Thousand Cranes

Chikako phones Kikuji at work and demands that he return home immediately at the end of the day. She informs him that it is the anniversary of his father’s annual tea ceremony, and she intends to host a small ceremony in Kikuji’s tea cottage. To Kikuji’s shock, she reveals that she is already at his house preparing and cleaning out the cottage which has not been used since the death of Kikuji’s mother several years prior. Despite Kikuji’s protests, Chikako invites Yukiko to attend the ceremony in an effort to move the proposed match forward.

Although Kikuji is reluctant to agree to Chikako’s plans and delays his return from work by stopping off at a bar, he ultimately cedes to her wishes and readies himself for the tea ceremony.

The next day, Kikuji returns to the tea cottage to clean up and tidy away the tea utensils used the prior night. He reflects on the tea ceremony that Chikako held for him and Yukiko. Yukiko was arrestingly fresh and attractive and hinted that she would be in favor of a match with him. However, she didn’t share his distrust for Chikako or his resentment over her meddling, which left Kikuji feeling uneasy.