‘At Yumi’s place they just weave baskets, that’s all. There’s nothing interesting to see. We don’t want to interrupt them in their work.’

‘But what I mean is, we could just look in for a moment, couldn’t we? Then we could go to the Ginza …’

‘It makes me nervous, going to the Ginza with you,’ he said with a smile. Her playful way of talking and behaving, as if she were a young geisha making up to a man about town, showed a fine disregard for what people might think, and the more lively she became the more Suga’s mood became heavy and funereal.

In the end Yukitomo set out that day, taking Miya and Suga with him. It was an invigorating autumn afternoon and a kite was piping shrilly from the clear blue sky.

Iwamoto’s house stood in a sidestreet that led off to the left from the main street between Tamurachō and Shimbashi. In a neat, newly fitted room with a boarded floor stood a large number of new hampers painted with shiny black lacquer. Two youths were seated at work on the boards, weaving fine strips of bamboo and treating the paper stuck over the newly woven hampers with persimmon juice, preparatory to applying the lacquer.

Iwamoto had gone out to take an order. As the three of them alighted from their rickshaws Yumi came out, neat in a striped silk kimono with a mauve ribbon on her chignon, and took them into the best room at the back of the shop.

‘You see, you have to be something of a skilled laborer in this business, and not being used to it I get tired,’ she said with a cheerful smile as she sat by the rectangular brazier making tea for them. ‘Where are you off to today?’

‘We came out because Miya said she wanted to see your shop, but as you get older it takes a lot just to keep up with the young people … Anyway, I’m glad you seem to be doing well.’

‘Thanks to you,’ said Yumi with a slight inclination of her head.

Yukitomo invited Yumi to come to the Ginza and have dinner with them, but she pleaded pressure of work in the shop; Yukitomo himself had been perfectly aware as he spoke that she would refuse, and after about an hour they left the shop, saying goodbye to Yumi at the entrance.

No sooner had they set off walking in the direction of Tsuchibashi than Miya said:

‘Yumi’s already like this, isn’t she?’ She made a curve with her hand over the region of her sash.