I know that Akash and others expressed interest in my homestay, so I'm publishing a rare excerpt from my personal journal. It's kind of long so you might just enjoy looking at the photos. The empty room was my bedroom. My futon (bed) is rolled up next to the table.
Sat., June 21
Home stay
At 8:30 I said good-bye to most of my luggage which left ahead of me to go to Tokyo by truck. My carry-on and I went to the second floor of the hotel to wait for my host family. As the families arrived there were Americans waiting on one side of the room and Japanese on the other, each very curious about one another. One by one, names were called out and connections made. For those of us at the end of the list, it felt like being a puppy in a litter waiting to be adopted. Eventually I met the couple that I was to stay with: Reiko and Kieku Takako. I was relieved to find that Reiko spoke English pretty well, while her husband nodded his head a lot.
Both Reiko and Kieko work in middle schools (different ones because husbands and wives are not allowed to work together). Reiko-san teaches math and Kieko-san is principal. They have two daughters. One is a lawyer in Tokyo and one is a student at the University of Hawaii.
We began our time together by driving across a famous bridge that connects Shikoku to a series of islands and eventually to the main island of Honchu. We drove to a vista point that overlooked a number of islands in the Inland Sea and had a picnic lunch (egg salad and salmon sandwich).
On the return trip to Saijo City, we stopped at a lacquerware factory. I’m not a huge fan of this style of art, but these things were beautiful with finely wrought painting. Most of it was in the three- to seven-hundred dollar range, with quite a bit in the thousands. On the way home we stopped at a produce market and bought fresh fish for sashimi for dinner that night. Dinner was sashimi, a fried egg and veggie pancake, broth and tofu and tomatoes. My weeks of practice with chop sticks was pointless; I more-or-less made a fool of myself. I was offered a fork at that point but I persevered (a trait admired by the Japanese) with the chop sticks.
After dinner we went to the local hot spring. The time at the hot spring was interesting, but a bit awkward since men and women are segregated and so I lost my English-speaking link. At any rate I was glad that I had read up on the procedure so I knew what to expect. It was a very relaxing way to spend the evening and I did not have to worry about the family bathing ritual at home.
We exchanged presents after returning home. The Takakos gave me a nice silkscreen print of purple leaves and baby Buddha. It was a very thoughtful gesture. I gave them stationary, a Dodgers baseball hat (I was pleased to see that Keiko wore a cap when we were on our outing), and a photo book of California.
That night I slept on the floor in a tatami room. I slept well. It’s now 6:15 and I hear the family up in the kitchen (the sound proofing of rice wall paper could use some improvements). I guess I should get up and be American.
Sunday, June 21
Home stay (continued)
It was a very Japanese Day. Even though it was Sunday, Kieku-san had to work all day at school at a parent/child sports day. Because of my interest in bonsai, Rieko, the wife, called a friend, Misako, that taught Ikebana (flower arranging) at the community center and asked if she knew anyone that taught bonsai. She did, and she arranged for us to go to his bonsai garden. So first we picked up Misako and then drove to the bonsai teacher's place in the country.
Afterwards, the five of us (Reiko, Misako, bonsai teacher and bonsai teacher’s wife) walked to the “best udon noodle cook in the Enheme prefecture.” (They are very proud of their special udon noodles in this region). I couldn’t believe there was a restaurant among the farms where we were. But it is a specialized restaurant for the community and is only open for six hours a week (week-end lunch). It was, of course, tatami style. But you walked to the kitchen and a bunch of noodles were placed in your bowl and then you returned to the bar to add the broth and condiments. I added tempura and leeks. We sat down and ate. I admired a display of ferns growing on a rock and that made Bosai Teacher very happy because it was his arrangement. They told me to slurp my noodles very loudly, and I made them proud. SSLLLUUUURRRPPPP!
The owner/cook of the restaurant was happy to have a visitor from America and asked to have his photo taken with me... it’s fun to be a celebrity!
Afterwards we returned to Misako’s house and she preformed the tea ceremony for us. She then tried to teach me how to make the tea which is supposed to be whipped up into a foamy broth, but I wasn’t successful. I was afraid that if I let my enthusiasm go unchecked, Misako would be wearing the tea.
We traveled to the next town and saw two museums based on the city’s long history of copper mining. The first museum was the home of the original owner of the mine at the turn of the century. His house was a Japanese-styled mansion (not all that big really). He was interested in western technology and was also very traditional so it was interesting to see the blend in his house.
Afterwards we went to a very contemporary museum honoring the workers of the mine, their families and the community that grew up around the mine. The community is now vanished.
We then hurried to City Hall and waved good-bye to our Japanese families. It was an experience I can't describe well but I was humbled.
Sat., June 21
Home stay
At 8:30 I said good-bye to most of my luggage which left ahead of me to go to Tokyo by truck. My carry-on and I went to the second floor of the hotel to wait for my host family. As the families arrived there were Americans waiting on one side of the room and Japanese on the other, each very curious about one another. One by one, names were called out and connections made. For those of us at the end of the list, it felt like being a puppy in a litter waiting to be adopted. Eventually I met the couple that I was to stay with: Reiko and Kieku Takako. I was relieved to find that Reiko spoke English pretty well, while her husband nodded his head a lot.
Both Reiko and Kieko work in middle schools (different ones because husbands and wives are not allowed to work together). Reiko-san teaches math and Kieko-san is principal. They have two daughters. One is a lawyer in Tokyo and one is a student at the University of Hawaii.
