Asahikawa with host family

17 juni
2012

Today I did not go to tennis, today we went to Asahikawa! That is a city in Hokkaido, about 2.5 hours driving from Sapporo. You have to imagine, when you drive 2.5 hours in Holland you we would be in Germany for quite a while!

It is Fathers day, therefore we went to Otou-san’s parents. We left at 9 O’clock because we first had to stop at the clinic for neurology. Otou-san is a doctor (neurologist). We live in a nice part of Sapporo, Yamanote, what means ‘pretty neighborhood’!

Otou-san’s parents are old and live in a retirement home. That is not that common in Japan, grant parents often live with their children, or the other way around, it’s just how you look at it! 😛

Oji-san (grant father) is still very talkative, Obaa-san (grant mother) was very quiet. Oji-san was science teacher and also like a good glass of wine like Otou-san! They really enjoy the good things of live. We had a giant obentou (lunchbox) together and sometimes I had something… perhaps I don’t want to know what is was, awkward! 😛

Sumire and I were a little bored when Okaa-san suddenly suggested to do Karaoke! They had a Karaoke room in the retirement home! Together with Sumire we sang a lot of songs, also in English! It was so funny. A little later Sumire’s sister Hikari, arrived. She lives in Asahikawa just like the rest of the family. Both Okaa-san and Otou-san originally come from Asahikawa!

Next we went to Okaa-san’s mother. She lives together with Okaa-san’s sister and her son (and husband?). Okaa-san’s sister very much likes to cook and she baked a lot of cookies and other nice snacks. We ate a lot! We then took pictures with everyone and when we left Obaa-san suddenly gave me an envelope! In Japan you do not open a present when they give it to you so I thanked her very much although I had no idea what was inside!

At home I opened the envelope and it was quiet an amount of money!!! I was shocked, I still am!


Back in Sapporo after dinner we talked about Japanese food and I showed pictures of the sushi my father and I prepared for my goodbye party. I told them I didn’t had sushi since I am in Japan. Then Okaa-san suggested to have sushi for my birthday!

You make Japanese happy when you eat a lot and try everything! Luckily that is no problem for me. But of course there are things that I don’t try a second time 😛

It was again a great day, but I was very tired! So many new impressions, faces and of course everything is different. But this certainly is a nice family!

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