It was still dark. The common room of the ryokan was filled with the sound of snoring and the odours of halitosis and flatus. Bodies moved under thin quilts, tossing and turning as they tried to find places to rest elbows, hips and knees.

The harsh sound of a gong cut through the common room. People stirred, sat up, rubbed their eyes.

"What is it?"

"Where's the fire?"

"It's the middle of the night!"

The door slid aside. O-Jun, the merchant, strode into the room. "Wa-ake U-up! Up you lazy apes!" He struck the gong again. This time the occupants of the common room did not have the luxury of the wall to deaden the noise. They had no choice but to rise from their beds. Some pulled their clothes out, pulling them on to protect themselves against the chill pre-dawn air. Others clad only in their fundoshis ran for the water tub and the latrines, eager to wash and relieve themselves before the rest were ready.

O-Jun pushed his way into the courtyard and looked towards the east. The sky was beginning to lighten, turning from black to grey, and a thin sliver of red promised the imminent start of a new day. "Come on!" the merchant shouted. "I have been awake for almost an hour! And what have you been doing? Snoring like hogs, that's what!"

The men grumbled, but their master's voice had its effect. The mass of humanity moved around the courtyard, gradually organising itself. They were experienced bearers and knew what to do. Some went to check the bundles of goods and make sure they were secure for the day. Others tended the horses, grooming them and making them ready for the day's burdens. A few busied themselves at the iron cauldrons, warming up the millet porridge for breakfast.

As the sky began to turn red, the men formed up in a line outside the ryokan. O-Jun walked along the column, checking the bindings on the boxes and inspecting the men. Other merchants might not care about their bearers, but O-Jun was not one of those. If they could not carry his goods, then he would not make a profit. Happy bearers worked harder. Well-paid servants did not pilfer his goods. If it meant more coin in his pocket, then O-Jun was prepared to spend.

At last, the men were ready. O-Jun mounted his horse and looked toward Fuji-san. The dawn light had reached the upper slopes of the mountain and had turned its bulk a deep red. O-Jun took this as a good omen for the day.

"We go!" the merchant called out. "We must make the next station before dark! An extra copper cash for each man if we are in quarters by sunset!"

The column followed him out of Isawa village, heading north along the great road.