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chelleluneauthor · 5 months ago

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The Conversation Room Novelization

Hey there everyone! As a writing practice I tried novelizing one of my favorite stories from Alley's. Since I feel like it, kind of, counts as fan art I thought I would drop it here as well. Hopefully I did Mr. Ito justice.

xoxo, Chelle

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By: Junji Ito

Novelization By: Chelle Lune

Life can change in an instant.

Isn’t that what my mother had always told me? A warning that had fell on deaf ears until that ill-fated October day, after it was already too late.

I had just moved from my small town of Takayama to an even smaller town by the name of Kuroshita. When graduating from Nagoya University, only a handful of months earlier, I could have never imagined myself living in a town more remote than the one I had spent my entire adolescence trying to escape.

Kuroshita was a rural, secluded mountain top community that only saw sparks of life during the winter months. Being the hidden holiday vacation spot that it was, tourists would only come to the mountain town from December to March to ski, ice skate, and attend special festivals put on by the local government.

Once spring arrived, however, the town would become desolate yet again. The seasonal visitors would journey back down the mountain, leaving the locals to close up the inns and shops not supported during the off season. Not many year-round businesses remained that would draw in outsiders, like me, except for the one that stood, newly built, on the outskirts of town.

Kuroshita Observatory had been one of the only organizations to give me an interview post-graduation. The engineering field I studied from was extremely competitive. On some days, it felt as though my fellow graduates were snapping potential career opportunities from me left and right. I think my willingness to move to the middle of nowhere, brought on by desperation, is what secured me the eventual job offer.

Surprisingly, I fell into my new life and routine easily. I had begun to wonder if I had started to develop a type of Stockholm Syndrome with the exact type of life I thought I couldn’t stand. I found a small apartment in the heart of town and during the week commuted to the craggy overlook where the observatory stood. It was a relief to discover that I actually loved my job and even enjoyed the rural commute to get there.

In spite of that, it was on this commute that my life, no, my entire perception of reality, changed forever.

XXX

Moootoh? Hashhhhhemottttttttoh?

Mehhss Hashemmmooohtoh?

The first thing that broke through the haze were the words, if you could call them that. The second thing was the pain. My head was so heavy and full it felt as if someone had sewn a cinder block onto my neck. The rest of my body was incredibly sore. Muscles I didn’t even know I had screamed out in protest with each small movement. Hesitantly, I moved the only part of me that didn’t weigh a thousand pounds. My eyelids.

“Ms. Hashimoto?” The world was blurry, but the voice came from right above me. “Are you awake, Ms. Hashimoto?”

Slowly, the world began to take shape around me. Fluorescent lighting hung overhead which created a halo effect around the older nurse leaning over me. She was a stern looking woman with flinty eyes and a no-nonsense set to her mouth. Terribly confused, I watched as her capable hands fiddled with the IV that was, apparently, hooked up to my forearm.

“Where am I?” The words came out much weaker than I had intended.

“This is a hospital ward.” She responded, placing a gentle hand speckled with age spots onto my arm. “You were in a car accident and sent to the hospital.”

My eyes darted around the room to confirm that, yes, she was right. As to be expected from a town like Kuroshita, the hospital ward I was in looked as if it had not been updated in over a decade. The room had one door leading out to a dimly lit hallway, the walls were plain with no decoration, and the only thing to fill the space were five other hospital beds with accompanying side tables.

Five hospital beds, I realized, that were all occupied.

“Your head and arms were injured.” The nurse, whose nametag I could now read said “Watanabe”, continued. “Although the injuries aren’t terribly serious, we are keeping you for observation overnight. Just to be sure.”

Nurse Watanabe looked at my IV one last time before giving a firm nod, pleased with her handiwork. She began to make her way around the small room to check on my newly acquired roommates. I furrowed my brow as I looked at the pockmarked ceiling tiles above me. Now that the fog of whatever drug they had given me had begun to wear off the event that landed me here was starting to come back.

It must have been around seven in the morning on my usual route to work. I remembered groggily bobbing along to the radio as I came upon the intersection next to the local market and gas station. My old, beat-up car chugged along into the empty intersection when a loud scraping roar overtook everything. My head slammed against the driver’s side window. Confusion. Then nothing.

“Ms. Sugie, how are you feeling?”

The question brought me back to the present where Nurse Watanabe was checking in on the girl laying in the bed directly to my left.

“Well, awful obviously,” The woman, Sugie, whined in an exaggerated nasal tone. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and twisted her mouth into an ugly grimace. “Why did this have to happen to me? I’m so unlucky!”

I immediately disliked her.

XXX

With no radio or television, the hours passed slowly in the old hospital room. I napped on and off until a stinging sensation began on my cheeks. It was as if a centipede was crawling across my face, stabbing me repeatedly with needle point legs the whole way. Prodding my face didn’t reveal any scratches or injuries. I worried something neurological had been altered during the crash. It became so uncomfortable it was all I could think about.

“Ms. Hashimoto? Ms. Hashimoto?”

The sound of my last name snapped me out of my worried thought spiral. I turned to the bed next to me in confusion and met the eyes of the whiny girl from earlier.

“I’m sorry?” I managed.

“My name is Sugie,” she said with more haughtiness than an introduction could possibly warrant. “The driver of the car you hit.”

My head physically recoiled in indignation.

“How fast were you driving?” She continued without waiting for a response. “You’re definitely going to be at fault with how you were speeding.”

“Wait a minute, I was not speeding!” My voice was loud and shrill. “I had the right of way. YOU were the one that came charging through the intersection without stopping.”

“I did stop! You barely got hurt but there’s, like, a crack in my leg.” She gestured wildly to the cast on her right leg. “It might be broken!”

The other ward patients sat silently and watched our heated interaction.

It was strange, the other four girls sharing the ward with Sugi and I looked nothing alike. Yet, they all seemed as if they were related somehow. There was an identical dull vacancy in their eyes and the same odd expression settled among their features that made them seem indistinguishable.

“I have to take time off of work now which is going to make my bills pile up. You’re going to do something about it!”

“Hold up!” I protested. “Don’t blame this entire thing on m-“

I was cut off by an angry Nurse Watanabe bursting in through the single ward door.

“Ladies, what on earth is going on?” Her stern voice immediately shut us both up. “You will not yell in this hospital. Am I understood?”

With an annoyed sigh Sugi laid her head down on her pillow and closed her eyes.

“Yes ma’am,” I replied.

I stared angrily ahead and that was that.

XXX

As the night stretched on a crippling anxiety fell over me. The hospital stay was beginning to get to me. The annoying and strange roommates, the fluorescents, the constant smell of bleach and cleaning chemicals, the pain in my body and the non-stop sticking sensation on my face. It was all becoming too much to handle, and I found myself desperately reaching for the nurse call button.

“Ms. Hashimoto? What’s the matter?” The new nurse, Hayashi, asked me once she was at my bedside.

“My neck hurts,” I said pathetically, burying my face into my pillow.

“Oh, it’s probably whiplash. That’s a new symptom, isn’t it?” She asked. “We’ll put a compress on it for now. Wait just a second.”

She went to get the compress, but I lifted myself up off of the bed to stop her.

“Nurse?” I waited until she turned my way to continue. “My cheeks and lips have been stinging since I woke up.’

“Stinging?” She sounded confused.

“Yes.” All afternoon the stinging sensation that had begun on my cheeks had crept its way down to my lips.

“It might be due to the whiplash,” she sounded unsure. “We’ll have the doctor take a look in the morning.”

I nodded in silent agreement before settling back into my bed and waited for her to return.

XXX

I awoke to the soft sound of laughter coming from the far side of the room.

A low whisper, almost indiscernible, followed the laughter. For a second, I wondered if I was still dreaming.

The room had been enclosed in darkness. There was no light, minus the orange streetlamp glow that filtered in from outside. A quick glance around showed that I was the only one awake.

Had someone been talking in their sleep?

“They really are…so pretty…” This whisper came from directly beside me and I jumped, fear spiking in my chest.

The room filled with the hushed murmurs of the other patients punctuated by sporadic laughter. I realized it was the four other girls, the odd ones that had shared the same expression, muttering among themselves.

“There’s a bunch blooming over here too.”

“Where? Oh, wait for me!”

“Hurry up!”

“Haha, slowpoke!”

The cacophony of whispers in the dark made the hair on my arms stand up.

Making as little noise as possible, I lifted myself up into a sitting position and surveyed the room. The room plunged into silence. There was no movement and everyone’s eyes were closed as far as I could tell.

They were sleeping, right? Had I been dreaming? It had sounded so real.

A quick glance at the analog clock hung over the door told me that it was currently three in the morning. The uneasiness gnawing at my gut coupled with the prickling sensation on my face suggested getting back to sleep would be difficult.

Sugie slept soundly in the bed next to me, much to my annoyance.

Must be nice.

I started to lower myself back down to my pillow when the four sleep talking girls sat up suddenly, staring ahead blankly. For a minute everything in the room stayed completely still. My breath caught in my throat, and I froze. They were looming shadows in the night. Outlined dimly by the light from outside.

Another minute passed. Another eternity.

Swiftly, perfectly synchronized, they stood from their beds and walked towards the hallway door. Their slippers slapped the ground in time with one another. Involuntarily, I gasped. They turned as one towards me.

“O-oh, uh,” I stammered nervously under their unwavering gazes. My armpits were suddenly slick with sweat “Where are you guys going?”

A heavy silence hung between us as they stared. Finally, they all turned away and continued their journey to the hallway.

“Bathroom…” Was the reply. I couldn’t tell if it was one voice responding, or all of them.

I watched them go as goosebumps crept up my arms. Going back to sleep would be difficult, indeed.

XXX

“Well, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.” Dr. Sato told me the next morning as he examined my neck and face. “But we’ll get some X-Rays later. At any rate you should stay one more night so we can monitor it and be sure.”

He turned away towards the four other girls and his demeanor visibly changed. When speaking with me he had a friendly smile and a kind crinkle to his eyes but when he faced them, the corners of his mouth immediately turned down and his eyes narrowed.

“You four,” he began, shoving his hands into his white coat. “How do you all feel today?”

I leaned forward with interest, curious about why these strange girls were admitted in the first place. A disgruntled grunt came from my left.

“So, suddenly it’s whiplash?” Sugie’s irritating voice asked. “You’re totally faking, right? If you’re trying to use this to get a favorable settlement, you can forget it. I’ll never let that happen.”

I pointedly ignored her to focus on the doctor’s conversation with the girls.

“The four of you still refuse to eat?” He put his hands down on the metal rail at the foot of a bed and leaned forward. “You did go to counseling at the clinic I recommended, right?”

There was a beat of silence before they all answered together.

