***
Kenichi picked up the tab as he and Mark left the restaurant at about 12:30 pm. They rode the long escalator down to the first floor and exited the building, immediately turning left. Kenichi's office was actually a few blocks up from The Cantaloupe, so the area was familiar to Mark once he had his bearings. It was a sunny day and the temperature was in the mid-twenties. As they arrived outside the Naniwa Central Building, Mark looked up and noticed several fluffy clouds floating by, low in the sky, lifting his spirits. The elevator announced their arrival at the fifteenth floor, opening to a modern office and reception area. The receptionist bowed politely as the two walked straight past and into Kenichi's office.
He made a call on his office landline from his desk while Mark sat and waited on the client side of the desk. Picking up enough of the Japanese conversation, Mark was able to understand that Kenichi was suggesting an appropriate couple of questions and an appropriate couple of answers. Mark was feeling a little manipulated but was fairly certain that this would work out well and that, in the end, he would come out ahead. Kenichi finished the call, then immediately booted up his computer as he talked to Mark.
"Takenaka San will log on to Skype and we can do this three-way," he announced.
He clicked a few times, while Mark was left staring at the back of a computer screen. He wondered what the hell he should say as Takenaka San logged on.
"Atta,” (It's here), he remarked, as he motioned for Mark to come to the other side of the desk. Takenaka San's headshot was on screen. She was attractive and thirty-ish looking, presenting a serious face. Kenichi and Mark appeared on the one screen.
"Konnichiwa, Takenaka desu," (This is Ms Takenaka) said the reporter.
"Sore Ja, eigo de hanashimashou?" (Shall we speak in English?)
"Ok then, let's begin," said Kenichi in English.
"So, Mark, we have seen a You Tube video of you eating kujira at a restaurant with your friends." Mark nodded. "Do you do this often?" she asked.
"No, that was the first time," answered Mark confidently.
Kenichi nodded in approval.
"It is quite rare for a foreigner to eat whale meat. Are you OK? I mean, do you agree with eating whale meat?"
Kenichi shuffled on his seat a little and looked at Mark with a sincere and trusting sort of glare. Mark knew that the idea was to avoid getting bogged down in any of the moral or ethical issues surrounding whaling, so he carefully considered his answer.
"Well," he began. "I mean, I didn’t really order it but I was OK with it. It was fine and I enjoyed the taste."
Both Mark and Kenichi were fine with the line of questioning so far and started to relax. Then, just like the time he appeared on TV in Sydney, the reporter decided to throw one at him, from left of field.
"So, do you agree that Japanese people are OK to kill the whales to eat?"
Kenichi looked surprised but 'kept his cool'. He looked at Mark and nodded, motioning him to answer in the affirmative. Mark wasn’t so sure, though. There would be no more 'fence-sitting' if he answered in the affirmative, and to answer in the negative would entice the reporter to ask more questions that would alienate him from the Japanese public. He started to regret agreeing to the interview and looked at Kenichi who, from the wings, was frantically urging him to answer.
Too much time had elapsed and the reporter repeated.
"Are you OK for Japanese people to kill whales and eat the whale meat?"
Kenichi was now tearing his hair out and was on the verge of jumping in and taking over. Mark knew he had to say something.
"Umm…well… I know it is a tradition for Japanese people and I think that probably a little is OK."
"Well that is a very flexible attitude for a foreigner, especially from Australia. So, thank you, I think many Japanese people will agree with you." Kenichi breathed a huge sigh of relief.
She switched to Japanese, thanking Kenichi for the contact and advising him that the quick interview would air with other commentary regarding Nihon Shyokuhin in the evening news at six. Kenichi thanked her emphatically, Mark also offering thanks. "Arigatou," (Thank you) he said as Kenichi returned to his chair.
"Well, that was good for us Mark," said Kenichi.
Mark was not so sure and was feeling a little uneasy about his comments, worried how the interview would look if it made its way back to Australia.
"Well, if it does, at least Kenichi and Nihon Shyokuhin would be off his back, as he had done them a great service today earning them good nationalistic coverage on a national network," he thought. "Good for business means good for Mark, " he affirmed to himself.
He thought about what to do now that the two of them had managed to quell the crisis. Sitting back in his comfortable chair, Mark stretched his arms about his head and yawned.
"Otsukare sama deshita," (You've worked hard and must be tired) he said to Kenichi as the latter took out his keitai and began checking all his messages. Kenichi made more calls, while Mark relaxed.