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Published: April 2nd 2008
Neighbor lady
Here's a (very) elderly lady my parents met on one of their walks. I went back with them later for a group photo, and although she didn't seem to recognize them for a couple hours before, she willingly obliged to a photo. Japanese people her age have been through a lot, but she was a very friendly little lady. Oh, and she cried when they left...That's right - sakura mania is once again sweeping Japan: a time when friends and families gather under perfectly placed and pruned cherry trees and drink sake, gross food and look at the cherry blossoms (sakura).
In addition to these "o-hanami" events, the Japanese generally are enthralled with their cherry trees. The blossoms bloom brilliantly for about two weeks, depending on wind and rain, and many people keep close tabs on their local blossom forecasts so they'll know just when to head out for a day of viewing.
Fortunately for my, Greg's, family, they were able to see the first half of the cherry blossom season. That, along with our many friends they were able to meet and the playing games and taking walks that made up their trip, seemed to lead to a pretty enjoyable time.
My parents Al and Teresa and younger brother Jeff headed out last Friday. We loaded them onto a bus and sent them back to the airport. It was a cramped ten days, but when it comes down to it, we had a really good time with them sharing how we've been living for the past eight months. It's funny how much you
Blossoms
Some places look like a sea of blossoms right now. The Japanese seemingly plant cherry trees wherever there's an opportunity. The pink ones with a little yellow in the middle are just brilliant. learn in a year's time. It's even hard for us at this point to think back to when we didn't know anything about Japanese customs or expectations, which made seeing my parents again -- oddly enough -- a week and a half of culture shock! It's funny how quickly we adapt to such strange environments...
I was proud of my family's bravery when it came to meeting new people -- even people neither Jessie nor I had met. One thing they didn't do was eat a lot of Japanese food. Some people might say that's an important thing, but food is just one aspect of a culture, and an unimportant one, in my opinion. I was happy to feed my family grilled cheese sandwiches if it made them more eager to explore the other more interesting aspects of our life here. After all, a vacation shouldn't be a punishment, right? Besides, it's hard to ask someone to eat things that you won't! They did do a good job of eating octopus and some other surprise things when asked, so I'd say they did a great job.
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Barb Cline
non-member comment
Hello! I enjoyed catching up with your blog this afternoon. I didn't realize your family visited, but it looks like it was an amazing time. I love looking at all your pictures ... you guys look so happy!! What an awesome adventure you're having. Enjoy the rest of your time ... I look forward to reading the next entry! :)