The two Japanese university students sitting opposite from us on the train were from a different world. Neither girls nor exactly young women, they spoke no English and had shown up for their trip on the wrong day. No matter, beneficent forces were at work, and although the students had no idea that anything was wrong, they were allowed to take the train, and so they settled in, dreamy and innocent, on a misunderstood trip over which they had little knowledge or authority.<\/p>\n
When one of them reached up to the overhead compartment she modestly held her top down so as not to expose any flesh above her waist. She looked so very young, almost like a doll. She passed the time by watching videos, her face a shifting map of unfiltered responses, each one blossoming and becoming a kind of sunlight that illuminated her face.<\/p>\n