We landed in Tokyo on Wednesday. My cousin Yasunori, whom I didn’t know of until a few weeks ago, and his friend Julian, who acted as our translator, picked us up from the airport. Yasunori had rented a mini bus to transport all of us to dinner, including his wife and sisters. When we got there, they had made the cutest welcome to Japan sign for us!
After freshening up at our hotel in Shibuya, we all met at a restaurant in Ginza, where we were greeted by Yasunori’s wife, daughter, and his two sisters Noriko and Atsuko, as well as Noriko’s husband and Atusko’s daughter, Seiri.
They were the nicest people I could have ever imagined. They bought a cake to congratulate Joyce and Jon on their wedding, and showered all of us with gifts. Yasunori brought a bunch of old photo albums that we got to look through. It was so incredible to get to know this amazing group of people who are the family I never knew of.
Yasunori told us more about his father, Tooru, and his grandfather, who was my grandmother’s elder brother. Apparently, his grandfather ran a bath house in Nagoya, but didn’t seem to work much. Instead, he gambled away most of the family’s fortunes. As a result, his eldest son Tooru had to move to Tokyo to find work to support the rest of the family. I think part of this story may have also led to my grandmother leaving Owase for Tokyo to find work that could support the family.
According to Yasunori, his father’s sister youngest sister, Chikako, knows the truth about how my grandparents met. Chikako is my grandmother’s niece. She now lives in Nagoya, so we are going to try to meet with her on our way home from Owase. It seems there is a huge inconsistency in the versions of how my grandparents met and where they met.
The next day, we made our way to Owase bright and early, after a delicious Japanese breakfast at the hotel. Julian, the friend who translated for us last night, met us at Tokyo station to help us get our tickets. Japanese people are truly the most amazing hosts.
On the train, I was so excited when the snack cart arrived that I almost toppled over my sister Nancy. We stopped in Nagoya, where we got some delicious Bento boxes. The ride into Owase was beautiful – we were surrounded by the mountains and the ocean, with field of rice patties dotted around the mountainside.
We arrived in Owase in the afternoon and were greeted by my uncle Kiyoshi, and our translators, Tomi and Daisuke. Kyoshi is in the middle, and is the kindest man ever:
Our first stop was to the home my grandmother was born in, in 1910. The house is now different, but the wall separating it from the home next door remains the same.
We then walked around the town, which was pretty empty. Daisuke and Tomi explained that the population in the town was rapidly declining as all the young people moved to the cities. Owase was once a bustling port – even twenty years ago, the streets were full of shops and people. The streets now looked sadly empty, and barely any shops were open.
Following a stroll around town, we made our way to the Owase Seaside Hotel, an old Japanese style hotel which is absolutely incredible. This is the stunning view from our room:
We had an eight course home cooked dinner served directly in our room on the Tatami mats. Delicious!
Following which, Joyce and I soaked in the public baths and promptly passed out, in eager anticipation of the next day, where we would meet more relatives and try to learn everything they know about my grandmother.
Katchan 