KARAOKE, JANIS JOPLIN, AND ME

As the writer of this blog, I would like you the reader to conjure up a visual of  me dressed up like Johnny Carson (U.S. TV comedian/host of Late Night Shows) in his role as Carnac the Magnificent.  Wearing a huge turban on my head and holding a sealed envelope to my forehead I would say with mesmerizing wisdom: "Karaoke, Janis Joplin and Me."   The question would be "Gaijin, what can you do to embarrass yourself in this country?"

 Karaoke, pronounced like car-ah-oh-kay in Japanese, is like a national sport in Japan.  It requires a lot of courage to stand up in front of other people, hold onto a mike and sing!  It's now quite  popular here, but, of course, like all other things that travel into other cultures across oceans, it is a bit morphed.

My first experience with karaoke came at the second party, meaning not a party a few days after another party, but the nijikai, which means party following the enkai, first party of the evening.  This enkai was our first office party  about two and a half months after we arrived in Kaseda, and was officially to welcome Brian, my Irish counterpart in our school system, and me into the office work force.

We started with an insane amount of food in a local restaurant and moved to a nearby karaoke for our first experience with singing amongst co-workers.   We soon found that these parties are paid through deductions from the salaries, so a fund is always ready to fund them.  (We were exempt and we did not have to contribute, just  attend.)  The two office ladies went out and purchased large bottles of beer and shochu, a Kagoshima spirit made from sweet potatoes that was a less expensive alternative to expensive sake. It has a distinctly unpleasant odor and is often mixed into hot water to drink, just like sake.  (Now, shochu is highly sought after throughout Japan.)  

Iwamoto San, Brian, I and another office worker in front of large Nabe, ceramic cookpots for seafood, veggies and tofu to cook while we eat.  There were four of us for one bowl.

Exotic mangosteen from hotter climes in Asia, this time party was at the Chinese restaurant.

Fujita San, our Shocho, the man with the Golden Voice, enjoying the food, and also the spirits.  The bottles hold both beer and shochu. Also note that these parties show us all having a good time seated on the floor!

 The karaoke was on the second floor above a store, and had several  private rooms that could be booked for groups.  Most of the karaoke that I would attend was held in these private rooms so one was always with the people in their own group, which is better for overcoming shyness and possibly making a fool of yourself.  Food and drinks could be ordered but some establishments allowed you to bring your own.

Karaoke it turns out is something you really love and you   participate fully, or you love to listen and observe, or you do not enjoy it, period.  I came to love watching the others sing, and found it was a great way to learn Japanese writing with  hiragana and kanji written on the screen.

Though Brian and I were both music lovers, I don't think either of us fancied ourselves as singers.  Even my older son, as a young child, would ask me, "Please don't sing," when he was sick.  I  confine my singing voice to the car, driving solo or in my home when I am alone.

At that first karaoke, our plan was to observe and quietly refrain from attracting any attention, lest they decide to insist we sing, too.  Well, that worked for awhile.  During observations, we found the human side of our co-workers.  It peeked out occasionally at the office, especially if they had any English.  Our supervisors always smiled kindly, tried to include us in jokes, but often busily bowed, smiled a greeting and went to work.  

Kaseda San and I waiting for the karaoke to begin.

But at karaoke, I found most had favorite songs that they would sing with good to awesome voices.  I found I loved to hear our shocho, the head of our local board of education office, sing his favorites.  He had a wonderfully tender voice.  It didn't match his efficient, somewhat stern work face.  I was getting a look at the personalities of these people I had seen for the past several weeks, and I found likeable, fun-loving, real people.  I liked these parties.

But my first experience to sing in front of others was almost traumatizing.   At least I didn't have to go solo; Brian and I were a team when times got tough.  We were now confronted with choosing a song from pages of Japanese titles, (this choice would have been impossible), or a short list of songs in English that was so out-dated we were not familiar with the music.  

Now, if you can sing and carry a tune, and the words are spelled out for you on a screen, it should not be that difficult.  But we were facing all kinds of deficiencies and totally out of our comfort zones.  Our Japanese co-workers strongly  suggested we try "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."  Right, go ahead, what could be so difficult?  You know the song, right?

Well, yes, we had both heard it, but not recently.  Try singing it right now?  Can you sing beyond the title?  The song was written when I was four years old.  And poor Brian, it was way before his time.  It's probably not sung that much in Ireland, unless he still belts it out occasionally in a nostalgic moment after lots of Guinness!  But we tried it out and were applauded for our efforts, if nothing else. 

The next three photos may or may not be something out of the ordinary in Japan.  For most parties, spouses and families were not included.  But in our countrified area, far from the bright lights of Tokyo, we sometimes partied in our Shocho's home, and the wives did much of the hard work of the preparations.  Then they came along for karaoke.   These were the absolute best parties.  I found that our office was made up of people that had known each other for a very long time.  They laughed, ate,sang, partied, and worked together, and they gave support to each other in times of grief.  I was proud to be in their midst.

Mr. and Mrs. Fuchida

The Ishizonos ( Ishizono San was our immediate supervisor and was always so concerned over our well-being.)

The Kasedas

We soon learned that it is best to practice a couple of songs, even the oldest ones, to prepare to sing at later events.  Eventually, we would find other places in town with somewhat updated music lists, and the city had even more.  We moved up to the Beatles and the Carpenters.  Eventually I found several tunes I could work with and I remember that Brian found a favorite in "Dancing Queen."  Most ALTs  seemed to do all right with "Hotel California" and I heard it almost every time I went.  The Carpenters' songs were really loved by the Japanese, as were songs by Frank Sinatra, like "My Way".  Their music was not too fast and the words were sung clearly.   These were still not songs from the 80's and 90's but we were at least into the 60's and 70's.

Rosie, (Ireland), Mark (England), and I listen as Brian (Ireland) croons a tune, most likely "Dancing Queen".

My favorites were "Killing Me Softly With His Song", "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", and when I got lucky, if they had "Me and Bobby McGee" I would sing that.  It was like a theme song;  I had come to Japan with nothing left to lose.  I could almost belt it out with some confidence.  In fact, I just found this on the Internet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POjrpDSVkE4 -  if you want to try it.  Oh, Internet, you would have made life so much easier 20 years ago.  

I will long remember when our shocho recognized some  of the meaning in the song.  He was reading along with the words on the screen, and he visibly sighed when he understood the words up there, "I would trade all my tomorrows for a single yesterday, to be holding Bobby's body next to mine...."  (Those are just lyrics after all, not really trading off any of MY tomorrows!)

After those first  experiences, I was probably going to karaoke once a month, with teachers at different schools, my  office, or with Japanese friends and adult students.  A couple of times I even went with other ALTs.  It became truly enjoyable.  My voice didn't improve, but that was never the point.  It was about having a good time.  

