Part 7 of my "Journey to fulfill a promise"

Red Spider Lily by Cindy

Part 7 of Journey to Fulfill a Promise
 

Here we are the end of my journey.  What began as a simple promise to my mom has taken me on a life-changing journey across many miles, into another country, another culture and into the arms of new family and friends.  Throughout the last 15 years I’ve announced to so many people that I was someday going on this journey.  It has been a great experience that has far exceeded my dreams.  As promised in an earlier post, I want to share with you some things I have learned along the way.  Before I pass this on to you, you must promise to not look at me different.  You must promise that you won’t go around and tell everyone that “Michiyo has really lost his marbles” or wonder what I smoked along the way.  Also, I must tell you something that was relayed to me by my aunts which is extremely important because their words have helped me understand some of the great things that have occurred during this journey and in fact throughout my life. 

My aunts explained to me that their father, my Ojiichan, and their sister, my mother, had a certain power.  They said that I also have that power and for those around me, on this journey, it was obviously evident.  I have often wondered why I saw things coming or predicted certain outcomes in my life.  Listening to my aunts tell stories of their dad and his ability to predict things, plus experiencing my mom do the same, made me understand me.  Many books have been written on this ability which is simply called “The power of thought.”  I believe we all have this power of thought, but we all have unequal power to recognize the signs that lead to the answers, in whatever form, when it arrives (Don’t any of you come ask me to read your palms, tea leaves or cards).  What do these signs look like?  Could be anything or anybody, but you must begin to recognize them.  During this trip the power of thought and looking for the signs were always at play.  I’m sure I will get many “unfriend” requests and folks will look at me as a kook, but if you were on this journey, I would absolutely guarantee you would have seen these forces at work.  Coincidence, godly, or whatever folks might want to interpret, what occurred on this trip were things my Ojiichan and mom experienced in their lives.  The power of thought is a strong tool.  Simple to execute, but tough to get results.  You must first see it, your end result, announce it to the world verbally and keep your eyes open for the signs, in whatever form.  Here is the kicker….I believe, if you don’t do the right things, the signs won’t come.  Doesn’t mean you have to be a goody-two-shoes.  Just means you must be a good soul.  This is purely about tapping into your own inner power.  Folks have written me on the side and brought religion into this.  That is your beliefs, not mine.  The power of thought is something we all have and unlike a religion you won't be an infidel or go to hell, whether you believe you have this inner power or not.

So, how do you get better in tapping into your own "Power of Thought?"  Simply do as above, but really concentrate on looking for the signs and taking action once you see the sign.  Worse thing that can happen is that you were wrong, but eventually you will grow your ability to recognize the sign (ask me to relay the time Cindy and I chased a sign and it was wrong.  We had a great laugh though). 
 

Another great lesson learned while on this trip is that striving to be the best is ok.  In all I do, appearance, work, sports, invest, whatever, I try to be the best.  My kids and others have teased me because they say, “You always push to be the best or you must give the best.”  Well, the Japanese have a word for it; Ganbaru.  This word basically means, “doing more than one’s best.”  My uncles, aunts and cousins embody this word in all they do.  Their appearance, academics, professional life, sports...they all strive to be the best or give their best; the results show.  So do the people that surround me back here at home.  But it was so nice to have blood relatives who work hard and give more than their best effort.  Now I know it is simply the Japanese in me. 

During my visits with my aunts, they both separately gave me 3 messages from my mom.  These messages were meant for only me to know, but Cindy and Niang heard them too.  These messages have freed my spirit in ways that only a mom could soothe an injury, but I am certain, somewhere for everyone, messages await you too that will help you heal.
 

Lastly, in seeing my mom’s hometown, understanding her upbringing, being around her sisters and walking the earth where she walked, I now know me better.  Lots of “why am I this way,” why do I love this food or that, why, why, why, have been answered.  My mom’s love for those things have been passed to me by what she fed me, how she raised me and the support she gave.  My mom left her hometown, her country and her family behind and gave to us the best the Abe family had to offer.  As a kid, I truly do not believe we appreciated all that she gave and sacrificed and in the end, I could never repay her for those sacrifices.  But one thing is for sure.  I want to ensure her efforts, sacrifice and teachings do not go to waste.  Cindy, my friend that helped me throughout this journey, gave me the biggest compliment when she told me, “Been here in Japan 25 years and I have never met someone so Japanese as you.”  Simply put, I am Michiyo Montague, son of Kinuko Abe Montague, oldest daughter of Kahoe and Hitono Abe.  The Abe family embodied greatness, even though they came from a small village, in a remote part of Japan.  My mom’s brothers, sisters and other family members have gone on to do great things.  My hope is that I’ve carried on in a fashion that has made my mom proud and from one of the messages received from her sisters, I’ve done just that. 

 

 

My friend at the Pentagon, Yumi Waters, needs an acknowledgement for the work she did.  She worked with me and was the one who found the right clue that was the key to unlocking this whole journey.  Thank you Yumi!

