Chapter 17

We walked out to see the seedier side of the city. There were a lot of clubs, brothels, massage parlors and adult movie houses. We walked down the street taking in sights. As we walked, we came to one bar with a few guys standing out front. They had on black suits with white shirts. They invited us in.

Hiro said, “This is a nice bar but in the back they have gambling. Cards, dice and a few slot machines.”

Five more beers were soon in our hands. Nozomi asked if I wanted to see the back room. I asked, “Is it real gambling or am I going to get cheated?”

“No it is legitimate, just not legal.”

I relented and we went into the back room after walking through the kitchen. There were two baccarat tables, one poker table, a blackjack table and a craps table.

Looking behind me, the three guys didn’t follow us. I asked, “Where are the others?”

“They’re all in school or have low paying jobs. They can’t afford to lose money here.”

“What about you?”

“I’m with you. I’m your date.”

“Then you should gamble with me. Do you want to play craps or blackjack?”

“I don’t know either game very well.”

“In that case we should play craps.”

When I stayed at the farm for six month in training, I played poker every night with people that played poker every night. I learned cards and how to play well. When there were fewer people around, I was taught to play blackjack and craps. I guess a lot of bad guys hang out in casinos.

The stakes weren’t very high so I put down twenty-five thousand yen for each of us. The equivalent of about $100 US dollars each. She looked at me and smiled. We were betting 1,000 yen on each roll. (about $4) We played the pass line and some of the numbers; usually six and eight. After about thirty minutes we had doubled our money. I said, “We should cash out and go find the guys.”

We did cash out and she paid me back what I’d given her and kept the winnings. I was fine with that. The problem was that the guys weren’t in the bar. Nozomi looked a little scared. “They wouldn’t have left without telling us. I bet they went to a brothel.”

I asked the bartender, “Did you see where the three guys went that we came in with?”

He had his sleeves rolled up and you could see tattoos down to his wrists on both arms. “They stepped outside with a couple girls.”

“Thanks.” I said as we left. We stopped out front and looked around but didn’t see them.

One of the guys out front in a black suit asked, “Do you want some pot or a girl like your friends?”

“I don’t need a girl. How good is the pot and do you have any papers or a lighter?”

“The pot is good stuff from Mexico. The rest you can get at the store.”

Looking at Nozomi I asked, “Do you smoke?”

She gave a slight nod. I turned to the guy, “How much for a bag and do you have any idea when the guys will be back?”

“They should be back soon and 7,000 yen for a bag.”

“Where should I pick it up?”

“Go back inside and I’ll go with you.”

We went inside while Nozomi waited on the street. When we were in a hallway off the kitchen he handed me a plastic bag. I looked at the pot and saw some buds in there. I reached in to pull out some money and he pulled a knife out. “The price went to 50,000 yen.”

I peeled off 7,000 and said, “We agreed on a price outside. If you want to change the deal, then the deal is off.”

He took the 7,000 and then reached for the money still in my hand and I put it in my pocket and left the money there. He lifted the knife to threaten me as my hand went to my back and I came back with a gun. I said, “I think we’re done here. You don’t want to start something.”

He was surprised by the gun and put the knife down and took a step back. I lowered the gun but didn’t put it back in the holster. I slipped the gun into my jacket pocket and kept my hand on it. He took another step back as I walked past him and out on the sidewalk just as the three guys walked up with three girls.

The guy with the knife was walking out the front door and had an older guy with him. He pointed to me and the man looked at me. He walked over to me and motioned me to step away from the group. He said, “My guy said that you had a gun.”

“He pulled a knife on me and tried to rob me. I helped him change his mind.”

“Where did you get the gun? Can you get more?”

“So you can rob more tourists?”

“No, that is petty stuff but sometimes other gangs come around and guns are illegal. So where did you get yours?”

“In America. I brought it with me.”

“Can you get more or want to sell the one you have?”

“How much is it worth to you?”

“750,000 yen?”

That was around $3,000 US dollars for a gun that was about $250 back home. I thought for a minute and said, “If it is worth 750 then it has to be worth 1.25 million yen.”

“A million is what they go for on the street. How many do you have?”

“Today I just have the one and I’m not giving it up. You can thank Mack the Knife for that. I can get more. Do you have ammo and if so what size?”

“We can get some .45 and .357.”

“I have a .38 but if you tell me what kind of guns you want, I can check on ammo as well. How many do you need?”

“Can you get ten .357’s?”

“I’ll make a call when I get home. Is this where you do business?”

“It is. I’m Yuto.”

“I’m Nick. Should I call or stop by? I don’t like carrying around ten guns and ammo.”

He handed me a card. It said that he was a restaurant owner. I could see everyone watching us. I told him that I had to go. He said, “I’m sorry about the knife. I’m not a street thug. My word is my honor.”

“I’ll let you know.” I said as I walked back to my friends. We were soon back at the train station. I said, “Fuck. I didn’t stop by the store.”

Nozomi said, “You got the pot?”

“That’s why I went inside.”

“That guy that stayed outside said that it wasn’t safe inside.”

“I felt safe but the guy didn’t. That is why the owner came out to talk to me.”

Hiro said, “The owner is a known boss in the Ninkyo Datai.”

“What is that?”

“You call them Yakuza or gangsters.” Eiji chimed in. “They’re bad guys and you should stay away. What did he talk to you about?”

Just then the train pulled up and I pretended not to hear him. When we sat down on the train for the short trip back to Ginza, I asked about getting some papers and Ren pulled out a pack. I asked, “Do you have a lighter?”

He pulled out one of those as well. “I had both in my jacket but no weed.”

“We should help each other out.”

Eiji didn’t want to go to the hotel where he worked. He was afraid of getting fired. We went back to Ren’s place and it was a small cracker box. Nozomi sat on my lap and rolled the joint on the table. She rolled two and we passed them around. It was okay weed but the way Ren talked, it was good by Japan standards.

Hiro tried to pull Nozomi off of my lap and onto his but she said, “You go off with some nasty hooker and then want me to be with you, I don’t think so.” We listened to some music and then we got a cab. Hiro was crashing on the couch and we dropped off Nozomi and then Eiji before the cab took me back to the hotel.

The following day was Saturday and I walked over to the embassy. It was only a mile or so. Billy’s dad, Mr. Carter was there and I asked him if he had some time to talk. We went down into the basement and into a room where we couldn’t be heard.

After the small talk, I said, “I was sent over here to make contacts in the Yakuza. I made my first contact last night. I was at a club and one of the street guys pulled a knife on me. I pulled a gun on him. That stopped the threat but then the boss asked me about the gun. He wanted to know where I got it and if I could get more.”

“Nick, I was briefed on this by Kari. I didn’t see how an outsider could get into a gang like that. This might be the way. I don’t have any problems with them having guns because they tend to only use them on each other. In Japan, the Yakuza has a Robin Hood reputation beyond petty crime. If they started hurting citizens or tourists the people would get mad. They like the reputation they have.”

“I didn’t promise anything but told him I’d look into it.”

“How would you spin it? How would you explain getting them?”

“I spent last night thinking about that and I think the best approach would be 99% truth and 1% lie. I’m the son of an ambassador. I get my mail sent to me at the embassy and it bypasses customs. I have friends in the states that will be happy to buy and ship things to me. I make money and they make money.”

“Then they would know your true identity.”

“I would rather they know than have them find out it was a lie. I also don’t think they would want to start an international war or kill the golden goose.”

“I can see that. What kind of guns? New or used?”

“New would look better for sales but would there be a problem with serial numbers if a couple show up here and are traced?”

“Maybe a truck got hijacked and the inventory disappeared. It could seem that the Yakuza had a hand in the robbery.”

“They want big caliber and will need ammo too. How big of a box can I get here without drawing too much attention?”

“Don’t worry about that. Getting it out of here would be the problem. If you get a car, you can put it in the trunk. If you want you can get embassy plates so you don’t get tickets. Hide in plain sight. Nick, I’ve known you for years. Since you were a little boy. I know your parents and would hate to have to call them if you were hurt or worse. You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

“I can hop on a plane and be anywhere in the world that I want. If things get too hot, I’ll walk away.”

