Ch4-Sushi and Sumo

CHAPTER FOUR Sushi and Sumo Basho led Jack and Annie off the Great Bridge and down a crowded road. They passed huge stacks of lumber. Then they came to a row of stages built along the riverbank. On one stage women were dancing. Their faces were painted white.

They wore shimmering kimonos and waved fans. Musicians played on a second stage. They plucked three-stringed instruments and blew on bamboo flutes. Their music was high-pitched and strange, but Jack liked it. On another stage was a puppet show. Puppeteers wearing black clothes moved a giant dragon puppet around the stage. A man stood to the side and told a story to the audience. From the back of the crowd, it was hard to hear him. "What's he saying?" said Annie.

"He is telling the legend of the Cloud Dragon," said Basho. "The Cloud Dragon is one of the guardian animals of the four directions. She has the power of flight and commands the rain clouds." "Cool," said Annie.

Basho led them on past rows of stalls where craftspeople sold beads, cloth, kites, and paper lanterns. Some boys were holding up yo-yos for sale. Jack was surprised to see yo-yos in old Japan. Beyond the craft stalls was a row of inns and cafés. The smell of spices and grilled fish filled the air. "Yum," said Annie. Jack was hungry, too. "Would you like to stop at a teahouse?" Basho asked them. "Yes!" Jack and Annie said together. Basho led them toward a small building with an open front. At the

entrance, Basho slipped off his sandals. Jack and Annie did the same. They placed their sandals in a row of shoes that other people had left by the door. Inside the teahouse, cooks stirred steaming pots over a wood-burning stove. People sat at long low tables, eating with chopsticks and drinking from small cups. Several customers smiled shyly and bowed before Basho. Basho must be a really famous teacher of the samurai, thought Jack. It made Jack feel important to be with him.

Basho led them to a table and sat cross-legged on a straw mat. Jack and Annie did the same. A waiter with a kerchief around his head hurried to the table. "Welcome to our humble teahouse, Master Basho!" he said. "Thank you," said Basho. Everyone is so polite in Japan! Jack thought. The waiter handed Jack, Annie, and Basho warm wet towels. "Thank you," said Jack and Annie. Jack watched Basho wipe his hands on the towel. He and Annie did the