Part 9 - Visiting my aunt in Nagoya, Japan

Sakurajima Sunset by Cindy McLean

Part 9-Visiting my aunt in Nagoya, Japan

Our visit with my aunt in Kagoshima was over and our trip to visit my other aunt, Tamami-san, who lives in Nagoya, came fast. She has two sons that I never met and I was excited to not only see my aunt and uncle again, but meet my cousins, Kouta and Yuujiro. To travel from Kyoto to Nagoya we reserved a seat on Japan’s famous Shinkansen or what many folks know as the Bullet Train.  The Shinkansen, traveling at well over 200 mph, can speed passengers to any destination in Japan within a matter of hours, but for me, it’s just too fast! Personally, at that speed, I’m just not comfortable. Anyway, my chicken butt boarded the Shinkansen and we were whisked from Kyoto to Nagoya, Japan, to visit Tamami-san and her family. Everything went smoothly and we arrived in Nagoya safe and sound.

As a side note, language barriers and all, I must say, my aunts really make things happen. One of my foundations in life is “I don’t let things happen; I make things happen.” Well, now I know where it comes from; my mom’s side of the family. Every time I deal with my aunts they make things happen! When we arrived at the station, Tamami-san, the translator named Kazuko-san (Kazu-san, as she likes to be called) and my uncle, Koji-san, were all standing right on the platform in front of the door to our train car. I never spoke to Tamami-san prior to our visit. I just sent texts to coordinate my visit to Nagoya to my cousin, from my other aunt, Hitomi-san, in Kagoshima and he communicated our arrival to Tamami-san. Kind of freaked me out, but in a great way! What an awesome surprise and yes, Tamami-san and Koji-san were so incredible because they greeted my wife and made her feel as welcome as Hitomi-san and her family. Cannot tell you the happiness of having aunts in my life. Now, both aunts had welcomed my wife, for my mother, as they both promised. Yup, they make things happen! What my aunts did was so powerful to watch and just thinking about them both telling me, last year, to return to Japan with my wife and they would meet her for my mother, then watch them do exactly like they said they would, reminds me of how my mom kept her promises. She would tell me she was coming to watch me play a sport and bammm….she was sitting in the stands screaming at the top of her lungs. I love that I got to see where I get the ability to make it happen and make it rain!

After introductions and lunch they whisked us away to a really swank hotel. Stephanie and I were overjoyed about the size of the room and the comfort. We had a little time to rest then they returned and took us to dinner.

We relaxed and got ready quickly because one thing for sure; my aunts are always on time. Tamami-san recruited the help of Kazu-san to help with the translation. Kazu-san lived in London for a while and her English was very advanced. She worked so hard to translate everything and it was cute when she would get mixed up and turn to me and speak Japanese then turn to my relatives and speak English. We don’t know how she kept up, but she did and we have to give much thanks to Kazu-san for all her work…Doumo!

 

 We visited a Temple in Nagoya and the monk is a personal friend of my aunt and uncle

Stephanie with Kazuko-san (Kazu-san) and Koji-san

 

Inside of the temple was intricately decorated

After our visit at the temple we all went to a very nice Japanese restaurant and were joined by my aunt's two sons, Yuujiro and Kouta. Also, Yuujiro brought his girlfriend. It was exciting meeting my cousins from my aunt Tamami-san. We had a wonderful time simply telling family history, learning about each other’s lives and enjoying a delicious meal.

The food in Japan is always so appealing and delicious

We all then went to a karaoke club because Tamami-san and Kaji-san love to sing karaoke. Great night as we all took turns on the mic, but have to say my aunt and uncle stole the show.

My uncle singing one of his favorite songs 

Singing with my aunt, Tomami-san

Great night with my aunt and her family to include my uncle's mother

The next day my aunt, uncle and the translator, Kazu-san, picked us up and took us to the beautiful Nagoya Castle, built in the 1600s by the warrior and general, Tokugawa

Leyasu. As a special treat, as we were walking around the castle grounds, an actor appeared dressed as General Tokugawa Leyasu emperor of the palace. He was dressed in his battle gear. Learning about the history of Japan up close and personal is so much better than watching the Discovery Channel.

Taking a picture with General Tokugawa Leyasu

The beautiful flowers at Nagoya Castle

Kaji-san, Stephanie and Tamami-san

Tamami-san explained how to pet the fish and bammm, she started petting the koi fish...amazing!!!

My aunt and Stephanie! I love my aunts!