He just nodded. “Anything else?”

“Some good pot. The stuff they sell is crap. They aren’t going to buy a new gun everyday but if we can supply some pot then we’ll be in regular contact.”

“I was in both Vietnam and Korea with the agency. I know where to get those kinds of things. If anything will draw attention to the embassy, bringing in pounds of pot will. The stuff smells in large volumes.”

“Just tell me where it needs to come from and I’ll see about getting it here.”

“I heard that you liked to figure things out in a way that worked for you. When I was read in that you were The Concierge, I was surprised but not surprised if you know what I mean. You’ve always been quick on your feet.”

“I need ten guns. Maybe start with eight and I’ll tell him it takes a while to get supply lines in place.”

“Sounds good. Why were you carrying last night and where did you go?”

“Some kids I met wanted to take me to Shinjuku. We found a bar with gambling in the back and girls trying to find a john in the bar. I won a couple hundred rolling dice.”

“Be safe. Watch your back. If you want to take Bill with you, he can be read in too. You have known each other for a while and trust each other.”

“We can play it by ear. I don’t want to go too far. Just ease into it.”

“Be safe. Do you want to stay for lunch?”

“No, I have some things to do. If you can check on the embassy plates that would help.”

“What kind of car are you going to get?”

“Something flashy. I’ll have to see what they have here. I don’t want a little car or 911. Something with a trunk for hauling things.”

“There is a place down in Osaka that has muscle cars. Some were brought over by GIs. Some were imported. It might be worth a train ride down there.”

“Check on the plates and maybe Bill and I can take a trip down there. Do I need to do anything about a driver’s license? Mine still says New Hampshire. I didn’t drive in Russia and they didn’t care in England.”

“I’ll let you know.” We stood and walked towards the door. “Be safe. I’ll get the first shipment this week.”

“Don’t forget the ammo.”

“I won’t.”

Before leaving the embassy, I used a phone to call Mika. She was studying but wanted to see me and gave me the address of the apartment she lived in. It was small with one bedroom and two beds, one for her and one for her roommate. She saw the look on my face and said, “We aren’t in New Hampshire anymore. Tokyo is an expensive place to live.”

I just nodded but didn’t say anything. I invited her to lunch and her roommate as well. Himari accepted and we walked a few blocks to a noodle house. She was a cute girl but not as pretty as Mika. She wanted to know about how we met and then listened to some stories from the time we were together. She liked the sailing trip the best but we didn’t talk about the orgy or ski trip. She just wanted to hear about getting away and seeing the world.

She told us about growing up in a small village near Mount Fuji. There were hot springs and the weather was always changing. On a clear day there was no prettier view.

I said, “I should climb the mountain before I get too busy.”

“They have tours or shuttles that take you to the mountain. Most people climb up to the eighth station and then spend the night. The goal is to get up early and climb to the summit or the tenth station to see the sunrise.”

“Is it very hard to find a hotel?”

“It’s out in the country and the mountain is so big. You can find a few small inns scattered about.”

Mika talked about school after I left and what different people were doing and where they were going to college. She said, “I still can’t believe you already graduated and I’m just starting. It doesn’t seem fair.”

“It’s complicated but all legal. I found a place to live but won’t sign the final lease until Tuesday. I don’t have any furniture, only a suitcase.”

“When you get moved in, I’ll come and cook you dinner.” Mika said.

“I’ll come too if you want me to help.” Himari added.

Mika got a devious smile on her face. “we’ll see.”

“It’s only about four miles. With the subway and taxis you can stop by whenever you want. When I get a phone, I’ll call and give you my number and we can arrange dinner.”

The noodles were made at the restaurant and almost to order the way they seemed to be working. We also had some tempura vegetables. The lunch was good and reminded me that I needed to not get into a rut of where I went and what I ate. The girls went back to their studies. I walked around. My goal was to get a feel of the types of people and neighborhoods around the city.