For many of us ALTs it was also something more.  Music is a universal language.  We found this was a good way to communicate cross-culturally so we learned a few songs in Japanese.  We were encouraged to learn an easy Japanese song, that was somewhat popular here in the US in the 60's, the "Sukiyaki" song.  Do you know it?  I didn't, but it was pleasant and easy to sing.  A teacher found a paper copy with the hiragana printing(Japanese syllable writing) that I could practice on my own.  Soon I could sing that when we went out with the office people, and they were pleased I had tried.

In late October I was invited to a Japanese wedding.  They had karaoke there and I heard a really beautiful Japanese song that is often sung at weddings, called "Kanpai."  The song was written by Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi, who just happened to be a singer/writer from Kagoshima, so he was beloved by the locals and this song was his biggest hit..  

For some reason I loved this song and still do.   I went back to the teacher who had found the "Sukiyaki" song for me to see if he could find this one.  Understanding the song was considerably more difficult,  he went above and beyond my request.  I soon had a cassette, (oh, yes, the old days), with several of Nagabuchi's best songs, and the paper copy so that I could practice "Kanpai."  And I did, every night; and for weeks I went to sleep with that cassette playing while I drifted off to sleep.

Practicing the song paid off, in huge ways.  For example, I never had to sing "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" again.  But more importantly when I first sang it as a surprise for my office, they were completely stunned at my efforts.  There was visible approval that I had taken on the task, and that I clearly loved some of their music.  I will always love Nagabuchi's songs and especially "Kanpai".  I had a pianist play it at a bar before I left Kagoshima for good in '98.  I sobbed through it, and it can still bring tears to my eyes when I try to sing it.  


Once I went on a karaoke date with the kindest guy I ever met.  I was just getting to know him, and he told me he could sing love songs in English.  I found that terribly romantic, silly me.  He started out with Disney's "When You Wish Upon a Star."  You know, that actually is a romantic song, but not if you watched it along with Jiminy Cricket singing the "Encyclopedia" song every Sunday evening since you were six years old.  (By the way, do you still have to sing along with Jiminy to spell "encyclopedia" or is it just me?)

When my younger son came to visit me in Japan much further into my stay, he did one heck of a job on "Great Balls of Fire", but we got into trouble when we tried an Elvis duet.  Just into the first chorus of "Are You Lonely Tonight," he looked at me in horror, and said, "Wait, there's a speaking part in this song!"  Not to worry, Mr. Kindest Guy I Ever Met stepped in and did an excellent rendition of Elvis speaking with just a hint of Japanese accent. 
 

 Steve, my younger son and I singing Elvis!

 Another teacher who came from Okinawa sang the Boom's hit, "ShimaUta," "The Island Song."  It was all in Japanese but I could see tropical flowers, the sand and the warm blue waters when he sang on the video background.  Some of my best friends, Wei, Shawn, and Brigid lived on wonderful islands.  I always think of them when I think of that song, and will do a future blog on my visit to Brigid and "her" island, Amami Oshima.  Amami looked just like the background on the video of the song, which I have noted for you at the end of the blog if you want to check it out.

Now when I listen to music there are many songs that remind me of those parties.  Looking back now, I can see Rochelle's face as she sang a popular song from a favorite Japanese soap opera, "Haruyo Koi."  I can see Mrs. Ono do a near professional job of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in English.  I can see Takehiro singing Elton John's "Your Song," Nobuchan singing the Righteous Brothers "Unchained Melody" and Nancy singing Madonna's  "Material Girl."  Mr. Kindest Guy I Ever Met is still singing love songs, in Japanese, English and Spanish, like Besame Mucho.  As for myself,  I have retained a great fondness for "Me and Bobby McGee."   

Here are some very good links to most  of the Japanese songs mentioned above.  Sorry that they don't appear so you just click on it; you will have to copy and paste.  I would urge you to try a couple, especially if you never went to karaoke or Japan, because they show the beautiful scenery of Japan in some of the backgrounds, just like they look for real, and on the karaoke videos.  It's wonderfully natsukashi, nostalgic, for those who have been to Japan.

Here's the link to "Kanpai": 
 https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AitSOdKUe5mtHdLu_rgZ3gSbvZx4?p=japanese+song%2C+Kampai&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-901&fp=1&soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma            choose the 4th video box with the cherry blossoms to get the good scenery backgrounds.  

And here's a link for a loose translation to the song:  http://www.lyricsforsong.net/lyrics/tsuyoshi-nagabuchi-kanpai-english-lyrics_kqijqo.html

  "The Island Song":  
 https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AitSOdKUe5mtHdLu_rgZ3gSbvZx4?p=the+boom+shimauta&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-901&fp=1 
  choose the second video box and see the Japanese writing for the karaoke song.
translation
http://www.animelyrics.com/jpop/theboom/shimauta.htm

"Haruyo Koi"
 http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2on33_haru-yo-koi_music
 I could not find a decent translation for this one.


Remember, I would love to have you leave a comment, perhaps your favorite song title???

"OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO", (Dr. Seuss)

Before I left for Japan, my sons gave me the very best possible presents.  One was a copy of Dr. Seuss' book, "Oh, the Places You'll Go."
                      “You're off to Great Places!
                       Today is your day!
                       Your mountain is waiting,
                        So... get on your way!”  
I don't think they had any idea how those words would be dreams   come true and just how far I would go, nor did I. 
  
The other two presents were an address book with a note to take my friends' addresses from the States, and to write down my yet to be made new friends' addresses and telephone numbers, and a Japanese bird book, in English.  They were perfect!

They didn't know the bird book would become worn, scuffed and dog-eared.  They had no idea the address book would help me survive the first lonely months, and that I would fill it with ALT names from around the world, and wonderful new Japanese friends' names as well.  But no one was more surprised than I. 

After the first meeting of all the ALT's in Kagoshima Ken, I gained a lot of confidence to head out and travel on my own.  I was getting familiar with using the bus, and friends were coming in via train and bus to visit me in Kaseda.  Some had bought used cars and were even driving, on the other side of the road.  It actually was no longer intimidating to take my backpack, money and passport and pick a new place to visit for a weekend.  I had my copy of "Fodor's Japan", my bird book, camera and binoculars, and I was pretty much free to go on the weekends.

Another large boost to my confidence was an ALT meeting, this one in  far away Kumamoto.  Not really that far in hindsight, a little more than 3 hours away.  But now I had to learn to use the train system, which by the way, was so easy.  Signs were in Japanese kanji, but also English and even with multiple tracks and platforms, clearly marked with not only the names of the cities but with directional arrows.  It would be difficult to go in the wrong direction, and I don't think I ever did. 


