February 14

Today was Valentine’s Day. I had completely overlooked it until about half of the way through the Tokyo trip, when I saw a sign advertising something for the day. After that, I forgot again until one of my friends told me online. I wonder if I should have gotten otousan chocolate.

I woke up really late (about 1:30). I was dreaming about being in my maternal grandparents’ house (which grew to epic proportions) with my childhood friend, Lisa, and her brother Andrew. I was practicing staff (Kung Fu) and (in the dream) checking my watch and phone for the time (to wake up). I dreampt that I slept until 3:00.

When I finally did get up, okaasan was in the kitchen finishing lunch and I made breakfast (slowly). She gave me one of the Tokyo bananas I had bought for her and otousan and ensured that they were delicious. I was too tired to say yokatta. Afterward, I talked to my parents, grandpa, and Andrew. I was really excited and happy to be able to (It seems like it’s been a long time). I had to get offline early though, because I was going to go with okaasan to the supaa, which turned out to be a supaa connected to a mall. Okaasan went in the Justco supaa and I explored the rest of the mall. There was a band (with a girl lead singer) in the middle of the mall and it was pretty cool, but I didn’t have my camera (because I had rushed out of the house). I also found a store that sells the exact same things as the stationary store in the Yagoto Justco (though it was disconnected from Justco). I wanted to try the icecream I saw at a place in the mall (it was surprisingly cheap) but I had to meet okaasan after her shopping. She asked me if I wanted to try something, but I said no, since I feel a bit strange eating in front of people and I didn’t want to hold her up any more. I had, of course, held her up before coming by having a hard time finding my socks.

When we got home, I realized I had forgotten to close the gate to the “garage” in my hurry and I felt like an idiot. I did lock the front door though, and okaasan seemed thankful that I helped her carry the groceries, so I think I’m not in trouble.

At home, okaasan let me use the internet before dinner (so I wouldn’t be up late using it) so I uploaded (all six albums of) my Tokyo pictures and talked more with Andrew. Okaasan also showed me the last host student’s pictures from Tokyo (they were on her computer because the student didn’t bring their own to Japan) and I felt a bit bad because my eye is not so skilled for photography. We also watched a program on TV about butterflies flocking in Mexico and okaasan thought it was a bit disturbing (kimochi warui) but I thought it was beautiful. She said that in South Africa, the same kind of thing happened (but on the roads) so when you drove a car, they would flock in mass to the sky. She said it was something she would never forget. I watched TV and used the internet so long that it was time for dinner before I noticed.

Okaasan made a very special (and big) dinner. First of all, she made (a Nagoya specialty of) chicken wings. Otousan thought they were considered scraps in the US, but I assured them they were a specialty in Buffalo, NY. He also informed me of the plane crash in Buffalo and the collision of a US cellular satellite with a Russian one. I really need to read the paper now that I’m not in the US. We also had oyster, broccoli, and mushroom tenpura (irresistible!). There was delicious gohan (of course), miso, and avacado and chicken salad (yum!). Okaasan finished fast, Otousan ate little (because it’s the weekend and he drinks sake then), and I was left with lots of food to finish (as well as multiple helpings that ryoushin continued to offer).

We had a really nice meal (outside of the delicious food) in that we talked a lot (and laughed a lot). Mainly, we talked about where I went in Tokyo and previous host students. Okaasan asked if I had met interesting people in Akihabara. Otousan told me it was alright to have friends (explicitly limited to ones who are girls) stay overnight. Okaasan and otousan said they prefered hosting girls over boys because they are more mature, and told me about a French boy who was especially hard to host. Along the way, okaasan kept whying to otousan to eat faster (since he eats slowly with sake), not to drink so much, and so on. It was pretty funny (I could tell Otousan was getting a kick out of baiting her too) but in good humor.

After dinner, okaasan brought out otousan’s valentine’s chocolate. He’s pretty popular; he got three boxes of chocolates (one of which was Godiva). He asked about Valentine’s day in the US, and I told him, that contrary to the Japanese tradition, guys bought things for girls. He asked what the girls would do, and I could only come up with “they don’t do anything.” He thought it was pretty funny.

In case you don’t know; in Japan, on Valentine’s day (Red Day), girls usually buy chocolate for guys. This seems a bit backward, but girls get a return one month later on White Day, when guys are supposed to buy things for the girls who gave them chocolate.

Eating dessert was interesting. Otousan got chocolate-dipped candied lemon and orange rinds along with his godivas. I was offered a Godiva, lemon rind, and the Tokyo banana that okaasan gave me at breakfast (a time at which I didn’t feel I had the ability to eat sweets). The Tokyo Banana resembles a crooked twinky, but in the middle is what I mistaken for an actual banana slice. It’s custard, but tastes like real bananas (which it is probably made from). Otousan said the orange rind (I think) was mazukatta. I don’t think ryoushin thought I could understand. I found it funny along with the other conversation of the evening. Otousan invited me to go with okaasan after her work at the gaikokujin center to see their granddaughter’s hinamatsuri. I am so excited. :D

Even the weather was nice today; I didn’t need to turn on the heater except around shower time and when I left the house with okaasan, I didn’t bring a coat.

It was a really nice day today. (: