Andrew’s Visit

Andrew, his wife Janet, and I have been friends for almost 40 years. We used to work in the same language school in Indonesia. After we left there, they headed in one direction, I in another. But we have kept in touch.

Andrew is retired now, so is free to do things he has always wanted to do. One is to study the Japanese language. His interest in Japan began when he and Janet lived in a rural area of Nagano Prefecture, teaching English, of course.

His stories from there are very interesting. Probably my favorite was of an older woman with her friend on a local train. When they arrived at her friend’s stop, they both went to the door to say good-bye. Both bowed deeply. Even after the train pulled away, the older lady kept bowing for at least another stop. Obviously, she was bowing her profound gratitude, rather than a good-bye.

Another was when their contract ended. Their train left early in the morning, but even so, the station was filled with all their young students. Each had a present to offer their two beloved teachers. Janet and Andrew’s bags were full, but they graciously accepted the gifts. Everyone waved, not bowing, good-bye as the train pulled out of the station.

Andrew has continued plugging away at Japanese for many years since then. As a retired language teacher, he knows that being here, taking a formal course, would be the best way to learn. So, he came to Japan, hopefully for six months.

And last week, he kindly came to see me. That provided good motivation for me to get out and visit some interesting places.

The first was for a massage.

The following day we headed north to Ishinomaki. I wanted to see the largest seafood auction house in Japan. By the time we got there, however, the day’s activity had long ceased. But we could look down and see how tidily everything had been washed and arranged for the following day.

Not surprisingly, a nearby restaurant had some of the most delicious sashimi we have ever tasted. Melt in your mouth kind.

Andrew was not interested in the ReBorn Art Show, modern sculpture spread all over the city. But he was in the ruins of a school, now a 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami Memorial Museum. It was a very powerful experience witnessing and feeling what those people lived through. For me, who experienced that tragedy firsthand in Sendai, and Andrew for the first time.

Sushi that night for dinner.

The following day we headed to Yamadera. Luckily the weather was perfect and it was not too crowded. We took our time climbing. We stopped often and savored the atmosphere and scenery, the sense of sacred history stretching over a 1000 years.

There is a Basho museum up another hill. So, we headed there, too. It was small, but the calligraphy pieces were breathtaking in their subtlety of color and graciousness of brush strokes.

And of course, more food. Yamadera has excellent cuisine, so we indulged. Andrew told me it was maybe one of the best meals he had ever had in Japan.

We did not need any dinner that night. So, we parted ways on the train, with a hug and quick, shallow bow to one another.

Andrew is now in Kyoto, ready to improve his Japanese. The day after he left, I had my own Japanese lesson. But mine are as much experiencing Japanese culture as working from a book. For this class, my teacher and I headed off to Kana-hebi-sui Shrine (金蛇水神社). It is one of her favorite places.

And it was indeed very relaxing after three days of being a tour guide, hoping Andrew was satisfied with his visit.

Love,
Anne