When I moved to California to go to college, I left behind a boyfriend of sorts in Japan. His name was Tomoyuki. He had spiky black hair and sharp features, but I found him attractive at the time anyway. We were both busy preparing for entrance exams, so we'd mostly just study together, but one day he asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes. We didn't have much time to get to know each other, and then, I moved to the States, so we had to put things on hold for a while. I did want to see him and my family too, so I went back home to Kamakura that next summer.
When I touched down at Narita airport, my mom was there to meet me. My dad had booked a vacation for him, my mom, my older sister Norika, and me, so meeting Tomoyuki would have to wait. Mom took me home first. My dad was the same, but Norika had died her hair brown, trying to look foreign maybe. It seems to be the fashion lately in Japan.
The resort my dad took us to was quiet, just a little inn in this secluded valley west of Tokyo with hot springs. It was nice to get away, relax, and forget about school for a while.
The second day of our stay there, we came back from sightseeing early. My parents went to rest in their room, and Norika and I changed into yukata (light cotton bathrobes), and went off to explore the hot springs.
I don't see Norika as much now that I'm living in the States, but it was nice to see her again, and catch up. She's a fairly private person, a bit of a troublemaker and a party girl, but she seemed glad to see me too. I told her a bit about Ryosuke, the new guy in my life, but she didn't tell me if she was seeing anyone or not. I know she dates, but she hasn't brought any of these guys home.
Anyway, we found the ladies' indoor bath, and took a shower to rinse off. The bath was nothing special, bigger than our bath room at home, but otherwise pretty normal.
The real attraction was supposed to be the big outdoor bath. I don't think I'd ever been to one of these before, so we went to take a look. We walked down this long corridor, and came outside near the road we'd drove in on. On the right, there was a solid bamboo fence blocking the view from the road, but off to the left, there was a beautiful little river valley with trees overhanging the deck. There was this kind of mist rising off the top of the water, so it looked like something out of a postcard.
It was still quite bright out, and through the mist, we could see three or four naked men in their twenties sitting in the bath. As soon as we got there, they went quiet, and were looking this way, wondering I guess if Norika and I were going to strip, and come in. People in Japan usually bathe in the nude, but even so, I wasn't so keen on stripping naked in front of a bunch of randy young horn-dogs. There were no change rooms, just some baskets lying on the stone deck near the entrance.
The guys gazed over hungrily at us, this weird tension in the air. I guess not a lot of women come down to the bath, while it is still light out. Norika and I looked at each other, but found it all a bit much, so we retreated back to our room.
We hung around there, and chatted some more, but soon it was getting near suppertime. Mom and dad were still in their room, so we went down to the dining hall to have a look. There was no sign of the men we'd seen, but all the other guests seemed to be there. Norika suggested that now might be a good chance to try the outdoor bath, so back we went.
We hurried to the bath, and sure enough it was empty. Off to the right over the fence, we could see the guys from before walking away down the road. They must live nearby, and had stopped by for a quick dip. I wanted to wait for them to get out of sight, but Norika ignored them, and untied her robe. I kept an eye on the men, trying to tell if they could see her, but they kept right on walking as Norika undid her bra. She did seem a bit nervous, but took off her bra anyway, and laid it on top of her robe in the basket. She turned to her panties next, checking the entrance-way to see if anyone was coming.
"Well, aren't you going to undress?" she asked me. I was still worried about the guys on the road. They were pretty far away by then, but earlier, they had seemed quite interested in Norika and me. I slowly undid my belt, and let my robe fall open. I felt pretty embarrassed, not used to undressing in such a public place.
The men finally moved out of sight round a bend, so Norika pulled down her panties, getting naked, and put them with the rest of her clothes. People tell us that we look alike, our faces anyway, but her hips are a bit heavier than mine, and her breasts are quite sizable with smallish nipples high up. Her bottom is so round like a giant peach.
Norika stood there for a moment, smoothing out her pubic hair, and shivering a little. She seemed a bit nervous, as if she was struggling to keep her feelings in check. She slid a hand between her legs, and then raised it over her flat tummy to just tickle the top of her bush.
My face was getting hot. To try to cool down, I took off my robe, but the air on my skin just made things worse. Norika picked up her towel, and then slid into the nearest bath. I clumsily took off my bra and panties, and turned my back, looking down at my naked body. Ryosuke says I've got 'a right fit little body,' but I wasn't quite so sure of that at the time. I quickly picked up my towel, and slid into the bath.
Norika and I sat there for a while, soaking. Eventually I began to calm down, and enjoy the warmth of the bath and the rustling of the leaves in the trees. It was so peaceful and quiet, so different from the busy life I was leading back in Oceanview. Norika looked happy too.
Suddenly, we heard voices coming from the entrance. Before we could get up, this couple, maybe university age, came in. The woman was slender, angular with long black hair. The guy looked twitchy as if he knew he was doing something wrong. As soon as they noticed us, they slunk off down to the far end. They did not look this way, but instead quietly stripped, and got into the other bath.
I looked at Norika, a bit nervous about being here naked with them here. I sank neck deep into the bath, trying to hide. I picked up my towel from the edge of the bath, and wrapped it around me in the water. Norika just floated there, watching them, but not covering up. The couple peered around at the trees and valley, but did not look at us. Probably, like us, they had hoped that no one would be here.
I stayed hiding in the water, too ashamed to get out with the couple here. While I was trying to work up the courage to leave, a funny thing happened. The girl got up out of the bath, and stood up straight on the deck - totally naked! Of course, there was the mist from the springs, but I could see her plain as day! Norika was watching her too, as shocked as I was.
Her skin was pink, no tan lines or anything, but what I found so weird was she made no effort to cover up. She showed us and her boyfriend her cute little derriere as she walked over to the edge of the deck, and stood there looking down at the river below. She then turned this way, showing us this little tuft of black pubic hair. There was something so sexy about the way the water dripped from her bush. Her boyfriend licked his lips, but tried not to be too obvious. I found myself feeling jealous of her confidence and the passion she inspired in her boyfriend. I kind of wished I could be that brave.
She looked over at us almost as if she was wondering what we made of her daring. I avoided her gaze, but Norika just kept on staring.
Eventually, the woman went back to her boyfriend. They didn't stay long, and got out to leave. I didn't understand how they could be so nonchalant. The woman pulled on her robe. She hadn't even brought any underwear with her. Then they left.
Norika seemed impressed. I had mixed feelings. I couldn't help feeling that what that woman had done was wrong. It was like she was using Norika and me to get her boyfriend excited. She was a 'bad girl,' I decided.
The next morning, we saw the couple in the dining hall. The woman was wearing glasses, and had her hair up. She looked very shy, like a librarian or something, not at all like the brazen temptress we'd seen the day before. I didn't know quite what to make of the change. Maybe the librarian self was just an act she put on, and the bad girl was the real her. Norika was eyeing her too, but didn't say anything.
Anyway, soon, our vacation ended, and my family headed back to Kamakura. I finally got in touch with Tomoyuki, and invited him to come over. He showed up at our house one afternoon. I didn't kiss him - I was worried about my mom seeing - but just invited him into the living room where we sat on the carpet around the low table. He'd brought some books he wanted to show me. I was just about to ask him if he was seeing anyone, when suddenly, Norika came storming down the stairs.
