Retro Museum
Retro Museum
"Seong-hwan-a, where are we going?"
Last night, after we'd done it in the rotenburo and I'd fallen asleep, I woke up still wearing my yukata.
A-ra's face was practically glowing—she'd clearly woken up in a great mood. I, on the other hand, had a lower back ache and wasn't feeling my best.
I got into the rotenburo to wash up and because my body wasn't feeling great. After soaking for a while, I began to think my back pain was easing.
I'd read online that when fatigue melts away, your muscles loosen up and back pain decreases, so I figured it was only temporary. That didn't seem to be the case.
The pain subsided so much you could almost call it a full recovery, so I peeled A-ra's yukata off and pulled her into the bath.
After finishing our morning bath that way, eating the breakfast the staff brought, packing our things, and checking out, we got into a taxi to head for the retro museum.
The driver saw we were carrying bags, opened the trunk, got out, and even loaded them for us. Seeing that, I once again felt that it wasn't much different from back home.
At first, we'd planned to take the bus, but the bus heading that way only came once every four hours, so for all practical purposes, it was as good as nonexistent.
A-ra had asked to ride a Japanese taxi at least once, so I took the plunge.
The base fare was an absurd 580 yen, so I'd thought there'd be no occasion to use one, but...
As a side note, they say Japanese taxis are expensive because of vehicle inspection costs and insurance costs.
Unlike regular cars, they have to get a regular inspection every three months, and I heard they pay nearly 130,000 yen a year in insurance premiums, or something like that.
Well, I don't know the details either.
"The taxi doors really are automatic, huh?"
"Come on, get in."
"Hngh... Seong-hwan-a, that's sore..."
When I gave her back a little push, A-ra flinched in pain.
The fingernail marks from last night must have been stinging more than I'd thought.
But, those fingernail marks were entirely A-ra's own fault, so there was no need for me to feel sorry!
I was in the right!
A-ra, not even knowing where we were headed, was gazing out the taxi window and soaking in the natural scenery of Yufuin.
"It's the kind of place you'd like, Noona."
"That place you said was a secret yesterday?"
"Yes."
When I nodded quietly, A-ra smiled brightly.
Then she looked back out the window and began to hum.
"Wherever could my Seong-hwan be taking me~ ♫"
"Still a secret~"
Seeing A-ra so excited, I got swept up in it too.
Since I'd told the driver the destination in Japanese, A-ra wouldn't have understood it.
Looking at her face full of anticipation as she hummed to herself, I couldn't help but smile.
***
"T...this is..."
"I heard it's a place anyone who likes cars absolutely has to visit."
The first thing that caught A-ra's eye as she got out of the taxi was an old car, preserved in immaculate condition despite the many years that had passed.
The intensely red car seemed to transcend time, as if it might pull out of the parking spot and turn left at any moment.
How painstakingly must it have been maintained?
"A Ho...Honda S800..."
"It really gives off that old car vibe. Anyway, those headlights are huge."
Maybe it was because this was from before lighting technology had developed.
The headlights took up two-thirds of the front end.
Just then, A-ra rummaged through her bag and pulled out the high-definition camera she used for broadcasting.
The click, click sound echoed inside the museum.
"You're not using flash?"
"You absolutely must not use flash in a museum like this. The older the object, the more susceptible it is to light damage and deformation."
Having given me that firm caution, A-ra once again began diligently photographing the red old car.
A Honda something-or-other, was it?
"Honda S800. Production began in 1966 and ended in May of 1970. Boasting total sales of 11,536 units, a 4-speed manual, rear-wheel drive, inline SOHC engine..."
"N-Noona? Snap out of it!"
I shook A-ra's shoulders as she rattled off a stream of words.
Her eyes had been blank just moments ago, but life had returned to them, so she must have come to her senses.
"Huh? Noona, were you talking to yourself again?"
An idol who, just by looking at a car's exterior, could recite its initial production year, when it was discontinued, and even lay out its detailed specs. Because she was cute, I could accept it as all well and good, but maybe she should refrain a little from spacing out like that.
"Do you like old cars too, Noona?"
"I like old cars, but... this one's a sports car, you know... This guy was even used in races."
"Like in F1?"
"Isn't it fascinating? Old sports cars weren't as sleek as today's ones."
