It has been a great week! Monday night I had a long talk and tasty dinner with a good friend, and was reminded of the importance of close friendship, and openness. I am very grateful to all of my wonderful friends! I hope to see you again soon!!

Tuesday night I went to a fellow teacher's home. We first walked around the neighborhood, past the family garden, the family rice paddy, and the neighborhood playground. This area was Noda, which is part of Tahara but has a very different feel from where I live. There are rice fields everywhere, and the houses are larger and somewhat more spread out. I don't think there are any apartments in Noda. It looks much more like traditional Japan, and I suppose it feels that way too. I certainly felt like I had travelled a lot further than 15 minutes away! The house was very traditional, and beautiful! There were intricate wood carvings and beautifully painted sliding doors. The youngest son, a 5th grader, came home from school. He did his homework while we prepared for dinner. We washed and sliced vegetables for tempura. The grandmother came in and showed us her hands... her fingertips were purply red from the leaves that she had been chopping to preserve plums as umeboshi. She was so sweet and cute and friendly and had been working hard in the garden and preparing foods. It reminded me of my own grandmother and that made me very happy! Later she took me and showed me the amazingly ornate family shrine in the tatami room. Each morning she puts silver goblets of rice and a cup of water there for the ancestors. Each night she takes them up. The pictures of her own grandmother and grandfather were hanging on the wall above. It seems that she draws a lot of strength and happiness from this commemoration of her ancestors, and she sees it as her duty, since the younger generation is busy working and running the household. I can't help wondering if this tradition will persist... I also could not help wondering how my life would be impacted if I set aside time to commemorate and honor my ancestors every morning and night. I sometimes think about my heritage, but perhaps not enough. It is perhaps a bigger influence on me than I generally realize/ acknowledge... Anyway, we eventually ate dinner together, and it was so nice, eating vegetables from their garden, sitting across from the little boy, relaxing and eating together. I realized again the importance of family. Closeness. Consistency. I realized how much that is something that I have been missing sometimes. I am really looking forward to my sisters' visit! :)
The final event for the evening was calligraphy, taught by the little boy. He decided to teach me "ai" -love. It is a beautiful but complex character. He wrote it beautifully. Then he told me what to do, step by step. It was really fun, and we traded. Nice souvenir of a great night! What a nice experience with a very kind and fun Japanese family!