“No.”

“Why not?” I could see that Dr. Sato was fighting to keep his tone professional. “This seems to me like a mental health issue. Physically, there’s nothing wrong with any of you.”

“The doctor from that hospital wanted to talk to us separately.” The girl with the blonde ponytail responded.

“And we want to be together.” The girl on my other side added.

“We’re always together,” The youngest looking of the four insisted. “We don’t want to be apart.”

“Maybe that’s the issue then.” Dr. Sato told them. “You’re all influencing one another, for better or worse.”

“We can’t influence each other,” The youngest responded. “Our minds are one.”

I could feel a collective shiver come over the medical staff and I. What the hell did that mean? Something really strange was going on with these girls and I agreed with the doctor. It wasn’t physical.

“We even had the same dream yesterday!” She continued with a vague smile that was mirrored on the other girls’ faces.

“Yeah, we dreamed of a lovely field,” Blonde ponytail said, more to the other girls than to the doctor.

“You were running so slow!” The girl with short hair laughed.

The doctor stepped back from their beds with a huff.

“Regardless,” he told them. “This isn’t healthy. You need to take in more calories. I think it’s best if we transfer you to a larger hospital down the mountain.”

“We’re happy here if we can get our I.V. drip,” Short hair said.

“Yes,” Blonde ponytail agreed. “The I.V. drip is plenty enough.”

“You don’t have many patients, anyway.” The girl with bangs countered smugly. “The rooms are always empty. If we left, your hospital would go out of business.”

This touched a nerve and Dr. Sato turned on his heel abruptly before storming out.

“That’s enough for today!” He called back angrily.

The nurse, obviously uncomfortable, hovered in the doorway. Her eyes darted between the Weird Sisters, as I had dubbed them in my head. They ignored her and laughed behind their hands, as if they were all in on some big joke that the rest of us were not privy to.

“Hey, nurse?” Sugie called out before she could leave the room. “Could you move me to a different room?”

The nurse looked at her startled and went to reply before Sugie cut her off.

“Honestly, it’s pretty inconsiderate to put the victim of an accident in the same room as the person who caused the accident!”

“O-oh,” Nurse Hayashi was obviously flustered by Sugie’s blunt outburst. “That’s because this is the only available room right now. You should have been taken to a larger hospital, but since the accident happened nearby and neither of you were seriously injured, we- “

“I looked a little bit ago and there’s no name plate on Room One.” Sugie cut her off.

“Room One is for storage,” The nurse told her. “Since we’ve had fewer patients these days, we stopped using it.”

Sugie let out a loud exhale as if Nurse Hayashi was purposefully trying to frustrate her.

“Fine, I don’t care.” She snapped. “Just move me there!’

Since Sugie had a cast, Nurse Hayashi helped her up and onto some crutches. The nurse led her out of the room and down the hallway towards Room One. It didn’t take long for Sugie’s shriek of displeasure to travel back to our room.

“You’re kidding me! This isn't a room; this is a dump!”

Without speaking the Weird Sisters all rose from their beds and headed out into the hallway. Curious, I got out of my bed and leaned against the doorway watching. They approached Sugie and Nurse Hayashi before the girl with the long hair stepped forward and spoke up.

“Sugie,” she said, “come back to our room. A room by yourself is too lonely.”

“She’s right!” Blonde ponytail agreed. “It’s not good to be alone. Come back to our room!”

Sugie looked the girls up and down, sizing them up. For possibly the first time in her life, she was speechless. The Weird Sisters placed their hands gently on her back and began to lead her back to our room. Before I returned to my bed, I locked eyes with Nurse Hayashi and watched her slowly shake her head.

XXX

Sugie didn’t stay speechless for long, however. It was only an hour later that she was back to her regular complaining. The Weird Sisters had all been hooked up to their precious I.V. drips and laid back in their beds staring up at the ceiling silently. Thoroughly creeped out I laid down and closed my eyes hoping to hurry sleep so that I could make it to my discharge time tomorrow.

Sugie, of course, had other ideas.

“Hey, Hashimoto,” she started, as always. “I had an important deal at work the day of the accident. The whole thing is probably ruined now. How are you going to fix that, huh? Not to mention my car! It was brand new and cost way more than yours, I’m sure. Hey, are you listening to me?”

Sugie’s whining had me wishing the airbag had ruptured my eardrum, leaving me blissfully deaf. Since I hadn’t had such luck, I kept my eyes closed and feigned sleep.

“I know you’re awake,” I could practically hear the sneer in her tone. “You’re disgusting.”

There were a few blissful moments of quiet before she spoke again. This time her voice wavered, a hint of anxiety creeping in.

“Ah, why are my cheeks stinging, it feels awful.” I almost opened my eyes to this as my cheeks and lips were also still stinging. “Maybe your thing is infectious. Ugh, don’t come near me. If anything, you should go to Room One!”

I couldn’t take it anymore. My eyes flew open and I all but leapt out of my bed.

“You know what Sugie,” My voice dripped in exasperation. “That may be the first intelligent thing I’ve heard you say since we got here.”

Her jaw dropped in outrage, but I didn’t stay to hear her rebuttal. I charged down the hallway and straight to the nurse’s station and frantically tapped on the sliding glass.

“Please move me to Room One!” I begged her as soon as we made eye contact. “As long as I’m stuck next to that woman, I am never going to get better! I don’t care if it’s a mess. It will be leagues better than Room Three.”

Nurse Watanabe stood from her chair and waved her hands at me in a calm down motion.

“I understand,” she said with a knowing look. “I’ll talk to the Director. Please give me a moment.”

She walked out of my line of sight and returned quickly, nodding her head in confirmation. My body sagged in relief. Finally, I could be away from Sugie and the Weird Sisters. Nurse Watanabe slid my name plate out from the holder under Room Three and I followed her towards Room One.

“Go ahead and switch rooms, Hashimoto.” Sugie called from the doorway of Room Three where she was lurking. “Don’t try to sneak away in the middle of the night. I have your license plate number copied. You can’t run from me!”

That wasn’t going to stop me from trying.

XXX

Besides the overwhelming mess, Room One was, in fact, much more relaxing than Room Three. The awful stinging sensation on my face had even gone away. Maybe it had been a side effect of being in Sugie’s Presence.

Around 9pm, Nurse Watanabe informed me that it was lights out and plunged the tiny room into darkness. The only light source came from the moonlight filtering in through the gossamer curtains. The quiet was a welcome comfort but now that Sugie’s voice was not hovering in my ear my mind began to wander and digest the absolute strangeness that was the last twenty-four or so hours.

Sugie aside, I wondered what exactly was going on with the other four girls in Room Three. They were honestly very creepy. With no form of real entertainment, I had watched them during our time together. Everything they did was perfectly synched. They would all wake up and go to sleep at the exact same time. Not to mention going to the bathroom together. Unless they were lying, which I guessed was possible, they could also share dreams and talk to one another subconsciously. The whole thing was so weird.

Krrrrrrrrrrrkkk…

A slow scraping noise interrupted my thoughts. The room was so cluttered it was hard to tell what anything was in the darkness, but I strained my eyes trying to find the source of the sound. There, against the wall, was the slightest of movements. A small bookcase that rested on the far side of the room was moving ever so slightly, the corner of it swinging out into the room like a door.

Leathery, gnarled fingers curled around the edge of the wood and pushed outwards. A second hand extended from that dark space followed by a bald head and a torso. I fumbled with the small lamp on my bedside table and illuminated the room.

A withered old man in a hospital gown crawled out from what I could now see was a hole in the wall the bookcase had concealed. He stood slowly and swayed slightly, obviously unsteady on his feet. I was frozen as his gaze swept around the room before settling on me. Fear shot down my spine.

“Wh-who are you?!” I asked, scrambling backwards on my bed until I hit the wall.

“I’m from the men’s ward, next door,” he croaked. His voice seemed unused to speaking. A maniacal smile lacking teeth stretched across his face. “I’m so lonely so I dug a hole to make friends.”

His tongue darted out to lick his chapped, flaking lips. Stepping toward me with outreached hands, he immediately reminding me of a zombie. He lurched erratically forward and grabbed my forearms, eliciting a squeal.

“Do you want to be my friend?”

“S-stay away from me!” I shrieked.

“Ms. Hashimoto, what’s wrong?” I heard the door to my room be thrown open as Nurse Watanabe rushed in.

She took in the old man grabbing my forearms and gasped.

“Mr. Furuta!” She chided which caused him to release me. “You can’t just barge into people’s rooms. When did you come in here.”

She turned her head to the overturned bookshelf with the gaping hole behind it and exclaimed in surprise.

“What is a hole doing here? Is this how you got in? Shame on you!”

She put her hand on Mr. Furuta’s arm and led him towards the doorway, scolding him the entire way.

“You are going back to your own room,” she said once she had escorted him into the hallway. “Do not come into this room again.”

She threw an apologetic look my way before shutting the door with a click. I stayed pressed up against the wall for a second urging my heart to slow down. This hospital was way too weird for me. Minor injuries, or no, I was leaving in the morning.

I went to settle down again when a giant bang and commotion came from the hallway. I went to the doorway, opening it just a sliver. It wouldn’t be obvious I was spying but I still had a good view of the hallway. Sugie was on the floor, tangled in her crutches and screaming bloody murder.

“Help!” She shrieked, desperately trying to get up with her cast foot. “There’s something wrong with those women. There were snakes in their mouths, and they tried to get into my mouth! It was like a needle repeatedly stabbing me in the face!”

My own hand unconsciously floated up to touch my cheek. The stinging sensation had gone away once I had left the room the four girls were staying in. My stomach dropped. No, Sugie was having some kind of nervous breakdown. She had to be.

Nurse Watanabe tried to help Sugie up, but she knocked her hand away and pointed wildly at the Weird Sisters who now crowded the door of Room Three.

“Look!” She cried. “Don’t you see? Their mouths. Look at their mouths!”

There was a tense standoff as the Weird Sisters and the nurse held each other’s gazes.

“What are you talking about?” Nurse Watanabe finally asked Sugie, concern coloring her voice. “There’s nothing there. You must have been dreaming. Now, please, return to your room this minute. You’re causing a scene.”

This sent Sugie into a full-fledged meltdown. Sweat was pouring profusely down her face causing her skin to shine and her bangs to mat down in a greasy slick across her forehead. She clawed frantically at her mouth, drawing blood and leaving deep gauges in her otherwise unblemished skin. She released a terrified howl.

“NO! STOP!” Everyone else stood fixed in place at her outburst. “IT’S GOING INTO MY MOUTH.”

