Making new friends
Trip Start
May 16, 2006
1
8
10
Trip End
Aug 26, 2006
Tome,
Japan
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Today will have two entries. I didn't write one yesterday because I had to get up at 5 AM today to leave Tome. I had such a blast in this city, but I look forward to going to Tokyo today.
Yesterday was a lot of fun, and for me, it was a chance to break away from the group to meet new people. We began with meeting the major of Tome as well as other people who worked in the city hall. Then we attended an exclusive koto concert by elementary, middle, and high school students. Some songs were accompanied by a shakuhachi (Japanese flute) and shamisen (Japanese lute). I recognized one of the songs they played, "Sakura Sakura," which they wound up teaching us. Since my instructors were only in junior high, there was a communication barrier that prevented me from picking up the koto easily. However, I got the hang of it, and I could even play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." This was definitely one of my favorite experiences of the trip.
For lunch, we were told to spread out and talk with the students. Skye, Eric, and I were at one table. I'm glad Heather, who's in Japan as part of the JET program, was there to initiate conversation. The girls were excited to learn that I love J-rock and J-pop and that I had seen Koda Kumi in concert. Before we left, Eric and I gave them e-mail addresses in hopes of maintaining these new friendships.
After that, we went to a temple where we were given a tour and taught calligraphy by a monk.
01 - host sisters
It had stopped raining, and the mosquitos were starting to eat me alive (should've packed some Off! lotion). I should've had an advantage in writing Kanji since it's basically Chinese characters. However, my attempts at writing hana (flower) really sucked. I can't get the strokes right, even with my own name. We also made paper flowers. I forgot what the technique is called, but we tore pieces of colored tissue paper and glued them onto a piece of cardboard. It turned out to be much harder than it looked.We went shopping at Jusco. From the name, I thought it would be like Costco, but it was more like a miniature mall. There was a food court, arcade, supermarket, and many little boutiques. I bought a T-shirt (for only 500 yen!), a cool multi-layered tank top with lots of embellishments, a black hat, and fake nails. Ever since I got into J-pop, I've always wanted to have the extravagant nails the female singers always have. If I didn't feel bad about spending too much money (especially since I had bought a ton of keychains already), I would've gone crazy with the shopping. Their clothes are so stylish (even with the "Engrish")! It was nice to shop alone. Not that I don't like being with Eric or other members of the group, but what I look for differs from everybody. Plus, I had some quiet time. The store owners were all really nice and helpful. I think they assumed that I was Japanese because a lot of times I'd have to tell them that I was American. I ran into the manager of MK Farm with his baby granddaughter.
02 - mayor
He was the one who recognized me. Before we all met up again, I got some ice cream at Baskin Robbins. Eric had went off on his own adventure with Seikoh and Maki to a CD store nearby; and you thought I was bad about the music. ^_~In the evening, the city threw a party in our honor. There were giant buffet tables with a mix of Japanese and American foods. The deer dancers performed again and even let the guys try on their costumes. Crystal and the mayor gave speeches, and Marie sang "O mio babbino caro" (the really famous aria from a Puccini opera). We were all impressed by her vocal talent. Then everyone had to go up and say a few things about our experiences. In turn, our host families said a few things about us. I wish they had translated what they said because I'm curious on how Emi summed me up. We got showered with gifts. During dinner, I met more students. Again, some people thought I was Japanese. One of the girls I talked to turned out to be Manami, whom my family hosted last spring. She and her friend were surprised to learn that Eric and I were siblings, but then they said that they could see the similarities. There are times when I REALLY wished that I knew Japanese. This was definitely one of them. I knew Manami and her friend (I also wish I had a better memory for names) were talking about me with their guy friend. Maybe I'm paranoid, but they were glancing in my direction after I went to go get more food and drinks. Anyway, I handed out my e-mail again, and when Emi drove me home, it was already 10 PM.
This morning, the entire family woke up say good-bye. Even though the boys had left the party early, they were still up when I got home. I commend their ability to get up at 5 AM. I wasn't sure if we were going to have breakfast on the bus ride to the train station so Emi made me onigiri just in case. They wound up giving us breakfast, but I figured that since we ate early, I'd need a snack (I liked the onigiri more than the sandwiches anyway). Like I said before, I'm excited about shopping in Tokyo, but sad to leave Tome and its wonderful citizens. However, in the famous words of Arnold Schwarzenegger, "I'll be back!"
