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The definition of hospitality

May 2002

Osaka is such a busy place. Lots of traffic, so many trains, piles of people, vast shopping malls above ground and below... They even built a whole island just for the airport! And I was supposed to get my Mum through this sprawling metropolis on her first day in Japan?

It was hardly a bad thing, therefore, that Mum turned up twelve hours late. Her flight was delayed because the flight captain was sick, but JAL put her up in the Hilton and I got to stay overnight at Kansai International Airport while I waited. Not bad. Mum arrived in good shape on the morning of Thursday May 2 and we knocked back some breakfast before getting into the thick of it.

In two weeks of traveling we went to many different places. I'd write pages about them, but life is short and I've got a conference in Kobe tomorrow, so here is the itinerary in brief. :)

Thurs May 2 - OSAKA - Osaka Castle, Aquarium, okonomiyaki
Fri May 3 - NARUTO - whirlpools, German House, Asatamu Land
Sat May 4 - IYA - the big tree, Hashikura Temple, Mum's first onsen, Chiiori
Sun May 5 - IYA - double vine bridges, rest, stay at home
Mon May 6 - EHIME - visit the Kobayashi family in Imabari
Tues May 7 - MATSUYAMA - Matsuyama Castle, return to Iya
Wed May 8 - SCHOOL DAY - visit all my schools, party with the teachers at night
Thurs May 9 - KOCHI - day trip to Kochi city, Kochi Castle, Katsuura Beach, Harimayabashi
Fri May 10 - YAMAGUCHI - another vine bridge, catch the bullet train, stay with Chisa in Ube city
Sat May 11 - YAMAGUCHI - sightseeing with Chisa, limestone caves, Yamaguchi city
Sun May 12 - HIROSHIMA - Peace Memorial, Miyajima
Mon May 13 - KYOTO - walk to Kiyomizu-dera
Tues May 14 - KYOTO - Ninnaji, Ryouanji, Kinkakuji, Imperial Palace, shopping
Wed May 15 - KYOTO - Aoi Matsuri, Honganji, go home

As you can see, we did the tourist spots. Osaka was just huge - one day was enough for us both! Hiroshima was moving. I remember the single shattered building that still stands by the river. We saw the little paper cranes folded by Sadako Sasaki. We met the old woman who comes to the park every day to pray for the happiness of any who come by. It's hard to describe how it feels. And Kyoto defies description in a different way, simply for the depth of its history. We saw the painted screens of Ninnaji, the magnificent view from Kiyomizu-dera, and the rock garden of Ryouanji. Practically every place we visited there is listed as a site of World Cultural Heritage, yet still we would need another week to see the city properly. Luckily, on our last day in Kyoto, we got to see something that most people don't - the Aoi Matsuri, a traditional procession that dates from the seventh century and now one of Kyoto's biggest festivals. Had these deservedly famous destinations been the sum of our adventures, I think Mum and I would've been doing pretty well, but the journey was more than that.

In Naruto, one of my fellow teachers invited us into his home. Another family friend who once lived on the Gold Coast has us under his roof in Imabari. And Chisa, who I know from university but hadn't seen in a long time, put us up for a night in Yamaguchi. It's a pretty big deal to be invited into a Japanese home. Despite not knowing us very well, all of these families gave us an exceptionally warm welcome. They paid for us, cooked for us, made our beds, even ran our baths, and treated us like royalty. Hospitality takes on a new definition in Japan. It really is something else.

The day we spent touring my schools was another exercise in being made welcome. Every school went out of their way to prepare for Mum's visit, often including gifts, and the kids were really excited to meet her. We played some games and had a great time. A short couple of hours rest in the afternoon gave us a chance to recover before the evening's party with the teachers. Suffice to say we slept well that night!

I think Mum was a little overwhelmed by the kindness of the people we met. It's hard to thank them in any significant way - they won't let you pay for lunch, or even let you wash the dishes, so other than buying them presents, what do you do? Maybe it's enough to take that sort of kindness into your heart and pass it on. I guess we might be able to welcome all these people into our own home one day.

Nine months of living in Japan later, I'm sort of accustomed to this hospitality, but I am reminded of the warmth of the people around me every day. Like this past Sunday. The group with whom I dance Awa Odori every week had a set of performances at a local venue in the afternoon. I turned up thinking I'd play a bit of a cameo in one part of the dance, only to end up dancing solo between the two senior dancers. I'm really not that good, but it was fun, despite having sore arms and legs after each performance. The best cure for sore muscles is, of course, an onsen, which we duly headed off to at the end of the day. I didn't have a towel with me, but the head of the group gave me one of his. And on the way out, he even bought me dinner. No wonder I like dancing. No wonder I like Japan. :)

Lots of love,

Dave