lauren could already see that travelling alone provided more opportunities to meet other people than if she was with someone.

Mrs Yamada had prepared a range of different food for lunch that she insisted Lauren sample. Lauren laid down her humble bento box as a meagre contribution to the picnic. ‘Arigato gozaimasu’[1], she said, in response to the sushi that was offered to try. ‘Oishii des’[2].

They all chatted and enjoyed a feast of picnic fare. The smoked eel was the tastiest item, and Lauren had to be careful not to take more than her fair share. The family kept encouraging Lauren to try everything – okazu – crumbed cutlets, rice balls, some salad and pickles, as well as fruit and cake. Lauren had to turn her mind to recalling the rules of Japanese etiquette, to ensure she did the right thing by her hosts when they kept offering more. ‘Iie, mo kekko desu,’[3] she said. ‘Gochisosama,’ she added, which translates as ‘It was indeed a feast.’

Lauren stayed and chatted a while longer while digesting her substantial lunch, before making her farewells. ‘Dewa mata’[4] she said, getting to her feet with some effort. ‘Domo arigato gozaimasu’[5]. ‘Do itashimashite’[6] they all said in return. Mrs Yamato even ventured a tentative ‘Goodbye’, and they all smiled.

Suki’s grandma called out, ‘O-daijini’[7], as Lauren headed away from the group.

Lauren felt very pleased with her first social encounter with Japanese people. The whole family had been warm and welcoming, and it was reassuring to find such hospitality in a big city, even if it was with folks from out of town.

Feeling recharged after the meal and the company, Lauren was ready to embark on something more demanding. The Tokyo National Museum was located within the park. It was a pity to spend time indoors with the weather so perfect and the blossoms all around, but Lauren couldn’t wait to check out the treasures that lay inside.

The museum comprised a series of buildings, each with their own theme. The brochure given to Lauren on payment of the entry fee said there were 110,000 examples of Japanese and other Asian art held there. Where to start?

Lauren decided on the Honkan Japanese gallery, as it was Japanese history in which she had the greatest interest. The building itself was imperial without being ornate. Once inside, the choice of exhibits