The meeting in Kumamoto was for 3 days and ALTs attended from not only Kagoshima, but also Kumamoto and Miyazaki Kens (states).  The realization that the world seemed to be opening up for me was empowering.  I became enamored of every shrine and temple, those wonderful tiled roofs, the mountains, streams, and little shops and houses and gardens.  I so loved the gardens. 

These mums were at the castle in Kumamoto.  In Japan, great pride and lots of care groom magnificently large and colorful flowers by choosing only one blossom to bloom on each plant and supporting that bloom on a wire support so its weight does not make it drop or break the stem.

Seeing my first bougainvillea and birds of paradise in bloom, in the ground, not a flower shop, as well as angel trumpets and poinsettia were all new sights for me.  I was in a new climate as well as a new country.  The ginko trees, the camelias, the large persimmons hanging from the trees in fall, seemed so welcoming.

Bougainvillea blooming in the south of Kagoshima near Ibusuki.

Soon it became seamless to hop on a bus in my town, just 2 blocks from my apartment, get off the bus at the train station in Kagoshima City and catch a train to see Rochelle in Okuchi, or Shawn in Kagoshima City, as well as just going into Kagoshima to visit with ALTs or go for lunch and shopping.  I felt so grown up! 

Rochelle took me to see Sogi no Taki (Sogi Falls) in Okuchi, Kagoshima Ken, Japan. 

Different areas had various ways to dry the harvested rice   This teepee style was in Okuchi. 

 

This sawhorse style rack made of bamboo was the chosen method to dry the rice in Kaseda where I lived.

 

 

But I would often feel the wonderment of a small child, seeing and learning new things every day. I was tabla rosa, an empty slate to hold all the sights and sounds, and even the smells and tastes.  Truly, I was in the right place at the right time for me.  And I didn't want to close my eyes and miss anything.

Around every nook and corner, even in the shops, were new things to see, kimono silks for souvenirs as scarves and change purses, native wood carvings, lacquer ware and ceramics.  The opportunities to learn about this new culture were endless.  Around a corner in Kumamoto was a rebuilt castle from the samurai days.  It's unfortunate but wooden buildings can burn or decay, so often the most beautiful sights were replicas of the real thing.  But they were wonderful places to learn and envision the history of this new land.

My first castle in Japan was Kumamoto Jo.  Of course, a land of enchantment must have castles.

If you can see the people down in front of the castle, you can get an idea of the scale of its true size.

Suizenji Koen, a formal Japanese garden in Kumamoto

A lovely example of the tiled roof on a building at the Japanese garden.

My ALT meeting in Kumamoto allowed me to follow my mother's bidding and track down a Japanese exchange student who had lived in my hometown in Pennsylvania a couple of years earlier.  Takako had stayed with her best friend's daughter, and my mother had met her several times.   I was on a mission, charged with carrying good wishes and letting her know they had not forgotten her.  When I called and spoke to Takako, she immediately said I must come to her home for dinner.  I took my friend Maria with me, and we were both given the royal treatment.  

Having dinner at Takako's home with her parents and brother.

Maria enjoyed getting together with this great family, too. The family setting reminded us of home.

Her mother had prepared local specialties, and it was here I was introduced to karashi rencom.  This is the root of the lotus, cut crosswise, stuffed with very spicy hot yellow mustard, (in the holes of the crosscut) and then each piece is floured and deep fried.  Later I would reflect that perhaps that was when a spell had been put on me.  I had eaten of the lotus, and I might not be able to leave this new land of enchantment so easily.

 In fact, all ALTs in their first and second years would have to make a choice as to whether to sign another contract for one more year, or leave the program and the country.   The decision would be due by February, which was now looming.  I would eventually have to make that choice, that in the beginning was so clearly a simple countdown to how many more months I would have to survive before I could leave.  And now after the fall travels and the Christmas visit from my son, I was thinking of the place as a "land of enchantment."  Clearly, new posts will reveal more about that important decision. 

PITA, MY CAT, VISITS JAPAN

Sometimes, life doesn't go as planned.  That is perhaps what I should have on my tombstone.  But that is the main reason that my lovable, snuggling cat named Pita came to Japan with Jason and Debbie at Christmas.  Since they were in college and allowed to have pets in their off campus housing, they  had no problem that first semester when I left.  But they were informed after the first semester that  renovations would require that  they move out of their current housing.  They could not find anything that allowed pets on short notice.

When I heard they wanted to bring him to me, I said yes, but then was left with flight arrangements, checking quarantines and all those legalities.  It turned out that it was much easier to bring in a cat than a dog, and Pita simply needed up to date shots, medical papers from a vet, and a small fee to fly in a cat carrier.  Pita was on his way.

Pita came to me to replace a cat we had had for many years.  Jason surprised me, and one morning I came downstairs to find a sweet little white kitten peeking out at me from under a chest.  Little did we know what a personality this kitten would develop.  We tried so many names, me leaning toward cutesy things like Blossom, and Jason and his friend Mike suggesting masculine names like Winston, Churchill, MacArthur and so on.  At some point Jason suggested Fairbanks and I was leaning toward that as a good choice.  We all wanted to have an Alaskan adventure one day. 

And then Jason said, "Or we could name him Pita, for pain in the a.. (butt)."  Well, this sweet little kitten had a way of waking us up in the most  unnerving ways.  He would come into our rooms about 5:30 a.m. and make noises.  In my room he would leap to the top of a 4 foot high chest and one by one knock off the textbooks I laid up there after studying.  Nothing like a 2 pound book hitting the floor at that hour to set your senses off into shock.  And as you all probably know, most cats are not going to listen when you say, yell, scream, "Stop that!" and he would get us up.  And so he was named Pita Fairbanks.  He was two when he came to Japan that winter.

I took the afternoon bus to Fukuoka to meet the kids and Pita when they came in via Northwest Airlines.  There's a train that comes straight to the train station in the city and I knew they could handle that on their own.  But I was worried not about the kids, but about how the cat had handled an overseas flight.  He was not exactly a world traveler, but he was a confident, friendly type, not the hyper type.  But 37,000 ft. of altitude might change that!

They were prepared with a soft-sided, but sturdy cat carrier, leash and halter,  and tranquilizers while I arrived at the train station with a pouch of food, 2 dishes for water and food, a small bag of litter, a large shoe box and some plastic bags.   We were awfully glad to see each other, especially me, but we quickly got over that and prepared to deal with a dazed or wild cat.  Instead I found out that they had all been upgraded to first class, including the cat!  And he had remained calm and quiet so they never even medicated him.  I am not sure I am over that fact yet.  (I am not a calm flier.)

