My era, 1979!

Chapter 185 Holy Land Tour
Seeing Xu Chengjun write down Chinese characters, Ishinomori Shotaro's eyes lit up, and like a big child who had received a new and exciting toy, he excitedly took it.

He carefully blew on the still-wet ink, then solemnly handed it to the proprietress behind the counter with both hands.

“Obasan (the proprietress),” Shotaro Ishinomori said with a grin, his expression exaggerated and carefree as a manga artist, “This is an impromptu piece of calligraphy from a future literary giant of China. Keep it safe! Maybe in a few decades, it will be the ‘treasure of your little shop’! It’ll be worth a fortune then!”

The proprietress was a kind-faced middle-aged woman. She smiled gently, clearly not taking it too seriously, assuming it was just a few foreign guests and a familiar local oddball having a bit of fun after drinking.

But she still politely and solemnly placed the paper under the glass counter, along with some regular customers' business cards and yellowed old photos.

Xu Chengjun himself didn't care at all; he just found the cartoonist's personality quite interesting.

However, to the proprietress's utter surprise, a few days later, when Shotaro Ishinomori was interviewed by a manga magazine, he talked about the interesting things that had happened recently and actually mentioned with great interest his chance encounter with Xu Chengjun, the Chinese genius writer, at the Akasaka Izakaya that night, as well as the "calligraphy" he had written on the spot.

"That 'Chinese Oscar' not only looks like a manga protagonist, but his travelogue, 'Ichigo Ichie,' is also full of spirit between the lines!" said Shotaro Ishinomori.

As soon as the report was published, the Japanese female fans, or rather otaku, who were already curious about and admired Xu Chengjun because of the photos in "Shukan Shincho", instantly found a new place of pilgrimage.

Starting the following evening, this ordinary izakaya, which originally only served the surrounding office workers, suddenly saw a surge of young female customers.

"ここがあのlord, come to the shop?" (Wow! Is this the shop where the gentleman came?)
"すごい! Straight writing of オスカー様の! 人と同じで、すごくカッコいい字!" (Awesome! Handwritten by Mr. Oscar! The characters are the same as the person, super cool!)

"'One issue, one meeting'...Nana's romantic Nana!" (One issue, one meeting...how romantic!)
"このizakaya, もうprivateたちの圣地になったよ!" (This izakaya is already our holy place!)

Looking at the unexpectedly lively scene before her, the proprietress suddenly realized that Mr. Ishinomori had not been entirely joking that night.

She looked at the piece of paper under the glass counter, which had become the focus of attention, and her gaze changed completely, from casual to truly cherishing it.

But an even more unexpected legend unfolded nearly twenty years later.

As the new millennium approached, Japan's economy suffered a prolonged downturn, impacting many long-established businesses in the Akasaka area. This izakaya was no exception, its business dwindling until it was on the verge of collapse.

Just then, some young Chinese people studying and working in Tokyo, as well as early cultural bloggers who were active online, managed to find this place by relying on some scattered rumors and records from old magazines.

"Excuse me, is this the izakaya where Mr. Xu Chengjun wrote his poem back then?" A Chinese student wearing glasses asked excitedly in broken Japanese.

The proprietress, whose hair was already white, nodded.

"Found it! It really is the only surviving handwritten work by 'The Traveler'!"

"My God, this is the only piece of calligraphy left by Xu Wenhao under the pen name 'Traveler,' making it absolutely unique!"

"Quick, take a picture for me! This is a 'pilgrimage' for us Chinese literature students!"

Although Xu Chengjun later became famous, he rarely used his early pen name "Traveler" to write or sign his name. This impromptu work at the Tokyo izakaya has become a hidden gem and an important physical object for studying his early life and the use of his pen name.

This small shop, which was originally on the verge of closing down, has regained attention and attracted many Chinese and Japanese tourists who are interested in Chinese culture and Xu Chengjun to "check in," miraculously continuing to operate.

