A wild taxi ride to Yokohama with a kamikaze driver; Five of us from the 65th Eng.Co. on R&R from Korea, crammed in the small Japanese taxi. We felt that we wasted a day and a night in Tokyo; and we're looking for adventure. It was Japan 1954. At the Army Serviceman's Club, we had lunch and rented lockers for our bags. Over lunch it was decided that if any of us got separated, we would meet there. Off we went on a tour of the nightlife. So much different than Tokyo. My memory of it ?........................ A wonderful bustling street with small shops and throngs of people, some smiling at you, some ignoring you with down-cast eyes. Sidewalks busy; you had to follow the crowd in the right lane or you might be carried away in the fast pace. Aggressive pitchmen handing out cards for different clubs, one after another! Small Japanese cars moved on by at a slow pace, colorful signs and banners glorified the street and--I knew-- I was in Japan. It was dusk and already some of the clubs were turning on their neon's, attracting the moths to the flame. Wow I thought, there's the Brown Derby. and down the street the Flamingo! across the street, the Green Lantern and Showboat! Inside the clubs: (they seemed pretty much the same) some were bigger than others, most had live music, ALL had a bevy of beautiful girls in prom dresses just waiting for you to buy them a fake drink, repaying you by sitting at your table and no further. That's right, no further-- no fooling around! That became clear pretty fast. Well we went to all the clubs and settled for a dive with dim lights and a saxophone playing the blues. In a muted spot light, a beautiful Japanese girl in a red sequined bikini writhed with her partner, - a snake- as flute and drums accompanied her. I thought, is this the highlight of the evening? After her act I decided to go out on my own. Said goodbye to my buddies and walked out into the night. Slowly walking along that wonderful street, taking in all the magic of the moment, I stopped to light a cigarette and noticed a woman directly across the street, staring at me.
Reaching the end of the block I paused looking ahead at a much quieter and darker part of town. The woman crossed the street, and walking up to me, asked me for a light.

"Where are you going?" she asked. Looking for the Japanese Baths, I replied. "Oh I know where, come with me." "Where you stay tonight? You have Hotel?" No I said.
She looked up at me smiling and placed her arm in mine. "Good, you stay with me tonight,
I have apartment here, and Japanese bath." Through a heavy gate and up a flight of wooden stairs to her tiny room. I was having second thoughts, but how am I going to get out of this? As I wondered where the bed was. She rolled out a woven mat. I'm not sleeping on that I said, I've gotta go! When pleading failed she became angry and was yelling something in Japanese; bad words I think! I started backing to the door as she looked for something to throw. When she took off her shoe, I turned and ran down the stairs, It flew by my head and wham! hit the gate. Fumbling with the latch and expecting the other shoe ......... While under fire I finally got outside and ran towards the bright lights and safety. A Taxi pulled up beside me and I jumped in looking over my shoulder. Take me some place that's fun. I said. The driver turned to me with a quizzical look on his face. Happy place! Happy place-!! I said. "Oh happy place, yes we go happy place!" In just a few minutes we left the street with all the neon and turned into a dimly lit alley. I was amazed! The alley was full of Japanese Geisha's!
They were in full costume, with wigs and powdered faces. The only Geisha's I saw in Japan and they were prostitutes! The cab drove very slowly and the fake Geisha's swarmed to my window. "What you looking for Joe?" Looking for my friend I lied.
"What's his name?" Uh.... Jerry. "Oh he inside, you come in." I tapped the driver on his shoulder and said GO! GO! The driver started off and the fake Geishas swarmed the cab; holding on to the windows on both sides. For a moment I had a terrible vision of them turning us over. Just take me to a Bar and I'll have a drink, and so we left "happy place". It must have been the only Bar that had their lights on, It was like a candle in the night, ( it was a beacon..... meant to be) It seemed so lonely there, but it was late at night. In neon script, the sign read Gajoen Kanko, Hotel-Bar.
