Part 4 of my "Journey to fulfull a promise"

Aunt Tamami-san (my right), me and Aunt Hitomi-san (my left)

Part 4 of Journey to Fulfill a Promise
 

Part 4 was going to be about my golf outing with my new found uncle (husband of my Aunt Hitomi-san), but I need to report my meeting with my only other living aunt on the face of the planet. 

Sorry for the absence, but after my Aunt Tamami-san arrived from Nagoya, on Friday, it has been non-stop, not even to take a few hours to write this blog.  Didn't want to miss out on one moment with both aunts.  I hosted both aunts and their husbands at my hotel to meet, have dinner, karaoke and just get to know each other. 

Hitomi-san and her husband, Nakae-san, drove 40 minutes from Yoshino to my hotel.  They arrived 1 hour before Tamami-san.  We sat in the lobby of the hotel just catching up from our meeting the previous Saturday and I must say, Hitomi-san and Nakae-san are so kind and gracious. 

Finally, Tamami-san and her husband (now my uncle) Kaji-san, arrived around 4 pm from Nagoya.  They rented a car and drove from the airport to my hotel.  All day long, prior to everyone arriving, was nerve-racking for me because I was going through the same feelings when I met Hitomi-san and her husband the week before.  How would this aunt receive me?  Would her husband be as kind and wonderful as Hitomi-san's husband?  The moment I met my Aunt Tamami-san and Kaji-san, was again an emotionally filled event for all and a relief because they both were as kind and gracious as my other aunt and uncle...whew!!  I formally greeted Kaji-san first, then just fell into my aunt's arms and cried like a baby.  Sorry to say, but being held by an aunt is a wonderful feeling.  Tamami-san is so kind and gracious, but she also has that spunk like my mom.  She is the President of the company owned by her and her husband, Kaji-san.  Kaji-san....wow...couldn't say enough about this uncle.  He is around 6'1" and is truly the epitome of a gentle giant.  Gracious, well spoken and has a voice like Elvis Presley (ok, the Japanese version).  Wow....I've truly hit the jackpot with my new found aunts and uncles.  They are fun, fit and eat good Japanese food...everything I am about!  So, like with part 3, I will allow the pictures to tell the story.  Truly hope you enjoy:

 Meeting my Aunt's husband, my uncle,

Kaji-san

 My meeting my Tamami-san was a lot less formal:)

 Hugging my aunts together....wow...incredible feeling

from left to right:  Kaji-san, Niang, Tamami-san, me, Hitomi-san, Cindy, Nakae-san

Then, it was on to a fabulous Japanese dinner: 

 My aunts at dinner

 My really good friends Tomoyo and Ryuji.  They both have helped make this journey special

 Dinner was fabulous...all the colors, tastes and textures..incredible

 This was a scrumtious sushi like dish

 Delicious!

 Dessert:  Japanese sweet potato...yummy!

 Seeing my aunts together; priceless  

 Japanese meal wouldn't be complete without Geisha waitresses

 Niang and Kaji-san

Then, on to Karaoke:

 This awaited us in the karaoke room; whiskey, sochu (Japanese hard liquor), wine and beer

 Cindy, Niang and Nakae-san

 Ok, let's get this party started!!

 Niang and I, the only brothas in Kirishima, kicked it off with Bob Marley's, "No Woman no cry."  Wasn't a crowd favorite in rural Japan:)

 Tamami-san and Kaji-san, both great singers

 Me and Ryuji...we are both golfers, not singers, but we tried:)

 Tamami-san belting out a tune that sounded like my mom...OMG

Next morning we had a great breakfast at the hotel, then went for a walk on the river in Kirishima,  a small city outside of Kagoshima.  Watching my aunts together, holding hands...c'mon, doesn't get any better than that: 





Hitomi-san and Tamami-san.  Notice how everyone has a great sense of style....love it!!!

from left to right:  Kaji-san, Tamami-san, Nakae-san and Hitomi-san

Me with Yukale, my interpretor for the morning.  She is the student in Cindy's English class who knew someone in my mom's hometown who happened to know someone who knew my aunt (tough to follow I know:)

Tamami-san.  She is a lot like my mom, but says my mom was a lot tougher



What a great few days with my aunts, uncles and friends.  With all the family, friends, great food, beautiful countryside, gracious people and safe environment I truly feel home.  My friends Tomoyo and Ayami taught me that when a child comes home from school they always say out loud when entering the house, "Tadaima."  Everyone yells back, "Okaeri."  Tadaima means, "I am home," and Okaeri means, "Welcome Home."  Now, with the love of blood relatives in my heart, a new found respect for my mom, my kind of food, incredibly gracious people everywhere, a society that stays fit and new found friends who I know will last a lifetime, I will end this post by simply saying, "Tadaima!"