Chapter Two, The Informational Meeting Summary

Isobe sees a presentation on the tour of Buddhist holy sites in India that he will be attending in two weeks. The slideshow depicts the holy Ganges River, along with other sites the tour will visit. The tour guide, Enami, gives the tourists instructions about what to expect, how to avoid illness, how to use the toilets, and about the caste system in India. Afterwards, a man named Numada asks about bird and animal sanctuaries. Another tourist, Kiguchi, asks about the possibility of holding a funeral service for World War II soldiers from both India and Japan. He is surprised to learn there are few Buddhists today in India, mostly from the "untouchable" lowest caste. A tourist asks about Hinduism, and Enami shows slides of fearsome Hindu goddesses. Isobe recognizes the hospital volunteer, Naruse Mitsuko...