This morning I took the opportunity to sleep and and enjoy a quiet morning. Just before noon I took a train into Himeji and went over to the glasses shop where I had gotten an exam last week. The guy recognized me as I walked in – when you’re a foreigner it’s pretty easy to find your name and order.
I tried on the glasses, and they seemed to fit just fine. He made a few adjustments, and I was pleased with the fit. I put them in their case and packed them away in my backpack – since I was wearing contacts I couldn’t walk around with the glasses on.
My next stop was a train ride into Kobe. Kuniko was in Kobe doing an interview and exam with a high school there, in the hopes of finding a better job than the place she works now. She actually got out of her interview a little early, so we met up at the station. She wasn’t so confident about how she did, but judging from what she said and her body language I think she did OK.
We had expected to meet earlier, so we had lots of time to kill before dinner. We walked around town, tried to catch a movie, but nothing was showing, had some coffee at Starbucks, and finally went over to Tarou, my favorite ramen restaurant. It’s a cool place because they give you all-you-can-eat kimchee. Oh, yeah.
We ate our fill there, and then with full stomachs took the train to Osaka. While we were on the train Kuniko’s phone rang, and it was her school. The guy asked if this was a good time, and Japanese phone etiquette is that you call back when you get off the train. Kuniko rung off and we were left wondering if he had good news or bad. When she had left the school they said that they would get in touch next week.
It was a long train ride, and the suspense was killing me. We got off the train and Kuniko called, but all she got was a weekend answering machine. Oh, no! She called a couple more times, and it was just the automated machine. Bummer. We went back to her place and tried to relax, but they had gotten our hopes up and they were probably sitting at the school waiting for her to call without realizing the answering machine was taking all the calls.
We were just thinking about dessert when he called back and offered Kuniko the job. Kuniko took it on the spot, and now she’s got a one year contract working in Kobe which is a whole lot closer than Osaka.
Now we had some things to think about. We had talked about having Kuniko move in with me – obviously she doesn’t want to stay in Osaka if she’s working in Kobe, and things looking more and more like a November wedding it would be a bad idea to get a place on her own for just a few months. Kuniko got on the horn and sent messages to friends and family telling them the good news. Her father sent a message back and asked when she would be moving back into their house, and so I left it to Kuniko to handle breaking that news to him. We’ll be eating a yakiniku dinner together next Saturday, so this will be a topic for discussion.
Still, we had a lot to celebrate. Kuniko’s job is very stressful, and I’m hoping that she can find a place that is comfortable and fun to be. This will be an exciting change for everyone I think.
