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.