Nurse Watanabe grabbed her wrist and pulled Sugie’s hands away from her face while calling for help. A male janitor ran to her aid and together they were able to pick up Sugie, still screaming and clawing, off the ground. The janitor and the nurse disappeared with her into Room Three and after a while Sugie's screams quieted into silence.

XXX

I couldn’t move from my hiding spot behind the doorway. Another nurse had made an emergency call to Dr. Sato, and he had come down right away. He quickly made the corner into view and was greeted by Nurse Watanabe.

“You gave her a mild sedative?” he asked in lieu of a greeting.

“Yes, she’s sleeping now,” she responded.

They both moved down the hallway to put distance between themselves and Room Three. Luckily this brought them closer to my room so that I was still able to hear when they dropped their voices to little more than a whisper.

“Doctor,” Nurse Watanabe twisted her hands together. “Is it all right to just leave Ms. Sugie in there? This isn’t the first time a patient has been afraid of the girls in Room Three.”

I had to press a hand to my mouth to stifle my gasp. I leaned even further into the door to make sure I didn’t miss any part of this conversation.

“Those women…” her voice trailed off. “There’s four of them now, but in the beginning, it was only two, right? They were admitted because they weren’t eating. The other two patients in the ward complained of the same symptoms and ended up joining them but they were so afraid at first.”

She stopped talking but Dr. Sato said nothing, so she continued.

“Is the same thing happening to Ms. Sugie? That would make her the fifth…It’s disturbing. We only started to lose patients after those four were admitted. If we don’t get them to leave somehow, this hospital will get shut down.”

“You’re right,” The doctor finally said. “We’ll stop their treatment tomorrow.”

They walked away back to the nurse’s station and disappeared around the corner leaving me staring at an empty hallway. My heart beat hard in my throat, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the door of Room Three. It was slightly ajar, and I couldn’t help but wonder if there was someone standing behind that door watching me back.

Shakily, I shut my door and pushed the bookshelf back into the wall effectively sealing the hole to the gross old man’s room. I paced the small room nervously, sweating. The doctors and nurses had told Sugie that there was nothing coming out of the Weird Sisters mouths but I…I had seen it too.

Cylindrical things with sharp pointed ends had stretched out from all four girls’ mouths, twisting together to try to get into Sugie’s. The nurse didn’t see it, but then again, I hadn’t seen it originally either. My stomach lurched as I realized this had been going on from the very beginning. I couldn’t see them, but those needle things tried to get into my mouth while I was in Room Three. Stabbing at my cheeks and lips while trying to find a way in, the same way they were now doing to Sugie.

Thinking of Sugie laying in the dark surrounded by the Weird Sisters while those sharp tentacle things tried to pry into her mouth made me nauseous. The hospital had descended into complete and utter silence. I wondered if Sugie was okay and what was happening to her. Selfishly I worried if they were going to come for me next.

Kreeeee…

A long creak echoed down the hospital hallway causing me to jump and creep back to the door. My heart raced as the sound of multiple slippers slapping the linoleum echoed down the corridor. I cracked my door open just enough to see the Weird Sisters walking in unison towards the nurse’s station. With a jolt of horror, I realized Sugie walked among them.

The tentacles with stingers poured out of their mouths like vomit, all intertwined with one another. Connecting them. From my vantage point, they looked like one entity unable to be separated. Hurried footsteps came from around the corner and Nurse Watanabe and Dr. Sato appeared. They pulled up short and Nurse Watanabe screamed. They could see the tentacles now. They had to.

“W-what are you- “Dr. Sato began but was cut off.

The tentacles shot out in a flurry of motion, stabbing Dr. Sato and Nurse Watanabe in the chest and face. It pierced them over and over again as they screamed. When the tentacles retracted, they both hit the ground with a thud. Where the sharpened points had struck, only bloody, gaping holes remained. The Weird Sisters erupted into giggles as they loomed over the gasping, groaning bodies of the nurse and doctor.

“Poor things…” One of the weird sisters, or perhaps all of them, said.

An involuntary noise slipped from my lips. The Weird Sisters whipped their heads towards me, and I made eye contact with each of them. With a scream I slammed my bedroom door shut and ran to the bookshelf. I pulled it away from the wall and dove through the hole into the old man’s room, reaching back to pull the bookcase back against the wall behind me. I slapped my hand over my mouth and desperately tried to calm my breathing. Mr. Furuta laid, thankfully, asleep in his hospital bed. The only thing that would make this situation worse would be that crazy old man waking up.

“You saw.” One of the girl’s voices came from my room next door. A chorus of the other girl’s voices followed with their own questions.

“Hashimoto, where are you hiding?”

“She didn’t go outside, the window’s locked.”

“Damnit, where is that bitch hiding?!”

“She saw us. She either joins or dies.”

I could hear boxes being flipped, the clatter of my bedside lamp hitting the ground, as the girls tore the room apart looking for me. My mind raced as I tried to make sense of what was happening.

Were the tentacles coming out of their mouth’s nerves or something? Maybe their minds were connected by the tentacles and that’s what connected them to one another. If that was the truth, then maybe it wasn’t five different people with one mind but one person with five different bodies.

No, not a person.

A creature.

If that was the case, this thing was trying to collect more bodies. I had to get out of there. If I didn’t it was only a matter of time before those sharp needles forced my mouth open and burrowed down into my throat, making me become a part of that damned hivemind.

I snuck as quickly and quietly as I could and pushed Room Two’s door open a sliver. Room One’s door was thrown open and if I made a dash for it, I risked being seen by whatever the hell was looking for me.

“She’s not here!” An annoyed screech came from the open door. “There has to be a way out of this room somehow.”

There was a heavy thud, and my heart stopped as I realized it was the bookshelf coming free of the wall. A crazed cackle filled the air as the thing discovered the hole connecting the rooms.

“Room Two! She escaped to Room Two!”

Before I could react, the girl with the bangs pushed Room Two’s door open, throwing me back against the wall.

“Ah!” She exclaimed through a mouth full of tentacles. “Found her!”

She lunged towards me, roughly grabbing my shoulders. The majority of her tentacles streamed out into the hallway keeping her connected to the other girls, but one reared back like a snake and struck at me. I ducked and dove forward with all of my strength, pushing her back as far as I could. She stumbled and before she could regain her balance, I threw my weight against the door slamming it shut.

This action severed all of the tentacles, and she let out an anguished howl. She clawed desperately at the severed ends, and I watched as her features crumpled inward. Her skin seemed to age decades in the span of seconds, wrinkling and pocketing, as her eyes rolled back up into her head, turning yellow. She crumpled to the floor, and I heard a chorus of four other screams coming through the wall. Since they were all connected maybe it hurt them too.

I sprinted out of the door and passed Room One faster than I thought I could in slippers.

“How dare you?” Came the voices of all of the girls in unison. It sounded rougher now. Distorted. “How dare you kill one of my bodies?! Run, run. If you can escape, then run!”

I looked back once at the mangled body on the floor before beelining for the exit. I averted my eyes from the bodies of Nurse Watanabe and Dr. Sato where they laid sprawled out on the floor. Making it to the exit door I flung it open, hurdling into the frigid night air. The distorted voice called out to me from the open hospital door as I ducked into the woods.

“I know your license plate number,” It said. “I will find you.”

Four voices erupted into perfectly synchronized laughter.

#Junj Ito #Horror Story #Short Horror Story #Junji Ito Short Story #Japanese Horror #The Ward #The Conversation Room #Writing Practice #Horror Author

0 notes

mikem-dawnm-japan · 9 months ago

Text

Tuesday 14th May - Day 8

A late start today as we wait for those who stayed in the local inn last night to be returned to the group. After a day on the coach yesterday we were to spend today on our feet! A trail of 33 people following our one guide through the streets of Takayama. We are heading for the Miyagawa morning market where we are given time to roam and check out the stalls selling locally made wooden objects, local produce, food items etc. The group is so large that we are struggling to keep together with peoples different walking abilities and we have no guide at the back to ensure that those tail Enders don’t get lost! We continue on to the Takayama-Jinya, which served as government headquarters under the Tokugawa shogunate of 1692-1871. We had a guided tour through this warren of rooms seeing where the work of the court took place in later years. It was surrounded by tranquil gardens, as always with a number of water features.

The afternoon was free for us to explore. We took in the central streets which are still made up of the traditional wooden houses and shops. Rickshaws passed by and there were several Saki shops with Sugidama hanging outside! In the olden days these balls of soft green cedar were hung above the shop doorways when new Sake was arriving at the shop, by the time they turn brown the sake was ready to drink.

The Float Museum had been recommended so we followed the river, away from the centre of the town and found this fascinating museum with beautiful gardens. The Takayama Matsuri comprises of two festivals: one in the spring and another in the autumn, the festivals have been taking place for over 350 years. The Yatai (floats), many of which date from the 17th century, are decorated with complicated carvings. The parades take place after the floats have been removed from the Yatai-guru, thick walled storehouses with very tall doors which are located throughout the town.which are dotted around the city. The festivals take place at twilight , glowing lanterns highlight the parade as the floats are pulled across the bridges accompanied by music.

The gardens had a small pond with some large koi, which nearly became lunch for a large heron. However, the staff at the museum rushed over to frighten away the heron before he could enjoy his feast! The temperature had now risen to the high 20’s and we took a slow walk back along the river towards out hotel .. it’s been the hottest day and the most active so we rested up ahead of tonight’s dinner. I tried to get to the garden to sit & read my book but you can only look at the garden from inside! The culture differences are a challenge!

Tonight is Hida Beef night, 20 of us had been tempted to take part in this optional extra, where we were to cook our own meat and enjoy the evening experience. Sadly the experience was lacking, the meat was already cooking upon arrival and we were rushed through the experience which was billed to last 3 hours and barely lasted 1 hour! It was interesting and tasty though! Back at our hotel and not yet 7.30pm we looked to go to the bar with a few of our group. But, no bar open, nowhere to sit and chat .. we Brits are finding this lack of evening social time difficult to deal with as this is the 2nd hotel where everything closes in the evening!

So the evening consisted of packing and composing an email to Distant Travel regarding the guide and a couple of observations from our trip so far!

0 notes

lifebegin60 · 10 months ago

Text

Planning a 12-day winter trip to Japan sounds amazing! January is indeed a good time to visit Japan, especially if you enjoy winter activities and fewer crowds at major tourist spots. Here's a suggested itinerary to help you make the most of your trip:

### Day 1-3: Tokyo

**Day 1: Arrival in Tokyo**

- Arrive in Tokyo and check into your hotel.

- Explore Asakusa and visit Senso-ji Temple.

- Stroll through Nakamise Shopping Street.

- Enjoy dinner in the vibrant district of Shibuya or Shinjuku.

**Day 2: Tokyo Sightseeing**

- Visit the Meiji Shrine and Harajuku.

