Alice-Miranda in Japan 9 Read Online Free PDF

stir. She opened her eyes and stretched her arms above her head.
    Cecelia knelt down beside her. ‘Hello, sleepyhead.’
    â€˜Good morning.’ Millie sat up and yawned.
    Jacinta was snoring gently: little grunts punctuated by the occasional whistling breath. Alice-Miranda rolled over and rubbed her eyes. ‘Hello Mummy. Did we sleep in?’
    â€˜No, darling, but I thought I’d better wake you. Breakfast is ready. Why don’t you put on your robes and come downstairs,’ Cecelia suggested.
    â€˜Don’t we have to get dressed?’ Millie asked.
    â€˜No, we can go to breakfast in our yukatas .’ Cecelia stood up and twirled around in her pretty blue robe. ‘It’s the thing to do when staying in a ryokan .’
    â€˜I saw them hanging in the wardrobe. They sort of look like cotton kimonos,’ said Alice-Miranda. She stood up and went to get one.
    â€˜Jacinta.’ Cecelia gently put her hand on the girl’s arm.
    â€˜You’ll never wake her like that. Trust me, she sleeps like a sloth,’ Millie said. She leaned over and whispered sharply in Jacinta’s ear, ‘You’re late!’
    The girl sat bolt upright. ‘What? Sorry, Howie, I didn’t hear the bell.’ Jacinta scrambled out of bed onto the tatami . A few seconds later she looked around, clearly confused, and realised that she wasn’t in her dormitory bedroom at all.
    Millie laughed.
    â€˜Calm down, sweetheart. There’s plenty of time,’ Cecelia cooed. ‘Oh, Millie, that’s cruel.’
    Jacinta exhaled loudly and glared at Millie. ‘Why did you do that?’
    â€˜Do what?’ Millie replied innocently, batting her eyelashes.
    â€˜Come on girls, I’ll be back in a few minutes. Just put on your robes and slippers and we’ll get something to eat. I don’t know about you but I could murder a cup of tea,’ Cecelia said and walked out of the room.
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    In the cosy dining room of the Sadachiyo Ryokan, Alice-Miranda, Millie and Jacinta discovered an interesting selection of food for their breakfast. There was miso soup, rice porridge and even some broiled fish.
    Alice-Miranda pointed at one of the plates and smiled at the young girl who was serving them. ‘Could you tell me what this is, please?’
    â€˜ Tamagoyaki . I think you would call it an omelette,’ the girl explained. She bowed and then retreated from the room.
    Jacinta used her chopsticks to pick up what looked like a pink vegetable. She sniffed it and screwed up her nose.
    â€˜I think it’s a pickle,’ said Alice-Miranda.
    â€˜Oh, that’s disgusting.’ Jacinta flung it back into the bowl. ‘Yuck!’
    â€˜I’ll try it.’ Millie reached over and popped the vegetable into her mouth. ‘It’s okay.’
    Alice-Miranda tucked into the omelette. ‘Oh, that’s delicious. Just like Mrs Oliver’s.’
    â€˜Well, I’m not eating that .’ Jacinta pointed at two dried fish, whose beady eyes were staring up at her from the plate.
    Millie prodded her with a chopstick. ‘I think you’re going to be starving by the end of the week.’
    â€˜I don’t care,’ Jacinta replied. ‘Surely there are some steak restaurants around here somewhere.’
    The girls sat together while Cecelia, Hugh and Ambrosia were at another small table on the other side of the room. All of the tables were low and surrounded by cushions for the guests to kneel on. A young couple sat at the far end of the room, and another table was occupied by a family of two parents and a son and daughter.
    Millie took a sip of her tea. She spat it out and wiped her mouth on a napkin. ‘Yuck!’
    â€˜What’s the matter?’ Alice-Miranda asked.
    â€˜What sort of tea is that?’ Millie stared into the cup.
    â€˜It’s green tea,’ Alice-Miranda said. She peered into the cup at the cloudy liquid. ‘Did you