Chapter 4 (Episode 1) "Skyscraper Morning"
Tuesday, March 1, 1977.
At 7:00 AM, in a restaurant drifting with the scent of dry coffee, Ogata was having breakfast with Murata and Orito. Two large fried eggs, crispy bacon, thin toast, orange juice, and coffee. It was a quintessentially American breakfast, with a portion size that left nothing to be desired.
Both Murata and Orito seemed somewhat restless during their first visit to the United States. Even as they ate, both of them kept moving their eyes as if conscious of their surroundings.
"The taste... isn't bad."
Orito said with a smile, but there was no tension in his voice.
Outside the window, skyscrapers reflecting the morning light stood in a row. The quality of the air itself was different from the Japanese streets they were used to. The dry air clung to the back of their throats, and white steam rose from the streets.
Crowds, traffic jams, the sound of horns. In the hustle and bustle where it was unclear if there was any order, people were surprisingly lively.
(It's not like this in Japan.)
Ogata thought to himself as he brought his coffee cup to his lips.
No matter how well-organized a system you build or how hard you work, the spontaneity and strength of this city cannot be created. But at the same time, he was forced to face the reality that if they couldn't make it here, they wouldn't make it in the world.
At 8:30 AM, they hailed a yellow cab in front of the hotel and
headed south through Manhattan.
Inside the car, which wove through the canyons of buildings, Murata and Orito were silent. They probably hadn't shaken off the fatigue from landing at JFK Airport via Anchorage yesterday and heading straight to pay a courtesy call to Ocean Shipping.
For Ogata, it was fortunate that Mr. White, who had served as the Tokyo branch manager until last year, had become a senior executive at headquarters as the person in charge of the Far East region since the beginning of the year.
During yesterday's brief greeting, he had calmly told them:
"I have appointed Annex as the consultant for this project. Starting tomorrow, please begin meetings for the main contract at their office."
Annex, one of the world's leading maritime consultants. The moment he heard the name, a slight tension ran down Ogata's spine. The other party was a group that had been doing business with the world. But he couldn't back down here.
The car eventually stopped in front of the World Trade Center building towering over Manhattan. Looking up at the massive block of glass and steel, Ogata took a moment to steady his breathing.
(This is where it starts.)
It was the morning that a small-to-medium-sized Japanese shipyard stepped onto the world stage.
Meanwhile, in Japan—
Juzo Tokuda stood alone on a hill near the port of Shimoda, facing the night sea. A few lights flickered offshore, and only the sound of the tide reached his ears incessantly.
However,
Ogata in New York did not know that yet.
(To be continued)
.....
This story is
born from the memories left at the scene.
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