Topher looks at Yuji Hirayama, seated across from him. Yuji is a master at studying sequences. We saw him onsight someone’s abandoned 5.13c project today after fifteen minutes’ scoping through his binoculars, and he’s also come close to onsighting several 5.13 El Cap free routes. Inspired, Topher scans the spread in front of him and dives in, sans Beta.
When the proprietor comes in a little later to clear the table, Topher beams at her proudly: He has a neat stack of fish bones on his plate, his crab’s shell is picked completely clean, and there’s not a single grain of rice stuck to his bowl. She politely avoids staring back at the goofy gaijin with hairy shins sticking out from between the too-short yukata and woolen hiking socks.

Have you gone drinking with Kobayashi-san before?” asks Bosch. “It’s very entertaining.” Kobayashi-san is an alpine old-timer. His youngest daughter is rumored to be Japan’s girl prodigy of sport climbing. Bosch, apparently, is Kobayashi-san’s disciple, and judging from his nickname, he does useful things like bolting lines for the girls, belaying them, and picking up foreign reporters at the train station to drive them to the crag.
We are going to Futagoyama, a limestone area two hours outside of Tokyo, and home to Asia’s hardest sport climb, Hirayama’s Flat Mountain. A Land Rover zooms up behind us on the windy mountain road and proceeds to sit on our bumper. The radio in Bosch’s lap crackles to life: “Hey Bosch, drive faster.” “That was Maho, the older sister,” explains Bosch, and dutifully steps on it. The Land Rover pulls up next to us in the parking lot, and out spills the clan. Sisters Yuka and Maho, Dad, and Bosch are decked out in matching team jackets with sponsor badges.