First of all, I've finally gotten back to a reliable Internet connection
-- so sorry in advance for what will probably prove to be a barrage of
travelogue entries! I'll try to keep them short...
The weekend
of Nov. 11 and 12 proved to be kind of interesting. What I thought was
originally a mild cold has proven to be a major one. Just
my luck -- it is absolutely brutal to be on a major trip and come down
with a nuisance like this. On top of this cold, my weak Japanese
communication skills were put to the test. Hana had arranged to go out
for most of one day with a bunch of her old friends and I was left at
home with the family. This led to one of the most unlikely and fun days
of the trip.
Needless to say, communication between myself and
the in-laws can be quite difficult but, between a combination of broken
Japanese, broken English, and body gestures, it is possible to get by.
Luckily Hana's sister's husband Yoshi is a great guy (he is a techno
marvel -- there is not a gadget on Earth that he isn't interested in and
hasn't mastered so we had a lot to talk about!). Yoshi tried his best
to communicate with me and I attempted my best to communicate back. All
in all it worked pretty well.
At one point Yoshi asked if I
wanted to go shopping with him. I was really surprised by his English
but he had used a Japanese-English translator on the Internet to come up
with the necessary phrase to ask me to go along with him. Now, Yoshi
and Hana's sister have three kids -- this is indeed a handful and calls
for (I dread this) a minivan! Now, those of you who know me well know
that I despise minivans with a passion -- they are ugly, gas-guzzling
hogs that are the stereotypical realm of soccer moms! Well, to my
astonishment I have seen my first "cool" minivan!
Yoshi owns a Nissan El Grande which he has all decked out with a huge DVD and stereo system. This system was beyond anything that I have ever seen before -- indeed, it is better than what I have in my house! This is one setup that could actually change my opinion of minivans! Too bad that it is not available in North America...
As we headed out on our shopping trip (to look at electronics no less) Yoshi fired up the DVD system with Metallica live with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Now, it is not safe to drive and watch a DVD at the same time! Luckily I watched and Yoshi drove. I'm sure that many of you are not Metallica fans but this video was excellent and the sound quality as incredible. While listening to Metallica music, Yoshi and I conversed as well as we could and just took in the sounds and the scenery. As bizarre as this situation was it was great and totally unexpected. I could never have imagined riding around Japan in a minivan watching and listening to a Metallica DVD and talking (sort of) with my brother-in-law! Truly a great moment and we even accomplished our shopping goals!
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