Home Stay (June 26-27)

The shinkansen (bullet train) ride to Sendai was great! Clean, lots of leg room, and rotating seats so we could play cards! Elena from New Mexico had a visual perception game called “Set”—a great brain trainer! The trip was quick (fast speed train!); we arrived in Sendai to transfer to a chartered bus for the ride to Kesennuma. Lunch was a bento box (see June 24) in the bus. Once arrived in Kesennuma, we were welcomed by local city and education officials and then were introduced to our home stay families.

HOME STAY
Takayuki and Shio (father and 13 year old daughter) met me and introduced themselves. Takayuki had prepared an itinerary and shared the schedule of activities planned for my 24 hour home stay, written in Japanese and English. My first impression was that they seemed to understand my English if I spoke slowly and explained with hand gestures and as many synonyms as I could think of. Takayuki would sometimes use an electronic word translator when he got stuck on a word that neither he nor his daughter knew, but overall, we were communicating!

First stop: the ice museum! Located near Kesennuma’s fish market, this was a large freezer compartment in which many species of fish have been preserved in clear blocks of ice. We were given winter coats to walk through the museum. It was cool (literally!) to see the many fish and creatures from that part of the world, preserved as if in motion, some with their mouths open. This is Shio and I:


We then visited the Shark Museum. Interesting exhibition about various types of shark, including a petting pool—yes, I did pet a small baby shark. Other exhibitions included a sequence of antique scuba diving suits and a display of JAWS paraphernalia (1975 movie).

Our next activity was to see the view of Kesennuma from Mt. Amba. I had “dressed up” to meet my host family and still had my heeled shoes. I really didn’t realize we were going for a hike, thinking we were just driving up to a scenic view. My suitcase was still in the car (with my sneakers!), but by the time I realized what we were going to do, we were already up part of the mountain. So, I hiked Mt. Amba’s path with my high heals, in hot, humid weather, but the view from the top was unbelievable! Going up was not as bad as coming down in those shoes! I was very relieved to arrive to the car without having stumbled onto my hosts, who were leading the way.

The scenic view of Kesennuma from Mt. Amba:


We then went for “soft cream” gelato, a delicious soft ice cream cone. I chose vanilla, but the choices included green tea and sesame flavors.

We then went to Takayuki’s home, where I was introduced to Ryousuke (son, 15 years old) and Masaka (mom). Masaka did not want me to help with her dinner preparations, so Ryousuke and I sat around the kotasu, a rectangular table, low to the floor, in their Japanese style washitsu room, and chatted about school and World Cup. This room’s flooring was made with tatami mats, tightly woven straw or bamboo mats, and we sat on cushions. I made my first faux pas here, but no one showed me they noticed, and I eventually figured it out. As you know, upon entering homes, schools, temples, etc. we always remove our shoes in the entry foyer and put on slippers (I knew to do this!). I didn’t realize that we also remove our slippers on the tatami mat. I noticed that the parents were leaving their slippers at the door way to the room with tatami mats… the kids were barefoot throughout the house (some things are the same whether in Japan or the U.S.!) The son, Ryousuke understood English quite well and acted as a “help translator” for the family. Unlike his sister, he had a few more years of English language study under his belt, and he explained he had spent 2 weeks in Australia as part of a school program.

Dinner consisted of pork and beef cooked at the table, vegetables, rice, and a tasty sweet sauce.



After dinner, Masaka (the mom) sat with me while Takayuki (the dad) washed the dishes. There was no way they would allow me to help in the kitchen. Masaka asked what my sleep patterns are (what time I go to bed and get up) and she shared her schedule with me. I guess mothers’ schedules are the same regardless of what country we’re in! She too is up early to do some house chores, and then off to work, then back home to make dinner. She squeezes in errands when she can. She told me that on Sunday morning, she typically goes to the farmer’s market at 7AM. When she learned that I too am an early bird, she invited me to attend with her.

Masaka then described the bath schedule. In Japan, baths are taken at night and are quite different than in the U.S. The bathroom area where the bath is located usually includes an open shower in front of the bath. The entire room is enclosed like a giant shower stall with a sliding door. Bathing begins with a person sitting on a small stool, by the bath, rinsing, lathering, and rinsing with the shower hose. Then you are expected to slip into a bath (looks like our baths, only much deeper) for a few minutes. The bath water is prepared for you, is very hot, and is used again for each person after the guest’s bath. There is also a cover over the bath, to keep the water hot. Masaka scheduled my bath for 9PM, and then I went to bed, in a contemporary bedroom.

I was up at 6AM and could already smell something cooking in the kitchen. Masaka and I went to the farmer’s market where she purchased her vegetables for the next week and I purchased hand crafted souvenirs from an artisan.

Using an abacus for calculations:

Small, guppy-like fish, sold in "handy snack packs":

We returned home, had breakfast, consisting of rice, curried beef and vegetables. It was delicious, but I don’t think this is their typical breakfast. Masaka knew I don’t eat fish and adjusted her meals, which I truly appreciated.

Masaka and Takayuki (mom and dad) then brought me to Kesennuma’s fish market where I saw tons and tons of bonito fish. Unlike Tokyo’s fish market, a balcony walkway was available for viewing the market’s activities from above and there was no admission limit.


We then took a walk around the bay, visited a temple, and then went to the Rias Ark Museum, (interior was the shape of an ark), containing museum artifacts focusing on local culture, and a wide variety of art by some local artists. Masaka and Takayuki wanted me to see as much local culture as possible, and I truly appreciated their generosity.
Typical side street in Kesennuma. Streets are narrow and often one-way. Rounded mirrors can be found all over the place, forewarning if someone else is coming around a corner, in a one-way or narrow street.

Cars are mostly new and small. Many Hondas and Toyotas, in models not sold in the U.S.! Minivans and small trucks are cube shaped and look as if they have been compressed on all sides!

Afterward, we had lunch at a local restaurant, and returned to the house to pick up Shio (daughter) and drop off Masaka, who had chores to do. Ryousuke (son) was gone to tennis practice. I asked Takayuki if there was a 100 Yen store in Kesennuma (dollar store), and he brought me to a local store where I purchased souvenirs (chopsticks and Japanese candy for my kids).

We then visited Hamanasu Station, Rikuchu-Kaigan National Park, and another fish museum and gift store before heading back to the house to gather my luggage and say our good byes.

Check out the shape of this sunfish (about 24-30 inches long):

Snack bar at the ocean park, selling squid (Squid and coke, anyone?):

Like Bar Harbor's Thunder Hole, but in Japan!

Though home stays usually raise our anxiety levels before they happen (Who will I stay with? What kind of food will I eat? Where will I sleep? Will I be able to communicate?), they usually end up being the most memorable part of a trip. Getting to know a family, even if only for a short 24-hour period , who opens their home to you and goes out of their way to offer a taste of the local culture is very heart-warming and it was difficult to say good bye. My home stay family made me very comfortable. At the drop off, I felt like giving them a hug, but that would not have been very Japanese-like, so I bowed and said “arigato”, and then waved from the door until they were gone.