Cindy and Niang are just as much a part of all this as me!  I met them both at the same time, just a few weeks ago, and in a matter of 3 weeks, we cried together (me and Cindy like babies...Niang is the strong one), gave a bunch of hugs and just went through a massive emotional ride together.  Thank you both for being there with me and for me.  You know I couldn't have done this without you or else you would have given me 2 weeks of Japanese, taken my money and sent me on my way...but you knew something:)  We did it!

Also, Cindy is an artist by trade.  She teaches English on the side.

It was only natural that I gifted two of her paintings to my two aunts.  When my aunts see those beautiful paintings they will be reminded of the connections between their sister's family (my mom), their families and Cindy.  

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, but what a great journey this has been.  In August, Tomoyo heads to Australia for one year.  Others could be leaving Japan for other countries and you never know what sickness will occur in the future with my family and friends.  But I do know this; on this one journey, during this small moment in time, all forces came together to bring me new family, friends and open the door for possibilities in the future.  So, why look at it as the end?  No, I will work hard to make this the beginning;  the beginning of my relationships with my mother’s family and her people…..now, my family, my people.  My promise to my mom has turned out, in the end, to be a gift from my mother.  For that, I want to thank her and hope to continue to make her proud.

My friends made my departing party a blast.  Thank you Cindy, Niang, Ryuji, Tomoyo, Ayami and Teruo.  Wow....what a ride, huh?  

On my last day it was extremely difficult.  Yukari, the woman who was the one in Cindy's English class who just happened to know someone in my mom's village, came to say goodbye, at my hotel.  Nana and Maiko were there too.  Unfortunately, I missed Shoko and Ayumi.  Cindy and I drove to Putter-san and Ryuji's work to say goodbye and that was really tough.  My aunt Hitomi-san and my uncle, Nakae-san came to the airport to say goodbye and were already there waiting for us.  They got Tamami-san and Kaji-san on the phone and I promised them all that this is truly the beginning and not the end.  This is my new promise and as anyone close to me can tell you, I'm good at keeping a promise.  Enjoy....

 Teruo working the crowd tossing bottles and everything he can find

Ryuji showing some skills in juggling bottles

 Teruo makes some great drinks!

Teruo's trophy for being the #1 on the island of Kyushu (Ichiban!)

Harder than it looks...Teruo makes tossing bottles and balancing them look easy

Niang showing his Mauritania moves

 

Teruo tossing 4 bottles in the air

 Cindy and Niang enjoying Teruo's show

Ayami always has a laugh and a smile

That is Teruo blowing some serious fire.  Great shot Tomoyo!!

Teruo pouring 3 drinks at once at the end of his show.  I got one of the drinks and it was delicious

Me working it with Teruo....ok, I was horrible, but tried:)

Me and Teruo....great guy and fun is his middle name.  He can bartend, sing and just entertained us all night!!

 

Ok, great face Teruo and Niang

Everyone signed a CD of Teruo's music and gave it to me...how cool is that! 

Tomoyo and Ayami surprised me with a chef's apron.  It says, "Sakurajima"

 

 

 Visiting Ryuji and Tomoyo at their work and saying goodbye

 Yukari came to say goodbye on my last day in Japan....nice

 Saying goodbye Tamami-san and Kaji-san a few days before as they flew back to Nagoya

Hitomi-san and Nakae-san came to say goodbye to me at the airport

 

Part 6 of my "Journey to fulfill a promise"

Poppies in Focus-3 by Cindy.  This was my gift to my aunt, Tamami-san, painted by Cindy

Part 6 of Journey to Fulfill a Promise
 

What a journey this has been!  Many readers have nailed it right on the head by saying, "Trip of a lifetime," lifetime worth of experience," or simply, "beautiful."  There were many more descriptions of my trip and they were all dead-on, so thank you all for going on this journey with me.  Before I finish the last blog I want to provide you a look at friends, family and other photos taken along my journey in Japan.  Some folks have asked if all the pictures were from me...YES!  Thanks to Allison and Louay who helped me figure out the difference between point and shoot vs dslr.  I am no expert, but will report, yes, there is a massive difference in my pictures using a dslr camera.  Many folks contributed to the beautiful pictures, but no one stepped in more to take pictures than Putter-san.  She would ask to take pictures and it was awesome because I got to see different events through the eyes of someone else.  So, thank you Tomoyo for helping out so much with the pictures. 

