In January 1997, while I was studying at the graduate school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, I visited my high school classmate, Yoshimoto, who was working part-time at a sushi restaurant on weekends. He had quit a certain publicly listed company two years prior and come to the United States with the intention of settling there.

When I met Yoshimoto after a long time, he was lively. Indeed, those who come to the U.S. on their own and work hard have a different kind of determination. I was considering whether I could work as a sushi chef to obtain a U.S. green card.

On the day of my arrival, I left my luggage at his apartment and he took me to DOUMO SUSHI, where he worked, and treated me to a meal. Back at his place, I asked about the situation of sushi chefs in Boston, but unfortunately, there was an oversupply. It was also mentioned that one must have a love for cooking.

Yoshimoto advised me to consider looking for work in the same field, given that I had previously worked at a think tank. However, I mentioned my back issues and expressed that I didn't want to do a job that was so busy and complicated, not in a million years.

The next day, after visiting Berklee College of Music, I went to a planetarium. I was waiting in line when I suddenly became curious about what was behind me. I turned around and there stood a cute white girl in her early twenties. Since I was in a state of mania, I casually struck up a conversation with her, thinking nothing of it.

I told her my nickname was "Kakun," and that I was Japanese, then asked for her name. She answered, "Kelly." Next, I inquired about my occupation. I said I was working at a think tank in Japan.

Then, I told her that I was thinking of quitting my job in Japan in the near future and coming to the U.S. to work. She asked where and in what field I planned to work. I replied that it was entirely undecided. She mentioned that Las Vegas was experiencing rapid growth and that she was studying to become a nurse there.

She also suggested that I should come and visit Las Vegas sometime because now Vegas is getting bigger and bigger and so she is trying to be a nurse. She was kind and spoke slowly in simple English, considering my limited proficiency. I said, "I would definitely like to visit Las Vegas."

Behind her, there was another cute Hispanic girl who was listening to our conversation with great interest. She was Kelly's friend, named Julia, and she was studying design. I proposed that the three of us should go to the sushi restaurant where my friend worked tonight. When I offered to treat, they were genuinely surprised and exclaimed, "Really!?"

I asked them when they would be returning to Las Vegas. They told me they would take an Amtrak train to New York tomorrow and then fly back. I said, "I'm planning to go to Las Vegas the day after tomorrow. Do you think we'll have a chance to meet again, Kelly?" She answered, "Okay." Then, Kelly said she would contact Johnny Takahashi, her Japanese friend at the university studying business, as a way to repay the sushi meal.

We spoke in broken English at a café, and in the evening, I took them to DOUMO SUSHI. Yoshimoto was surprised when I introduced him to the two girls. He asked how I had met them and where. I told him they were behind us in line at the planetarium, and well, I casually approached them. I explained that Kelly was the white girl, and Julia was the Hispanic girl. Yoshimoto said, "Ladies, how are you? You can call me Yoshi."

Kelly replied, "I'm super good!" I told Yoshimoto that I would be going to Las Vegas the day after tomorrow. He was astonished and asked, "Huh? Aren't you returning from New York?" I said, "Well, I'll talk about the details after work," and raised a toast with a small cup of warm sake that had just been brought to our table.