Families
I had four different families while I was in Japan, changing every three months. My families were:
My first and one of my two favorite families, I actually ended up at the Arais because their daughter, Miho, was the one that convinced me to come to Japan! Miho, while I lived there, was at school in Tokyo so in the house it was Makiko (my mom), Nobuaki (my dad), and Yurika (my older sister). Of course, there was one more important member of the family - Puu-chan, the fluffy, laid back kitty that looked just like my Ashes. Puu has since passed away and the Arais have gotten a new cat, Kuuya, who I am anxious to meet.
Of the homes I lived in, the Arais' house was the farthest from town, taking 40 minutes by bus for me to get to school. But it was a very pretty ride, full of rice fields and trees, so I enjoyed it. There was also a beautiful view of the mountains from their house. I probably took an entire roll of film just of the mountains during the three months I was there.
Yurkia was 23 at the time I lived at the Arais. We shared a room, a new experience for me. She was the one who introduced me to a lot of my favorite Japanese things, include the Doku drama series, the band Mr. Children, and the oh-so-cute members of the pop group SMAP. She also tried to introduce me to natto, one of her favorite foods, but that one just didn't take. Bleck. But in exchange for me trying natto, she tried raw green beans and that was as successful as my natto experience.
Makiko, my mom, worked part time at a juku a few blocks away from the house. She was the next best thing to actually having my mother in Japan with me. Every month she made sure I celebrated my "birthday", marking how many months I had been in Japan. Even after I had left her house, she would invite me over to have dinner with them and even spend the occasional weekend during my "birthday".
Nobuaki wasn't around as much as Makiko or even Yurika (who worked full time as a dental assistant), but he was a very neat guy. Though we weren't able to speak to each other much (my Japanese was just starting up and he didn't know English), he helped me get used to Japanese by letting me take his newspapers to read over the ads and watch the baseball games with him on TV.
Miho and Makiko were able to come to my wedding in August of 2002 - Miho was actually a bride's maid! It was so special to have them there. The only way it could have been better was if Nobuaki and Yurika had been able to join them. ...top
The family that was supposed to be my second family was unable to take me in because the father of the family had a heart attack (he was okay, but recuperating in the hospital). So with less than a week until my move time, the Fujiis agreed to let me stay with them. There was just the mother and the father; their children were all married and in their own homes. Since I just called them "Mom" and "Dad", I don't actually remember what their first names were, but the mother was actually the sister of my Rotary counselor. They also had a cute little orange dog named Momo-chan. He was getting on in years, so I am not sure if he is still around. I even learned to square dance thanks to my host mom!
Their house was not quite the stereotypical small Japanese house. An older farmhouse, it was pretty spacious (obviously built before land prices hit a premium in the '80s and early '90s). There was even an upstairs that was used only for storage. There was only one tatami mat room. It was mostly kept closed and the room contained the household shrine. ...top
I had an interesting set up with this family. I lived with the grandma and grandpa, which was across the street from my host mom and dad and their children. The set up was interesting, to say the least, and let to a lot more positive interaction with the grandparents than the host parents. They were both very neat and I had some good times listening to the stories the grandmother told about when she was a child before World War II. She also had a beautiful collection of kimono from when she was younger and wore them every day.
The grandparents had a huge house and the entire top floor was mine. My room was enormous, containing enough couch sectionals to seat 18 people comfortably! I had my own bathroom, though unfortunately it was Western style, so I didn't get to take too many Japanese baths at the house. I don't know much about the parents house as I was only allowed to go in their dining room when I ate dinner with them every night. I did see the formal living room twice (nicer than the rest of the house as it was used generally only when guests visit) and the kitchen once (but was quickly told I wasn't allowed in there, so I didn't have much time to register what saw).
The host dad of this family did take me and a friend (an exchange student from England) to Kyoto. He was meeting with two Italian men for business and wanted to make sure they had someone to talk to. So we got a free trip to the ancient capital city of Japan (my second of three - I managed to go to Kyoto more in one year than Miho had to that point! Exchange students are so lucky because they get to travel!)
It was also while I was at this family that my parents came to visit me. Tokiwa showed us all around Sendai and the surrounding areas, trying to impress my parents. While he pulled out all the stops, it was nice to be able to go to Kyoto, Hiroshima and Tokyo alone with my parents later during their trip. ...top
The Ōshimas (Tatsuji and Tamiko) were probably the best family with whom to finish my stay in Japan. An older couple with three grown (and out of the house) sons, they were wonderfully sweet and I have a lot of good memories of being in their home. They were the perfect family to help me stay positive about my experience in Japan after the confusion that resulted from my third family. They even drove me several hours away to take me to a cow museum when they found out I was cow-crazy!
Tamiko (Mom) and I had some interesting conversations sitting around the kitchen table translating (and explaining!) song lyrics to each other. Tatsuji (Dad) was very interested in Japanese calligraphy and the study of Kanji (Chinese characters) so that worked well when I was trying to learn more kanji.
Their house was a fantastic little place - every room had tatami mat (though most had carpet over it so there could be desks and chairs placed in the rooms) and there was not a single Western-style bed. It was the only of my host families where I slept on futon. The rooms also had those great "traditional Japanese" sliding doors covering the outside doors. Their house was the most different from the homes I was used to in America and because of that, it was a very neat place to stay!
The Ōshimas came to the States for my wedding in 2002 - my mom's first trip to the US! - and it was so wonderful to have them there. I made sure to get a father-daughter-father picture at the wedding with my dad and my Japanese dad. ...top
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Return to Japan '96 - '97
Last updated 2-Oct-03