Seven or eight minutes before 5pm, the silver Toyota Crown car had almost arrived at its destination.
In the southeast of Ota Ward, Tokyo, there is a commercial street facing a wide road lined with several "pachinko" shops, prize redemption shops and companies providing consumer loans.
In Japan, there are currently more than 10,000 "Pachinko" stores, of which more than 70% are. They are all run by Koreans in Japan and Koreans in Japan.
So anyone who knows a little bit about this area will see that this is a place that uses pachinko machine entertainment to attract customers and engage in disguised gambling.
You should know that they have already reached the territory of the Koreans in Japan or the Koreans in Japan.
This is almost common sense in living in Japan.
However, the car did not stop here. After passing "Pachinko", it turned into the alley next to it.
Immediately, a row of shops with signboards in both Japanese and Korean came into Ning Weimin's eyes.
On this street, the characteristics of the Korean nation are even more obvious.
The store signs are either "Pyongyang" or "Panmunjom", or "Myeongdong" or "Blue House".
But this place is not like the commercial street outside, with a unified archway and street lights. The dilapidated and old buildings seem to have never been repaired.
Dozens of small restaurants are crowded together, and many restaurants share a bathroom.
In broad daylight, drunken Korean singing accompanied by the smell of boiled pig intestines can be heard coming from small restaurants on the roadside.
Only one person can often pass through the narrow, winding and irregular streets. Behind the dilapidated iron houses, garbage can be seen everywhere.
In short, this looks like a "shantytown" where the poor at the bottom live.
The overall lack of planning, narrow roads, messy layout has become a congenital problem, and public facilities are also seriously insufficient.
All of this makes it hard to believe that you are in Japan, a unique country within a country.
This is the only remaining part of what was once called "Koreatun" by local residents in the past. It is also the only remaining Korean-Korean settlement in Daejeon District today.
On the way here, Matsumoto Keiko had revealed his identity as a Korean expatriate to Ning Weimin.
She also told him that the restaurant she went to today was very close to her childhood home and school.
So after finally parking the car, Matsumoto Keiko took the initiative to continue to act as a tour guide as an aborigine and introduced the situation here to Ning Weimin in detail, which became natural.
According to Keiko Matsumoto, in 1959, the number of Korean and Korean expatriates in Japan reached 590,000.
By 1985, including the Koreans who became Japanese citizens, the total number would exceed three million.
Compared to the few hundred thousand Chinese expatriates in Japan at this time, the total number and proportion of Korean and Korean expatriates in Japan were much higher.
So compared to the two Chinatowns in Yokohama and Kobe, where the Chinese in Japan are relatively concentrated, the areas where Korean and Korean expatriates live are dotted all over the place.
Inhabited areas like this exist in various forms in almost all larger cities in Japan.
There is also a spicy cabbage Yokocho Street in Ueno, Tokyo, which is also a gathering area for North and Koreans.
The earliest residents of "Koreatun" were actually a group of Koreans and Koreans who came to Japan to work as laborers.
Around 1948, they were unwilling to return to China and were driven here. The government tacitly allowed them to build their own houses and live together.
Over the years, the Korean and Korean people living here have not only obtained land and house ownership, but also obtained permanent residence status.
But he always maintained his own lifestyle.
Through the self-governing associations, Korean schools and other institutions in their residential areas, they reflect their obvious national characteristics.
Although many people living here only speak Japanese, they still have a strong sense of belonging to the governments of South Korea and North Korea.
But people here are also very concerned about "originality".
Although North and South Korea coexist peacefully, they never interact too much.
Keiko Matsumoto also taught Ning Weimin a way to identify North Korean restaurants and South Korean restaurants.
It is said that the barbecue restaurant here is special. A small number of shops are run by "Korean people in Japan", and the rest are owned by "Korean people in Japan".
If the store sign says "Korean Cuisine", the owner should be from Korea.
If these four words are not written, they are all from North Korea.
She even secretly told Ning Weimin a secret that was unknown to outsiders.
It is said that a branch of the legendary organization "Chongryon" in Japan is located behind the small supermarket on this street.
Because this is a place that the Japanese are unwilling to set foot in, only the Koreans living here have known about it for many years.
To be honest, Ning Weimin doesn't really care about this matter.
He is neither Japanese nor a spy ordered to lurk, so why is he bothering to think about such political matters?
On the contrary, I didn’t want to cause trouble and completely gave up the idea of going to the small supermarket to buy a pack of cigarettes.
