I should have done this earlier. In fact, probably every day since I arrived in Tokyo I should have been dilligent about it. I could have saved myself a little bit of aggravation and probably been a little more energetic if I had only run each morning. I woke up at 6am, even before otoosan was out of bed, and we dragged everyone else out of the front door for a morning jog. It was so nice, and actually cooler than I expected with a bit of cloud cover. We took a short tour of town, passing the family field, train station, and Takae’s old elementary school. Passing a few other joggers, dog-walkers, and morning commuters I learned several new words in Japanese for things around town.
Group stretching in Japan is quite common, but I can’t help but think it’s not as helpful as stretching on my own. I didn’t even like group stretches in high school when I played softball. When I stretch I like to breathe…nice and slowly….
But as a team, otoosan, Takae, Yuko, and I made a circle in the middle of the road outside of the house and stretched before going inside. It was kind of hilarious to look at, actually. Once inside I put a towel on the floor and resumed my normal muscle-stretching routine and realized how much I missed it. Okay, no more 2 week running breaks for me! I’m gonna go hard core now until the Tamura road race.
The rest of the morning we ate breakfast, checked my train schedule, and watched some of the video footage we shot the past few days, laughing at each other. I decided to take a nap and pass out on the couch with Bu-san (the stuffed pig). When I woke up almost an hour later I found that Yuko and otoosan had followed suit and were snoozing on the living room floor! Family naps. Awesome.
After a last supper of scrumptious somen noodles and mochi I spent an hour packing my stuff….wow. I bought a lot of stuff. Actually “stuffing and cramming” is a better way to describe it. Packing sounds so…easy. But I did it.
I had a full escort to the train station and we said our goodbye’s. I’m so glad I live close to them (relatively speaking) because it made it easier knowing that I had an open invitation to visit them again. During my stay I came to really feel like a part of the family. While I learned a few words and phrases here and there my Japanese didn’t really improve that much. Regardless, I felt super comfortable the whole time. Often I would listen to the family conversation and just think I could understand what was going on. When I actually thought about it I would realize that I was hearing words without understanding them…kind of like tricking myself. It was weird. Of course I didn’t want to leave, but I felt better knowing that it wouldn’t be the last time we met. Okaasan stil cried, bless her heart. What a mom <3
So, Takae once again escorted me and my luggage to the Omiya train station where we parted ways and I boarded the double-decker Shinkansen back home (this time I didn’t run over anyone’s foot). That’s where I am now, writing a blog and recapping my adventures with my Japanese family, watching Japan fly by my window at rapid speeds in the night sky.
Group stretching in Japan is quite common, but I can’t help but think it’s not as helpful as stretching on my own. I didn’t even like group stretches in high school when I played softball. When I stretch I like to breathe…nice and slowly….
But as a team, otoosan, Takae, Yuko, and I made a circle in the middle of the road outside of the house and stretched before going inside. It was kind of hilarious to look at, actually. Once inside I put a towel on the floor and resumed my normal muscle-stretching routine and realized how much I missed it. Okay, no more 2 week running breaks for me! I’m gonna go hard core now until the Tamura road race.
The rest of the morning we ate breakfast, checked my train schedule, and watched some of the video footage we shot the past few days, laughing at each other. I decided to take a nap and pass out on the couch with Bu-san (the stuffed pig). When I woke up almost an hour later I found that Yuko and otoosan had followed suit and were snoozing on the living room floor! Family naps. Awesome.
After a last supper of scrumptious somen noodles and mochi I spent an hour packing my stuff….wow. I bought a lot of stuff. Actually “stuffing and cramming” is a better way to describe it. Packing sounds so…easy. But I did it.
I had a full escort to the train station and we said our goodbye’s. I’m so glad I live close to them (relatively speaking) because it made it easier knowing that I had an open invitation to visit them again. During my stay I came to really feel like a part of the family. While I learned a few words and phrases here and there my Japanese didn’t really improve that much. Regardless, I felt super comfortable the whole time. Often I would listen to the family conversation and just think I could understand what was going on. When I actually thought about it I would realize that I was hearing words without understanding them…kind of like tricking myself. It was weird. Of course I didn’t want to leave, but I felt better knowing that it wouldn’t be the last time we met. Okaasan stil cried, bless her heart. What a mom <3
So, Takae once again escorted me and my luggage to the Omiya train station where we parted ways and I boarded the double-decker Shinkansen back home (this time I didn’t run over anyone’s foot). That’s where I am now, writing a blog and recapping my adventures with my Japanese family, watching Japan fly by my window at rapid speeds in the night sky.
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