"
It looked awfully clunky, though? To think they used this as a sports car... That's a little hard to imagine.
Having been satisfied to some degree, A-ra moved on from car to car, looking around, and repeatedly spaced out over certain specific vehicles.
Seeing her go wild over sports cars, regardless of country or manufacturer, made me wonder: wouldn't the first step to world peace be cars?
Motorcycles could be seen here and there as well, the sort that early modern police officers might have ridden around on, and another that looked like it might have raced across the 1970s American desert with its owner while listening to a country song.
They were exhibits worthy, indeed, of being called a retro history museum.
And what really astonished my eyes was Ford's Model T, which I'd even seen in history books.
"For a car that sold 15 million units, they say very few remain... the legendary..."
Since it had been 120 years since its release, it was only natural that hardly any remained, but... still, it was a marvel that it could survive in such pristine condition.
The paint had no chips at all, it was gleaming, and the tires were in such fine condition that there were hardly any visible signs of wear.
If there'd been a used car market back then, wouldn't it have been considered Grade A?
"Was this Ford's first car?"
"?"
When I stared at A-ra as if to ask what she was talking about, she let out a 'hehe' laugh and scratched her head.
"Noona only has eyes for sports cars, you see..."
"I see..."
So she wasn't an expert on every car, it seemed. Well, it's easy to dismiss anything outside your own taste. That's what hobbies are like, after all.
"But this one even shows up in textbooks, you know?"
"Hmm... I'm not really sure. Noona didn't exactly study hard."
Come to think of it, since she'd debuted in high school, she must have submitted verified absence forms and been absent often. That makes sense.
After that, after about 30 minutes of wandering around inside, we found ourselves back near the entrance we'd first come in through.
There was a partition of sorts set up in the middle, and since it had "Goodbye" written in both Japanese and Korean, a small laugh escaped me.
Seeing Korean in a foreign country just makes you laugh for some inexplicable reason.
"We've already seen it all... a bit of a shame."
A-ra bowed her head, looking regretful.
There had been nearly 100 cars, so I thought it was plenty, but apparently, it was still not enough for A-ra.
"Aren't there lots of museums like this in Korea?"
"I've been to all the ones in Korea, so..."
"Hmm... I see..."
As expected of a car master. She'd apparently visited all the fairly well-known places in the country.
From what I'd heard, this was the largest retro museum in the Kyushu region. Unless we ventured out of this area, it'd be hard to visit another, so there was no choice but to look forward to next time.
But there was no need to feel disappointed. I'd be taking her to more fun places over the next five days. At the very least, there were still plenty of places left that were as fun as this one, or even more so.
"It's about time for our train. Shall we go?"
"Sure, and shall we buy ekiben to eat on the train?"
Since the breakfast portions had been smaller than expected, I nodded in agreement.
"Oh... ekiben, nice. I'll have the karaage one."
"I'll have one karaage and one fish cutlet."
Our little glutton, A-ra. She apparently wouldn't be satisfied unless she ate two ekiben.
When I held out one hand, asking her to hold it, she nodded happily and clasped it.
***
"Huh?"
After getting off at Hakata Station, we'd gone into a nearby cafe and were drinking coffee. Then, suddenly, plop, plop, drops of water began to fall, and it started to rain.
The sky, which had been so sunny until just moments ago, was suddenly shedding tears, and it brought my mood down a little.
"A rainy city. Noona actually likes it."
"Come to think of it, you do like rain or snow, don't you, Noona?"
"It's romantic."
A-ra smiled brightly as she looked outside.
Then, she cut a piece of her cake with a fork, stabbed it, and held it out to me.
"Seong-hwan-a, say 'ahh~'."
"Ahh~"
I obediently opened my mouth and savored the cake A-ra offered me. The chocolate cakes I'd eaten in Korea weren't rich and tasted a bit watered down, but the one sold at this cafe had quite a deep, rich flavor.
"Right? It seems like a chocolate that doesn't skimp on the cocoa butter."
I gave a wry smile as I watched A-ra smile, pop a piece into her own mouth, and sip her hot black tea. When we got back to Korea, I'd have to let her taste a proper chocolate cake. ...More importantly, how were we going to get to our next accommodation...?
