IT’s NICE TO BE HOME
09.01.2025
The heading is what today’s blog is all about. From day one, even before Mami and I were married, Yoshi and Youko have made me welcome in their home since my first visit to Japan in 2004.
Tonight we had a simple hotpot for dinner, which Youko had prepared for us, as she does most nights. The kitchen is Youko’s domain and even though I do 90% of washing and drying the dishes, she is still in charge, reminding me where items of crockery or cutlery have to be stored. She loves cooking and always buys the best and freshest vegetables and meat when she goes shopping.
After dinner, when I had finished the dishes, we all sat around the table and played one game of Qwirkle and one game of dominoes. Yoshi loves this and is very competitive. Tonight was the boys night with Yoshi winning dominoes and me winning Qwirkle. Yoshi is 76 and still goes to work every day. At times he looks a bit weary, but is always up for a game or two with family after dinner.
While I have been sick, and generously have passed it on to Mami, the family has been great. They have looked after us and helped us in any way they can to make sure we have a speedy recovery. They have been fantastic support to both of us.
Tomorrow, we will add two extra family members to the household, Nana and Yuri. It is going to be a full house and Mami and I are hoping our coughing and sneezing are under control before they arrive.
Yuri is only staying here until the 13th, as she still has uni classes, while Nana will stay with us until the 23rd of this month and will be coming with us to Okinawa. The two sisters who used to fight and not particularly like each other, now have a really tight bond and thoroughly enjoy each other’s company.
Okinawa is a fantastic place to visit. It has a tropical climate and is only a two and half hour flight from Fukuoka in Kyushu. It is Hawaii without hordes of tourists, although there is an American base on Okinawa. The base was there since the end of the second world war and now because of the Quad, will probably be there for the next 80 years.
One unique thing in Okinawa, is the WW2 memorial graveyard. It is the only cemetery that I know of, in which the combatants from both sides of the conflict are buried in the same cemetery. It is chilling to see the number of crosses in both sections and wasted lives of so many young soldiers.