- Explore Omotesando and Takeshita Street.

- Visit the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park.

- Enjoy the evening in Akihabara, known for its electronics and anime culture.

**Day 3: Day Trip to Nikko or Yokohama**

- **Nikko**: Explore the UNESCO World Heritage sites like Toshogu Shrine and enjoy the winter scenery.

- **Yokohama**: Visit the Cup Noodles Museum, Minato Mirai, and Chinatown.

### Day 4-6: Kyoto

**Day 4: Travel to Kyoto**

- Take the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto.

- Check into your accommodation.

- Visit Fushimi Inari Shrine in the late afternoon/evening for a less crowded experience.

**Day 5: Kyoto Highlights**

- Visit Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion).

- Explore Ryoan-ji and its famous rock garden.

- Visit Arashiyama: Bamboo Grove, Tenryu-ji Temple, and Togetsukyo Bridge.

- Optionally, take the Sagano Scenic Railway for beautiful winter landscapes.

**Day 6: Eastern Kyoto**

- Visit Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion).

- Walk the Philosopher's Path.

- Visit Nanzen-ji and Eikan-do Temples.

- Explore the Gion district in the evening.

### Day 7-8: Osaka

**Day 7: Travel to Osaka**

- Take a short train ride to Osaka.

- Visit Osaka Castle and its park.

- Explore the Umeda Sky Building for great city views.

- Enjoy street food in Dotonbori.

**Day 8: Osaka and Day Trip to Nara**

- Spend the morning exploring Nara: Todai-ji Temple, Nara Park (meet the deer), and Kasuga Taisha Shrine.

- Return to Osaka and explore the Kuromon Ichiba Market.

- Enjoy an evening in Shinsekai and try Kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers).

### Day 9-10: Kanazawa

**Day 9: Travel to Kanazawa**

- Take the train to Kanazawa.

- Visit Kenrokuen Garden, one of Japan's most beautiful gardens.

- Explore Kanazawa Castle.

- Visit the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art.

**Day 10: Kanazawa and Onsen Experience**

- Explore Higashi Chaya District, famous for its traditional teahouses.

- Visit Myoryuji Temple (Ninja Temple).

- In the evening, travel to an onsen town like Kaga Onsen or stay at a ryokan with onsen facilities.

### Day 11-12: Return to Tokyo

**Day 11: Return to Tokyo**

- Travel back to Tokyo.

- Spend the afternoon shopping in Ginza or exploring Odaiba.

- Optional visit to Tokyo Disneyland or DisneySea if you're interested.

**Day 12: Last Minute Exploration and Departure**

- Visit any missed attractions or neighborhoods in Tokyo.

- Depending on your flight time, consider a morning visit to Tsukiji Outer Market for fresh sushi.

- Head to the airport for your departure.

### Additional Tips

- **Onsen Experience**: Consider visiting an onsen town like Hakone or Kusatsu for an authentic hot spring experience.

- **Local Food Experiences**: Take a cooking class in Kyoto or Osaka. Don’t miss trying ramen, sushi, tempura, okonomiyaki (Osaka), and kaiseki (Kyoto).

- **Winter Festivals**: Check if there are any local winter festivals or illuminations during your visit.

Enjoy your winter wonderland adventure in Japan!

Your itinerary sounds fantastic! Here's a detailed look at both options to help you decide how to spend your extra days.

### Option 1: Exploring More of Mainland Japan

**Suggestions for the Remaining 3 Days:**

1. **Kanazawa**:

- **Kenroku-en Garden**: One of Japan's top three gardens.

- **Kanazawa Castle**: Beautiful and historic.

- **21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art**: Interesting modern art exhibitions.

2. **Takayama**:

- **Old Town (Sanmachi Suji)**: Well-preserved Edo period streets.

- **Hida Folk Village**: Open-air museum showcasing traditional Japanese architecture.

3. **Himeji**:

- **Himeji Castle**: Japan’s most spectacular castle.

- You can do a day trip from Kyoto or Osaka to Himeji.

4. **Koya-san (Mount Koya)**:

- **Stay in a Buddhist temple**: Experience shukubo (temple lodging).

- **Okunoin Cemetery**: A serene and mystical place.

### Option 2: Beach Relaxation in Okinawa

**Pros of Visiting Okinawa:**

- **Beautiful Beaches**: Okinawa is known for its stunning beaches and crystal-clear waters.

- **Unique Culture**: Different from the rest of Japan, with distinct Ryukyu culture.

- **Activities**: Snorkeling, diving, and exploring the islands.

**Cons:**

- **Travel Time**: You need to account for the travel time to and from Okinawa.

- **Cost**: Additional flight costs and possibly higher accommodation costs.

### Detailed Itinerary Suggestions

**If You Stay in Mainland Japan:**

1. **Day 1-5**: Tokyo

2. **Day 6**: Day trip to Mount Fuji

3. **Day 7-11**: Kyoto

4. **Day 12**: Day trip to Himeji or Nara

5. **Day 13**: Day trip to Kanazawa or Takayama

6. **Day 14-18**: Osaka with a day trip to Hiroshima

**If You Opt for Okinawa:**

1. **Day 1-5**: Tokyo

2. **Day 6**: Day trip to Mount Fuji

3. **Day 7-10**: Kyoto

4. **Day 11-13**: Okinawa

5. **Day 14-18**: Osaka with a

day trip to Hiroshima or Nara.

### Summary

- **Staying in Mainland Japan** allows you to experience a greater variety of Japanese history, culture, and nature without the added travel time and expense of flying to Okinawa. Places like Kanazawa, Takayama, or Koya-san offer unique experiences that complement your existing itinerary.

- **Adding a Beach Break in Okinawa** gives you the chance to relax and enjoy a different side of Japan, with beautiful beaches and a unique cultural blend. It's a great way to break up the intense sightseeing with some downtime.

Both options have their merits, and your choice will depend on whether you prefer more cultural exploration or a mix of culture and relaxation. If you prefer a blend, spending a few days in Okinawa could be a refreshing change. If you're more inclined towards deep cultural immersion, exploring additional cities on the mainland would be ideal.

#source facebook

0 notes

brookston · 10 months ago

Text

Holidays 4.14

Holidays

Air Force Reserve Day

American Dictionary Day

Americas Day (Honduras, Mexico)

Anfal Genocide Memorial Day

Black Day (South Korea)

Blessing of the Salmon Nets (Northumbria)

Bon Jovi Day (New Jersey)

Cake and Cunnilingus Day

Children’s Day (Peru)

Children with Alopecia Day

Commemoration of Anfal Genocide Against the Kurds (Iraqi Kurdistan)

Cuckoo Day (Old England)

Day of Mologa (Russia)

Day of (No) Silence (GLSEN)

Day of the Georgian Language

Day of the Skater

Dhivehi Language Day (Maldives)

Dictionary Day

Donate Life Blue & Green Day

Draw MegaMan Day

Dreams of Reason Feast Day

Ex-Spouse's Day

414 Day

Global Roller Day

Grand National Ladies Day (UK)

Gujarat (Fire Service Day; India)

International Goalkeeper Day

International Moment of Laughter Day

International Silambam Day

Kids’ Yoga Day

Kinetoscope Day

Look Up at the Sky Day

Lundkommardagen (Puffin Arrival Day; Norway)

Meme Appreciation Day

Milwaukee Day (414)

Moirang Day (a.k.a. Victory Day; India)

National Bracelet Day

National Dolphin Day

National Donate a Book Day

National Gardening Day

National Kick Balls Day

National Love Our Children Day

National Not Ashamed of Jesus Day

National Perfume Day

National Reach as High as You Can Day

N'Ko Alphabet Day (Mande)

Orange Day (Japan)

Pan American Day

Pathologists’ Assistant Day

Peregrine Falcon Appreciation Day

Peter Capaldi Day

Pigeon Day (French Republic)

Reach As High As You Can Day

Samjinnal (Arrival of Spring; Korea)

Secret Service Day

Spring Hula Hooping Day

Tempting Fate Day

Takayama Spring Festival (Japan)

Thingyan begins (Water Festival; Burma)

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Day of Service (South Africa)

World Chagas Day

World Quantum Day

Youth Day (Angola)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Espresso Italiano Day (Italy)

International Laverbread Day

Laverbread Day

National Grits Day

National Pecan Day

Oreo Cookie Cheesecake Day

Saison Day

Tannat Day (Uruguay)

2nd Sunday in April

Air Defense Forces Day (Belarus, Russia) [2nd Sunda

Global Day to End Sexual Abuse [2nd Sunday]

Weekly Holidays beginning April 14 (3rd Week)

Animal Control Appreciation Week [2nd Full Week in April]

Animal Cruelty/Human Violence Awareness Week Week [3rd Week in April]

Astronomy Week — Spring [thru 4.20]

Cleaning For A Reason Week [begins 2nd Sunday]

National Coin Week [3rd Week in April]

National Dog Bite Prevention Week [3rd Week in April]

National Public Safety Telecommunications Week [2nd Full Week in April]

National Student Employment Week [2nd Full Week in April]

National Volunteer Week Week [3rd Week in April]

Neurodiagnostic Week [3rd Week in April]

Organize Your Files Week Week [3rd Week in April]

Pan American Week [Week of 4.14]

Independence & Related Days

Jonja Island (Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

Lawfords (a.k.a. Kingdom of Lawfords; Declared; 2021) [unrecognized]

New Year’s Days

Hindi New Year (a.k.a. …

Assamese New Year

Baisakhi (Parts of India)

Bisket Jatra (Nepali New Year)

Bohag Bihu (Assam Valley)

Cambodian New Year

Chetti Chand (Parts of India)

Guḍhī Pāḍavā [1st Day of Chaitra]

Hari Raya Yep Tahun Baru (Indonesia)

Malayali New Year (Kerala)

Nyepi Day (a.k.a. Day of Silence; Bali)

Ougadi (Mauritius)

Pi Mai (Laotian New Year)

Ramayana begins

Sajibu Nongmapanba (Cheiraoba, Manipur, India)

Telgu New Year

Thingyan begins (Burma)

Ugadi (Parts of India)

Vaisakhi (Parts of India)

Kerala New Yea (India)

New Year's Day (Assamese, Bengali, Burmese, Sikh, Khmer, Lao, Nepali, Oriya, Sinhalese, Tamil, Thai, Tuluva; Southeast Asia) [Sidereal Vernal Equinox]

Sidereal New Year (South and Southeast Asian) (a.k.a. …

Aluth Avurudda (Sri Lanka)

Biju Festival (Parts of India)

Bisu (Tulu Nadu region of Karnataka and Kerala, India)

Bizhu (Chakmas in Mizoram, Tripura and Bangladesh)

