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Life of Okami's “Strenuous Efforts”

---Steps to the Opening of The website---

11. SAKAI MIDORI-Sensei

       ( Ms. Midori Sakai)

When I met with ‘USHIKUBI-TSUMUGI', Mr.

Jyubei Sagawa and Ms. Midori Sakai at the event on the same day, my prospective job of Kimono was still on the level of only a dream . But after then, ‘USHIKUBI-TSUMUGI' and Mr. Jyubei Sawaya remained special to my life. I was given his name card by a retailed shop keeper when I had purchased an Obi. Otherwise there was no way of contacting him.

His name card putting in front of me, I spent a few days thinking deep.

I wanted to call him, but what I could have said. Maybe “ I' m your fan', no, “ Please let me sell your products” wouldn't be it, either.

Then what should I say? I thought and thought, but ended up in vain.

‘Maybe shouldn't I call?' That's might have been wrong.

I see myself to be a person who steps forward even if I might fail. I had to decide whether I should go on or stay still.

I finally decided to give him a call. When I heard, “ This is Sawaya..” through the phone, I said timidly, “ Is Mr. Sawaya there?” The person on the phone said, “He is out of town now and won't be back four to five days.” I couldn't say that I wanted meet him , instead I said that I wanted to get in touch with the advisor I had met at Shinagawa. The person on the phone promised that she'd get back to me.

I knew my phone sounded strange to the person on the phone. But I had waited for a call from the advisor for some days before she, Ms. Sakai, called me. She said, “ Did you want me to call? Are you sure it was me who you wanted to talk?” So I said, “ Yes, I'm the one that met you at that time and now I do want to talk to you.”

She said that she had some time free on the next day and that she wanted to meet me then. I couldn't believe if this kind of thing would actually possible.

Because she met me only once and didn't know even my name, and yet she, and yet she said she wanted to see me again.

We made an arrangement to see each other in front of the Mitsukoshi Department Store in Shinjyuku.

I went there at the promised time. Mrs. Sakai was standing straight in Kimono.

I felt obliged and thanked her for having come all the way.

Besides she was awfully busy and usually had little free time. But fortunately she just happened to be free on that day.

I didn't know what I could start talking from, but explained all the details of my past life and told my wish that I wanted to some Kimono work.

She, along with an instructor for a big organization of Kimono dressing, had her own school for and social manaers. At the same time she was an advisor for Sakka-Mono, or ‘brand-pieces of Kimonos.

She said with a smile that she herself had challenged trying various things when young.

She listened to my talk with a tender care and expressed her wish that more people would take their active part in Kimono –world for its prosperity.

She was a humorous and frank lady , and was a person as I'd expected.

She gave me appropriate advice encouragingly with saying, “ You're still just a beginner and have a lot to do to acquire the basic knowledge and skill of Kimono. So you have to take care of that first”.

She advised me more that while I should learn Dressing , I absorb surrounding knowledge like materials of Kimonos and their history and also have chances to many Kimonos.

Since then I was sending simple reports of my daily activities.

Though there were various problems on preparation for website-up , and an organization to be established in addition to Kimono itself.

I wrote several reports to her about my preparation process for starting my Kimono business, which I thought was my duty to her.

She never gave me any feedback but I wanted someone to know my working for the prospective Kimono business.

And a chance to meet with ‘USHIKUBI-TSUMUGI' arrived.

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