Feb 10 – Free Day

I got to stay home all morning today. It was nice and relaxing to be able to sleep in and lazy around the house. During the morning I did some Kanji studying which quickly turned into me talking to Nozomi about how the Heisig book works. You only study the meaning of each Kanji as opposed to all other books where you study everything together, compounds, readings, etc. Afterwards I got to show her pictures of my family and adventures thus far in Japan. I just realized how much I have done already! It is really amazing!

Hirai Sensei came home at about 4:30pm from the Hoikuen. She was planning on coming home much earlier, but due to a problem with one of the parents, was forced to stay longer. Hirai Sensei took me out shopping and then to dinner. We went to a shoe store where she bought me indoor shoes for the Gakuen and Hoikuen. They do not have slippers for kids to wear, but instead everyone must provide their own shoes that are only for use indoors. It is a good alternative to slippers because they do not fall off, therefore allowing aerobic activities and such.

Hirai Sensei took me to a place called Yamamoto which is famous for their Kama-meshi. Kama-meshi is a special type of food that is prepared individually in a hot pot and served with various tsukemono. It is a little like Donburi, but there is a much larger variety. The rice inside is also cooked inside the pot with the other items instead of being prepared separately. This restaurant is famous for using water from the mountain to make its Kama-meshi. I thought the food was excellent. Before, during, and after eating I got to talk to Hirai sensei about all sorts of things ranging from if the landing on the moon actually happened to Japan’s current problems with the economy and such. Once we got home she helped me read through some articles in the newspaper, one in particular about a recent shooting at a college in the US.

For the next 3 days I will be alone with Hirai sensei and her husband. Tamaki and Umi-kun went to visit their father until Wednesday. Nozomi, Hiro, and Masa-kun returned home for the next few weeks. I hope I get to see Nozomi again before I go back to Tokyo. I still need to get pictures with all of them!