Bohag Bihu (Assam, India)

Buisu (Tripura, India)

Bwisagu (Bodoland region of Assam, India)

Cheiraoba (Parts of India)

Choul Chnam Thmey (Cambodia)

Jur Sital (Mithila region of Bihar, India and Nepal)

Khmer New Year (Cambodia)

Maha Vusubha Sankranti (Parts of India)

Oriya New Year (Parts of India)

Pahela Baishakh (Bangladesh and West Bengal, India)

Pana Sankranti (Odisha, India)

Pi Mai (Laos)

Puthandu (Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, India and Northern and Eastern regions of Sri Lanka)

Rongali Bihu (Parts of India)

Samjinnal (Korea)

Sangken (Khamti, Singpho, Khamyang, Tangsa in Arunachal Pradesh and Tai Phake, Tai Aiton, and Turung in Assam, India)

Sinhala (Sri Lanka)

Songkran (Thailand)

Tamil New Year (Parts of India)

Thingyan (Myanmar)

Tuluva New Year (Parts of India)

Vaisakhi (Punjab, North and Central India, Nepalese New Year in Nepal)

Varusha Pirruppa (Tamil New Year; Mauritius)

Vishu (Kerala, India)

Water-Sprinkling Festival (Yunnan, China)

Festivals Beginning April 14, 2024

Alphretta Wine Festival (Alpharetta, Georgia)

The Chocolate Expo (Long Island, New York)

International Rose & Wine Festival (Shreveport, Louisiana)

New Haven Restaurant Week (New Haven, Connecticut) [thru 4.19]

Ocean City Restaurant Week (Ocean City, Maryland) [thru 4.19]

Seville Fair (Seville, Spain) [thru 4.20]

Vinitaly (Verona, Italy) [thru 4.17]

ZagreDox (Zagreb, Croatia) [thru 4.21]

Zilker Kite Festival (Austin, Texas)

Feast Days

Abushibarei (Ryukyuan)

Adolph Hitler Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Albategnius (Positivist; Saint)

Ambedkar Jayanti (India)

Ardalion (Christian; Martyrs)

Bénézet (Christian; Saint)

Bernard of iron (Christian; Saint)

Caradoc, Benezet, John, Antony and Eustace (Christian; Martyrs)

Carpus of Thyatira (Christian; Saint)

Domnina of Terni (Christian; Saint)

Elfin Choirs Congress (Shamanism)

The Extremes (Muppetism)

Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin (Artology)

Galungan (Celebrating Victory of Dharma over Adharma; Bali)

Henry Beard Delany (Episcopal Church (USA))

Justin (Christian; Martyr)

Lambert of Lyons (Christian; Saint)

Lidwina (a.k.a. B. Lidwina of Schiedam or Lydwina; Christian; Saint)

Look Up at the Sky Day (Pastafarian)

Marianne’s Day (Pagan)

Maryamma (Goddess of the Sea; Hinduism; Everyday Wicca)

Peter González (Christian; Saint)

Sommarsblot (Norse)

Three Smiles Day (Celtic Book of Days)

Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus (Christian; Martyrs)

Victor Borisov-Musatov (Artology)

Islamic Moveable Calendar Holidays

Eid al-Fitr celebrations continue (Islam)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Historically Bad Day (Lincoln shot, Titanic hit an iceberg & 9 other tragedies) [1 of 11]

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 17 of 60)

Premieres

About Damn Time, by Lizzo (Song; 2022)

American Psycho (Film; 2000)

Batman vs. Robin (WB Animated Film; 2015)

Beach Blanket Bingo (Film; 1965)

Beauty and the Beast (WB MM Cartoon; 1934)

The Big Bad Wolf (Disney Silly Symphonies Cartoon; 1934)

British Steel, by Judas Priest (Album; 1980)

Buddy’s Garage (WB LT Cartoon; 1934)

Bye Bye Birdie (Broadway Musical; 1960)

The Candle in the Wind, by T.H. White (Novel; 1958) [Once and Future King #4]

Cannery Roden (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1967)

Diver Down, by Van Halen (Album; 1982)

Execution Dock, by Anne Perry (Novel; 2009)

The Fair-Haired Hare (WB LT Cartoon; 1951)

Farewell Waltz, by Milan Kundera (Novel; 1972)

The Fate of the Furious [F&F #8]

Girl Happy (Film; 1965)

Grape Nutty (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1949)

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (Novel; 1939)

The Hash Shop (Oswald he Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1930)

The History of Sexuality, by Michel Foucault (Philosophy Book; 1976)

Iceland's Bell, by Halldór Laxness (Novel; 1943)

Insulin’ the Sultan (Ub Iwerks Cartoon; 1934)

The Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison (Novel; 1952)

Iron Maiden, by Iron Maiden (Album; 1980)

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, by Public Enemy (Album; 1988)

Keeping the Faith (Film; 2000)

The King of Torts, by John Grisham (Novel; 2003)

Kinky Boots (Film; 2006)

The Legend of Korea (Animated TV Series; 2012)

Let’s Dance, by David Bowie (Album; 1983)

The Missing Piece Shel Silverstein (Children’s Book; 1976)

Mixed Master (WB LT Cartoon; 1956)

Much Ado About Mousing (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1964)

The Notorious Bettie Page (Film; 2006)

Off the Deep End, by Weird Al Yankovic (Album; 1992)

The Pebble and the Penguin (Animated Film; 1995)

Put Me in the Zoo, by Robert Lopshire (Children’s Book; 1960)

Put-Put, Pink (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1968)

Renfield (Film; 2023)

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! (Radio Series; 1930)

Rocket Man, by Elton John (Song; 1972)

Say Anything (Film; 1989)

Shift: First Shift — Legacy, by Hugh Howey (Novel; 2012)

Spark (Animated Film; 2017)

Thank You For Smoking (Film; 2006)

Ultra, by Depeche Mode (Album; 1997)

Webster’s American Dictionary (Book; 1818)

The Wild (Animated Film; 2006)

Today’s Name Days

Elmo, Erna, Ernestine (Austria)

Maksim, Valerijan, Zdravko (Croatia)

Vincenc (Czech Republic)

Tiburtius (Denmark)

Lehe, Lehte, Lehti (Estonia)

Taito (Finland)

Ludivine, Maxime (France)

Elmo, Erna, Ernestine (Germany)

Aristarhos, Thomais (Greece)

Tibor (Hungary)

Abbondio, Ignazio, Lamberto (Italy)

Agape, Gudrite, Strauja (Latvia)

Justinas, Vaišvydė, Vaiva, Valerijonas, Visvaldas (Lithuania)

Ellinor, Nora (Norway)

Berenike, Julianna, Justyn, Maria, Myślimir, Tyburcjusz, Walerian, Waleriana (Poland)

Pahomie (Romania)

Maria (Russia)

Justína (Slovakia)

Lidia, Tiburcio, Valeriano (Spain)

Tiburtius (Sweden)

Martin (Ukraine)

Caradoc, Carey, Cary, Hudson (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 105 of 2024; 261 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of week 15 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Saille (Willow) [Day 1 of 28]

Chinese: Month 3 (Wu-Chen), Day 6 (Wu-Shen)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 6 Nisan 5784

Islamic: 5 Shawwal 1445

J Cal: 15 Cyan; Oneday [15 of 30]

Julian: 1 April 2024

Moon: 38%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 21 Archimedes (4th Month) [Hippachus]

Runic Half Month: Man (Human Being) [Day 5 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 27 of 92)

Week: 3rd Week of April

Zodiac: Aries (Day 25 of 31)

Calendar Changes

April (a.k.a. Aprilis; Julian Calendar) [Month 4 of 12]

Saille (Willow) [Celtic Tree Calendar; Month 4 of 13]

#calendar #Holidays

0 notes

brookstonalmanac · 10 months ago

Text

Holidays 4.14

Holidays

Air Force Reserve Day

American Dictionary Day

Americas Day (Honduras, Mexico)

Anfal Genocide Memorial Day

Black Day (South Korea)

Blessing of the Salmon Nets (Northumbria)

Bon Jovi Day (New Jersey)

Cake and Cunnilingus Day

Children’s Day (Peru)

Children with Alopecia Day

Commemoration of Anfal Genocide Against the Kurds (Iraqi Kurdistan)

Cuckoo Day (Old England)

Day of Mologa (Russia)

Day of (No) Silence (GLSEN)

Day of the Georgian Language

Day of the Skater

Dhivehi Language Day (Maldives)

Dictionary Day

Donate Life Blue & Green Day

Draw MegaMan Day

Dreams of Reason Feast Day

Ex-Spouse's Day

414 Day

Global Roller Day

Grand National Ladies Day (UK)

Gujarat (Fire Service Day; India)

International Goalkeeper Day

International Moment of Laughter Day

International Silambam Day

Kids’ Yoga Day

Kinetoscope Day

Look Up at the Sky Day

Lundkommardagen (Puffin Arrival Day; Norway)

Meme Appreciation Day

Milwaukee Day (414)

Moirang Day (a.k.a. Victory Day; India)

National Bracelet Day

National Dolphin Day

National Donate a Book Day

National Gardening Day

National Kick Balls Day

National Love Our Children Day

National Not Ashamed of Jesus Day

National Perfume Day

National Reach as High as You Can Day

N'Ko Alphabet Day (Mande)

Orange Day (Japan)

Pan American Day

Pathologists’ Assistant Day

Peregrine Falcon Appreciation Day

Peter Capaldi Day

Pigeon Day (French Republic)

Reach As High As You Can Day

Samjinnal (Arrival of Spring; Korea)

Secret Service Day

Spring Hula Hooping Day

Tempting Fate Day

Takayama Spring Festival (Japan)

Thingyan begins (Water Festival; Burma)

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Day of Service (South Africa)

World Chagas Day

World Quantum Day

Youth Day (Angola)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Espresso Italiano Day (Italy)

International Laverbread Day

Laverbread Day

National Grits Day

National Pecan Day

Oreo Cookie Cheesecake Day

Saison Day

Tannat Day (Uruguay)

2nd Sunday in April

Air Defense Forces Day (Belarus, Russia) [2nd Sunda

Global Day to End Sexual Abuse [2nd Sunday]

Weekly Holidays beginning April 14 (3rd Week)

Animal Control Appreciation Week [2nd Full Week in April]

Animal Cruelty/Human Violence Awareness Week Week [3rd Week in April]

Astronomy Week — Spring [thru 4.20]

Cleaning For A Reason Week [begins 2nd Sunday]

National Coin Week [3rd Week in April]

National Dog Bite Prevention Week [3rd Week in April]

National Public Safety Telecommunications Week [2nd Full Week in April]

