April 29

Today was kimono-wearing day!!! But first, I had to buy omiyage for Tanakasan. Before all of this though, was breakfast where okaasan gave me chocolate bread that was pretty close to the quality of the bread we used to get from the Jewish and Italian couple when we lived in Myrtle Beach. :D

As for buying a gift, I was thinking okashi (since okaasan had a big box in the hallway that seemed to have formerly held a plant), but she told me that she had bought okashi, so I should buy fruit or flowers. I figured I’d go to the specialty fruit or flower shop (side-by-side) near Nanzan, but the fruit store was closed and the flower store looked out of my price range (a lot of orchids). Instead, I went to Justco, where I found a couple of stalks of really pretty white lilies which smelled really nice. I was short on time, and when I got to the eki to go home, the Toyotashi train was just coming in (yes!!!).

I rushed the flowers home (worrying they would wilt in the sun) and brought them home to okaasan. There, I asked her for some advice on putting them in water (to keep them from wilting) and the whole thing turned sour. She asked if I was asking for a vase, but all I wanted was a wet paper towel or a cup for temporary use. When she inspected the stalks and found there was nothing given to me by the store clerk, she started asking me if I was going to give the flowers to her friend as they were (the price tag was still on the plastic wrapping). Of course, I was going to take the stickers off (and put the two stalks I had bought into one wrapping, but by Japanese standards, that is not enough, in fact; it’s unacceptable. Okaasan said I had to have ribbon and paper and why didn’t I get the clerk to do it for me? Did I think it was okay to give grocery store flowers to her friend? On top of that, the strong smell of lilies isn’t enjoyed by all people (some people get headaches from them) and Japanese people don’t even use perfume, let alone strong flowery scents. She ended up cutting and wrapping the flowers for me (letting me do it never crossed her mind) in paper and ribbon she luckily had stored away, but with all the talking down (including “I thought it was common sense for you to have it wrapped,” “In American movies, I see people bringing flowers in nice bags and paper into hotels,” “Giving flowers wasn’t originally an oriental custom, only giving money was,” and “Tanakasan won’t feel you’ve put feeling into this gift if you give it this way”) and guilt that I was making not only myself look bad, but okaasan look bad to her friend, I ended up in tears again. Lame!!! Why can’t I control my face?!

Afterward, I was sent to my room to put the flowers away, and I was going to have a catharsis in my room to get rid of my emoness, but okaasan called me down to lunch. I told her I was fine without, but she insisted she had made onigiri for me, so I came downstairs and we ate until her friend arrived (to my surprise, because I thought we were going to her friend’s house, not to mention okaasan didn’t give me any warning as to who she was answering the door to). Things really turned around though. (:

Okaasan’s friend is really nice. She’s very soft-spoken and always smiling. First, she dressed me in the kimono. Okaasan let me wear her kimono, which she wore in her twenties. I had to bend down a bit sometimes so Tanakasan could reach my shoulders because she’s much shorter than me. Once I was dressed, we took many pictures. First, in the tatami room (where the vacuum lives), then in the garden and in front of the house. At one point, Okaasan showed me off to her neighbor too. I really like wearing the kimono because it’s so pretty and it makes you keep good posture.

After pictures, we went inside to have macha in the traditional Japanese way. The tea is a green powder and you place it in a giant bowl-like cup, then whisk it with a bamboo whisk. Okaasan and Tanakasan talked about all sorts of things (including me D:) as we drank tea and ate small traditional snacks. I found it kind of hard to breathe and sit at the same time (or drink and sit) but the conversation was interesting. After a lot of talking, okaasan gave Tanakasan the okashi and signaled me to go upstairs for the flowers. I brought them to Tanakasan (who told me I looked pretty carrying them) and I tried to apologize while giving them to her, but my voice was too soft, even for her, so I did my best to give them humbly. After thanks and farewells, okaasan drove her to her eki.

The rest of the night was less eventful. When I had to change back into my clothes, I felt a bit bad undoing all of Tanakasan’s work. It did take a lot of time and effort. We had yakisoba for dinner while watching the news about the Swine Flu. I’m going to have it for breakfast too because I have to get up at 5:00 and out of the house before 6:00, yay! After dinner, I did last-minute internet checks and stayed up with okaasan (as long as I could) thinking I would make my own bento, but okaasan made it for me. It smells so good I can’t wait for lunch tomorrow.