The bus station had settled down for the evening when we were all uniting, so we walked about and found an extremely well-suited corner, with a dividing wall between it and the main waiting area.  It was dark and no one else but the 3 of us and the cat were remotely interested in it.  There were about 20 people on the other side of the wall in a well lit room with chairs.  Since we had no chairs, we spread out suitcases and Pita's dishes on the floor and sat down next to him where we gave him some space and got him out of the carrier.  He simply stared at us and sat quietly looking around, getting his bearings.  

When I tried to show him the food, he peered around and came and ate some.  Then he had some water.  Wow!  I could not have imagined he would have been so easy.  I  got the litter box ready for him, but he was not interested yet.  A lone traveler, an elderly Japanese man, wandered over.  I was very worried that at some point someone would report us and we might not be able to take the cat on the bus.  We signed up for the night bus, especially to be able to get him on in the dark!

As the elderly man wandered directly over to us in the dark, I braced myself for the worst.  But instead he bowed and smiled.  And with no English pointed to the cat, and looked questionably at me.  He mimed eating some food, and I said,   "We have some food," and showed him the dish.  He mimed a drink, and I showed him the water dish.  He gave a sigh of relief, bowed approvingly and wandered away.  It was the only questions we were asked about traveling with the cat.

Soon after that Pita became interested in his litter box and went over to give it a scratch.  I have mentioned in previous posts that in life, timing is everything.  At about the same moment, some official decided to open the wall behind us, as it was made of sliding doors, (fusuma).  I had not even noticed it wasn't a solid wall in the dark.  And there were the 20 or so people in their chairs, waiting for various overnight buses, and there we were with Pita, who was now sitting in his box and going to the bathroom.  He showed no embarrassment, however, that was left for we three humans, still laughing over the timing 20 years later.  Perhaps not many actually were paying enough attention to notice, or perhaps with our luggage scattered about they could not see Pita.  But he was now physically ready for the last phase of his voyage, the overnight bus from Fukuoka to Kagoshima.  

The bus ride was uneventful.  Overnight buses are set to arrive in the bustling morning hours, and we all slept peacefully when the bus pulled in to a rest area for the driver to rest as well to get the the timing right for a.m. arrival in Kagoshima.  We only had to get on a local bus to get to our apartment and get settled.

Pita took no time at all getting settled.  He sniffed everything out thoroughly, found the warmest spot which happened to be under the kotatsu and went to sleep.  Pita would stay with me for 8 months, entertain my friends from around the world, and be a furry goodwill ambassador to the Japanese friends and students who came to visit my apartment until I took him back to Jason and Debbie in the summer.  He was such a good buddy to have and hug through my first cold winter in Japan.  And he will reappear in some of my future posts.

This was the most comfortable chair in my living room, a tatami perfect chair that someone put out on the curb to throw away.  Nancy and I had seen it when we drove by, and she quickly backed up.  We loaded it in her car and took it to my place.  One woman's reject is another woman's tres chic decor.

This is a great photo to explain how a kotatsu works, and Pita is the perfect model to pose for it.  The soft electric heat is held in by a quilted coverlet, which has a table top placed over it, so that the family can gather around the table, seated on the floor, and warm their legs under the table while they eat.  They are wonderfully cozy.

Again, do leave comments for me and let me know if you are a frequent reader, or a first time reader to my blog.  Have a good spring season!

HINA MATSURI - DOLL'S FESTIVAL FOR GIRLS' DAY

Every year the Japanese celebrate Hina Matsuri,  or the Festival of Dolls.  This holiday is a time to be thankful for daughters born into the families and wish and pray those girls will have happy and successful lives.  A similar day is held on May 5 every year for sons, although it is referred to as Children's Day.

Traditionally, grandparents or parents purchase a display of dolls that are stored away until about 2 weeks before Hina Matsuri, and then the display is set up to be enjoyed by the daughters and the families.  The dolls are not toys and can be very costly depending on the size and number of pieces, and, of course, the quality of the display.  

The pieces always start with the emperor and empress on a tier, or platform.  Lower tiers, a few or several, include those people and items in every day life - courtiers, ministers, servants and the furniture used in their lives.  The costumes and accessories are all very beautiful and ornate. 

Both of these photos are of Hina Matsuri desktop ornaments purchased in the Osaka area in the last few years.

The very lovely wife of my office superintendent asked Nancy and me to come to her house for lunch on Girls' Day.  She said she would pull out the display she had had as a little girl and let us see it.  It seemed she didn't bother to bring it out every year, so by treating us to this special occasion she would also find a reason to enjoy it herself.  

We had no idea what to expect.  First we had to drive into the city and find her house.  Fortunately by this time Nancy had purchased a car and off we went, with me as navigator.   We arrived without incident and were greeted by a smiling hostess.

We had the most enjoyable time.  Mrs. Fujita prepared a very special lunch, temaki zushi, a selection of various choices of fish and shrimp and vegetables that we could add to rice and wrap with seaweed for handmade sushi rolls.

Our hostess, Mrs. Fujita, prepared wonderful temaki zushi, choices for us to roll our own favorites into large sheets of nori and sushi rice.  Note the quilt covered kotatsu table that has soft electric heat underneath to warm our legs.

We ate so casually and yet so contentedly, on the floor at her kotatsu table and seated comfortably on cushions.  The three of us were busy eating and chatting away, exchanging  a bit of info about our homes and families in the US and listening to her talk about Kagoshima.  We spent the afternoon admiring not only her doll display but her watercolors that she painted herself.  She was a very talented person, and she was also so happy that we had come to join her for the afternoon.

Nancy and Mrs. Fujita sit Seiza style  (sitting on your folded knees is considered more formal) in front of the full Hina Matsuri that was given to Mrs. Fujita when she was a little girl.

 

The Emperor and the Empress are on the top tier.

I am so happy Mrs. Fujita wanted to share Girls' Day with us.

Nancy playing with the Fujitas' little dog in front of the bottom tiers of the Hina Matsuri.  This also illustrates the tatami on the floors (woven mats) and the shoji screens, or squares on the sliding screens to close off rooms for privacy and also to keep the rooms warm or cool depending on the season.

It was  an especially good afternoon for me, because it was the beginning of a happy and solid friendship that led to more time that Mrs. Fujita and I spent together. She became someone who wanted to share the art of sumi-e, or charcoal/ink painting and the other arts like tea ceremony and ikebana,  or flower arranging.  

We would spend more time in the next couple of years visiting various cultural events.  In a way, this had been the best Girls' Day ever, spent with girlfriends!

YAMATO NADESHIKO

Each of the schools where I taught had different appeals, and each had pros and cons.  There were things I liked and sometimes did not like so much.  Some were very strict with the students, some were obsessed with better grades and results on tests for college.  Some were visibly more bright, cheerful, while some seemed more on edge.  It seemed the entire building took on the personalities of both teachers and students.  Some were physically cold, or old and not very clean.   Some were more accessible or had prettier surroundings.  Some had views of the sea or bamboo forests, or lovely grounds.

