The evening sun casts long shadows on the ground. The surroundings are quiet; it feels eerie for everyone, but not for the girl who's sitting across the roof. She finds it peaceful after all the pressure that she gets from her school. Seeing the sky turn yellow made her relax, breathe, and loosen. It reminds her of her father. He loves sunsets and everything about the sun. Its light gives her comfort and warmth, which made the girl sigh out of despair before going down from the roof.
Golden fingers of sunlight lit up the atmosphere from the car. While the vehicle is moving. she can see a lot of trees and plantations from their province. The 12 year old girl shifted her gaze from the window, towards her mother who is driving. All she can remember last night was her mother packing things for their trip to Japan.
This was the girl's first time traveling out of the country and meeting her grandmother. For some reason, the child feels hopeless and drained. Hikari stared at the bracelet her dad gave her, thinking why it turned white last night when, in fact, it was black when her father gave it to her.
Arriving in a new country feels like coming to a new world. The vibe is different and arriving in a new country feels like coming to a new world. The new surrounding is different and very strange for Hikari. She felt like she belonged here even though she's Japanese herself. The young lady and her mother are now just waiting for their baggage so that they can take a ride to go to a district called Yoshiwara
When the girl came out, she was greeted by the wind and cool weather. Hikari's mother spotted a taxi to ride in and called for the girl to enter. A man in his mid 40's drove them to Yoshiwara. During the ride, the man recognized them as tourists and introduced them to the places they passed by. It was great. Hikari was comfortable the whole time and listened to his stories about Yoshiwara.
While the traffic sign was red, the young lady spotted a group of people who were dressed in colorful dresses known as Kimono and had full white makeup (Kumadori) with a fan as their prop. She turned around and was about to ask when the Japanese driver laughed and said, "They look great, don't they? The Kabuki theater is very famous in Japan, especially in Yoshiwara, for its performances as well as its incredible stage designs. Only male actors can act on it" She looked outside once again and suddenly remembered the Kimono she found in her parents' room which is similar to what she's seeing now. Did Hikari's dad also played in the theater?
An old lady greeted them when they got out of the taxi. Hikari thinks she's in her late 70's because of her wrinkles. The lady suddenly looked at Hikari, which made her flinch since she look exactly like her father. She gestured for her granddaughter to enter the house and smiled when she saw the bracelet in her hand.
It's strange for Hikari to enter the house because this time, it feels eerie, it feels quiet. The design of the house is like a classical house that you can find in Japan, with neutral colors and minimal designs. Her mother entered the room to unpack, and the girl sat in the chair. Hikari roamed her eyes only to find a wig, swords, and fans in front of her. The girl wondered if it was common for these items to be included in Japanese houses.
Hana, her grandmother set the tea in front of Hikari and gestured for her to drink it. They were quiet for the first minute when Hana broke the silence "Kabuki... the swords, wigs, and fans are props in Kabuki theater" The girl stopped drinking, she answered Hikari's question as if she's reading her mind. After encountering the Kabuki actors earlier, it piqued the young girl's interest about their history and background. "It is a form of a traditional Japanese drama with mimes, dancers and actors. They all have an incredible amount of makeup and costumes." Hikari was surprise to know their background and would like to learn more.
"Your father was once an actor there too" The young lady was surprise once again. There were a lot of things to process, and it was draining her. In fact, her grandfather also became an actor which is the reason why her father also pursued acting in theater.
Her mother came out of the room with a colorful kimono in her hand and recognized it as the one she saw in her parents' room years ago while her father was packing. Hikari already knew the cause of death of her father, which was a plane crash, but she didn't know the reason why he was going to Japan and now... her questions has been answered
At night, she couldn't sleep, knowing all the revelations. Her father really loved Kabuki theater and Japan... it was a grand play and he got the main role, but he died in a plane crash The play was cancelled. His new kimono was never worn
Her grandmother promised Hikari to go with her to the theater, it made the girl try to sleep, not wanting to miss the chance to find out more about their history.
Morning came and her grandmother prepared a kimono for her, an ankle-length gown with long, expensive sleeves and a V-neck with the Sakura flower as the design. It made her more confident and comfortable. Hana gestured for her granddaughter to enter the car and they drove along the peaceful street of Yoshiwara.
A Kabuki actor approached them when they got out from the car He was thought of Hikari in his mid 40's. He's wearing also a Kimono with a full white make-up The Kabuki actor has his son beside him, staring at Hikari, probably older than her.
"Calm down, Ruto, don't scare her. It's Haru's child," The man's eye widened. He looked at the girl's bracelet. Suddenly, a lot of actors surrounded them. It was so exciting and sad at the same time. They were probably reminiscing about the memories where Hikari's dad are still there.
The actors toured them inside the theater. Hikari learned that there are three categories of Kabuki plays; Jidaimono, Sewamono, and Shosagoto. While they were sight-seeing, the young girl was in awe because of the stage features such as the Hanamachi (flower path) and Suppon (the platform). No wonder this theater is a crowd favorite.
They were there the whole day. Hikaru and her grandmother watched their performances, the storyline was so incredible! The girl learned a lot from them. Japan really is a unique country
Hana and Hikari walked together side by side. They were silent but both of them knows that they enjoyed spending time in the theater together. Hana looked at Hikari's crystal bracelet She patted it and smiled at her granddaughter.
"I wish one day that your child could become a Kabuki actor" That was her last wish before she disappeared.
It's so sad to watch the sun disappear. It goes up, stays, and goes down, a total cycle. human is just like a sun. When you feel tired of staying, you wish you could just disappear any time you want, reappear when everything seems to be already fine.
It's the cycle of many people, like Hikari She always feels drained, wants to rest, and comeback as if nothing happened. It's already in her belief that if a person's cycle is already decided, she could not change it anymore. She believes that nothing can make her happy after the incident with her father four years ago. The Japan trip made her realized that Japan has tons of entertainment, especially the traditional theater of Kabuki. It made her more drained, but the excitement took it over. She feels happy and contented. There's always a way to break the never-ending cycle, find things that you've never heard of before, then create a cycle that feels full and not empty
Hikari jolted up and looked at her surroundings. She slept in the car again because of tiredness. A man opened the left door of the car and gestured for Hikari to get out.
Fresh air greeted the lady. The same old Yoshiwara, always greeting the lady with excitement. She looked at the door of the house. It looks old already. Could someone still be here?
Hikari thought that her grandmother is still there because she felt something. She was about to enter when a little boy called her, her child. Hikari smiled and laugh at her child who also slept at the car with her. Her husband who just got out from the car, Hiro also laugh because of their child. "My father, Ruto will surely like him" He looked at Hikari and gestured for her to enter.
The lady entered and smiled, reminiscing the times of her childhood in this house. She looked at the painting of an old lady, beside the swords and fans. "I came back, it's time to fulfill your wish, grandmother."