Ink Portals

Land of the rising sun

8

The jet touched down on the runway at Haneda airport, greeted by a new day.

Jack and his entourage disembarked and skipped the baggage collection line, since they had only brought a few carry-on bags. They got their passports stamped and soon they were on the street outside.

"My God, I didn't realize how much I missed this place," Pierre said, breathing in the smoggy morning air. He looked around at the colorful river of traffic and the bustling crowds on the sidewalk and smiled. "After all this time we set foot on Japanese soil once more. I feel like we should blast some AC/DC or something of the sort, you know, while we stroll along in slow-motion."

"Yeah," Jack said, smiling despite himself. "It sure has been a while."

Pierre rolled his suitcase to a row of taxis parked next to the sidewalk.

"So, where to?" Arthur said.

"We need to go see Chong first," Jack said. "Let him know we're in town and get him to back us before we confront Kurtis. Kurtis has a small army of mercenaries behind him. We need to be ready with allies of our own."

Jack approached a taxi and showed the cabby a map of Tokyo he had gotten from the information desk inside the airport, he pointed at a spot on the map and the driver nodded.

"Why is he wearing white gloves?" Arthur asked, watching the cabby pack their luggage into the trunk.

"In Japan cabdrivers wear them to show off the immaculately clean state of their taxi." Jack said. "People here are very conscious about cleanliness."

Everyone piled into the taxi and they set off, melting away into the river of traffic leaving the airport.

Around thirty minutes later the cab was inching into the heart of Tokyo, surrounded by traffic from all sides. Arthur looked out the window at the masses of people, some crossing streets and waiting at bus stops, but most were busy on their phones, walking urgently. Arthur could easily spot the tourists among them; they walked much slower, taking photos and gawking up at the animated advertisements flickering on the sides of buildings.

The cab stopped at a red light. Arthur was mesmerized by a guy in a bright yellow Pikachu costume on the corner of a busy intersection; the cartoon character was spinning a sign board, advertising a selection of sushi dishes. The place was a hive of activity everywhere he looked.

"It's changed an awful lot since we were here," Pierre said, taking in the sights and sounds outside his window.

"Sure has," Jack said, catching himself smiling again. Arthur could tell Jack liked being back in Japan, even Abby couldn't remember the last time she saw Jack smiling at something as ordinary as traffic jams, and pedestrians going about their day.

The cab turned a corner and entered a less-busy side street, with little noodle shops and clothing outlets dotted along the sidewalks.

"That's the place," Jack said, tapping the driver on the shoulder and pointing at a sign hanging outside. All the parking spaces in front of the place were taken so the cabby double parked and switched on his hazard lights, making other cars inch around them.

"I'll be right back," Jack said.

City noises and the smell of deliciously cooked noodles wafted into the cab as he opened and shut the door.

Arthur watched as Jack approached two men in black suits, smoking outside on the street. His Japanese was rusty but he managed to get across what he needed to say. At first the men sized him up suspiciously, it was nothing personal, the Yakuza were suspicious of most westerners, but when Jack mentioned Chong's name they straightened up and listened more intently. Jack rolled up the sleeve of his jacket and showed the men his tattoo; there was a small signature below the dragon in red ink. In Japan it was customary for famous tattoo artists to sign their name to their work. One of the men leaned forward to examine the tattoo, his demeanor changed immediately. The two thugs bowed deeply before holding open the door for Jack.