Tag: Miyakonojo

Keeping in touch

We are so blessed with Skype! I communicate with my cousin, Yuriko, and her husband, Nobutaka, via Skype once a week. They live in Miyakonojo, Miyazaki, Japan. My friend, Nari, helps translate from English to Japanese and he lives in Nishinomiya, Japan.

We occasionally speak about politics and world events, but our time is usually filled with talk about food, the weather, and our daily activities. After our conversation has ended, I call Nari back so I can help him with his English fluency. He reads an ESL article he has selected, I correct his pronunciation, and he has two questions he asks, usually about American idioms. The idioms are great fun because many originated in English and American farm culture, such as “putting the cart before the horse,” and some are obsolete and I have to look them up and tell him not to bother to memorize that one!

This week, he asked if I knew about Nogami bread, a luxury bread that costs $8.00 per loaf. I had not heard of it until I looked it up on the net and discovered that a 50-year-old baker in Osaka developed an irresistible tasting bread that people line up for, and he now has over 127 stores. We discussed how the Japanese seem to favor white bread and white rice over the healthier wheat bread and brown rice. We agreed that as far as rice, brown rice is associated with starving farmers of yesteryear and poverty, something an affluent society would rather not eat. I plan to visit Japan one more time next year, but tasting Nogami bread is not on my bucket list. I found a terrific blog post about the luxury bread here:
https://iamafoodblog.com/tokyos-famous-nogami-shokupan-people-are-lining-up-for-hours-for-this-fluffy-white-bread/

Revisiting 2013 Trip to Japan

Meeting my Relatives in Japan

I looked up my notes from my trip in 2013 to plan a trip to Japan in the spring of 2020 before the Summer Olympics.  I look forward to experiencing the millions that the Japanese government is spending on infrastructure and improvements that will make for a more tourist-friendly experience.  Hexagon-shaped stop signs are being installed to replace the triangle-shaped signs that say tomare.  Tourist maps are being reprinted and symbols replaced.  English names are being added to Japanese street signs in many of the larger cities.

I stayed at the Wing Hotel International in Miyakonojo with my Texan cousin from March 28 through April 2.  We had only met each other once or twice in our childhood and neither of us spoke Japanese, although I understood quite a bit of conversational Japanese.  We wanted to meet our aunt, but by then she had dementia and didn’t recognize us.  We met our five cousins and managed to communicate through iPhone translations, the computer and charades.  We talked about Miyazaki beef and Nobutaka, my cousin Yuriko’s husband, typed in beef in Japanese on his iPhone and it came back “two mouths”.  My cousin, Mary Ann, then imitated a cow with horns.  It was hilarious and obvious she knew cows!  We learned about their jobs and their families.  They couldn’t have been more hospitable and endearing.  The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and everywhere we went, the backdrop consisted of gentle shades of pink.  I asked about cherry blossom tea and the next day Nobutaka’s sister presented me with a small gift tin of the tea.  My cousin had asked about a sake she had tasted before and sure enough, it had been purchased and presented to her the next day.

I met my two cousins in Hiroshima and had an unforgettable experience at Miyajima Island.  Tamami had been a piano teacher and her brother,  an architect.

I had been to Japan in around 1974 with my ex-husband.  I wasn’t very observant then as I had two young sons in tow and mostly remember the narrow streets in Himeji, the wonderful aroma of yakisoba and oden coming from food vendors, and a public bath we went to with his family.  Now 40 years later, I wanted to say thank you to my former in-laws in Himeji.  We met at the train station and they took me to see Himeji Castle, a wonderful place being reconstructed.  We had lunch at a department store and we separated on pleasant terms.  When they visit San Francisco where my ex-husband now lives,  I hope I will be able to see them again.

I saw many places of interest, but realized that I am blessed with all the people I met who are my family.

Cherry Blossoms

My cousin’s husband sent me photos of the spectacular cherry blossoms in Miyakonojo, Miyazaki prefecture, where they live.  They peaked around April 9.  On a previous visit several years ago, the blossoms were in full bloom around March 25. For travelers trying to catch the blossoms, it’s hard to pinpoint a specific date, especially since flights and hotels must be reserved several months in advance.  I remember being overwhelmed with delight the first time I saw them and being told by my relatives that reports of the blossoms are announced on news stations in addition to weather reports.  The blooms open up from south to north and the whole country seems to be focused on the movement.  Citizens often know the best places to view the flowers, but I realized that when the season arrives, the flowers are everywhere and you don’t really need to go to a river, park, or shrine to enjoy them.  To the Japanese, the flowers represent the ephemeral quality of life and are revered.

I have never tired of receiving postcards, fans, bento boxes, and fabric with images of cherry blossoms.  I have a collection of ribbons and origami paper with blossoms that I hope to incorporate into a creative craft project.  I’d also like to learn to capture the delicate flowers in watercolor paintings.

Photos are by Nobutake Watanabe