A small piece of paper, spanning twenty years, connects the cultural memories of different generations in two countries. This was probably something that no one present that night, including Xu Chengjun himself, had expected.
-
It was late at night when Xu Chengjun and Wu Lei half-supported and half-carried Song Liangxi, who was completely drunk and chuckling foolishly, as they stumbled out of the izakaya.

Akasaka 7-chome, however, did not fall asleep; instead, it became increasingly lively.

The noise from the izakayas hadn't subsided when more neon lights lit up, illuminating the streets as if it were daytime.

In front of some shops decorated with suggestive light boxes, groups of young women dressed in sexy short skirts and high heels began to appear. They were exquisitely made up and cast probing glances at passersby, especially men who seemed to have purchasing power, or softly beckoned to them in their sweet Japanese.

Three people passed by, and the bolder one pulled the hem of his clothes even lower.

Xu Chengjun, in particular, received quite a few flirtatious glances.
"My God... This... This is outrageous! It's indecent!" Wu Lei blushed and quickly turned his head away.

"Hehehe..." The drunken Song Liangxi seemed to find the scene amusing. Leaning on Xu Chengjun's shoulder, she let out meaningless laughter, her cheeks flushed and her eyes hazy.

Xu Chengjun appeared calm, but inwardly he couldn't help but feel a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, mixed feelings).

Where is this?

In 1980, Japan experienced rapid economic growth, and the sex industry entered a period of unprecedented prosperity and "rationalization."

Although it is illegal, through various borderline forms, Turkish baths, pink salons, strip clubs, and countless clubs and snookers that offer escort services have formed a huge and semi-public industry.

Commercial districts such as Akasaka, Shinjuku, and Roppongi are where this type of business is concentrated.

The massive economic bubble has fostered distorted spending power, with many office workers pouring large sums of money into nightlife.

At the same time, society's attitude towards "sex" was more open than before and in the early postwar period. Coupled with women's pursuit of quick wealth, this industry reached a peak in the 80s, becoming an undeniable shadow behind Japan's economic "prosperity".

The bustling scene of bright lights and revelry before our eyes is merely the tip of the iceberg.

'Madam, you wouldn't want your husband to lose his job, would you?'

The next morning, after a short rest, the delegation began one of the most important and formal events of their trip.

Guided by Secretary-General Lin Lin and Japanese personnel, the delegation arrived by car at the Japanese Prime Minister's Official Residence in Nagata-cho.

This is a dignified and somewhat austere building, which contrasts with the skyscrapers that can be seen everywhere on the streets of Tokyo, yet it symbolizes the core of power in this country.

The meeting was held in a spacious reception room inside the official residence.

The atmosphere was solemn yet friendly.

Japanese Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira.

A politician with a kind face, wearing black-rimmed glasses, and known as "the dull ox".

In 79, Masayoshi Ohira visited China and announced in a communiqué that he would cooperate to the best of his ability on six projects in China and provide loans of no more than 500 billion yen.

It's relatively close to the University of Tokyo.
Many people may not be familiar with it.

It is confirmed that many people intuitively feel that the President of the United States has a greater presence than the Prime Minister of the United States.

That's not wrong either.

Japanese prime ministers serve an average term of only about two years, with the shortest term lasting only a few dozen days, leaving them little time to make a name for themselves.

Didn't Abe, who served the longest term, pull off a truly astonishing feat?

Ohira didn't do anything special, but he passed away this May.

In addition, President Daehan likes to write autobiographies to market his own struggles. Every autobiography he writes is full of bitterness and resentment, and he is a master storyteller.

However, there aren't many stories to tell about the No. 1 in Japan, because it's basically all made up of Celestial Dragons.

Take Abe, for example. This is the only way he could write his autobiography:

His maternal grandfather was a Class A war criminal and the 56th Prime Minister of Japan, Nobusuke Kishi. Nobusuke Kishi married his daughter, Yoko Kishi, to his confidant, Shintaro Shinbe, who was also Shinbe's father.

(End of this chapter)