Although I had no business to transact in Tokyo, a kindly company apparently felt that I had earned a few days break and had made arrangements with associates there, to look after me. And so, as I emerged from Customs at Tokyo Airport, I saw two smiling Japanese holding a small placard bearing my name and a leaflet of one of my Company's fork-lift trucks. With typical Japanese thoroughness, they had ensured that even if I could not read my own name, there was a picture to attract my attention.
It was Friday evening, and I was feeling jaded and weary. On the flight I had eaten too soon after a farewell lunch in Seoul, and was regretting it. My general intention was to have a quiet evening and retire to bed early. On the drive from the airport to the Okura Hotel I discovered that my hosts were planning to entertain me that same evening, rather than the following night as I had expected.
This is one of the problems and hazards of short visits to countries. Business etiquette and reciprocal courtesy will normally necessitate several dinners out, and late nights which neither party particularly wants. Earlier, I had visited four countries in rapid succession and had not had an evening to myself for ten days.
I showered and changed while my hosts waited in my room. The younger man, whom I judged to be about twenty, had no English and was restricted to smiling. His colleague was probably in his mid-thirties and spoke English adequately for our limited purposes.
We dined Japanese style, on Sukiyaki, so appetising that I forgot my indigestion, washed down with saki which made me forget that I was jaded.
Following the meal, we drove around the Ginza before visiting a night-club. It was the best I visited during my travels -reasonably quiet, properly lighted and decently conducted. My host had obtained four hostesses, Japanese in Western dress. Though perhaps a trifle extravagant, it meant that each male had a hostess on either side. However, only one spoke English and so my two hosts entertained three of the hostesses while I entertained the English-speaking girl. She was relieved to learn that I cannot dance and - which should follow logically but rarely does - do not attempt to.
She was free to rest and practice her English. She seemed a charming and intelligent girl, and probably was, but several drinks of Suntory whisky after the earlier saki, had created in me a general sense of well-being, not specially conducive to the exercise of the critical faculty. None of our party was dancing; all were content to relax with a drink and conversation.
Sometime between midnight and one o'clock I discovered that my host lived sixty miles out of Tokyo, was going home that night and would be returning the following morning to collect me and to look in at his office. I insisted that I was tired and we prepared to go. On the way out, I saw a man I recognised. He hailed me and I moved over to his table. It was the American I had last seen buying a ring in Hong Kong, to take back to his wife. The coincidence was not great; I had already become accustomed to the fact that foreigners in Asia tend to visit the same cities, use the same few hotels and frequent the same tourist spots.
He had an attractive hostess at his side and was holding her hand.
"I got the answer to that problem about the ring." he exclaimed, grinning broadly.
"Problem?" I said.
"You know - getting stuff from Red China past Customs back home. It's not going home. It's staying right here! She likes it and she's going to be very grateful. Isn't that so?"
He raised her hand for me to inspect. There were several rings on her fingers, but the one she tilted towards me and which she was herself admiring with the pride and satisfaction of new ownership, was the jade ring.