JOY IN JAPAN.

The Land of Rising Sun, Japan, was the destination tonight. Joy and Sid didn’t know much about the country, but they did know that a lot of brands they see come from Japan. That evening, the boys sat down together to see how many Japanese companies they knew- ‘Toyota, Sony, Toshiba, Honda, Nissan, Casio….” Soon, Sid’s father joined them, and the list grew much longer.

“Wow! It must be a really big country to be able to produce so many things!”

“Or may be they are plain lucky.” Joy guessed.

“Not really”, Sid’s Father explained. “Japan’s economic success is mainly due to the hard work and sincerity of its’ citizens. In fact, it has gone through the worst catastrophe that a nation can, and still emerged victorious.”

Joy and Sid went to bed thinking about what can be the “worst” a country can face. They got their answers when the blue Fairy came in their dreams.

“You guys are ready for Japan?” she asked them as she came. As they flew to the east, she told them about two nuclear bombs that were dropped on Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

“They were the worst bombs ever. The whole cities were destroyed.” She told. “But the Japan today will not let you feel that. It’s a modern country: beautiful and busy.”

The kids already felt that, as they had now reached Tokyo. As they flew over the capital city, they could not help but notice the criss-cross network of rail and road.

The children descended on the roof of a building to have a better view of the city. They saw a hustling and bustling city, with thousands of people continuously on the move. The kids spotted a park nearby and decided to go there and have some fun.

Soon, Joy and Sid reached the park, and were all over the swings in no time. As they jetted from one ride to another, Blue Fairy sat on a bench, preferring to relax in the peace of the park. But the nice, peaceful time was not to last.

As the kids were running helter-skelter, Joy’s foot got stuck in the railing. It got wedged between two thick bars of iron rods. It was trapped so badly that he could not move his leg at all. Sid called the fairy for help; but both Sid and the Fairy could not pull him either. Soon, Joy started crying out of desperation and pain, as the other two tried to free him with all their might.

A man strolling in the park saw the commotion, and came forward to help. He was extremely fat. He was so huge, that Sid thought three grownups would fit in him. He could easily bend the bars and free Joy. Joy thanked him profusely, still wondering how a man can be as fat as he was.

“Seems you don’t know me.” Said the f-a-t man.

The trio shook their heads in denial.

“I am a Sumo.” He said. “Sumo wrestling is a big sport in our country, Japan. I am a champion”

The children and Fairy were very impressed. The kind Sumo wrestler invited them for some tea, but they were already running late. They must reach back home before daybreak. So they bid farewell to their new friend, and flew back to their homes with a happy, inspired heart and a swollen, sprained ankle.