blog
Our reason for booking a flight was simple, our daughter had slept with
her contact lens on and somehow suffered temporary blindness. We were in
a panic. And not used to being world travellers (and we really are not) this
was not only a long trip by air, but finding the train to take us to a faraway
rural area (where both our daughters taught English) .... was a challenge.
And how different, suddenly finding yourself at the airport where everything
was written in Japanese, my little book of phrases and favorite words often
created more trouble than being helpful. When I thought I was saying something nice I might have been conveying that my belly ached. Now here
we were at the Diechi Hotel in Nagoya and wanting some tea, ocha please....
the typical bow....and oh yes, we are Canadian....that seemed to help....
But learn we did, and meeting with the doctor who cared for our daughter,
spending time in the classroom with our youngest gal...we were really the
students in this case...just walking about and trying to find your way back,
wanting a pop and finding vending machines with curious names like
Procuri Sweat. But friends we found plenty. Nobel still writes years later
(we were there in l998) and always ends his letters: Still thirsty, still hungry?
Me too. And yes, we shall always be hungry and thirsty for letters from Japan
where people excercise in the morning right on the street, do a lot of walking
and eat healthy food.
One night, walking our daughters dog we (my wife and I) fell into a small
canel (and they are everywhere, taking the precious water to the rice fields)
and rather than get excited we had a good laugh, crawled out and expressed
a combination of frustration and joy, because after all, this was JAPAN
and so unique and friendly (all the folks we met) but discovering that yes,
they have the homeless, yes the language may be different than what we
speak in North America, but with practice you get used to it and eventually
like it. I had a chance to play some Paul Anka songs on a keyboard at our
daughters music club. An amateur (that I am) everyone clapped and had a
good time (language was not a barrier) and the lesson is to be yourself if
you ever find yourself in this wonderful country, as the Japanese people
will love you all the more....just for being yourself... Domo Arigato.