The Garden of Words opens at the start of the rainy season in Tokyo with Takao Akizuki (秋月 孝雄 Akizuki Takao?), a 15-year-old student and aspiring shoemaker, opting to skip his first
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The Garden of Words opens at the start of the rainy season in Tokyo with Takao Akizuki (秋月 孝雄 Akizuki Takao?), a 15-year-old student and aspiring shoemaker, opting to skip his first class and sketch shoe designs in the garden at Shinjuku Gyoen. There he encounters Yukari Yukino (雪野 百香里 Yukino Yukari?), a 27-year-old woman who is skipping work and enjoying beer and chocolate. When she notices the school crest on his uniform, Yukino bids him farewell with a tanka (a form of Japanese poetry), leaving Takao puzzled as to its origin and meaning. The two continue to encounter each other and socialize in the park on rainy mornings, but never formally introduce themselves. After Yukino expresses an interest in Takao's shoemaking, he decides to make a pair of shoes in her size. With the end of the rainy season, Takao stops visiting the park and focuses on his work.