After the sunset, the alleyways lit up with food stalls and bars that could hold from six to fifty people. Most had a specialty of food types or animals. Pork might be featured in one and chicken in another. It was fun to find new places and talk with the locals. A round of drinks helped to build bridges and create opportunities to make new friends.

I started to get serious about transitioning from tourist to resident on Monday. I would get the keys to my apartment the following day. I stopped at a few furniture stores and asked about decorators. Of the six stores I visited, three gave me the name of a firm that was well respected in my area of town. I dropped by their office.

Not having an appointment or even calling ahead, they weren’t expecting me. After talking to a woman that came to the door after I entered, I was handed off to one of the owners. He was a flamboyant looking man with a bright green suit. “Mr. Duke, you don’t fit the profile of most of our clients. How can we be of help to you?”

“I was referred to you by some of the furniture stores I was visiting. I was hoping to see some photos of your completed projects so I can see if your idea of a home and my idea of a home match up.”

After considering what I said, he said, “I have a designer that can sit with you and show you some photos and also get an understanding of what you have in mind. Since you didn’t have an appointment we don’t have any of our senior designers free at this time. If you would rather schedule a time and come back that’s fine. If you want to sit down now, we have an associate that can work with you.”

“I realize that I dropped by unannounced but I don’t have a phone yet and didn’t want to go back to the hotel when I was so close, so I just stopped by to see if I could by chance find someone that was free. An associate would be fine.”

He introduced me to a young lady named Sakura. She led me to a conference room and there were books, catalogs and samples. She said, “I heard my father tell you that I was an associate and have only been a designer for about three months. I graduated with a degree in interior design from the University in Osaka. Before we get into colors and materials, maybe you can tell me a little about yourself and the place you want decorated. You’re far from our typical customer.”

“I hear that a lot. I recently graduated from Cambridge University in England with a degree in computer science. I was eighteen when I earned my degree. I graduated from high school in Russia and did my freshman and sophomore year in the United States. Before that I went to the American school here in Tokyo, as my father was the ambassador to Japan from the US. When I was sixteen, I started a company with my roommate in high school and it has grown into an international software company. I’m here in Tokyo to see about possibly expanding the company geographically as well as diversifying into other areas.”

It was easy to see that she wasn’t expecting that but she sat quietly as I went on. “I have an apartment in Ginza that is on the top floor of a ten story building. It has three bedrooms and an office. There’s about three hundred and fifty square meters inside and a terrace that is another eighty to a hundred square meters. The ceilings are tall, twelve feet or three and a half meters in most rooms. The floors are all bamboo except the bathrooms.”

“Three hundred and fifty meters in Ginza? What is your budget for this project?”

“I haven’t thought about it. I just want a place that I can enjoy when I’m home. I love the look of Japanese with the tatami mats and low tables. The problem is that I’m tall. I don’t sit well cross-legged for very long. If there was a way to section the house or blend the Western and Asian style that is what I would like.”

“Let’s look at some of the projects we’ve done in the past, look at some magazines and see if we can find a style that fits your needs.”

That is just what we did. We talked about more traditional Japanese floor and wall coverings but using more arts and crafts style furniture with woods that are native to Asia. We didn’t pick anything out but Sakura was happy with the progress we’d made. We signed some paperwork and she was officially my decorator.

It was still unclear as to when I would get into the apartment so she was going to take Wednesday and look into some different options. We planned to meet on Thursday to look at the space and let her take measurements.

Wednesday was easy. I stopped by and signed one last form, wrote a check and picked up my keys. There was nothing for me to do at the apartment so I went back to the hotel and changed into some workout clothes. I went for a run trying to pay attention to the different areas as I did. Later, after a shower and change of clothes, I called the embassy to talk to Mr. Carter. He let me know that my order had been approved and would be delivered on Friday. I asked him to find me a backpack or something that I could carry things in that wouldn’t make me stick out.

One more call to the man that I would be delivering to. When he was on the phone I said, “Yuto, this is Nick. You gave me your card and asked me to give you a call. Are you going to be free Friday night or some time this weekend?”

“Nick, why don’t you stop by on Friday night? Maybe you will win big like last time.”