Japan's Cultural Treasures

Saturday, May 14

Following breakfast, we paired off and Carl and I set off to visit a local family and get a first-hand glimpse of Japanese life at home.  We went to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Mori.  The Mori's have two grown children -- a son and a daughter.  The son has 3 children -- 2 girls and a boy.  The daughter has 1 son.  Japanese children have celebrations at 3, 5, and 7.  They showed us photos of their grandchildren in outfits for those celebrations.  The 3 year old girl was dressed in a bright pink ruffled, elaborate long dress.  The boys were dressed as samurai complete with swords.  In another photo, the oldest grandson is wearing an Under Armor shirt, as Mr. Mori pointed out.  The boy (preteen) is active in athletics.

The daughter had a wedding in Hawaii wearing a strapless white, Western style gown.  They she had a wedding in Japan wearing the traditional white, then red kimonos.  (Akiko later told me that you can rent wedding clothes.)  Mr. and Mrs Mori were married in 1973.


Mr. Mori is a retired junior high principal and baseball coach.  He had a case full of trophies.  Mr. Mori is a Yankees fan.  Now he participates as an amateur actor in Noh theatre.

His wife played the koto (Japanese harp) and sang for us.


Mr and Mrs Mori have been to the East Coast of the U.S. -- in New York they visited the United Nations.

The group then had lunch together.  It was Japanese food with fried fish, vegies, and coffee ice cream.

At the train station I bought two jars of Sake before boarding the train to Kyoto.