National Student Employment Week [2nd Full Week in April]

National Volunteer Week Week [3rd Week in April]

Neurodiagnostic Week [3rd Week in April]

Organize Your Files Week Week [3rd Week in April]

Pan American Week [Week of 4.14]

Independence & Related Days

Jonja Island (Declared; 2022) [unrecognized]

Lawfords (a.k.a. Kingdom of Lawfords; Declared; 2021) [unrecognized]

New Year’s Days

Hindi New Year (a.k.a. …

Assamese New Year

Baisakhi (Parts of India)

Bisket Jatra (Nepali New Year)

Bohag Bihu (Assam Valley)

Cambodian New Year

Chetti Chand (Parts of India)

Guḍhī Pāḍavā [1st Day of Chaitra]

Hari Raya Yep Tahun Baru (Indonesia)

Malayali New Year (Kerala)

Nyepi Day (a.k.a. Day of Silence; Bali)

Ougadi (Mauritius)

Pi Mai (Laotian New Year)

Ramayana begins

Sajibu Nongmapanba (Cheiraoba, Manipur, India)

Telgu New Year

Thingyan begins (Burma)

Ugadi (Parts of India)

Vaisakhi (Parts of India)

Kerala New Yea (India)

New Year's Day (Assamese, Bengali, Burmese, Sikh, Khmer, Lao, Nepali, Oriya, Sinhalese, Tamil, Thai, Tuluva; Southeast Asia) [Sidereal Vernal Equinox]

Sidereal New Year (South and Southeast Asian) (a.k.a. …

Aluth Avurudda (Sri Lanka)

Biju Festival (Parts of India)

Bisu (Tulu Nadu region of Karnataka and Kerala, India)

Bizhu (Chakmas in Mizoram, Tripura and Bangladesh)

Bohag Bihu (Assam, India)

Buisu (Tripura, India)

Bwisagu (Bodoland region of Assam, India)

Cheiraoba (Parts of India)

Choul Chnam Thmey (Cambodia)

Jur Sital (Mithila region of Bihar, India and Nepal)

Khmer New Year (Cambodia)

Maha Vusubha Sankranti (Parts of India)

Oriya New Year (Parts of India)

Pahela Baishakh (Bangladesh and West Bengal, India)

Pana Sankranti (Odisha, India)

Pi Mai (Laos)

Puthandu (Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, India and Northern and Eastern regions of Sri Lanka)

Rongali Bihu (Parts of India)

Samjinnal (Korea)

Sangken (Khamti, Singpho, Khamyang, Tangsa in Arunachal Pradesh and Tai Phake, Tai Aiton, and Turung in Assam, India)

Sinhala (Sri Lanka)

Songkran (Thailand)

Tamil New Year (Parts of India)

Thingyan (Myanmar)

Tuluva New Year (Parts of India)

Vaisakhi (Punjab, North and Central India, Nepalese New Year in Nepal)

Varusha Pirruppa (Tamil New Year; Mauritius)

Vishu (Kerala, India)

Water-Sprinkling Festival (Yunnan, China)

Festivals Beginning April 14, 2024

Alphretta Wine Festival (Alpharetta, Georgia)

The Chocolate Expo (Long Island, New York)

International Rose & Wine Festival (Shreveport, Louisiana)

New Haven Restaurant Week (New Haven, Connecticut) [thru 4.19]

Ocean City Restaurant Week (Ocean City, Maryland) [thru 4.19]

Seville Fair (Seville, Spain) [thru 4.20]

Vinitaly (Verona, Italy) [thru 4.17]

ZagreDox (Zagreb, Croatia) [thru 4.21]

Zilker Kite Festival (Austin, Texas)

Feast Days

Abushibarei (Ryukyuan)

Adolph Hitler Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Albategnius (Positivist; Saint)

Ambedkar Jayanti (India)

Ardalion (Christian; Martyrs)

Bénézet (Christian; Saint)

Bernard of iron (Christian; Saint)

Caradoc, Benezet, John, Antony and Eustace (Christian; Martyrs)

Carpus of Thyatira (Christian; Saint)

Domnina of Terni (Christian; Saint)

Elfin Choirs Congress (Shamanism)

The Extremes (Muppetism)

Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin (Artology)

Galungan (Celebrating Victory of Dharma over Adharma; Bali)

Henry Beard Delany (Episcopal Church (USA))

Justin (Christian; Martyr)

Lambert of Lyons (Christian; Saint)

Lidwina (a.k.a. B. Lidwina of Schiedam or Lydwina; Christian; Saint)

Look Up at the Sky Day (Pastafarian)

Marianne’s Day (Pagan)

Maryamma (Goddess of the Sea; Hinduism; Everyday Wicca)

Peter González (Christian; Saint)

Sommarsblot (Norse)

Three Smiles Day (Celtic Book of Days)

Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus (Christian; Martyrs)

Victor Borisov-Musatov (Artology)

Islamic Moveable Calendar Holidays

Eid al-Fitr celebrations continue (Islam)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Historically Bad Day (Lincoln shot, Titanic hit an iceberg & 9 other tragedies) [1 of 11]

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 17 of 60)

Premieres

About Damn Time, by Lizzo (Song; 2022)

American Psycho (Film; 2000)

Batman vs. Robin (WB Animated Film; 2015)

Beach Blanket Bingo (Film; 1965)

Beauty and the Beast (WB MM Cartoon; 1934)

The Big Bad Wolf (Disney Silly Symphonies Cartoon; 1934)

British Steel, by Judas Priest (Album; 1980)

Buddy’s Garage (WB LT Cartoon; 1934)

Bye Bye Birdie (Broadway Musical; 1960)

The Candle in the Wind, by T.H. White (Novel; 1958) [Once and Future King #4]

Cannery Roden (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1967)

Diver Down, by Van Halen (Album; 1982)

Execution Dock, by Anne Perry (Novel; 2009)

The Fair-Haired Hare (WB LT Cartoon; 1951)

Farewell Waltz, by Milan Kundera (Novel; 1972)

The Fate of the Furious [F&F #8]

Girl Happy (Film; 1965)

Grape Nutty (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1949)

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (Novel; 1939)

The Hash Shop (Oswald he Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1930)

The History of Sexuality, by Michel Foucault (Philosophy Book; 1976)

Iceland's Bell, by Halldór Laxness (Novel; 1943)

Insulin’ the Sultan (Ub Iwerks Cartoon; 1934)

The Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison (Novel; 1952)

Iron Maiden, by Iron Maiden (Album; 1980)

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, by Public Enemy (Album; 1988)

Keeping the Faith (Film; 2000)

The King of Torts, by John Grisham (Novel; 2003)

Kinky Boots (Film; 2006)

The Legend of Korea (Animated TV Series; 2012)

Let’s Dance, by David Bowie (Album; 1983)

The Missing Piece Shel Silverstein (Children’s Book; 1976)

Mixed Master (WB LT Cartoon; 1956)

Much Ado About Mousing (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1964)

The Notorious Bettie Page (Film; 2006)

Off the Deep End, by Weird Al Yankovic (Album; 1992)

The Pebble and the Penguin (Animated Film; 1995)

Put Me in the Zoo, by Robert Lopshire (Children’s Book; 1960)

Put-Put, Pink (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1968)

Renfield (Film; 2023)

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! (Radio Series; 1930)

Rocket Man, by Elton John (Song; 1972)

Say Anything (Film; 1989)

Shift: First Shift — Legacy, by Hugh Howey (Novel; 2012)

Spark (Animated Film; 2017)

Thank You For Smoking (Film; 2006)

Ultra, by Depeche Mode (Album; 1997)

Webster’s American Dictionary (Book; 1818)

The Wild (Animated Film; 2006)

Today’s Name Days

Elmo, Erna, Ernestine (Austria)

Maksim, Valerijan, Zdravko (Croatia)

Vincenc (Czech Republic)

Tiburtius (Denmark)

Lehe, Lehte, Lehti (Estonia)

Taito (Finland)

Ludivine, Maxime (France)

Elmo, Erna, Ernestine (Germany)

Aristarhos, Thomais (Greece)

Tibor (Hungary)

Abbondio, Ignazio, Lamberto (Italy)

Agape, Gudrite, Strauja (Latvia)

Justinas, Vaišvydė, Vaiva, Valerijonas, Visvaldas (Lithuania)

Ellinor, Nora (Norway)

Berenike, Julianna, Justyn, Maria, Myślimir, Tyburcjusz, Walerian, Waleriana (Poland)

Pahomie (Romania)

Maria (Russia)

Justína (Slovakia)

Lidia, Tiburcio, Valeriano (Spain)

Tiburtius (Sweden)

Martin (Ukraine)

Caradoc, Carey, Cary, Hudson (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 105 of 2024; 261 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of week 15 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Saille (Willow) [Day 1 of 28]

Chinese: Month 3 (Wu-Chen), Day 6 (Wu-Shen)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 6 Nisan 5784

Islamic: 5 Shawwal 1445

J Cal: 15 Cyan; Oneday [15 of 30]

Julian: 1 April 2024

Moon: 38%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 21 Archimedes (4th Month) [Hippachus]

Runic Half Month: Man (Human Being) [Day 5 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 27 of 92)

Week: 3rd Week of April

Zodiac: Aries (Day 25 of 31)

Calendar Changes

April (a.k.a. Aprilis; Julian Calendar) [Month 4 of 12]

Saille (Willow) [Celtic Tree Calendar; Month 4 of 13]

#Holidays

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trivia-jp · 1 year ago

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飛騨高山岐阜の名所

飛騨高山（ひだたかやま）は、岐阜県に位置する歴史的な町並みや伝統文化が残る観光地です。特に、その古い町並みが保存され、歴史的価値が高く評価されています。 1. 古い町並み高山の古い町並みは、江戸時代から残る歴史的な建物や土蔵（倉庫）、古い街並みが保存されています。その風情ある町並みは、歴史や文化を感じることができる貴重なスポットです。 2. 高山祭り日本三大山車の一つとされる「高山祭り」は、春と秋の年に開催され、華やかな山車（だし）や祭り行列が見どころです。歴史的な祭りであり、多くの観光客が訪れます。 3. 伝統工芸高山は木工や漆器、刺し子などの伝統工芸が盛んで、地元の工芸品を楽しむことができます。古い技術や伝統を守りながら、現代にも息づく工芸の魅力があります。 4. 食文化郷土料理や地元の食材を楽しめるレストランや食堂が多くあり、飛騨牛や郷土料理を味わうことができます。また、朝市なども開催され、地元の食材やお土産を買うことができます。

♪♫♬🎤🎹🎶♪♫♬🎤🎹🎶♪♫♬🎤🎹🎶♪♫♬🎤🎹🎶

Hida Takayama Famous places in Gifu

Hida Takayama is a tourist destination located in Gifu Prefecture where historic townscapes and traditional culture remain. In particular, its old townscape has been preserved and is highly valued for its historical value. 1. Old townscape The old townscape of Takayama has preserved historic buildings, storehouses (warehouses), and old townscapes that remain from the Edo period. Its charming townscape is a valuable spot where you can feel the history and culture. 2. Takayama Festival The Takayama Festival, considered one of Japan's three major festival floats, is held in spring and autumn, and the highlight is the colorful floats and festival procession. It is a historical festival and attracts many tourists. 3. Traditional crafts Traditional crafts such as woodworking, lacquerware, and sashiko are popular in Takayama, and you can enjoy local crafts. While preserving old techniques and traditions, there is a charm of crafts that lives on even in modern times. 4. Food culture There are many restaurants and cafeterias where you can enjoy local cuisine and local ingredients, and you can enjoy Hida beef and other local cuisine. There is also a morning market held, where you can buy local ingredients and souvenirs.