We began our time together by driving across a famous bridge that connects Shikoku to a series of islands and eventually to the main island of Honchu. We drove to a vista point that overlooked a number of islands in the Inland Sea and had a picnic lunch (egg salad and salmon sandwich).
On the return trip to Saijo City, we stopped at a lacquerware factory. I’m not a huge fan of this style of art, but these things were beautiful with finely wrought painting. Most of it was in the three- to seven-hundred dollar range, with quite a bit in the thousands. On the way home we stopped at a produce market and bought fresh fish for sashimi for dinner that night. Dinner was sashimi, a fried egg and veggie pancake, broth and tofu and tomatoes. My weeks of practice with chop sticks was pointless; I more-or-less made a fool of myself. I was offered a fork at that point but I persevered (a trait admired by the Japanese) with the chop sticks.
After dinner we went to the local hot spring. The time at the hot spring was interesting, but a bit awkward since men and women are segregated and so I lost my English-speaking link. At any rate I was glad that I had read up on the procedure so I knew what to expect. It was a very relaxing way to spend the evening and I did not have to worry about the family bathing ritual at home.
We exchanged presents after returning home. The Takakos gave me a nice silkscreen print of purple leaves and baby Buddha. It was a very thoughtful gesture. I gave them stationary, a Dodgers baseball hat (I was pleased to see that Keiko wore a cap when we were on our outing), and a photo book of California.
That night I slept on the floor in a tatami room. I slept well. It’s now 6:15 and I hear the family up in the kitchen (the sound proofing of rice wall paper could use some improvements). I guess I should get up and be American.
Sunday, June 21
Home stay (continued)
It was a very Japanese Day. Even though it was Sunday, Kieku-san had to work all day at school at a parent/child sports day. Because of my interest in bonsai, Rieko, the wife, called a friend, Misako, that taught Ikebana (flower arranging) at the community center and asked if she knew anyone that taught bonsai. She did, and she arranged for us to go to his bonsai garden. So first we picked up Misako and then drove to the bonsai teacher's place in the country.
Afterwards, the five of us (Reiko, Misako, bonsai teacher and bonsai teacher’s wife) walked to the “best udon noodle cook in the Enheme prefecture.” (They are very proud of their special udon noodles in this region). I couldn’t believe there was a restaurant among the farms where we were. But it is a specialized restaurant for the community and is only open for six hours a week (week-end lunch). It was, of course, tatami style. But you walked to the kitchen and a bunch of noodles were placed in your bowl and then you returned to the bar to add the broth and condiments. I added tempura and leeks. We sat down and ate. I admired a display of ferns growing on a rock and that made Bosai Teacher very happy because it was his arrangement. They told me to slurp my noodles very loudly, and I made them proud. SSLLLUUUURRRPPPP!
The owner/cook of the restaurant was happy to have a visitor from America and asked to have his photo taken with me... it’s fun to be a celebrity!
Afterwards we returned to Misako’s house and she preformed the tea ceremony for us. She then tried to teach me how to make the tea which is supposed to be whipped up into a foamy broth, but I wasn’t successful. I was afraid that if I let my enthusiasm go unchecked, Misako would be wearing the tea.
We traveled to the next town and saw two museums based on the city’s long history of copper mining. The first museum was the home of the original owner of the mine at the turn of the century. His house was a Japanese-styled mansion (not all that big really). He was interested in western technology and was also very traditional so it was interesting to see the blend in his house.
Afterwards we went to a very contemporary museum honoring the workers of the mine, their families and the community that grew up around the mine. The community is now vanished.
We then hurried to City Hall and waved good-bye to our Japanese families. It was an experience I can't describe well but I was humbled.
6 comments:
Hello Mr. Lahr,
Well...isn't that a surprise. I ask you about the family and I got to able to comment first! Well anyway, that's a very nice family you got to be with. Your room is pretty neat. Thank you for posting about this information as it is probably one of the most valuable posts in your blog!
Your EPIC Student,
Akash Salam
Ultimate Math Matician
Hello Mr.Lahr,
Just read your journal entry. It was pretty awesome. Are there any furnitures in the house? You said you had to sleep on the floor, so I suppose there weren't any beds to sleep upon. What about tables and chairs? How does the kitchen look like? The car was small in size compared to the ones we drive in the U.S. Are all the cars like that or was it just the particular one? Did you get to meet your family again afterwards?
Your EPIC Student,
Akash Salam
Ultimate Math Matician
Hello Mr. Lahr,
When do you write these posts? What kind of computer do you use? Is it from Japan or a one you took from U.S?
Your EPIC Student,
Akash Salam
Ultimate Math Matician
Reply for Akash:
In the house where I stayed, there two tatami rooms like the one I stayed in. It had a few pieces of furniture, but very little else. I thought it looked very simple and calming. I complimented the host on the beauty of the room and she wasn't sure whether I was joking or not.
The kitchen was modern about twenty years ago and the eating area looked just like one would in the U.S.
The cars are all small here. Reiko's is a bit smaller than most but she loves it.
I have posted all of the blogs on my own computer which I carried with me for the sole purpose of sharing my experience with students, friends and family, so I am appreciate the interest you have shown!
Hello Mr. Lahr,
I agree with Akash, this might be one of your best posts. It sounds like you had a great stay with you host family. Your room looked pretty cool-all...compact. I like all the small cars their, kind of cool to see the differences in society. And another question to relate to Akash is: How do you type all this? I guess you probably own a laptop and all, but how do you find time?
-Shadow
The people that you stayed with look very nice. It sounds like they took very good care of you and went to a lot of effort to make your stay memorable! What a wonderful way to spend your last weekend in Japan!
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