For the teachers there were even more differences, yet I had to find ways to work with each one.  Some of the teachers wanted to ignore me and find reasons they could not take me to class with them.  Most of those reasons were valid, due to testing or demands that meant they not take time out for distractions of actually using a lot of oral English in the classroom.  Many teachers were not  comfortable speaking my language in the classroom, because the students might notice they did not speak as naturally if compared to me.

But many of the teachers realized that was exactly the reason I was there,  to utilize my easily flowing word structure with so little accent, speaking slowly and in easy, beginners' vocabulary so that when the students understood, they gained confidence.  Once they heard something they could understand, it was a game changer.  These teachers found ways to have me make tapes to use when I was not there, to work on a specific lesson plan, to have students ask their own questions.  But in the end, this was up to the individual teacher.

One teacher had heavy demands placed on him and he was very thorough, serious and, pretty much ignored me though we sat side by side in the teacher's room.  He pored over his books and papers and did not speak to me. 

 On the other side sat a teacher who looked forward to my days there, shared his novels in English for me to read, and always looked for things to chat about, improving his English and his understanding of my background, where I lived and what I might eat for holiday or a normal meal during the day.  He would tell me stories about his childhood or his family.  One day at lunch time he pulled out his Obento, a boxed lunch his wife had made for him.  He proudly explained his wife got up at 5:30 to make his lunch and lunches for their children as well.

Through one of the books he had given me to read, I learned they strove to include foods from both yama and umi, the mountain and the  sea.  This meant vegetables and meat from the land, and seafood and seaweed from the sea.  The teacher's Obento was a masterpiece.  A shrimp, half a hard boiled egg, a couple of pieces of fried chicken or pork, some green seaweed with sesame seed sprinkled on it, a couple of pieces of pickled daikon radish, a piece of mushroom, a slice of pear, a rice ball wrapped in nori, seaweed, and, finally, some slices of apple cut to look like a rabbit.  It was a piece of art, no doubt, and I gave it the admiration it deserved.  Then with a bit of relish, because at this point I knew this kind man had a great sense of humor after talking with him for weeks and sitting next to him, I did my show and tell with my lunch.  "See, this is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a container with some chips and a banana.  And it took me two minutes to make it and throw it in the bag."  The lessons in culture were non-stop, and we never had to look very far.

Our teacher's room had some kerosene heaters, no central heat.  The rooms were unheated for the students.  Nice most of the year, but not nice in winter when it could get cold.  This area grew oranges, so it was Florida like, but we know that Florida can get cold.  Anyway, often throughout the winter, one of the teachers who had a large garden would bring in freshly dug potatoes and boil them on the top of the heater, then share them with everyone.  They were wonderful freshly boiled and salted, and, perhaps, for me a taste of home.  Quite a treat because they were also hot.  If it was cold enough to cook the potatoes, it was cold enough for me to run to put hot green tea in my ceramic cup and hold it, not so much to drink, but to warm my hands.  Green tea, hot water and tea pots were available in every office and teacher's room for all of us to help ourselves.  

I really liked the teachers in this office at Kaseda High School.  I also worked with two young teachers, a man and a woman.  The woman had excellent English, headed up the English Club and was thinking about eventually getting married.  She was kind and humorous, and loved to laugh at American style humor.  

The young man often took me out to lunch with him on Thursdays, when he had a free period.  We almost always went to his favorite place where he would order the daily special.  It was a great little hole in the wall with good food and a balanced meal set called teishoku in Japanese.  It contained miso soup, rice, veggie and meat or fish with coffee or tea.  Here we would talk pretty freely.  He was very tough in his classroom, but very good looking, and he relaxed when he left school.  Both of these teachers sat across from me.  We could all hear what any of the others said.  

One more teacher had retired but was filling in for someone, or because there was a shortage of English teachers.  He was over 60 and in great shape, running 5Ks and hiking up mountains.  This was my favorite group of teachers, and I got to know them the best because it was my base school where I spent most of my working days.

But to get back to the teacher who didn't speak to me.  Eventually, I wore him down.  I always included him in conversations, even if he looked busy.  I asked him short questions.  He responded, just barely.  He did not take me into his classrooms.  He was one tough nut.  But finally he did start talking a little, ever so slowly opening up about why he hadn't been talking.  He said he thought it was a waste of time, because the teacher before had not been happy.  She  sat  and read books the whole time she was there.  Soon, I found his English to be excellent and natural.  He'd lived in Britain for a year and studied there.  It all came together, and, soon he even laughed on occasion, and asked me questions about life in the States.  

Occasionally, we joked or teased.  One time just before his class was starting, after we had talked for a good 30 minutes, he asked me if I had heard of Yamato Nadeshiko.  He said this was the old term for the PERFECT Japanese woman.   Yamato is an old word for Japan and nadeshiko is a carnation.   He told me the perfect Japanese woman would be thin, agile, able to bend gracefully as the carnation would bend in the wind.  But like the carnation, she was strong, and while able to sway so gracefully, would not break. 

I was enjoying the story and the conversation, when the bell rang for class.  The teacher hurried to take his books and when he got around the aisle, standing behind the young teachers, he threw a question back at me, so they could all hear.  "Minch Sensei, do you know why you cannot be Yamato nadeshiko?"  "Because you talk too much!"  Well, I was the first to start laughing out loud, and then was joined by all the other English teachers.  Then all the other teachers in the room, a good 35 or so, wanted to know what had happened.  There was a brief explanation in Japanese, and soon there was a new round of laughter.

In the workplace, when you are with friends, sharing laughter is so important.  I felt like a real member of the group when all could laugh at the joke, and I knew it was all in good fun, as well as true.  I could not be Yamato nadeshiko, but I remember this story fondly and still admire the image of a carnation swaying in the wind.

MY FIRST CHRISTMAS IN jAPAN

As Christmas was fast approaching, I was exuberant to share the news that my son and his girlfriend were coming for a two week visit.  My friends and students, my teachers, and the office personnel were well aware of this major event, and no doubt noted my improved spirits.  I did not notice their attention to the matter so much, because I was pretty busy making preparations, but also busy with a new lifestyle.

Through October and November I found that almost every weekend was filled with plans for a party with ALTs or with students from Nancy’s adult classes or the Japanese friends I had made on my own.  Soon outings to restaurants, karaoke, (which will have its own blog post eventually), and parties in some of  the Japanese friends' homes were on the calendar. In addition there were parties with my office, weekends spent out of town with other ALTs and corresponding visits from them so I could show off my apartment and the lovely little town of Kaseda.

