Today Pegman visits Tokyo.
ありがとうございました
Arigatōgozaimashita,
thank you to Karen Rawson for hosting this unique challenge.
To enjoy other stories inspired by the What Pegman Saw prompt or to submit your own 150-word story, visit the inLinkz button:
My photo choice from stroll through Google
Again, I’m late for the party, but couldn’t resist the challenge. Maybe it’s the extra 50 words or the fact that I’m merely a participant.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Word Count: 150
FLOWER AND WILLOW WORLD
A thousand butterflies swirl in my stomach as I peer out the window, watching for the car that will bring my Hoshi-chan, my shining star, for a brief visit.
After we left her at the Okiya in Kyoto, six months ago, I cried for a week.
“It’s all for the best, Fumiko-chan,” said my husband Ichiro. “She’s following her life’s path.”
“What does she know of life? She’s only fifteen.”
“We’ve five more children and can hardly feed them.”
I cannot argue, but Hoshi is our only daughter, my ally in this man’s house.
At her Misedashi—formal presentation ceremony—my heart swelled with pride. In exquisite silk kimono, painted face and jeweled hair, Hoshi, renamed Kikuyu, was welcomed into the secret society of Geisha.
She glided to me on lacquered getas and uttered those words I will forever cherish. “Okaasan, when I come home, please cook me a hamburger.”
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Original Artwork © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
Very sweet Jap tale. Rochelle, how i look forward to your stories.
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Dear Neel,
And I have come to look forward to your comments. You make me feel like a queen. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Excellent story. The hidden world of the Geisha is great stuff. Yukio Mishima wrote a great one called Hot Water Bottles that you should check out.
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Dear J hardy,
I’m sad that Geisha are among a vanishing tradition in Japan. Thank you for the suggestion and thank for taking time to read and comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, this is great! Everything is so Japanese and serene then – the hamburger line. Love it!
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Dear Lish-chan,
I’m pleased that you liked my last minute tale. I’ve always had a fascination with Geisha, so I just couldn’t resist this prompt.
Shalom/Heiwa,
Rochelle-chan
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Interesting story. Guess I’d better expand my knowledge about this, as the word geisha doesn’t say anything good to me.
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Dear Christine,
Geisha literally means artist. The trade has changed over the past 75 years. It no longer involves a girl’s virginity being auctioned to the highest bidder. Although the profession is focused on entertaining men, it doesn’t necessarily mean in bed. 😉 Glad you stopped by to read and took the time to comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks for the explanation. The comment about not having enough food to feed them all implies the parents can’t afford to keep her and are giving her away somehow. Maybe they should give one of the boys away, if it’s all about art. 😉
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Good catch. That was deliberate. That does happen…giving the girl away…not as often as it did, say, 70 years ago. The irony there, is that the first geisha were men. Go figure. 😉
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I really like the tone of your story. The world of the Geisha is often misunderstood, and your comments enrich us all.
I too loved the last line.
Very well done Rochelle. a pleasure to read.
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Dear Emmy,
I’ve been fascinated with the world of the Geisha since I was a child. Author Golden’s book Memoirs of a Geisha rekindled that flame and it’s continued to burn with the movie and many documentaries watched since. I’m glad you enjoyed my story and my last line. 😉 I’m so pleased you dropped by.
Shalom/Heiwa,
Rochelle
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What a beautiful story, Rochelle. Well worth waiting for! 🙂 ❤
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Thank you for your more than welcome words, Jelli. ❤
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle,
Thanks for joining in the Pegman prompt this week! I look forward to your stories. I instantly thought of Memoirs of a Geisha–one of my favorite books. The hamburger line was priceless.
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Dear Karen,
I have questioned myself every week as to whether I had another story in me. It always amazes me when they do come.
Memoirs of a Geisha was the book that lured me back into reading for pleasure. At the time it had been years since I’d read anything but self-help books and the like. I love Asian culture…particularly the food. 😉 Thank you for your lovely comments on my story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Exotic, exquisite and yet universal, Rochelle — the difficulties we have as parents watching our kids grow up and letting them go, and the simple pleasures and memories we have as children of home and mother’s cooking. 🙂
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Dear David,
I love the way we are diverse, different and still the same. Thank you for reading and your insightful comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Wonderful as per usual… with a little chuckle at the end. Makes “giving” away our children to make their way without us a little less painful. You are the Queen of the short story!
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Dear Dale,
Glad the last line made for a chuckle. Thank you for such an awesome comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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