Host Family Stay & Tokyo

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Drum Playing

November 25 - 26, 2006

1st Day w/ Host Family

I was not disappointed at all with my home stay visit. At the hotel, I was picked up by Kenji, the father, and his youngest son, Gou. The oldest son, Kenta, was at a snowboarding lesson about thirty minutes away at a cool facility. It had an indoor slope for going downhill, along with a couple ramps to jump over. It even had a half-pipe, and I was able to watch a few runs. Then it was time to go to their home to meet Kenji’s wife. Once there, it didn’t take long for lunch to be ready. She was busy behind the kitchen counter, but she had a skillet out on the dining table. She started cooking strips of meat and soon added noodles. This turned out to be a delicious meal. Yes, I even ate with chopsticks the entire time. And yes, it is proper etiquette to slurp your noodles in Japan.

After lunch, we had a couple hours before Kenta had gymnastics practice, so we--Kenji, Kenta, Gou and I--walked to the park that Kenji used to play at when he was a child. Kenta really likes baseball, and we played catch for awhile, played on the playground, and then walked to a public yardsale. There I caught video of some elementary school kids playing several different types of drums. Watch the video. I also saw some karate demonstrations, and I even got the chance to try on another samurai helmet.

Afterwards, Kenji’s wife picked us up and dropped us off at Kenta’s gymnastics practice. Unfortunately, his practice was cancelled, but I was able to play a little badminton with three other kids who were playing. That was neat. I never played badminton inside before. Since his practice was cancelled, we walked around a little more, and then we went to a grocery store and then home for dinner. The Japanese buy their food fresh each day for each meal. The grocery store was another neat experience. It was another meal that I was able to eat. I think they got my note about being a little nervous about eating seafood, and they were wonderful about that. I loved trying some Japanese food that was cooked right there in front of me, but it was even better because I didn’t have to worry about any fish.

That night, Kenji, the boys, and I went to a local onsen, hot spa. It was amazing. There were about ten different pools of very hot water to sit in and relax. Each pool of water was heated naturally from underground hot springs. The onsen was divided male and female, and in a way it felt like belonging to a country club, with the hot springs and locker room facilities. The Japanese really have a good thing when it comes to the onsens, and they have them all over the place. One thing I learned about the onsens, it wipes you out. It didn’t take long for me to fall asleep when we returned to their house.


2nd Day w/ Host Family


After waking up and having breakfast, the entire family and I went for a walk. First we went to a temple that was directly on top of a big hill. Although once again I was reminded of how out of shape I am, it was neat seeing the temple and seeing the city from on top of the hill. We walked down differently, a gentler slope to Kenji’s mother’s orange grove. I also met Kenji’s mother, who was just as friendly and kind as Kenji’s family. After showing me how to cut the orange correctly, she had me pick several oranges for her. I also had the chance to eat one, which was juicy and sweet.

We made our way to town and walked through a local shopping area where we stopped at Kenji’s mother-in-law’s store. The boys took a break, as Kenji and I went to a local museum. It was a small museum that had some of Shiki’s writing and drawings. It also had the owner’s personal collection of paintings and other valuable artifacts. Afterwards, we started home but stopped just outside of the shopping area to watch a huge clock on the hour go through a three-minute show, like a big cuckoo clock.

After lunch, which was spaghetti with meat sauce, we went bowling. Those of you who know me know that I was really enjoying that. We received our bowling shoes from a vending machine, and we started bowling. Having to use a house ball, and having a couple splits, I was somewhat pleased with my 169. More importantly though, Kenta and Gou had a great time, and I got the chance to bowl in Japan. After bowling, we went to downtown Matsuyama to a huge ferris wheel that over looked the city. The weather was overcast, so the views were limited, but the height of the wheel provided for some amazing pictures.

Then it was time to take me to my ryokan, a traditional Japanese hotel, for the night and meet back with the small group that came to Matsuyama. The family walked me in, but saying goodbye was difficult because I wanted to express how thankful I was to each of them, but the language barrier did not allow that to happen. I also wanted to hug each of them, but I was not sure if that was acceptable, so I gave high-fives and handshakes instead.


Ryokan Visit


This stay was intended to give us a truer feel of what the Japanese culture was like. Upon walking into the room once shoes were removed, a low table was located in the middle of the room with seats around it. A maid brought tea almost immediately, and there was also a balcony like room with a big window overlooking the city. The simple beauty of the suite made it remarkable. The bathroom was divided into two separate rooms. The toilet was in a small room by itself with bathroom slippers just inside the door. Yes, you are expected to wear these while in the bathroom. Then across the hall was another room divided in two with the sink in one part and the bathtub in the other. In the bathtub section, there was also a handheld shower outside of the tub because you are expected to clean and shower off before soaking in the tub. I did not take advantage of this unique bathing experience because I went to the spa that was located in the basement instead.

