Hello.
How are you?
Welcome to the Memories Shop.
It's your first time here?
I don't remember your face.
What do you want today?
Some Japan memories?
OK, I'll check what I have for you.
Yes, in this shop, we use some old techniques.
I'm consulting the annals.
I think I've found something for you.
I'm going to take some notes.
I always write everything down.
Excuse me but you haven't told me your name.
You prefer to stay anonymous?
You can invent a name if you prefer. I don't mind.
OK.
You want me to add this too? OK.
KU-RO-SA-WA-SAN?
So, you really love Japan.
I've 3 stories for you.
We heard them from several people.
Yes, you know. In our shop,
we tell stories and memories from people.
Those memories were left here by some people who came to find us.
Sometimes, those are just travel memories.
Sometimes, those are life memories, childhood memories.
Today, we'll talk about Japan memories.
The first memory was told to us by someone who had
a bad image of Japanese pastries.
In order to enhance my story with sounds that are
totally related with Japanese pastries,
I'm going to use this mouse.
It was ripped opened by some cats around here.
So, this person didn't think she would one day
enjoy eating Japanese pastries.
She told us that eating sweet red beans, that
only thinking about this made her wanted to puke.
But finally, she went to Japan and found herself in quite unusual situation.
Someone invited her to a tea ceremony
and at the end of this ceremony,
someone gave her a Daifuku.
These are small cakes made with some glutinous rice flour,
sugar and with Azuki, those small red beans mixed with sugar to stuff into the daifuku.
As not eating this cake would have troubled a bit,
even a lot, the peaceful atmosphere of this tea ceremony,
she ate this daifuku quite reluctantly. even a lot, the peaceful atmosphere of this tea ceremony,
she ate this daifuku quite reluctantly.
But, do you know that since that day,
She started to search the best daifukus in the whole country,
during three months, the length of her visa.
We can sometimes have some set ideas on something and
change completely our point of view.
But, do you like daifukus?
The next story? OK. Wait a moment, please.
The next story was...
Mister Kurosawa.
Kurosawa-san? OK.
For the next story...
This was told to us by a gentleman...
who narrated his adventures in Kyoto's mountains.
He used to walk in the mountains everyday.
Sometimes he met some snakes.
Those snakes were not dangerous
according to the locals, who told him
to take care of the bears instead.
But one day...
When he had a walk in Kyoto's mountains,
he reached a crossroad.
He had never seen anybody at this crossroad but
on that day, there was a stunning lady.
She seemed to be waiting for something.
He passed near her, willing to pursue his walk,
but his eyes caught this beautiful lady's eyes.
He was so surprised when he noticed this lady's eyes
were so similar to those of a snake.
He was hypnotized for a few seconds.
The lady spoke to him.
She asked him if he was also heading to the Moving Moon Temple.
The moving moon temple.
That's another story but you need to know that this is a very strange temple
that have followers in the whole world.
He replied that he didn't know anything about this temple.
She stared at him then said:
"OK. Thank you. Have a good day."
And she went away.
But he stayed there, without moving, for one hour.
He couldn't forget about this so beautiful snake eyes lady.
For several days after this meeting, he was so obsessed that
he went back to the mountains. He waited.
He stayed there at the crossroads but never saw her again.
C'est la vie.
I'm going to tell you the third story now.
The third story...
Can you hear those noises?
It's somewhat related to our story.
It was told to us by a gentleman.
He didn't tell us where this happened.
He only told us that it happened in a guest house.
If you don't know what is a guest house,
I can say that it's like a youth hostel, but more friendly.
This man was sleeping in a dormitory.
He had gone to bed a bit earlier than usually, around midnight,
but...
As he was sleeping,
he felt like he was suffocating.
Not like me, not because of his hair or something, no.
He felt as he if someone was trying to choke him.
That a girl was choking him.
And he woke up all of sudden.
He told us he was sure that someone was really trying to strangle him.
But when he opened his eyes, his dormitory was quiet.
Only the girls dormitory was noisy.
He told us they talked quiet loudly,
without thinking about other people sleeping.
Which happens quite often in guest houses.
After this weird experience,
he told us that he had walked in the city for two hours,
from 1am to 3 am.
He thought about the sense of life. What he should do with his life.
He also thought about the meaning of this dream.
Did someone hold a grudge against him?
Was it to tell him that he should live NOW?
Was it because he was suffocating in his daily life?
We don't know.
I don't know if I'll know it one day if he comes back.
I have never seen him again. It has been three years already.
You know that a lot of people come here and share a memory with us and go away.
Some other people, like you, come to find us to listen to those memories stories,
so that they can travel inside their head, of learn something about life.
I'm sorry. Today there are a lot of noise around.
Some people are moving in and out, you know.
It's a bit noisy.
Thanks to this, you have also make some memories and
you might come here to tell us your story later.
Well... OK, so...
You can give me whatever you want.
We ask our customers to give what they can.
You cannot give anything? I see.
Well, dear Kurosawa-san, maybe one of this day, then?
Bye, have a nice day.
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