Sharing weekends with the other ALTs who hosted parties or just had  me over to tour their town were so much fun and so interesting.  We shared strategies about work, clothes, shopping, including ordering from catalogs and places in Tokyo with goods from home (remember, Internet  was not readily available then).  Despite the fact most of the other ALTs were considerably younger, we had a lot of the same problems, and as we approached December the problems were being resolved, and most of us were happily settling into a lifestyle.   I was still very much unaware of the metamorphosis; but I was emerging as a social butterfly.

 
Jason and Debbie arrived from the U.S. via Northwest Airlines which flew into Fukuoka, a few hours by overnight bus from Kaseda.  The arrival would not be uneventful, but blog readers, that will be left for another post, a blog worthy unto itself, so I will not dwell on that now.  For reasons to  be revealed later, I took the shorter day bus up and met them.  We arrived back in Kaseda in fairly good shape to spend their first day resting, then taking in the town and eating at Southern Cross for their first  evening.

It seemed that everyone I knew was waiting for them, too. They got a chance to meet both Brian and Nancy before they left town over the coming holiday.  From the first day they learned to bow, and the smiles from everyone came naturally.  More importantly, and so surprising and memorable, my new friends wanted to share with us their town and their time and their holiday of the New Year.  We were overwhelmed by offers of dinner, lunch, and many different trips to see things, many that I had not yet seen myself.

 We started at my education office on Monday. One of the head members volunteered to take us to see Sakurajima, the volcano in the city on the last day of the year.  I started checking off the calendar dates like the most popular girl at an old formal dance where the dance card gets filled up.  The offers were numerous, but all different.  If I had sat down with a tour guide with a private car and tried to chart the days to the fullest, I could not have done as well as all the friends who were stepping forward with ideas of how they would entertain us and take us to all the best places. 

A principal at Kaseda High School started us off on Tuesday with a trip to the top of ChoyaSan, a nearby mountain with a million dollar view of Kaseda and the sea in the other direction.  We did that over the lunch hour.  When we returned, my head English teacher accompanied  us to a small separate building with traditional tatami floors used for formal Tea Ceremonies.  We were served the tea and small cakes in a formal and traditional manner.  If you ever have the chance to visit Japan, there are ample opportunities to experience this cultural art, and it should not be missed.

The adult class Nancy taught invited us to  a dinner party, a catered affair in a private room where we ate all the best foods, talked and took turns at the microphone trying to embarrass each other.  My son started it by not understanding that karaoke and singing acapella are very different things.  He said I wanted to sing them a song, which I very ardently did not.  I was on the spot!  What could I do?  I regressed to childhood and sang a very short version of "How Much is that Doggy in the Window?"  It's still embarrassing!

Some of the many members of the Adult English Class from Kawanabe.

It was a true feast, though some of us were not as excited about sushi.

I got back at Debbie and Jason by making them waltz to "Moon River", which I did sing later because after we went to the dinner party we went to the "nikai", the second party which is usually karaoke.  We had the grandest time and got back after midnight.  The Japanese party hearty!  I often found it hard to keep up and stay up as long as the partying went on, and I was glad to see it was not just because of my age.  Jason and Debbie begged me to leave one day on the calendar completely blank and I promised that I would.

Yes, we do not wear shoes in the karaoke room!  It's so much easier to let loose without your shoes.  A little wine or beer helps, too.  It especially helped me.  I waited for them to relax and drink a little in hopes my singing would sound better.

One member of the adult class signed up to take us out on their fishing boat to help pull in the day's catch.  Iffy!  It's cold in Kaseda in December, and my queasy stomach predicted possibly dire consequences.  But the crew of 3 took us out carefully, early in the morning, to give us an overview of their work every day.   

The haul included belt fish, meter long, very skinny fish that they kept, and a nasty skate with a wicked tail that they immediately closed in around and shouted "Abunai"  danger - to us to keep us away from it.   We got the message and stayed on our seats, watching as they gingerly got hold of it and threw it back.The three of us and the best of the catch for the two hours we were out in somewhat choppy seas were bundled into a warm car and then whisked back to our apartment.  Our gifts of the day were two small lobster tails and some delicious white fish that led to a wonderful and easy dinner.

Typical village fishing fleet.  I saw almost no pleasure  craft of any kind except in the cities.

Photo op with Koze San at scenic Nomaike after the fishing expedition.

Nothing tastes better for dinner than what you caught yourself, or at least you were there when it was pulled in.

Arimura San and his wife, my dearest friends, were delighted whenever we stopped by their optometry shop, and he chose a morning before the shop opened to take us on the scenic route because he "had a plan".  We started out before daylight to head south to Kaimondake, where we would view the "Rising Sun".

Magical moments in the Land of the Rising Sun.

We would follow the coastal road north around the mountains' edge to Akime,  looking down at the beautiful sea to visit one of the the most famous spots in south Kyushu.  This would be where "You Only Live Twice" was filmed in 1967.  Sakurajima was the volcano that was also used as a backdrop as a helicopter flew over the city of Kagoshima for the movie.  Another volcano was used for other scenes where the plot was coming to a climax inside a volcano.

Arimura San with Jason and Debbie in Akime.  Maybe we all get to live twice if we stay open to adventures!

This was Arimura San's favorite place, one of many places in nature.  Bonotsu's bay was clear and protected.  He would often snorkel here to see the coral and fishes below.  But it's way too cold in December for snorkeling!

 We finished at KinpoSan, my favorite mountain.  Rather than walk from the bottom, a real climb, we drove to the shrine near the top.  Jason and Debbie joined Arimura San and I as we rang the bell and clapped twice and took a moment for silent prayer. Then the four of us climbed up to the incredible views unfolding before us in all directions, views of mountains and seas.  To the South we could see Kaimondake, a most perfect dormant volcano in the image (shape) of Mt. Fuji, the same mountain we had visited to see the "Rising Sun".  North we could see beautiful Sakurajima, a live and smoking volcano, and nearest to the southwest, my other local favorite Nomadake.  

A small shrine at the very top of the mountain.  A full shrine was based in the parking lot below.

Arimura San had brought hot drinks and buns and we rested and talked.  He thought Jason, with a walking cane and long hair and beard looked like Jesus on the Mount.   For years Jason would later joke that the Japanese thought he was God.  But it was his way of saying how well he was treated by so many there.  It was also a great relief to him because make no mistake.  His intentions in coming here were not just to have an exotic vacation with his girlfriend.  He was here to make darn sure his mother was safe and well.  And he was delighted to see what fun I was having, like no other time in my life. 

