Tsujimoto Homestay II: Just When You Thought It Was Safe...

Soon after my first homestay, the Tsujimotos, with whom i had been in contact via email since before i met them, Wrote me to say that not only was i welcome to come back anytime, would i be free on such and such a date to come back and spend the night? I had told them that i had never slept on the tatami mat (which is kind of like saying ATM machine since tatami carries the meaning of mat...anyway) so they insisted that next time, that would be my bed. Now, even though i had now gained the tatami experience on the Rover trip, i wasn't going to tell them that, since if i didn't sleep there, i would be taking Hiroki's bed from him. anywho, the tatami came as part of the invitation. So of course i returned to the house o' Tsuji. (bytheway, tsuji means crossroads and moto means origin, as in "land of the origin of the sun" Nihon (hon=moto)). So, on friday (a holliday) i went. We didn't really do too much that night; we went shopping for supper, which was extravagantly wonderful: (again) this time it was Kimchi Nabe; though they say Kimuchi. Yum deshita. The next day we drove down to Chita Peninsula to see the ocean, though they assured me that it was not very pretty. Once we got there, we stopped on the shore and Hiroki and I (Keisuke was still absent doing homework or something) skipped some stones upon the mighty Pacific. Then we went to a seafood restaurant for lunch. This was amazing. Of course, as fresh as can be. I ate sashimi of various kinds, Shrimp tempura, shrimp boiled alive, and even one shrimp that wasn't even quite dead yet. I still cannot believe i did it. They didn't tell me they were ordering it, and it looked very expensive (they only bought 4; one for each of us) and i didn't want to insult them. Plus, i didn't want to be categorized as the foreigner who, for some reason, won't eat the "delicious" native food. (Of course now, i have to my regret been categorized as the foreigner who eats everything.) I also ate Fugu, the infamous poisonous pufferfish. Here also, there was sooooo much food. I was stuffed. I can't imagine how much it cost. Afterwards, we went to a fish market. Eh. Then, before you could say "knife" we were on our way back home. Another night on the tatami, and it was Sunday. This whole weekend, by the way, Ojiisan (grandpa), who is a carpenter (actually a Temple Carpenter), had been building a shed for the family bicycles. So i tried to help with that. Cedar~~~ divine smell. They told me that that night, we would be entertaining the family of Tsutchan (papa)'s Senpai (this is difficult to translate: like a mentor? superior?) and his family: the Shimizu family. (Which sounds a little like the japanese pronunciation of Smith, which i found humorous but kept to my self.) Oh noes! I was worried i would... well i don't quite know what i was worried about exactly, but i didn't want to make a bad impression. No one told me when they would arrive, so i was surprised when they showed up right after lunch (albeit a late one) So we entertained them. They are very nice people. Shimizusan is a cook. That night we ate Homemade takoyaki (balls of batter with a piece of octopus inside), and temakizushi (hand rolled sushi). Once more, yumdeshita. Shimizusan took charge and everything was delicious. Tsutchan and he ended up getting very drunk that night and we had a lively conversation which was tons of fun. Came to feel very close to all of them, and i don't know why, but they really love me. They keep asking me back. Next post will be about hiroshima and our third encounter, and they have already invited me bowling/karaokeing/onsen(hotspring)ing, AND back for Christmas and new year's. w00t. And next week, i will try to go to Kyoto. Woot woot! But now i have to go to Iaido. see ya later.