Before going to the spa though, we had a traditional Japanese dinner. We had to wear the robe with jacket along with special socks with sandals. The room had two long tables, and the food and drink was neverending. I tried some of the pork, steak, soup, and rice. Although I left more on my plate than I ate, it was a unique experience that I would never had experienced otherwise, and for that I appreciate it greatly.

While the dinner was traditional and unique, a lot of us then went and put on a performance in the karaoke room. I didn’t sing all that much with the mike in my hand, but it was fun to sing along and watch all of us have a great time simply singing the songs we all knew and grew up with.

Then it was time for the spa. Once again, the men and women had separate baths. It was late at night and we were the only ones there. The water was hot, almost too hot, but after a few seconds you got used to it. They also had an outdoor spa, so it was neat to be outside in the cool air, yet sweating because of the hot water. After spending about 30 minutes in the spa and showering off, I went into the locker room and took advantage of the amenities. Even though I felt refreshed, I was extremely tired, and soon I was asleep.

In the morning, I took advantage of the spa again, and soon we were checking out. Before heading to the airport, we went to look at the royal quarters and the royal spa at the historic Dogo Onsen, the oldest Japanese onsen dating back 3,000 years. Then it was time to go to the airport to fly back to Tokyo.

As soon as we got back to our hotel in Tokyo, my friend and I went sight-seeing. We first went to Tokyo Tower. It is similar to the Eiffel Tower, but the Tokyo Tower is taller. They had two observation decks, and even though it was night, it was astounding. Then we went to the Hard Rock Café. Having a hamburger and fries reminded me of home and also reminded me that I was getting ready to leave in just a few days. So, I needed to make sure I went and saw everything I was hoping to see, because time was running out. After eating at the Hard Rock, we went to the Ginza district. This looked familiar to 5th Avenue in New York City. Even though it reminded me of NYC, I had an almond Belgium Waffle that would have made my wife extremely jealous.

All of this was made possible by riding on the public transportation system in Tokyo. Some of the lines were above ground and some were underground. Some cars had few people, while others were packed full of people. Either way, it was amazing to see how quiet it was on the trains. The Japanese people mind their own business. They don’t look around, they don’t talk on their cell phones, and they don’t carry loud conversations, if any conversations, while in the presence of others. It is once again a testament to the respectful nature of the Japanese.

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Photos

Tokyo Tower
This was just an awesome sight to behold and especially to go up 250 meters to the top observatory. I believe the year 2016 is propaganda for Tokyo's bid for the Olympics.

On the Move
Gou was all over this playground. He climbed over and around everything that got in his way.

Look At Us
Kenta, Gou, and I stop playing long enough for our picture.

Go Up There??
Look at all the steps we had to take in order to get to the Temple.

Picking Oranges
Kenta and his Grandmother show me how to cut and pick oranges correctly.

Saying Good-bye
I had a wonderful visit with the Yoshida family. They made me feel at home, and I know I will always remember their hospitality.

Enjoying A Good Laugh
Albert and Tron are enjoying a good laugh while sipping green tea in our Ryokan room.

Are They Wearing Robes?
Three good looking men is the only thing I see.

Our Dining Room
This was the beautiful room that made our dining experience and our visit to the Ryokan complete. Well, the hot springs helped too, but I didn't take pictures of that for obvious reasons.

Now It's A Bedroom
Our Ryokan room is now a bedroom. These beds were comfortable too.

Old Train
These old trains are still being used throughout Matsuyama. They don't carry as many people as the newer one, but it is nice to see that these old trains are still operational.

Our Group - mostly
I realize this is an odd picture to include of the Matsuyama group, but unusual is also entertaining at times.

Some More of our Group
Again I realize they are standing with bare feet, but notice the public hot springs fountain for just your feet behind them.

Christmas in Tokyo
I liked this picture. The Christmas tree with the Tokyo Tower in the background made for an interesting shot.

Tokyo At Night
This may be difficult to see, but notice the Christmas lights and look really hard to see Rainbow Bridge off in the distance.

Hard Rock Cafe - Tokyo
The picture says it all.

Tokyo At Night - Street Level
This is a block in the Ginza district. This area reminded me of 5th Avenue in NYC.

Oh Yes!!
See, you don't have to go all the way to Belgium for a good waffle, you just have to go to Tokyo.

Comments

[Chase]

Wow!
I finally got to sit and actually go through your blog. Thank you so much for taking the time to put this together! We miss you and are praying for your safe return back home.