Before we left the mountain top the the kids took the bags with our trash and picked up the other trash left by those who had come before us.  As clean as the people of Japan were and as proud of their heritage, I was often struck by the litter many chose to leave behind them.  Arimura San was surprised that two foreigners cared enough to pick up others' trash.  Perhaps, as often happens, it seemed normal for the trash to be there, and was somewhat invisible to him. But to us it marred the natural beauty, and the cleanup took only minutes. 

On another day Arimura San took us and a British couple from neighboring Kinpo to lunch at an old favorite diner type hole in the wall very close to my apartment.  It was to sample a Japanese favorite, okonomiaki, which is a pancake batter poured over your choice of grilled shrimp, pork or squid, and the batter has a healthy helping of chopped cabbage in it.  A bit of mayonnaise, a sprinkling of nori, dried seaweed, and katsuobushi, shavings of smoked tuna are added as toppings along with a spoon or two of a sweet soy sauce.  

The platters are filling and fun, a favorite of both old and young.  But Debbie's platter was just a little different for when she moved it, a rather large cockroach darted out.  It was the first I had ever seen in Japan, but not the first for the owner.  She promptly whacked it with a dishrag and slid it very unceremoniously to the floor.  Well, with our best poker faces but with pretty wide eyes, we continued to eat away and delayed laughter and all other expressions until later.  The others down to the side hadn't seen what happened but we continue to laugh about it to this day.  ( I never did go back there to eat again, though.)

Friday evening after work we had a party at our house.  It was a  sit down affair meaning that a few students, the office girls and several friends joined us for a party seated on cushions around my kotatsu, the quilt covered table with an electric heated globe underneath to keep legs warm in the cold weather.  I always felt that those rumors of the Japanese who are a bit cool and not friendly was completely dispelled by sitting down on the floor with each other.  I have never found anything more equalizing and friendly.  Add a warm blanket with everyone gathered around and it's not just warm on the legs, it's heart warming. 

Students, friends and office workers come to the party in my apartment.  I loved my cozy apartment!

Beautiful Tazuko San, a real friend, and her daughter

On the weekend, our friends, the Yoshinagas, from Kawanabe and the adult class, took us to a full day of activities in Ibusuki, to the south and on the water.  We went past fields of drying daikon, large white radish, and stopped for photos.  

Ibusuki is at the southeast end of Kyushu Island's Satsuma Peninsula, and it's a semi-tropical vacation destination.

 Then we went to the featured attraction, a sand bath in the lava sands that are heated by pockets of thermal heat from the volcanic action in the area.  Hot springs and baths are a huge part of Japanese culture, and we would sample those as well, but Ibusuki is known for the hot sands.  We put on yukata and walked out and lay down.  Workers gently shoveled hot black sand over us. We lay there in the heat until it seemed unbearable, then stood up and  shook ourselves off.  I only lasted 10 minutes, Debbie about 15 and Jason a full twenty.  After then washing off inside, we were whisked off to a lunch at Tousenkyo, a restaurant famous for somennagashi (cold noodles served with  a special moving water bath).  

The somen noodles are picked up with chopsticks dipped into a circular rotating water bath centered in the table, so all can dip into the water at the same time.  The water rotates counter clockwise, so guess what that means?  If you are a lefty, and I am, the noodles get pulled out of the chopsticks by the fast moving water and you have to try again.  It was frustrating but very funny.

(I have heard that they have some tables set up just for those who are left-handed.  But I would have been eating all by myself!) The taste of the noodles was excellent as they get dipped into a sauce, but I think I left hungry.  Chalk up another memorable day! We were again chauffeured back home where we could crawl into bed and peacefully enjoy a good night's sleep before the next day!

A typical feast of somen with additional dishes.

I think Christmas Day would fall under the "Your wish is my command" category.  I had mentioned we have baked turkey for dinner in explanations that mesmerized all of my students and teachers about how we celebrate Christmas.  My Oura Jr. High school teacher surprised me by saying all of us and his family were going to his neighbors' house for Christmas.  Taeko San and her English husband, Graham, were going to host the feast, and she had ordered a turkey that would be fixed English style for all of us.  Truly, the surprises of this Christmas vacation did not stop.  They were hosting the teachers' family of 3 and the 3 of us, so we could have turkey! 

  Taeko San was the perfect Christmas hostess.  Bring on the turkey!

We had the most marvelous time, and the food and the company were wonderful.  But yet another surprise came after dinner.  We were talking about Japanese onsen, (baths) and I had not been to one since the summer in the mountains.  And, of course, Jason and Debbie had never been.  Immediately upon hearing that, Taeko San suggested we would go to the onsen not far from my apartment.  My teacher was embarrassed, thinking we might harbor Western inhibitions.  But Taeko San insisted and chided, "Of course, they will love the onsen.  We must go."  And she quickly gathered towels together for all of us, and off we went.

This onsen was divided as most are, women to one side and men to the other.  We undressed and washed at an outside onsen, the air brisk and the hot water inviting.  Some older women came to touch my skin, a little strange, but Taeko San chattered at them and waved them off.  They meant no harm, and were actually admiring me;  they had never seen a foreigner at the onsen before.  We became absorbed in the beauty and serenity of the natural stone and quiet in the night.  We had had a relaxing time after a big holiday meal,  The onsen guaranteed a good night's sleep, and it had been a Christmas like no other.

Another day the Yoshinagas, from the adult class in Kawanabe took us to nearby Chiran to see a kamikaze museum and the streets of the samurai homes that are centuries old.  The museum and garden with hundreds of cherry trees and stone lanterns commemorates what had been a training and departure site for kamikaze bombers to fly south to target U.S. ships in WWII.  This place is beautiful, but very somber; and we tried to absorb yet another side of this far away place that was now home. We were on a whirlwind sightseeing tour of the entire area, and the scenery, as well as the history, was amazing.

Chiran's somber kamikaze museum is preserved for visitors with a garden, hundreds of lanterns and many cherry trees to remember so many young pilots that took off in WWII but never returned.

On the last day of the year, Iwamoto Sensei, from the Education Office was taking us on a tour around the park of lava and rocks from a major eruption in the 1940's of Sakurajima, the active volcano across the bay from the city of Kagoshima.   

After the hour's drive to the city, we all had lunch at  one of his favorites, and mine, too - Kentucky Fried Chicken!  I may not eat it often here, but to me, for those 4 years, any stops at McDonald's and the Colonel's were like gourmet food to me.  Truly, we didn't have it in Kaseda, so I didn't often have the opportunity to sample what became comfort food in a far away place.

I found I had misunderstood Iwamoto Sensei when he said that he and his wife would take us to his family home.  Instead, we went to the cemetery where they would take the time to clean the family grave site, put fresh flowers on the memorial, and say prayers for the ancestors for the New year starting the next day.  This is very traditional, and they took their time and swept, scrubbed and polished the monument that was built to hold the remains of their family members from recent to very old times.  It was personal and we stood to the side and remained very quiet, appreciating that we had been allowed to witness what most tourists do not get to experience.  I was touched they allowed us to share this.

