February 28

Today has been a great day for food so far. I woke up around ten (after letting my alarm ring a few times) and went down for breakfast. In addition to a hard-boiled egg, apple, and pan, okaasan gave me a piece of bacon bread, caulliflower, and sausage. The sausage was really weird because it looks like a hotdog but it tastes more like breakfast sausage. Maybe it’s just the US that puts no meat in sausage.

Anyway, after eating breakfast, doing laundry, and a bit of homework, I left for the Kokusai center. I gave myself an hour and fifteen minutes, but it turned out to be just enough time. At the nisshin eki, I asked for an ichi nichi pass (since I would be riding past the realm of my commuter pass more than once) and I got a long (not understood) explanation of what I believe now to be the station master telling me that Nisshin doesn’t distribute Meitetsu ichi nichi passes (since Nisshin is one stop outside the company’s stops). So, I used my commuter pass to get to the kokusai center and bought an ichi nichi pass there. On the way though, I gave up my seat for an obaasan who reluctantly took it. When she was about to get off, she tapped me to give me her seat, but the other person on the bench moved to that spot and someone else took it. It was really nice though of her (I thanked her too), and we seemed to communicate well (though I don’t think she knew I could speak Japanese, because she didn’t say anything above a whisper). Along the way, I was worried because I seemed really shourt on time. When I did get to the kokusai center, I had about three minutes to get to class. I was remembering how far okaasan and I walked the last time to get to the center, so I was very worried, but as it turns out, the kokusai center eki of the sakuradouri line opens into the center, so I was saved! However, I did almost get on an elevator in the building that seemed to go to every floor except three (that was mine).

When I did get to the floor (and room) there was a bit of a line, so I didn’t worry about being late. I was a little confused at the sign-in desk, and I found out that it was because the cooking class was for students at the kokusai center (and I’m not a student there).

For the class, we were encouraged to wear aprons, so I, of course, was given the white, frilly one. We made chirashizushi and had suimono (clear soup with flower-shaped fish cakes) because March third is hina matsuri and that’s the traditional dish for girls on that day. Okaasan and a lot of other Japanese ladies taught the class. Okaasan was the main presentor. First, she demonstrated how to make the food, naming every ingredient, and then, we were dismissed to do it all ourselves. I was a bit disappointed that all we did was mix the ingredients (to make the sushi) but it was still fun. Okaasan came around with a microphone while we made the food and when we were eating it after to ask about it. All I could say was “oishii.” Everything was really pretty (there are a lot of colors in chirashizushi) and delicious. There was even roll-sushi (I can’t remember the name to save my life) that looked like a cow face, or dolls, or petals of sakura. For dessert we had kazari-maki, sakura-mochi, and hina-arare. I actually liked the macha mochi with an inside, but my favorite was the okashi that I had had once before when okaasan gave it to me. This time, that okashi was a ball of pink rice (not made into mochi) with an inside and a flavored leaf on the outside.

I got to talk to a few people from different countries (one from France that thought I looked French). The instructors were happy to talk a bit with me when they realized I was Okutsu san’s host daughter. There was an evaluation that we had to fill out at the end about the class; how was it? will you make this at home? what else do you want to make in these classes? what else do you want to say? When I gave mine to the instructor, she gave me compliments on my (messy) kanji and my request of tako yaki and okonomiyaki as dishes to make in the future. It was nice conversation.

Before I left, I asked okaasan for a picture, and it turned into a group picture with all of the instructors. Okaasan initially called over one instructor for the picture, and said I was her host daughter and eventually all of the other instructors joined in (totoro apron and all). It was a lot of fun. Okaasan was really happy and she sent me home (she had a meeting afterward), encouraging me to talk to my parents at ryoushin’s house before I left again for my friend’s host family’s sushiya. Unfortunately, that would mean I would be talking to my parents at 2:00 in the morning, but the offer was really nice.

At home, I did Japanese homework until about six, when I found Mike’s phone number and left for tabehoudai sushi. I met Keily at the Nisshin eki, and we rode together to Rokubanshou, where we would meet Mike, Mike, Anna, and Anna (no joking). When we got to the sushiya, we could hear the karaoke from outside. We were, of course, a bit late, because Keily and I had gotten to the subway late. When we went inside, we were warmly welcomed and presented with bento. Inside, there were all kinds of sashimi, sushi, tenpura, and fish. Of course, there was also the specialty of bacon-like pork, fruits, and Japanese crackers too. We had a lot of fun (and most people had a lot to drink). Some people tried the home-made hichu (Japanese beer) with an ume in it. Mostly though, the students and old guests got drunk and very friendly. The sushiya owner (Mike’s host father) doesn’t drink at all, so we were able to laugh at the drunk people quite a bit. It was nice to be able to talk to a Japanese person without having to consider their tipsiness. No one seemed to believe that I didn’t drink though.

Unfortunately, when we (Keily, Anna and I) left around 11:00, it was too late (five minutes to be exact) to meet the last Toyotashi train (though there were at least three Akaike and one Yagoto after). As a result, I had to call otousan to pick me up from Akaike. I felt very bad, but he did not seem upset and neither did okaasan when I got home. I was very embarrassed and worried nonetheless, so I apologized many times. It is very hard to guage when the last train is though because the arrival time for each eki is listed on the wall and the time between stations is not. Since we took a different route to the sushiya than the route from it, it was nearly impossible to tell when the Toyotashi train would get to us. Nonetheless, I won’t let it happen again, because now I know.