Our dear friend Naoko invited us to stay with her family in Fukuoka. She was a wonderful neigbhor to us when we lived in Kanzaki, helped us out whenever we needed something and came over for Japanese lessons and fun on a regular basis. She and her adorable children were gracious hosts for us. Unfortunately we were not able to meet her husband as he was working away.
We had a chance to visit Taketo’s kendo practice. If you’ve never heard of kendo, you’re probably not Japanese. It is a traditional Japanese sport and it seems particularly popular in Kyushu. It involves big sticks and a lot of shouting.
Himari and I enjoyed spelling words with the Bananagram game we brought as well as the wall stickies.
Naoko is a fabulous cook and made us an amazing dinner after working a full day, taking care of the children and picking up her guests from the subway station. Otsukaresamadeshita, Naoko!!
Even when we lived in Japan, it was more common to socialize with people in a restaurant or bar and not at home so it was fun to live in a real Japanese home for a few days. They had their house built a few years ago and it looks and smells like a mountain cabin. So cool!
Taketo was a true host. When we arrived at their house the second time, he had tuned the TV to the sumo competition with the English language broadcast. Once that was over, he changed the channel so we could watch the impending typhoon together. He also arranged our futons for a great night’s sleep. He even let Doug check out his kendo stick.
He also dazzled us with eating natto (a stinky, sticky fermented bean) and challenged Doug to do the same. The rest of us passed on the opportunity….
We are excited that they are hoping to visit us in a few years. We can’t wait!!!
Thanks for all the fun and hospitality, Naoko, Taketo and Himari!
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