The hotel staff was absolutely the best.  The first person I met when I entered the hotel was Maiko-san.  She spoke perfect English and had lived in Renton, WA., attending a local high school, only about 30 minutes from where I was raised in Tacoma.  As discussed in part 1 of my blog, Shoko-san, another member of the hotel staff was also a great help, at times translating for me and my aunts.   Shoko-san spent a year in New Zealand so she too is an advanced English speaker.  Nana-san speaks English too, but it was her willingness to help me so much that blew me out of the water.  Lastly, I met Ayumi Obama in the restaurant as she was recently hired.  She lived 2 1/2 years in Wisconsin and had only returned 4 months prior to meeting me, so her English is advanced also.  She translated for me on a day when Maiko-san, Shoko-san and Nana-san weren't available.  She helped me with my aunts and uncles and I am so thankful she assisted us.  Without Nana, Shoko, Maiko and Ayumi, my hotel stay would have been a disaster.  Working, at times, as translators they all made my journey possible, especially when my aunts arrived.  Ladies, thank you sooo much! 

Nana-san on my right and Maiko-san on my right

 On my right is Nana-san and on my left is Shoko-san with the rest of the hotel staff. 

Yes, her last name is Obama...notice she is pointing at her name tag.  She will hopefully transfer from University of Wisconsin to San Diego State University next year and finish her degree in SoCal.  My son lives in SoCal, soooo, hopefully, I can hook them up. Hope you are listening Yoshi:)  Beautiful Japanese young lady from your Bachan's hometown...c'mon! 

Next are simple pictures from around Kagoshima.  You must start with the volcano, Sakurajima.  The volcano sits in the middle of the bay so it is always in sight while visiting Kagoshima.  Plus, it is always smoking.  Enjoy:

Sakurajima blowing ash again.  The volcano blew ash 90% of the time while I was there

 Random flowers that are simply beautiful

 A group practicing for a boat race

This young couple was doing a photo shoot in the hotel prior to getting married

 This house is located in my mom's village

 Beach in front of my mom's house

 The man in white is the son of my grandfather's best friend.  They said I look like my grandfather.

  

 These 2 pictures are what cigarette packaging looks like.  Surprisingly, many folks smoke anyway

 Met a Japanese Soldier while out riding my bike and just wanted to take a picture with him

 Me leaning on the wall at my mom's childhood home

 

 Niang and Cindy...without these two I would have simply wandered around Kagoshima and never met relatives.  Can't thank them enough!

What added to my journey was my golf outings with my uncle and friends.  Amazingly, Nakae-san, my uncle, is a great golfer, even at 73.  His son, Kouji, joined us on our second outing so it was so nice to golf with Nakae-san, Kouji, Ryuji and Tomoyo.

Tomoyo brought Ryuji to golf with me and my uncle, Nakae-san.  She putted for me during the round, so she got the name "Putter-san," which stuck throughout my entire journey.  Thank you Putter-san!

 Me and Nakae-san.  My uncle can really golf and he loves to laugh and smile

 Nakae-san getting ready to hit the long ball

 The jewel of Kagoshima is the volcano, Sakurajima, which looms in the background.  The course we played had many views of the beautiful volcano

 Ryuji showing great form on his approach

 Putter-san going to work

The next golf outing foursome was me, Ryuji, Kouji and Nakae-san.  Unfortunately, due to the hard driving rain we only had 1 picture that was taken after our round.  Even with the hard rain, rivers of water, standing water, thunder and hurricane-like winds, we all had a great time.  

Cindy had been telling me about a great beach near my hotel.  She expressed how beautiful it was and it was a place I wanted to visit.  Luckily, Tomoyo and her friend Ayami offered to take me to the beach to see the sunset.  It was beautiful to watch the sky change colors over Sakurajima.  Here is the crazy thing.  My aunt expressed to me she doesn't use the internet or computers, so I decided to make a picture book for her and my other aunt.  Problem is I didn't know where to print the pictures.  Turned out that Ayami works at a print store that prints pictures, so problem was solved.  I gave a beautiful picture book of my journey to both aunts, so thank you Ayamai. 

 Visiting the beach with Putter-san and Ayami  to watch the sunset over Sakurajima....beautiful!

Me and Osamu....another hafu (what they call folks who are half Japanese).  He lives in Japan and can cook his tail off. 



My cousin Sayaka went to school to do origami.  Told her about birds my mother used to make and bammm....she made the same exact one, plus an origami ball 

The beautiful origami bird my mom used to make...wow!!  Also, a little dinosaur

These are the hands of my aunt, Tamami-san.  While I watched her as she made origami, her hands reminded me of my moms....cool!

My cousin's daughter in the kitchen helping my aunts prepare lunch.  They made Onigiri or what we used to call ningimamas.  Funny, when I said that name to my aunts they knew exactly what I meant.  My mom used to make the same for us.

My aunts getting busy making Onigiri or ningimamas.  Wow...just like my mom!

Onigiri or ningimamas.  Delicious (oishi desu)

Celebrating the birthday of Teruo.  He is the #1 (ichiban) bartender on the island of Kyushu:

Great night and good laughs

Tomorrow, I will close out my journey to Japan with part 7.  Back in the United States now and yes, I do miss my aunts, cousins, friends and of course the food.  This trip helped me learn so many things and it has made me a better person because I discovered some things about myself.  Hopefully, by the end of part 7, you too will walk away with some life lessons.  Until then....enjoy!