Big Bird is increasingly vexed by his not having learned the young woman's name, and that she has a tendency to have disappeared quite suddenly when he turns to speak to her.
One night, finding difficulty in sleeping on a futon, he happens to catch sight of her standing in the garden, singing an achingly melancholy song to the Moon.
Attending an elementary school on the day he, Barkley and their mysterious helper are supposed to leave on the Shinkansen for Kyoto, Big Bird is treated to The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter as acted out by some of the students.
One of the highlights of the special, Big Bird (and the viewing audience) learns the story of Kaguya-hime, a young girl found in a shining bamboo stump, who later reveals herself as a magical princess to her adopted family.
Big Bird and Barkley arrive at the Shinkansen station almost too late, and their worried companion scolds them lightly once they're on board.
The young woman forgives Big Bird, and reveals that she has found Barkley and also located their tour, which is now certain to wait for the wayward pair.
[4] The special has been praised for its respectful use of humor and parody, giving 1980s American children and adults an overview of everyday life in bubble-era Japan that was starkly different from the media's fixation on Japanese corporate culture.