What he was really worried about was that the two of them were incompatible with the noisy and chaotic environment here, and whether there would be any safety concerns.
You know, this is a poor place where fish and dragons are mixed, filled with smoke and alcohol.
At first glance, the people who hang out here are mainly blue-collar workers and small traders, and there are also many people who work sideways.
The fact that they parked their car here is enough to attract a lot of attention.
Not to mention that Keiko Matsumoto is still wearing such elegant clothes and dressing up so beautifully.
Today, she was holding a silver Prada handbag, a silk scarf on her head, and sunglasses. She looked even more eye-catching after stepping out of the car.
Not only were the two pairs of young men and women who had been whispering at the door of the cold food shop suddenly silent.
The three stevedores sitting in the back of the truck waiting to work also stopped talking.
Especially at the door of a massage parlor, there were two men who looked like Yakuza who had just come out.
They saw Matsumoto Keiko, just like dogs seeing meat and bones.
He couldn't help but take the cigarette butt from his mouth, spit on the ground, put his hands on his shiny back, and followed directly.
Ning Weimin was really worried about what trouble he would cause.
With his body and bones, he has no chance of being a hero here.
I didn’t expect that he was actually worrying about things in vain.
Because Matsumoto Keiko is also of Korean descent after all and is a part of the people who once lived here.
She soon began to greet people in the surrounding shops in fluent Korean.
The people she talked to were all permanent residents here, and when they saw her, they all smiled and greeted her.
At first glance, they look like familiar acquaintances.
Even the two Yakuza who were following the two thieves were stopped by an old woman who was collecting garbage at the door of the store, raised a broom, and then chased them away with a squawk. .
Looking at the fierce look, it was probably a stern warning not to let them have bad ideas or get close to Matsumoto Keiko.
So Ning Weimin breathed a sigh of relief.
According to his understanding, Matsumoto Keiko's status here is probably similar to his own status in Shan'er Hutong.
It’s useless even if a criminal gang comes to kidnap someone.
For example, if he was in Shan'er Hutong, he could scream out loud in the whole alley.
Don’t even mention it when the time comes.
With just a few hundred people, a group of people could be crushed to death in an alley using broomsticks, dirty soil basins and tractor boards under their feet.
This is the benefit of being at home, the advantage of home court.
Ning Weimin followed Matsumoto Keiko silently, looking at her slender back showing off her feminine charm, while thinking wildly in his mind.
Suddenly, Matsumoto Keiko turned around, smiled at Ning Weimin, and then pointed to the street corner on the right.
Matsumoto Keiko had a child-like expression on her face. Following the direction of her finger, Ning Weimin saw a barbecue restaurant called "Jin's House".
The red and blue "Korean Cuisine" lanterns hung in the store really showed the boss's background.
The front of this store is not too big, and you can walk by it accidentally, but the space inside the store is okay.
A few tables were set up at the door.
Go inside, go down a few steps, and there is a larger space with more than a dozen tables. Because there was still some time before the actual meal, there were only a few guests.
The shop owner and his wife are also acquaintances of Matsumoto Keiko, a diligent and capable fifty-year-old couple.
In particular, the boss’s wife was so kind when she saw Keiko Matsuzaka, and even addressed her differently. She told the boss in surprise.
"Master, come here quickly and see who is here? It's Han Qingzi."
This made Ning Weimin suddenly realize that this was probably Matsumoto Keiko’s real name.
What is a bit surprising is that there are private rooms in the store.
The shop owner asked his wife to take them directly to a small room at the end.
This is the only room with a breathable window for better smoke exhaust.
The warm yellow light shines on the large wooden table that can seat six people, giving it a faint oily sheen.
"Lady boss, let's have two beers first."
Matsumoto Keiko asked for a drink before she even sat down, looking very excited.
"You're driving." Ning Weimin couldn't help but remind her.
"It's okay, you can find a driver."
Matsumoto Keiko glanced at the landlady again, "If that doesn't work, you can leave the car here. Let's take a taxi back. It's okay, right?" "
The landlady smiled and nodded repeatedly.
"No problem. If the car is left here, I will ask the owner to drive it to the yard later."
In this way, Ning Weimin would not be able to do anything to spoil the mood and say anything in person.
He really didn’t expect that Keiko Matsumoto would actually ask for a drink.
Logically speaking, if a woman goes on a date with a man she is not familiar with, offers to drink, or takes the man to a place she thinks is worth remembering, it usually means that she has let down her guard.
This is enough to give men hints and leaves a lot of room for imagination and play.