Checking it out through the glass window of the front door I saw a few Japanese couples sitting at small tables, and a bartender in a white short sleeved shirt. The decor was in a Hawaiian theme. Then to my left.......... Wow, five beautiful girls in sweaters and skirts sitting around a table laughing and talking. It looked so American! It was a scene right out of the malt shop across the street from Oakland High. Can you make a Tom Collins? I asked as I sat down at the bar. "Sure can buddy, what's your name?"
He surprised me with his excellent English and we had a fun conversation, he was a cool guy, I liked him right away. "If you don't have a place, we have a room here if you like." Well, I just haven't thought that far ahead; I was hoping to find some fun tonight.
Rick turned his head and nodded at the five girls.... "You came to the right place Ron." The next moment I was surrounded by soft sweaters, jet black hair and perfume; smiling faces telling me their names. Well, I didn't know how I got so popular! Quite naive was I. "Oh, you come from California? You know movie star? You have girlfriend in the states? In a flurry of conversation, and in response to something, I said "Well lets go!" Somewhere after that I noticed the girls were going back to their table and leaving me almost alone except for one. We sat at the bar talking for a while, and she asked me to stay with her the night. Oh, you have a room in the hotel? (how naive am I?)
Then I remembered about the bamboo mat. "I would love to sleep on a soft bed, not a mat." She smiled, I have Hollywood bed, very comfortable. We started up the stairs and I asked her name. "Oh you're teasing me, you know my name, it's Etsko, you spoke it to Rick at the bar." I did? But after thinking about it for a while, I laughed and realized it was when I said "lets go" and what they heard was,,,, Etsko. Its funny how fate let that happen. Warm memories haunt me now, good feelings about a sweet woman, very good to me and very good for me. My shoes rested at the base of the four wooden steps inside Gajoen Kanko. Shoes were not allowed on the shiny hardwood floors. There were many fine slippers to wear, you could choose the one you like; some were worn (someone's favorite) I thought. And of the empty shoes there; all were different than mine, yet still....I felt...... I belonged. Etsko and I stayed up half the night talking. and I told her about my experience earlier with the woman throwing her shoes at me.
She was laughing, and it seemed funny now. Etsko led me downstairs to the Hotels bath room. It was a very large room, closets and chairs all around with a shower head attached to a beam in the center. In a small adjacent room, several tubs filled with very hot water. I was to soak in there a few minutes and I felt like I was being scalded! My skin actually turned pink as if I had a sunburn. She sat me down on a small stool and gently washed me with a fragrant soap, rinsed me with warm water out of a bucket; then stood me under the shower head and pulled on the cord. Cold water! She laughed as I protested loudly, then wrapped a warm towel around me and held me closely as I recovered...... in the arms of Etsko.
The hot bath, combined with the "hollywood bed" let me sleep in late. When I finally awoke, Etsko was sitting at her vanity and combing her hair. Somehow she managed to get me a cup of tea, there was no coffee. Just about the time she was telling me the Hotel had some new guests, we heard a ruckus in the hallway, loud laughing voices,
then screams and the sound of running feet. I opened the door to the hallway just in time to see a naked girl run by, chased by a sailor wearing boxer shorts and his Navy hat. The US Navy was in town. Just three of them came to the Gajoen Kanko.
At the bar there was a Japanese newspaper (which of course I couldn't read), but there were ads for the movies. "The beast from 20,000 fathoms" was a brand new movie and we went to the show. When the beast made his appearance Etsko screamed and grabbed my arm so tight, then she felt embarrassed. We laughed and settled down waiting for the next scare. Etsko, her friend Miko and I shared a taxi, we visited the Yokohama Zoo then went to the Yokohama waterfront to pick up Miko's boyfriend coming in on a Merchant Ship. Later that evening, they invited Etsko and I to their room, lit with candles; and the four of us in Japanese robes shared hot Saki in a ceremony of friendship. The toast was for "A good life for each one of us."
Etsko and I were a little bit tipsy when we got back to our room, playfully I grabbed her waist to tickle her. She squealed and squirmed and was a delight to tease.
She would laugh and scream and we fell on the bed and she drew her knee's up as I tickled her and then unleashed them to rocket me off the bed. I went flying! From the floor I saw her face come to the edge of the bed with such a worried look. And so we laughed and laughed, but I didn't tickle her again that night.

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