#飛騨高山 #岐阜の名所 #Hida Takayama #Famous places in Gifu #日本のトリビア #Japanese Trivia

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idolaxhcrt · 2 years ago

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Sayoko Takayama

★~ Name: Sayoko Takayama ★~ Age: 17 ★~ Height: 156 cm ★~ Weight: 42 kg ★~ Birthday: December 29 ★~ Blood type: A ★~ Three sizes:79-54-78 ★~ Hobbies: Raising hedgehog, diary ★~ Skill: Fencing ★~ Likes: Friends, fellow idols, taiyaki ★~ Horoscope: Capricorn ★~ Hometown: Ibaraki ★~Series : Idolm|@|ster Million live

Tagged~ Sayokochan

Interesting Facts: ★~ She eats taiyaki from the tail first.

★~ She has a pet hedgehog named Hariko (Japanese: ハリ子).

Character introduction:

"I'm aware that I have a lack of talent… Nevertheless, if I keep believing in my dream it will come true." "My hard work helped everyone's abilities grow? If I was useful in any way, I'm grateful." "…Ahh. Oh, sorry. I was getting a little too motivated, so I'm a bit tired." "Everybody in the production is really cute…. No one would call me cute that openly." "I understand the feelings of people who are weak-hearted and timid. Please let me be their encouragement." "It's not like me to get out of my comfort zone, but I'll keep being an idol! These feelings are springing out from inside me." "If you say harsh and painful things, you'll become bitter and lose hope. Be positive and move forward!" "This costume is very cute. I'll try my best not to lose while wearing it."

About:

At first glance, Sayoko might look just like any other honors student. That's not wrong, however, she's actually more of a hot-blooded type. She's been determined since childhood-- she’d always put her whole heart into things and never give up until the last second.

However, Sayoko often lacks self-confidence, believing that she doesn't have any outstanding talents. However, her determination allows her to believe that if she puts as much effort as she can into her work, she can do anything.

Sayoko also seems to have made a promise to become a famous idol to someone she refers to as “that child”.

There is not any information about him or her yet. They seem to have known each other since childhood, hinted at in the summer festival event when Sayoko made a comment about how "that child" had always invited her to festivals.

No further details were given other than that this was a thing of the past.

After Sayoko moved away and the two became separated Sayoko became an idol in order to be able to reunite with them and for this reason Sayoko always takes her glasses off when she works, stating that since she didn't have her glasses yet when she moved they might not recognize her with them.

However, she doesn't actually wear any contact lenses when she takes her glasses off and with her poor eyesight she can’t differentiate between a person and a tree, even at close range.

While Sayoko belongs to the vocal category, she seems to have a talent for acting. She can almost actually become the role she acts. Interestingly, this talent seems to shine the most when the performance is horror-related.

She can even suppress her own mentalities when the role calls for it.

Her family consists of her parents and her little brother. Unlike the always diligent Sayoko, her parents are actually carefree and quite goofy.

youtube

#Sayokochan #Sayoko Takayama about #idol direct #Page 33 #Youtube

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laikainfo · 5 years ago

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14 АПРЕЛЯ ФЕСТИВАЛЬ ВЕСНЫ В ЯПОНИИ / APRIL 14TH SPRING FESTIVAL IN JAPAN Коллектив Laikainfo поздравляет жителей Японии с Фестивалем весны! Laikainfo team congratulates Japan people with Spring Festival! _________ #14апреля #япония #весна #фестиваль #саккура #праздник #азия #такаяма #мацури #традиция #культура #japan #spring #festival #sakkura #holiday #asia #takayama #tatsuri #tradition #culture #путешествия #туризм #отдых #travel #tourism #rest #祭り #春 #休日 (at Japan) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-8EnV5AZKz/?igshid=3z21ai8vpp8q

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tripnest · 3 months ago

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Discover Japan's Hidden Gateways to Offbeat Cities and Regions

Introduction When most travelers think of Japan, bustling metropolises like Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka usually come to mind. However, Japan’s charm extends far beyond these iconic cities. For those seeking a deeper, more authentic experience, there are hidden gateways that lead to a world of traditional culture, scenic beauty, and serenity. In this article, we’ll explore some of Japan’s lesser-known cities and regions such as Kanazawa, Takayama, and Kagoshima, offering unique adventures that showcase the country’s rich history and natural landscapes. Kanazawa: The Hidden Gem of the West Nestled on the western coast of Honshu, Kanazawa is often referred to as “Little Kyoto” due to its preserved Edo-period architecture and cultural heritage. This city serves as a gateway to Japan’s traditional arts, including gold leaf craftsmanship, tea ceremonies, and samurai culture. Visitors can wander through Kenroku-en Garden, one of Japan’s most famous gardens, or visit the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art for a mix of modern and ancient Japan. Kanazawa is also a culinary hub, particularly known for its seafood from the nearby Sea of Japan. Unlike the crowded streets of Kyoto, Kanazawa offers a peaceful escape while still retaining the beauty and history of Japan’s past. Takayama: The Gateway to the Japanese Alps For travelers looking to explore Japan’s mountainous regions, Takayama is the perfect gateway. Situated in the heart of the Japanese Alps, this city provides a unique blend of rural charm and traditional architecture. Takayama is famous for its well-preserved old town, where wooden merchant houses line the streets, offering a glimpse into Japan’s Edo period. The city also hosts the Takayama Festival, one of Japan’s most famous festivals, featuring elaborate floats and cultural performances. Beyond the city, Takayama is the gateway to the Hida region, known for its hot springs and the traditional thatched-roof houses of Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kagoshima: Gateway to Volcanic Landscapes and Hot Springs Located in the southern part of Kyushu Island, Kagoshima is known as the “Naples of the East” for its scenic beauty and proximity to the active volcano, Sakurajima. This city is a gateway to some of Japan’s most dramatic natural landscapes, including volcanic hot springs, hiking trails, and coastal views. Kagoshima offers a unique combination of natural wonder and historical significance. Visitors can soak in volcanic hot springs, such as the famous Ibusuki onsen, where sand baths are a popular attraction. The city also serves as the gateway to the Satsuma Peninsula, where you can explore ancient samurai culture and visit sites like the Chiran Samurai Residences. Niigata: A Coastal Retreat Situated along the Sea of Japan, Niigata is often overlooked by tourists but offers a gateway to a coastal retreat. Known for its rice production and sake breweries, Niigata provides a more rural experience while still offering access to stunning natural beauty. Visitors can enjoy seafood fresh from the sea, explore the nearby Sado Island, or indulge in relaxing onsen experiences in the surrounding mountains. Niigata is also a winter destination, with several ski resorts offering pristine snow conditions. Its proximity to both the sea and mountains makes it a perfect spot for adventure seekers and wellness enthusiasts alike. Shimane: The Gateway to Japan’s Myths Shimane Prefecture is a land steeped in mythology and ancient history, offering a gateway to Japan’s spiritual roots. Izumo Taisha, one of the oldest and most important Shinto shrines in Japan, is located here, attracting pilgrims and tourists interested in Japan’s religious history. Shimane’s coastline, dotted with quiet fishing villages, offers stunning views of the Sea of Japan and opportunities for a more serene exploration of Japan’s natural beauty. Visitors can also explore the Adachi Museum of Art, famous for its garden, which is considered one of the most beautiful in Japan. The region’s secluded nature makes it ideal for those seeking a peaceful retreat. Conclusion Exploring Japan’s hidden gateways offers a fresh perspective on a country known for its rich history, diverse landscapes, and cultural traditions. Cities like Kanazawa, Takayama, Kagoshima, Niigata, and Shimane allow travelers to escape the crowds and discover the authentic heart of Japan. Whether you’re drawn to the traditional arts, natural beauty, or the historical significance of these regions, Japan’s off-the-beaten-path cities offer a unique and unforgettable travel experience. Read the full article

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gallagherhqs · 4 years ago

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Evangeline Astor has spent her entire life in competition. Whether it was with the ghost of her deceased sister or the trust fund kids at her New England private school, there has always been this rift between her and other people, a reason that she’d have to claw her way up to stand next to them. To be deserving of things, she would always have to prove her worth. So, when Caledonia recruited Eva, things felt…different for her. Someone had been watching her; someone had noticed all of her hard work without her having to fight tooth and nail to prove herself to them. But the relief had only lasted until she met him: Cole Conner.

He was introduced to her as Mr. Stewart’s “most promising” pupil, the top of the class and the PRIDE of Caledonia, their golden boy. He was an average-looking white man, tall and thin with an awkward sort of charm that he didn’t seem to recognize that he had. Eva couldn’t tell what was so special about him, but naturally, he was a man, and he would always walk two steps ahead of her. “Nice to meet you,” she’d said, delivering what was probably the coldest handshake of her life, but his smile was warm in response as if her immediate resentment didn’t even register. But he was Cole Conner; he already had everyone else’s favor…why would he need to concern himself with hers? And so, Eva’s hatred grew.

And over the past year, it only festered, Cole’s ignorance of even the fact that competition existed made every wayward glance feel like he was picking at a scab, and by April, Eva was dealing with an open wound. The latest security breach left all of the agents feeling VULNERABLE. Therefore she didn’t think much when Christian texted her.

MARCH 14, 2021

Christian: meet me in the forest tonight its important Eva: is this a booty call? you’re not very subtle x

She knew it wasn’t, but he didn’t even match her playful tone when she meets him later. He didn’t hesitate to cut to the chase when he stands in the cover of the trees, didn’t give her the chance to say hello before he blurted, “So, did Allister do it?“

Eva was silent for a while before she answered him, trying to wrap her head around what Christian knew and why. She couldn’t resist the sarcasm in her reply, glad that she at least knew ONE thing that he hadn’t been briefed on : “Well, technically, it was Carmichael.“

They spend the rest of the night rehashing details about Caledonia, where Eva learned that Christian is a double double agent, spying on Cecilia, Cole, Allister, and Eva for Mr. Stewart. He’s been watching this whole time and reporting back on all of their actions. He also gave insight into the real reason that Mr. Stewart demoted Cole this semester: THE BURN BOOK.