However, when the matter came to pass, he did not dare to make any judgment.
Because he liked the current feeling so much that he couldn't help but be careful, for fear of making a rash move and messing everything up.
The landlady quickly brought two large glasses of draft beer, placed them gently on the table, and brought out the menu for them to take a look at.
"Come on, cheers!"
Matsumoto Keiko raised the glass proudly.
The wine glass was very large, and her hands looked particularly delicate and delicate.
"Do you drink without eating something? You...get drunk easily..." Ning Weimin tried to persuade him with good intentions.
"Don't spoil the fun, you won't get drunk." Matsumoto Keiko said as if nothing had happened.
In this case, Ning Weimin will have to show some manly energy.
"Okay, cheers, for your new work to come out as soon as possible and be a hit!"
"No, for... Mishima Yukio." Matsumoto Keiko's tone changed. , not like a joke.
"Why?" Ning Weimin asked puzzledly.
"It was for him that I wrote "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion", and for that book we..."
Matsumoto Keiko did not say any more, but her reddish face and drooping lips His eyes express his thoughts just right.
“Okay, cheers!”
Of course Ning Weimin is not an idiot. He realized this in almost the next second and understood the subtext.
So he stared at the person in his eyes with great encouragement and clinked glasses with Matsumoto Keiko.
The wine glasses kissed each other gently, and the sound was extremely clear.
What was even more unexpected was that Matsumoto Keiko drank half of it in one go.
Seeing this, Ning Weimin, who had already learned to abide by Japanese drinking rules, quickly changed his tune and drank more than half of the glass.
Then they started to order.
The menu was a piece of yellowed paper with no pictures. Ning Weimin couldn't understand it at all because it was all in Korean.
The considerate Matsumoto Keiko took the initiative to ask him, "What do you like to eat?"
"It's up to you."
"You're welcome, what do you like to eat? I'll do it for you. You order."
Matsumoto Keiko picked up the menu, put it between the two of them, pointed at the words on it, and tilted her head.
"I'll read it to you one by one, okay?"
"Thank you, but I'm not picky about food at all. You want to eat rice dumplings, right? Is it on the menu?"
"Yes. ”
“Then order this.”
“But are you used to it?”
"I'm used to it, but I actually like it. The Manchu people have a special food called Deshengbao, which is made of cabbage and perilla wrapped in miso, mashed potatoes, stir-fried sesame tofu with green beans, stir-fried mixed rice, etc. This kind of food , it is very popular in the capital of China and the three northeastern provinces. In addition, there are fifty-six ethnic groups in our country, including the Xian people. There is a restaurant in the capital called Yanji Restaurant..."
"Ah, I know, I've been to that Korean restaurant too. Buckwheat cold noodles are very famous, and I think they taste good. But the Victory Bun you mentioned... I don't think I've seen it in Beijing before? "
At the end of the conversation, Keiko Matsumoto asked curiously.
"Then it's probably because the person hosting you doesn't know the capital well. But it's easy. Next time you go to the capital, I'll receive you. I'll be your free tour guide."
"That's great, it's settled..."
The two of them relaxed and chatted, and the time passed unknowingly.
When the proprietress came in again, she was surprised to find that the dishes had not been ordered yet.
I only saw Matsumoto Keiko and Ning Weimin chatting happily.
The proprietress apologized, said "Excuse me", and left.
But his expression seemed to be suppressing a smile.
At this time, Matsumoto Keiko was also embarrassed.
I casually ordered some grilled vegetarian dishes, kebabs, and grilled fish, and quickly ended the process.
Unexpectedly, the boss also brought a lot of side dishes and roasted corn, and in the end, the table for six people could hardly fit.
The food on the table is so rich that even if five or six people can eat it, it will be more than enough.
Obviously, these two people are probably going to be guilty of wasting food today.
So Ning Weimin stopped tensing up.
Just take off your suit, roll up your arms and sleeves, and start eating and drinking.
My heart said, just eat as much as you can. Eating more is to give face, right?
As expected, Keiko Matsumoto liked to see him feasting like this.
Not only did he prepare the dishes for him, but he also made rice bags for him with his own hands.
Ning Weimin was so blessed that he had a sip of food and a sip of wine.
He doesn't have to worry about anything, he just needs to concentrate on eating.
Although I can no longer tell the taste of what I put in my mouth.
But this kind of happiness and satisfaction is truly enviable to the gods.
They just chatted while eating, getting closer and closer to each other and becoming more and more speculative.