This morning my host father showed me one of his hobbies, which is collecting “netsuke” I think that’s what they’re called… anyway, he was trying to explain to me what they were, but didn’t know how to say it in English, so he started to act it out. He got some plastic wrap stuff and tied it around his waist. He said “I am samurai” then he got an orange plastic golf club, put it in his plastic belt, and said “this is katana.” Then he got a long lighter thing and acted out what it was, because he didn’t know how to say that in English either. It appeared to be something that was smoked out of. So he tucked his pipe thing in his belt too, and then demonstrated how easy it was for the pipe to fall out, so he tied a netsuke to it, and then it would get caught, and wouldn’t fall. The netsuke come in all different shapes and are quite interesting. The only thing they all have in common is the holes to tie them to the belt. Omoshirokatta ne.
My host father teaches Japanese, as I may have already mentioned. Also, he knows that I like to study, especially Japanese. So this morning he wanted to help me study because he thought it would be fun for both of us. I was very happy.
At about 9:00 AM, my host mom took me on my route to school. Every morning my host father will drive me to Oosato station, where I take a train on the meitetsu line to Ichinomiya station, and from there I ride a bike borrowed from my host mom to school. When my host mom and I got to school, we saw Paul, Hunter, and their host father there. So of course my host mom and their host dad talked for a while about which was the best way to the school from the station. On our way back we stopped at a coffee shop for a break because it was a lot of walking, and it is very hot and humid here. I got some yummy grape fruit juice, and ate some arare.
Hashimoto san, my second host mother came over today, she brought cake. She and my current host mom talked for a while, and I sat listening, trying to understand what they were saying. They talk very fast… My current host mom teaches at Kumon, and my future host mom used to work at Kumon, so I think that’s how they met. They are friends. Host mother number 2 was very surprised that I knew some Japanese…
My host mom found a channel that shows American television programs, and showed it to me, so I watched a few episodes of “goosuto” which I think in America is called “Ghost whisperer.” It’s a pretty good show. And as much as I hate to admit it, it was nice to be able to sit back and watch a show without struggling to understand what’s going on. I have a TV in my room, but it doesn’t get that channel. I think all I can watch in here is talk shows.
For lunch my host parents and I went to an Udon shop. I had never been to an Udon shop before, so I was surprised by how it worked. First you get a bowl of noodles (udon or soba) that are uncooked, and you cook them in little basket things in boiling water. Then you go through this line thing and get any sides or toppings you want, and then there are two faucet-type-things where you can add whichever soup you want. It was very oishii! I got some tempura onion and carrot, it was very very good!
Later, my host mom and I went to Softbank to see if we could get me a cell phone, we had to go to two different shops, but we found some prepaid phones. I got the more expensive one because it was soooo much prettier than the cheaper one. I got a cute pink phone, and I love it! I quickly transferred all of my charms from my old phone to my new phone. My host dad was looking at my phone, and started asking me about all of my charms, so I told him which friends gave me which charms. So then he gave me a charm, and said it was a “daiji na mono” from my “otousan.” He said he got it in China, and it brings good fortune.
For dinner tonight my host mom made yakisoba, it was soooo good! Also, she taught me about “triangle eating.” She said that Japanese people learn it in elementary school, and I can’t forget. Triangle eating is where you eat a little of one dish, then a little of the next, and a little of the next (there are three dishes), so it makes a triangle.
5 comments:
Annie, when I was in my twenties there was a special exhibit of netsuke at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. I've been fascinated by it ever since.
It was amazing to see the incredible detail in some of them. My favorite was a tiny severed samurai head, perhaps two centimeters across, and I think it was carved from red coral. You could see all the gore of the neck stump, and his face had the most horrible expression. It was great, like a miniature horror movie!
Please ask your host father if he would mind if you posted some pictures of his collection here. I would love to see them, and I'm sure a lot of your readers would enjoy seeing such an amazing art form that hasn't gotten enough attention outside of Japan.
You'll probably be hearing from me a lot, by the way. I'm a serious nipponophile. Not nipp-otaku (ニッポタク), though.
Yeah, I'm sure he'll let me take pictures of them, but he has a lot, so I might have to just make an album for them on my facebook.
That sounds like a great idea. I can't wait to see it.
Oh, there's a really interesting museum about 20km from where you're living, called the Museum Meiji-Mura, dedicated to the architecture of the Meiji period; something like 60 buildings. They even have Lafcadio Hearn's summer house! (Among other things, he wrote "Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things," which was made into a great movie in 1964. I play it for friends on Halloween a lot. The best story in both the book and the movie is "Hōichi the Earless," which you have GOT to read -- one of the great ghost stories.) The museum also has some nice locomotives and streetcars from the period.
The website is here: http://www.meijimura.com/english/index.html. It's in Inuyama City.
There's also a great castle near downtown Nagoya that you should be able to get to by train.
I think "I am Samurai" should be your new motto. I don't know if you have an old motto, but this one is good. I'm glad you are staying with this family. They sound very kind and interesting. Have you found out how you did on the Japanese test?
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