Kaji-san, Stephanie, Tamami-san and me at Nagoya Castle

Artwork in Nagoya Palace 

Nagoya Castle rests on large stones brought in from many provinces throughout Japan. If you look closely at the picture of the rocks above, the symbol on the rock in the middle is from my mom’s region, Kagoshima, dating back to the 1600s. 

 

Azuki (red bean paste) with green tea at the Tea Garden

Our last day in Nagoya was just as exciting as the first. For those that don't know me, I am a baseball player by trade. When I was young all I ever wanted was to be a baseball player. So, to my great surprise, my uncle and aunt are friends with Ichiro Suzuki’s parents and the father of Hideki Matsui  (Godzilla). Ichiro is from the same city as my aunt, so they took us to the Ichiro museum, which is a few blocks from their home. It was closed that day, but then they took us where Ichiro got his start.  A batting cage less than half a mile from my aunt's company is where Ichiro honed his batting skills. Also, my aunt's company is near Ichiro's old high school. Unfortunately, the batting cage was closed too, but I got to take some pictures next to Ichiro’s picture and stand in the same batting cage that he grooved his swing. Wow! What an honor especially since he just recently broke Pete Rose’s hitting record!

Standing in front of Ichiro's Headquarters then visiting the batting cages where Ichiro grooved his swings

After visiting the batting cage we went to lunch, visited my aunt’s company headquarters, then we departed for Yokota Air Base.

Me and Stephanie with Tamami-san's beautiful family on our last day

Looking back on my trip to visit my aunt’s family in Nagoya, I feel honored and blessed to have such a great aunt, uncle and cousins. Again, I have won the lottery in terms of my Japanese relatives. Everyone is so kind and fun. It is cool to finally say I have aunts, uncles and cousins.

Our recent visits with relatives in Kagoshima and Nagoya, have truly helped me, even more, to better understand my mom and therefore myself. For my mom to leave her family, her country and her culture, to come to America was a bigger deal than I ever knew. I know this now because, after visiting my relatives in Japan and living in Japan for a few months, I now understand why she held on to her culture so dearly. She missed the Japanese culture, which is so rich in history, the food, which is so diverse with great depth in flavors, textures and colors and lastly, she really missed her family, especially her brothers and sisters. It breaks my heart that my mom wasn’t part of her family in Japan and that we didn’t grow up with all our relatives, but again, I believe my journey to fulfill the promise made to my mother in 2000 has truly become my mom’s lasting gift to me. She prepared me for this journey by feeding me Japanese food, and teaching me the manners, the discipline, respect and the way of the Japanese, ensuring I would survive in the culture and lastly, she filled me with her philosophies that have given me the strong foundation to see clearly the unforeseen and the unspoken, something very important in Japan.  

Since departing Japan, we returned to Spain and believe that southern Spain might warrant another visit in our future, but first, we are going to live in Japan so I can take an intense Japanese language course, to enable me to speak to my relatives in Japanese. Truth is, there is one promise I didn’t fulfill in my life and that is the one I made to my mom that I would speak Japanese to her before she passed away. During my times caring for her while she was sick, she gave me lessons in the Japanese language, but she died in Mar 2000, before I could have a full conversation with her in Japanese. Yes, I am heartbroken. But now, with her sisters and my other Japanese relatives and friends, I believe this is my second chance at learning enough Japanese to have conversations with everyone in Japan, before it’s too late. This is a promise I’ve made to myself and one I truly want to keep as in my heart I believe my mom will forgive me for not fulfilling my promise to learn enough Japanese to speak to her before passing away. Sounds crazy, but I think it is just the motivation to fulfill this promise.

On a much less somber note I hope that many of you visit Japan and experience the culture, food and spirit. The food in Japan is so seasonal that whenever something is offered, take it. In a few weeks or months it goes away until the next season. Anthony Bourdain has said the country with the richest foods, in all the lands he has visited, is Japan. You must go off the beaten path though. This means avoid the big cities. Visit Kyoto, Nagoya or Kagoshima. Yes, Japan is so foreign to many, but isn’t that why we want to travel? Not to see the average, the normal and familiar, but to experience the land, the people, the culture and food of a foreign land.

Truly looking forward to this next adventure in our lives and to the excitement it will bring. Truly hope my kids or some friends can join us during our stay in Japan. We will help you navigate the unfamiliar, but won’t hold your hand forever because adventure starts by simply letting go.

To all my relatives and friends in Japan, Doumo for the great visit and matane!