Out of respect I did not even think of taking any photos but saved  that for the next part of the tour, the well-known Sakurajima, smoking, steaming, and beautiful but a very active live volcano.  On the way to the fields of lava, I took some photos of something they said was biwa.  Later, my dictionary would inform me a biwa is a loquat, but I still didn't know what that fruit is. While I could see the trees were filled with them, each fruit was neatly wrapped in white paper, to keep the ash from ruining them.  When I finally tasted one months later, it was a luscious, soft-pitted fruit, perhaps similar to apricot.  It grows in California but is too delicate for shipping.

Sakurajima was amazing.  First we saw a torii, the large T-shaped supports that we would normally walk under to enter the area around a shrine.  But because of the explosion of the eruption, it was buried up to the top few inches, so instead we looked down on it.  Rocks the size of my house were all around the park area, laying where they had for the last 50 years or so, after exploding into the air and falling into the spots we found them in now.  There were some buildings with maps, brochures and souvenirs.  We read and learned what we could about how a beautiful active volcano could turn violent and endanger so many living in the area. 

Impressive Sakurajima

We also observed that people still lived in areas below the immediate park area. Young school children here wear helmets in various class colors instead of the the typical baseball caps worn by others in elementary schools around Japan.  And we saw many three-sided, open concrete bunkers where anyone could run for shelter if Sakurajima decided to erupt again.  This volcano is still very active, with smoke and ash blowing out almost all the time.  I have mentioned the ash falls on laundry, flowers, gardens etc. and that if it is a bad day, an umbrella helps keep it off you when you are outside.

Lava rocks the size of houses erupted out of the volcano in 1949.

We had seen so much in one day, and we were grateful again for how generous this couple had been with their holiday time.  Our glimpse into the present at Kentucky Fried Chicken contrasted with the somber visit to cleanse the family grave, and then visit the dramatic volcano.  

We were filled with thoughts, including some of exasperation, when I found what  every photographer, no matter how amateur, never wants to admit.  Some of the day had not been captured; I had not put film in the camera!
 
The first day of the New Year dawned, and we got up and dressed  for another adventure.  My landlady, a graceful, white-haired widow had extended an invitation to join her family and two couples who turned out to be our neighbors for the feast that would be held at her home which was right behind my apartment.  New Year's day is the equivalent of Christmas day in the U.S.  Families travel long distances to celebrate together, and serve traditional favorites in a half day period of feasting, i.e. overeating.

It was an honor and a privilege to be included, yet again, to a huge family celebration and we tried to be really good guests, to try everything though we often didn't recognize what it was and to give our best smiles in thanks for their generosity.  Again, as customary to what I had seen in my first six months, we were all seated on the floor and many, many various dishes were displayed before us, everything from ozoni to kazunoko -soup to fish roe.  (I would have preferred soup to nuts.)

The hostess' son and daughter-in-law could speak a bit of English, and when her son asked if I would mind if he smoked, I said no.  But would he mind if a didn't finish the fish roe?  It was gray in color and very bitter.  I believe it came from herring.  I just could not handle it.  He smiled and said that would be o.k. not to eat it.  Whew!

New Year's Day family dinner with Kariatsumari San and her family and friends.

But as had happened throughout the course of my months of adventure in Japan, and as even Jason and Debbie had discovered in just a two week vacation, the best was to be a surprise to all of us, and totally spontaneous.  I think it would come under Debbie's "my wish was their command".  She mentioned she loved kimono patterns, and would love to learn more about them and how they are worn.  Hey, Presto.  "We will arrange to meet you at a friend's tomorrow.  She has many kimono and is an expert at dressing people in them."  And, so there we were.  Plans were made for the time to meet,  directions to the friend's house given, and we made our best bows and repeated arrigatoes as we left a feast given by such a gracious hostess.  

The next day all three of us were "dressed" in kimono.  This is actually quite a prolonged activity because of all the unseen under-trappings that are involved with making the kimono straight around the bottom and the correct length.  Strips of lace and material are wrapped around the kimono which is really  quite long, to shorten it and pull it up in the right places.  Then it is draped down over and tied around you again, and finally, the large silk belt called an obi is tied around all of that and given a perfect bow in the back.  One needs a lot of patience to dress another person in this way, and our friends from the day before and their friends were both patient and full of fun.  

After about 2 hours the three of us were declared ready to go about town.  Since most businesses were closed for the New Year's holiday, and families were still at home visiting with distant relatives and eating yet again, we were almost "all dressed up with no place to go".  But not to worry, we went for a fabulous dinner at Southern Cross.  So fitting, our last dinner on the town, and ever my favorite place.  The master chef/owner was shocked and smiling widely when he saw us enter.  Seeing 3 foreigners together in one day in a small out of the way town is enough of a sight, without them being dressed up in kimono.

We were dressed up and ate at my favorite, Southern Cross.  This was the master chef and owner.  It is the only time I ever saw him sit down.

We ate our fill and went home for the kids to start thinking about packing up and heading home.  There were things to sort through and their next day was their "free" day.  I had kept my promise and no plans had been made.  The knock on our door the next morning changed that, however.  Kawahara San, an office worker in Kaseda High School, came in bowing and asking in excellent English, which was his hobby, "Won't you come to dinner at my apartment tonight?.  My wife would be honored to cook for all of you.  And she is a wonderful cook."  I was speechless, and looked at Jason who was looking at Debbie.  He spoke rather like a robot, but he got the words out.  "Sure, we would really like that."  Sometimes, you do what's right, and who could say no to such a kind gesture?  All I could say was,  "O.K., now you can see why we had such a busy schedule since you arrived!"

The next day they toured town and picked up the last of the souvenirs they wanted, including a nice kimono style quilted jacket to thank me and keep me warm in the coming cold months.  They took a last walk around Takeda Jinja, ancient, reverent, with those huge trees that had lived for hundreds of years.  In the evening, we went to the Kawaharas and had a great time.  Again the offerings of good food was enchanced by the warmth of both their friendship and the kotatsu while sitting on the floor.

And then we went home to sleep for the last night of their wild and wonderful, hardly planned vacation that had included so many different experiences with so many different people that took us all to wonderful places.  We could never say enough to thank them all and we remain very appreciative of the kindnesses we received. 

                           "Mountains, fire, water
                            Ten thousand kindnesses
                             ALTs love Japan!" 

As a note to my regular readers, I am so sorry that it took so long to get this post out on my blog.  I wish you all a very Happy New Year.  As always, please feel free to leave a comment.