Out of Tokyo

Okay, I can now check off another famously Japanese thing off my list. I have now had a homemade bento. My host mother made it for me because we didn’t have time for dinner. I was just going to buy something at the train station, so I was really surprised that she put it together for me. And it was fantastic, so much better than anything I could buy. I wish I had thought to take a picture of it before I ate it. It was so nice and balanced, rice, meat, vegetables, egg (I seriously am going to start making tamagoyaki when I get home. Best eggs ever). Even the guy next to me commented on my bento. It was soo good. And she even wrapped it up with chopsticks and everything.

I love my host family so much, just in case it wasn’t obvious. I set a day aside to see them again. So they picked me up at the local train at 10, and then we hung out at their house for the whole afternoon and they took me back to the train at 6 so I could get to Shin yokohama for the train to Himeji at 7:22. But I had such a good time hanging out with them. I realize now how incredibly lucky I have been to have them. Many Japanese are not so easy to get close to, but my family didn’t stand on ceremony at all. I played with the kids and washed dishes. And my host mother hugged me as soon as she saw me again. It makes me sad that I don’t know if/when I will see them again. Will definitely have to send them a package when I get home. Ideas as to what to send? I’ll have to think about it.

And I accidently ended up in the smoking car again. So annoying, how did I manage to sit down in the only smoking car on the train! It’s a gift. I’m too stubborn to move, though really I should. Maybe in a little while I will. Seriously though, if these people can’t go 30 minutes without lighting up, how do they survive the day when smoking isn’t allowed in most places? Seriously, a mystery.

Anyway, tomorrow is the castle at Himeji in the morning, then Hiroshima were I seriously expect to shed some tears. Despite my host researcher’s urging not to see the memorial and museum dedicated to the bomb and those affected because it would be “unpleasant” I am going. I don’t think I should ignore an important part of modern history that my country was involved in simply because it will make me uncomfortable. Unlike Kubota who seems to refuse to see anything negative about his own country (seriously, I was really tired of the endless comments about how great Japan is by the end. And don’t act all superior about things like racism – you have it too and in some more insidious ways than the US. This is worth it’s own post really), I feel like I should be aware of both the good AND bad things of my country. Ignoring one side or the other is dangerous, I feel. I don’t expect to have an easy time with it, and I fully expect to cry (just the thought of the girl and the cranes makes me tear up). But ignoring the event is worse, I think. Any thoughts?