Watashitachi no Ie
(Part 3: Next Morning)

OHAYO means "Morning!" Ohayo my friends! I just got back from a short walk with Tug. Nice day, isn't it? Come on out into the sun for a few minutes, why don't you? The October days are so nice here because the humidity goes down, the sun is warm and there is still a bit of a fresh breeze before it turns to a cold winter breeze.

Did you sleep well? My sleep-talking didn't wake you, did it? Last night Mayu said I was yelling about a giant salamander that had gotten loose in the bed or something like that. Actually I remember it vaguely.

I knew that if the salamander was able to get under the mattress it could sneak to another world and there become a dragon, terrorizing the peoples of that place. Well, in my dream the salamander DID slip under the mattress. And actually I woke up on my knees on the bed, bending the mattress in half, trying to get the salamander back out. Strange person I am.

Never mind the messy hair. We all look like that in the mornings. I always walk around the neighborhood in just a pair of shorts and nothing else in the mornings so everyone is used to strange things coming out of this house. Don't worry.

Well, come on in and I will make you a great breakfast and the best coffee you have ever tasted. No, no don't worry about the futon. You can just leave them there. Yeah, that's true, but that isn't our house. Most places will put the futon away in the oshiire or closet during the day but that is just because they sleep in the living room, etc. It doesn't matter here, so just leave them out. That way, when you are ready for bed again tonight you can just jump right in and not have to worry about settng everything up.

Oh, you want to have a quick shower? By all means, go ahead. The boiler is on, there are fresh towels out for you so feel free. I had one already.
RYORI means "Cooking" Ah, breakfast, doesn't that look delicious? I know you may not want these special eggs I am making, but that is OK. I have eggs every breakfast, but if you don't eat eggs, no problem. We have lots of other stuff. NO, NO, NO! Just sit down and relax. Don't move. Enjoy your ... coffee! Here you go. Starbucks. Ahhhhhhhh. Ain't nothin better.

So, what did you think? Was it good? I know it isn't the kind of food you are used to, but you know the saying, "when in Rome..." You DO know that saying, right? By the way, it is YOUR turn to clean up the dishes.
But tell you what, if you wash and you dry, then I will put everything away, OK? Left over food goes in this little pail. Yeah, that's right.

Ah, well thank you for doing that for me. Would you like another coffee? I have a different blend of Starbucks coffee. I can give you a latte, or a straight caffe, whichever you prefer. Tell you what, let's have it sitting on the engawa in the living room and looking out at our "niwa" or garden. But first, now that it is light out, would you like to see upstairs? Come on. I'll show you.
Don't Drink and Climb the Stairs (KAIDAN) Just here by the bathroom are the stairs up to the second floor where we sleep. Yes, they are steep. And with no banister to hold on to, many people feel just a bit uncomfortable going up and down them. But when you get to the top and take a look down, realizing that if you had a bit too much to drink and missed a step you could be down on the main floor in about one second is not that comforting a thought. See? Just look right ... down .... there ....
An OBAKE is a "Ghost" This room here, we call "obake no ma". Obake means ghost. And as you can see, it looks like a ghost might live here. This is where we traded all the old tatami downstairs for better stuff so the room looks really old. We keep winter/summer clothes here, our heaters, the snow shovels, fans, my weed cutter (I love tools). Why do we call it the obake no ma? Well, we have a friend who sees ghosts and spirits. She has all her life. One night she woke up and saw an entire army troop through her walls, through her bed, through her, and out the other wall. When she gasped, one actually turned around and looked at her. She has seen our friend's dog playing at a traffic light - AFTER the dog was killed at that very light that day. She has seen people peering from around the gravestones of dead soldiers near her home, she has seen much more that she doesn't want to remember as well. I believe her. I really do. And she said that she "feels" something here. In this very room.
Just Looking Down the Street (Nice Place) I Prefer the View of the Mountains to the View of the House
Looking out the window to the left you can see our street and how the houses are aligned running down the way. The mountains in the background I cycle up at night for my "night runs". They are wonderful. Do you see that little bit of tile on the roof? Most Japanese roofs are covered with "kawara" or hard, fired-clay "shingles". Kind of like what you might see on the roof of a Mexican house, I guess. But different of course because this is Japan. Our house has them too, you just can't see the roof from here. Just look at the other houses over there; you can see what I mean.
YANE is "Roof" (Why Do They Make Them Like This Here???) Here to the right you see our "Hot Tin Roof". I put my pickled plums out here to dry in the summer when I make them. Do you want to try some? I can bring you some on my next visit... Very salty, most foreigners have trouble eating them, but I MAKE THEM. Everyone thinks I am weird; a foreigner doing a tradition that most Japanese cannot even remember these days.
Rooms Can Be Pretty Small in Japanese Houses Just our Clothes (As if You Care!)
Over to the bedroom . . . right here. Nothing special. Since the rooms are small, and I am big, our custom bed takes up the entire space. Not much else to do but walk around the bed. I actually bought a custom matress and when they made it it was so big that they had to use another swipe of material which means that there is a seam on the bed where there wouldn't normally be. The extra blanket is Mayu's side. She sleeps "colder" than I do and usually needs one or two more layers than I. That's life .....

And just here, which is actually a separate room (but we have taken the fusuma out to make it one room) is where we dress and change, and keep our fuku, or clothing. Thus, I call this the fuku no ma.
This Photo Aligns Nearly Perfectly with ..... .... with This Photo! Amazing Mountains, Yes?
Look out the window, to the left. Ain't that great scenery? We can see all kinds of changes as the seasons come and go here. Very very nice.

THAT, is what everyone around here calls Hageyama. "Yama" is mountain and "hage" is bald in Japanese. Need I say more? Now you know what to look for when you come by the next time by yourself. Once you see hageyama you know you are right near us. And if you go past, then you have gone too far.

That's it for the house tour. The holes here in the walls were here when we got here. I guess the kids lived up here or something. You know kids, always kicking and punching things, putting holes in walls, etc. What can you do? They move before you get the chance to catch their punches. Again, one of those things that makes life interesting.

Well, come on back downstairs and let's have that cup of Starbucks looking out at our messy garden.
The NIWA (Garden) Out Back Just open the curtains, slide back the screen and sit and enjoy. We don't do much out back here. I have the weed whacker upstairs which you saw to keep the weeds from strangling us. I do it usually after the neighbor tells me I have to do it. I always want to do it before, but well.... I just don't bother making the time for it.

When we first moved here we used to have barbeques out here in the back. But with the bugs, the lack of light and the rough terrain, we found that having them with friends on the parking pad in front of the house is much easier and enjoyable.
That garden belongs to the owners of our house. The ji-chan or "grandfather" is such a workaholic that he is here so early in the mornings he wakes us up with his digging, and shoveling, and scraping. And what with Arakawa-san next door playing his Japanese folk music (called Enka) so loud Sunday mornings when he is out in his garden, we just can't sleep in. I don't mind, but Mayu usually works pretty late all week and would like at least one morning to sleep in. Fat chance.

Just a second. Don't go anywhere. Wait right there...

OK, here are your coffees; a straight espresso for you, and an extra tall latte for you.

So, what do you want to do today?

April 8th, 2001