Japanese

Sunday dinner at Yui's parents' flat: Yui opens with I have something to tell you, Ben softens the news with the little word actually, her mother says congratulations and take care, and her father thanks Ben for telling them.

Saturday night in the Kyoto flat, Sunday morning in Toronto: Emma congratulates Yui in slow Japanese, Ben relays his crying mother with she says, Yui answers with tell her, Emma passes on their father's question, and the family decides to come in November.

Sunday at five on the riverbank: Yui's father says you came, admits he said nothing the other day, says he never thought he would be a grandfather so soon, the rod bends, Ben lands a fish, and a grandchild and a fish make a good Sunday.

The counter of the Kyoto ward office: Yui asks for the mother-and-child handbook, the clerk asks for the hospital's notification and says the handbook is issued today, Ben asks whether the husband may use it too, the check-up vouchers are used at the hospital, and Yui tells Ben he is coming to all fourteen.

The international department on a Monday morning: Mr. Okada announces that Mr. Kudo joins Ben's team, the new graduate introduces himself so politely it hurts, Ms. Nishimura says his bow is too deep, Ben tells him there is no need to be that formal, and Ms. Nishimura reminds Ben that a year ago, that was him.

Ben's desk with a visitor in reception: Ben asks Mr. Kudo for tea, the junior asks whether the cup is written anywhere, Ben says it isn't written, it's a rule, says it's better to answer the phone before the third ring, admits Ms. Nishimura taught him exactly the same, and she adds that he was worse.

The park by the river in Osaka, the department's blue sheet under the cherry trees: Mr. Kudo has held the spot since half past six, Ben and Mr. Okada each say good work with the word for their side, Ms. Nishimura tells the junior which word goes up, Mr. Hamada says in Osaka speech that he sat here too, and Ben is made to sing again, with Mr. Kudo.

The landing of the flat in Kyoto: Mrs. Kinoshita admires how hard Ben works at his Japanese, even at night, and what a fine voice he has, Ben thanks her and blames the line to Canada, and at home Yui decodes it: working hard means too loud, the smile is the complaint, and tomorrow he apologises first.

Ben's desk, Mr. Kudo's first email waiting for a check: he asks whether he may still ask Ms. Nishimura, Ben gives him the shape of a request, it would help me if you could look at it, left open on but, Mr. Kudo says it to her, and she finds OK on the second line.

The deer park in Nara on Golden Week with Yui's parents: the cracker seller names her price in Nara speech, a deer bows deeper than Ben, Yui's mother tells her not to overdo it, Yui answers that it is the fifth month, not the ninth, her father says the Great Buddha can wait ten minutes, Ben goes for tea without anyone overdoing it, and the deer eats his map.

A shrine in Kyoto in the fifth month: Ben tells the shrine office, humbly, that they have come for the prayer for a safe birth, the priest asks for the names and gives the order of the bows, Yui's mother brings the sash, and Yui explains why dogs.

Rain on the office window and Mr. Sakai on the phone: the coach rate goes up fifteen percent from July, Ben says the formal we are unable to accept, asks for the old rate until September and for a date, and Ms. Nishimura notices he refused without a no.

The Hanaya in Asakusa, in the rain: Ben arrives with the first family-inn tour, Kenta says his rehearsed welcome, Natsuki says the rooms are ready, Ben hands over with the humble I leave it in your hands, and Kenta begs him to stay because his keigo runs out after two sentences.

The Hanaya's desk at night: room three's back hurts and she asks for a bed, Natsuki says a bed they are unable to provide but, with the refusal that offers something instead, two futons on top of each other, Kenta adds the office chair, and Ben relays it.

Tea in the Hanaya kitchen at midnight: Mrs. Sato asks Ben why he isn't sleeping, Ben says it's not that he isn't happy but he's scared, Kenta says his father said the same in this kitchen and it worked out, and Mrs. Sato says babies come when they come.

The ninth-floor room at Tsubame Travel: Ben reports the first three months of the family-inn tours to Mrs. Hayashi, Mr. Fujita and Mr. Okada with the formal regarding and we believe, Mr. Fujita offers two inns in Asakusa, the department is in favour, and Mr. Kudo is slow with the slides.

The same ninth-floor room: Mr. Fujita asks where the guests go when the inns are full in November, Ben gives the holding answer, at this stage I can't say, I'll confirm and report back, Mrs. Hayashi says I'll find out beats I don't know, and Ms. Nishimura in the corridor says last year he'd have said OK.

Saturday in the flat in Kyoto, Mike on the phone from Tokyo: he is thinking of proposing to Aya and asks how Ben did it, Ben says her father first and three weeks of keigo, then if it were me, Aya first, and Yui takes the phone to say Aya already knows.

The lantern streets of Kyoto on the eve of the Gion Festival: Sota wants beer, Ben can't very well drink when Yui can't, the float man sells charms and asks people not to touch the float, Yui's father says Yui can't very well stand for three hours, and Yui can't very well sit while everyone walks.

The morning of the Gion Festival parade, from a shop's second floor with Aunt Fumiko: she asks in Osaka speech whether it's a boy or a girl, Yui says they've decided not to ask, Ben says they've decided to find out in October, Yui's mother says watch the float, and Aunt Fumiko asks Ben to tell her secretly.

Mr. Okada's desk after six, the department empty: Ben makes the run-up, I know it's a bad time, asks to be allowed to take childcare leave, hears that no man in the company has ever taken it, and gets an answer that isn't quite no.

Obon, at Yui's grandfather's grave on the hill: Yui's mother tells the stone it's Obon, Yui tells it a baby is coming in October, her father says he would have been pleased, Ben pours the water and promises to come every year.

The class for fathers at the Kyoto hospital, with a doll: the midwife lists holding, the bath and the nappy, Ben says he isn't sure whether he can, learns the head goes in the left hand and the elbow tests the bath, and Yui tells the room he practised the nappy on the cat.

The landing in September: Mrs. Kinoshita brings an amulet from her temple for a safe birth, Ben refuses it once and then accepts it without reserve, she admires the fine big bicycle in the hallway, and Ben apologises and moves it before anyone asks.

Mr. Okada's desk: the president said yes, two months from January, the first man in the company, and Ben doesn't know how to thank him; then the team is told, Ms. Nishimura leads, Mr. Kudo gives the tea his all, and by February he'll be Ben.

Yui's last shift on the ward is done: Ben proposes dinner out while she can still walk, she corrects it to while she can still sit, her mother arrives at the door with the list and has the bag packed while there's time, because Yui herself came three weeks early.

The morning Ben leaves for two nights at the Tokyo office: Yui sends him off, he promises to phone as soon as the meeting ends, Mrs. Kinoshita says she's next door if anything happens and tells him not to play around in Tokyo, and Mr. Okada says to come straight back if anything happens.

The Tokyo office in Nihonbashi, in the middle of a meeting: Ms. Hirano brings a call from Kyoto, Yui's mother says the waters broke and they're at the hospital, Ben excuses himself in the middle of the meeting, Mr. Fujita sends him running for the last bullet train and Mr. Kudo takes the slides.

Tokyo station at twenty to nine: Ben asks the clerk for a seat on the last train, hears he may have to stand, says there's nothing for it, hears the doors-closing announcement, tells Kenta on the phone he made it and is standing for two hours, and a taxi driver at Kyoto station says fifteen minutes to the hospital.

The Kyoto hospital at eleven at night, three weeks early: the midwife says there's still a way to go, the doctor hedges that it could be dawn or it could be sooner, Ben sends Yui's parents home and promises to phone, Yui says he smells of bullet train, and the name is decided, Hana, in hiragana.