It’s Cole’s personal record, containing nearly two years of research on their fellow students that he hasn’t reported back to Mr. Stewart or anyone else, a diary full of secrets on everyone in Gallagher academy. Christian discovered it last semester. Eva’s pretty sure she’d kill a man ( she’d stab Christian dead in the cover of the forest, certainly ) to get her hands on Cole’s private notebook. Honestly, the moment is better than any sex she’s ever had – to know that Cole Conner is a dirty liar just like she expected, that she was RIGHT not to trust him, and now, Eva’s got the keys in her hands to get the better of him, just like she’s always wanted from the moment she shook his hand in the halls of Caledonia.

From there, it’s not hard to convince Christian that they should get their hands on it together. It seems like his burning resentment toward Mr. Stewart and Caledonia has him desiring the same means to an end, and he promises to help her get her hands on the book. “We should do it next time there’s an event,” he says, “I bet there’ll be one soon enough. The school seems to love those.”

And sure enough, a couple of weeks later, Gallagher Academy’s ever-consistent party-planning committee announces THE TAKAYAMA SPRING FESTIVAL.

APRIL 9, 2021

November 26, 2020. That was the first time Christian Torres broke into Cole Conner’s room to see what he had saved in a lockbox. He didn’t have much time to look through the book that day, but he had gotten a good enough clue about its contents. To this day, the book’s contents shocked him, given the number of SECRETS that Cole had found. But he had a mission and a job to do, so he had taken pictures of a few pages and sent them to Mr. Stewart. Since then, Mr. Stewart had tasked Christian with obtaining the entire book and delivering it to him – a task Christian was not looking forward to. The dread only increased after finding out Mr. Stewart had lied to them. Christian had been growing suspicious of the man’s aims and intentions for a while. Did any of the Caledonia agents know why they were really here? The secrecy and the mysteriousness left an unsettling feeling within him. Unfortunately, he had a job to do because Mr. Stewart would continuously ensure his family’s safety. However, he and Eva decided they could hold on to the book for a while before sending it eventually. Mr. Stewart could wait. It was only fair after lying to them.

On the day of the Takayama Spring Festival, Christian doesn’t drink much because he and Eva planned to steal the book. It was the perfect time, with everyone in one place. When it was time to head to Cole’s room, his eyes scanned the venue, pinpointing Cole and pinpointing the roommates, Owen, Eden, and Dana. He then looked at Eva and tipped his head to the side, a silent gesture of time to move.

They left the party, making their way toward Cole’s room. Christian would be the one to break in since he’d done this before, while Eva would be the one to keep watch. He effortlessly and successfully picked the lock. Mere seconds later, the door opened. They stayed quiet throughout – they’ve gone through the plan multiple times before.

He walked inside, closing the door behind him. It felt like yesterday he’d done this, but no, it had been five long months. He hurried over to the desk drawer, rummaging through it until he found the familiar lockbox. He was lucky this time because he had already cracked the password: DAHL. Cole’s real last name. Christian wondered for a moment if any of the other Caledonia agents knew about it. If they didn’t, he wouldn’t be surprised, as it was evident Mr. Stewart was full of shit.

Just like that, the lockbox opened and inside was the infamous book. Christian immediately took it out, closed the lockbox, and put everything back in its place so they wouldn’t leave behind any reason for suspicion. Either way, it wouldn’t be long before Cole opened the lock box and found it empty. But Christian couldn’t be bothered to care about Cole’s reaction. Wasn’t he the reason the agents were even here? Because he didn’t know how to do his job?

With that, Christian made his way back outside, letting out a sigh of relief that he’d gotten out of the damn room. He never wanted to set foot inside ever again.

“I got it,” he told Eva quietly.

They agreed that Christian would hold on to it, keep it somewhere safe and secure and meet up later to read through its contents until they could meet in the library. They went their separate ways, and Christian headed back to his room to hide the book and smoke a joint to calm his nerves. He doesn’t even look through it; he knows what to anticipate.

Christian considers never giving the book to Mr. Stewart, considers burning and discarding it and informing him that he couldn’t find the book when he went to retrieve it again. That way, he can’t be blamed. Except he saw the look on Eva’s face when he told her about it – like she finally got her chance to get ahead of Cole Conner and expose him to Mr. Stewart. She’d probably never agree to it.

To say there was an INFLUX of thoughts coming to Christian’s mind in a single second would be an understatement, and he wants – no, needs – it to stop. So, after he properly hides the book, he lights a joint and allows himself to chill. He’ll stress about this when it’s time.

APRIL 12, 2021

“You don’t have any friends here. All you do is lie.”

Sixteen-year-old Lucy Prescott said that right before her classmate Evangeline Astor pushed her down the side of a hill. Eva still remembers the echo of her scream, the chill of the breeze in the air. She has always taken comfort in being alone, and since then, she’s learned how to take Lucy’s words as a compliment. Lies have helped her keep her distance, and she likes to do most things alone. That is the way she prefers to peruse Cole’s book, too, without Christian looking over her shoulder. She doesn’t work well in pairs, but the only thing that motivates her to be cooperative is the idea of pushing Cole Conner down the side of a proverbial hill ; she has dreams about the look on his face when he loses his balance.

Eva doesn’t like the idea of letting Christian hold on to the book – honestly, letting it out of her sight makes her apprehensive. Sure, she doesn’t totally trust him; it’s hard to know that he’s been spying on her all semester because Mr. Stewart has been dangling his family’s safety over his head. Anyone can be bought. But also, she can’t wait to get her hands on it, to flip through the pages and find out everything that Cole has been hiding from the rest of them for the entirety of the year, what people he is trying to protect. So, she’s early to meet Christian in the library, even if she already knows Christian well enough to anticipate that he’ll be late.

They meet on the cusp of the restricted section when they meet, Christian’s usual air of casual nonchalance when he meets Eva. They both smell of cigarettes and deception, and her smile is soft but urgent when she beckons him toward the table in the back.

“Have you looked at it?” Eva asks him, just a bit curious. She figures who he’d look up, the usual suspects: Tommy, Emir, anyone else of interest to Christian. However, Christian shakes his head, “Not yet.” It is characteristic of him to not care enough to take a deep dive, but Eva suspects that he must have looked at some of it. She would’ve perused it like the Holy Bible if it were kept in her possession, swore oaths over it.

“God, this would be so dangerous in the wrong hands,” she says breathlessly, turning the pages.

“You can say that again.” It was Christian’s exact thought the first time he looked through the book in November, and it’s the same thought again right now.

And naturally, the first names that Eva wants to look up are not of self-interest, not the names of people she supposedly cares about, but she’s quickly flipping to the names of people close to Cole. She checks Valeria Sutton first, naturally, but as she’s looking through the names of people in Cole’s life, Eva notices that one very important entry is missing.

“Wait. Where is…” she trails off as Christian looks at her, flipping through the book again. She can’t understand why this person wouldn’t be in the book due to their proximity to Cole. Eva’s about to flip through again when a familiar face passes by.

“Eva, Christian, hello! Have you met Thursday yet?” It’s Rizo Guinto and his AI, stopping Eva mid-investigation.

“Thursday? That’s the project you’ve been working on, right?” Eva asks, leaning forward to cover what she and Christian are up to. “I don’t think so! What does it do?” Naturally, Rizo approaches the table when invited, and Christian is quick to move the evidence, placing the book carefully on the shelf behind them so that they can come back to it when Rizo leaves their table. Luckily, the library seems fairly empty because Rizo can talk for what feels like hours about his latest technological endeavor. By the time he finally leaves, the light of the sky outside the library windows is fading.

“Shit luck. Thought he’d never leave,” Christian remarks. Under most circumstances, the conversation probably would’ve been fun, but with their deception looming over their heads, it was hard to focus on anything Rizo was saying.

“Are you hungry? I kind of want to stay here, keep going through the book,” Eva says. She’s not sure Christian will leave her alone with it. Despite their history, she finds it doubtful that he trusts her.

“About that…” Christian trails off, and Eva turns to see him looking through the books on the shelf. “Uh – it’s gone.” His voice and expression are neutral. The mess they’re in hasn’t properly sunk in yet for him.

Eva looks at him with bloody murder.

“What do you mean, it’s gone?” she asks, standing up to look through the books on the shelf.

“I put it right here, and it’s gone,” he says. He stands there, watching Eva. He’s already looked through the shelf. Christian realizes there’s not much they can do if the burn book is gone. They’re not going to look for it in the entire school, of course. If the book is gone, then it’s gone. However, at the same time, the heat rises to his ears as he recalls both him and Eva discussing how this book is dangerous even if it ends up in the wrong hands.

“How is that possible? No one else came through here,” Eva says, utterly confused as she starts taking books off the shelf, looking for Cole’s lost diary. Christian only helps her for a bit before he characteristically gives up, not knowing what else to do in the moment. If it were still on these shelves, they’d have found it by now.

Eva feels like she’s been pushed off the hill herself, like there was retribution in her literal grasp and one second of careless panic, and it’s completely GONE. She feels an ache in her chest like she’s slipping. Christian probably looks at her like she’s lost her mind as she reorganizes the shelf multiple times, frantically searching for the most volatile book of secrets that Gallagher has ever known.

She will not find it. Amid their earlier conversation with Rizo, a student perused the shelves behind them and noticed the book, hastily shoved between two others. They couldn’t see any of the bindings from the back where they were standing, but they reached their arm around to take it off for a better look. Upon first glance, it does just look like someone’s diary, notes and things, but further inspection showed secrets of practically every student in the school. They’re quiet as they look up the students they’re anxious to know more about. Sebastian Castillo’s page is just as boring as they predicted; they almost close the thing and put it back entirely – however, Ria Flicke’s entry brings them to a pause, realizing that this is much more than just someone’s diary. There are explosive secrets in this book, secrets that would be dangerous if they were to fall into the wrong hands.

And Thalia Hall is the wrong hands.

Thalia tucks the book into her bag quickly, not wanting to stick around where she found it in case someone were to come back. Then, she takes off towards her dorm to decide what exactly to do with the rest.

TO BE CONTINUED…

ooc note: we want to say a massive thank you to jia & kati for writing this plot drop!! we truly appreciate everyone’s hard work with these last few plot drops <3

#gallagher:plotdrop #gallagher:plotdropa2 #submission

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