ichigo.

Last weekend was actually quite a dull one for me. A few friends were away or off gallivanting on dates with attractive Japanese people, whilst I remained in Gifu to try and start my next assignment. For this one I have chosen the topic of Japanese guys’ hair, which is surprisingly a lot easier to write about than mechanical pencils.

In any case, I did have a fun Sunday afternoon. My gorgeous friend Orie invited Cheyenne and I to go to her grandmother’s house with her to pick strawberries however, as it was raining, her grandmother had already picked them. Nonetheless, it was quite the experience to simply be able to visit her beautiful Japanese-style home.

In the house there were some interesting traditional Japanese features I had not seen before, such as a shrine to show respect to deceased family members. The photos do not do its intricacy justice. 

Orie’s grandmother enjoys writing haikus and had a number of them framed.

Orie’s grandmother seems like such an interesting person, and shared so much with us. Her Japanese was very rapid, so I was very grateful for Orie’s translations. Still, we all sat together very happily drinking barley tea, eating freshly picked strawberries, and admiring Orie’s socks.

I did not go home empty-handed.

I could not believe the generosity of Orie’s grandmother’s in giving us so much of what she had painstakingly grown, and her hospitality in allowing Cheyenne and I into her home. For me, it brightened a very rainy day. I have been living off strawberries and peas for most of the week, but still had more, so with my last precious strawberries I got into the kitchen and made some jam! Delicious.