Several of you have been asking questions like “What’s it like to have your mom there?” “Does she like it?” “What does she do?” To answer all of your questions, it’s great! I’m so happy that she is able to have this experience and see what it’s like to live in another country in a culture that is so vastly different from our own. She loves it over here! She keeps telling me how proud she is of how we get around and how this experience really makes her appreciate her life at home. She’s also surprised at how quickly time goes by. Already half of her Japanese vacation is over, and she’ll fly out next Sunday. 
Mommy has been a little early bird, and usually she wakes up before us. The first couple of days, I heard her stirring around. Between the light pouring in through the windows and her stirring, I couldn’t go back to sleep, so we were all awake around 6AM. It wasn’t all bad….it did give me time to make breakfast and for us and to spend a little time together before I went to work. Actually, everyday Mommy has been walking me to work. It’s been awesome!
She survived her first typhoon last week. It was her first full day here, and I’ll be darn if a typhoon didn’t blow through! Ian and I didn’t even know it was coming. We thought it was a little windier than normal, so Ian got online, and sure enough he found out that a typhoon was blowing our way! (Before anyone freaks out, typhoons are common here. Since we live in the middle of our island, all we get from typhoons are wind and rain. It’s nothing more than the equivalent of a thunder storm at home.) One bad thing about our house is that it sets on the edge of a rice field, so there is absolutely nothing to block the wind. Actually, OUR HOUSE is the wind block for the rest of the neighborhood. Sometimes when the wind whips around the side of the house, it sounds a lot worse than it is, so Mommy thought that our house was going to fall down a couple of times! 
We were supposed to meet a friend for dinner that night, and Mommy kept asking “Are you SURE we should be out tonight?” Ian and I: “Yeah. It’s just a little typhoon. No biggie.” 
Our front door kept blowing open, and Mommy asked us if we should lock it because what if a stray dog ran in? Ian and I were both shocked and befuddled by that statement. 
In our year of living in Japan, I’ve never seen a stray dog, AND it’s not the mysterious stray dogs that she should worry about coming in….it’s the critters like mukade, cockroaches, and giant spiders that you don’t want sneaking in.
Last Friday after Ian and I got our car back from the shop, we took Mommy to Green Palace, the park in Yunomae. We showed her the onsen (which she VOWED not to go to ), the suspension bridge, and the fertility shrines. (My town is known for fertility. Remember the boob charm I got from my mayor on day one…?) That night I let her come with me to my adult eikaiwa class, where she got to meet my two students. One of the ladies in my class is Mommy’s age, and I think it was exciting for her to see that even though they are the same age, their lives are so different!
On Saturday, Ian had class, so as he prepped up a lesson plan in the morning, I took Mommy around the area. We drove by Green Palace again, to the lake where we went swimming once, and up to Mizukami. Mizukami is a beautiful mountain village that is known for its cherry blossoms in the spring. There’s a huge dam that holds back the mighty Kumagawa in a gorgeous reservoir area. The road follows the reservoir, and mountains surround on all sides. It’s an absolutely beautiful drive, and Mommy kept wanting to stop and take pictures, commenting on just how beautiful it was. I drove her all the way up to the Ichifusa trail head, where we got out and explored the stream there for a little bit. Mommy was literally in awe of how beautiful it was up there, and I was so happy that she was able to see all of this first hand!
When we got back to our car, I stuck the keys in the ignition, but the car wouldn’t start. I tried a few more times, but it just wouldn’t go. 
A year ago, this would have thrown me into a fit of hysterics and a slight mental breakdown. That day I didn’t overreact and thought that if the car didn’t eventually start, I’d walk down to base camp or until I met someone….whichever happened first. However, I let the car sit for a minute and then started it up again. It lived! Thank God….because I could tell Mommy was about to freak out!
Later that afternoon, Ian drove the car to work, so when it was time for Mommy and I to leave, we walked to the train station and rode to Nishiki, where Ian picked us up. Mommy wanted to ride the train while she was here because she’s only been on a train once before in her life. While the little local train that runs from Yunomae to Hitoyoshi isn’t the fastest or coolest, it is a train regardless. When we stopped at the Taragi station, there was someone dressed up like a kappa on the platform. (A kappa is a mythical water creature here that looks like a bald turtle.) Mommy told me to run out and take a picture of him, so I did. The kappa-guy saw me take a picture of him, so he pulled me in for a side hug. Whenever I got back on the train, the kappa followed me along the platform, pressing his big green head against the glass of our window. Oh, Japan!
That night we had a wonderful riverside picnic in Hitoyoshi with Melissa, Brian, and got to meet the new kids, Margo and Mollee. (Margo is Amanda’s replacement, and Mollee is Mary’s.) Both of them are really sweet, nice, and seem to fit in really well with our crazy little group! It was nice to sit down and chat the night away as the sun sank down behind the Kumagawa.
On Sunday, we woke up and took Mommy to church so that she could experience Catholic Mass in Japan! She was nervous about the possibility of giving a self-introduction after Mass, but we lucked out. They were having technical difficulty with the microphone, and no one asked for a self-intro. Hurray!
After that, I wanted to take her to Kaname Waterfall right outside of Hitoyoshi. The waterfall there is gorgeous, and I knew that she’d like it! Once we found it, we were directed where to park. There were tons of other cars there, which was very strange. Kaname is a twenty minute drive from the city and up a tiny one lane mountain road. We didn’t realize why there were so many people there until we climbed down the side of the mountain and reached the waterfall….there was a festival! I felt a little bit like we were intruding, but the area is public space. After taking pictures and getting as close to the waterfall as we dared, we were about to leave when a camera crew approached us. They wanted to interview us for the newspaper and a news station in the city!! Of course three foreigners at a random Japanese festival stood out, so naturally the camera crew would want to interview us! Mommy was tickled pink to be featured in Japanese news!
In case one festival just wasn’t enough, we attended the Asagiri town summer festival that night. Mommy got to see typical Japanese festival fanfare….Japanese carnival food, ladies and children dressed in yakatas, cute little nursery school kids perform dances, talent displays, and it all capped off with a wonderful Japanese fireworks display! Mommy said that since it was too dry this year for 4th of July fireworks at home, that was kind of like her 4th of July fireworks.
Yes, Ian and I have been keeping Mommy very, very busy by dragging her from one thing to another. This weekend we are embarking on our journey around our island of Kyushu. Ian and I took her south to Kagoshima Prefecture to see Sakurajima, the active volcano across the bay from Kagoshima City yesterday. Today and tomorrow we’re heading up to the islands of Kumamoto, Amakusa, for some beach time and exploration, and then on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, we’re going to explore several different interesting sights in Kumamoto and Miyazaki Prefectures. It’s going to be fun! 
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