a Parasol, a Nautilus, a Glob of Red Ink

I successfully asked my host-mother to go for a walk with me to explore!  It was short, because it is hot today, but she showed me the culture center, where my host-father teaches shodou　「しょどう」, and a park.  The park is beautiful and I'm going back as soon as I can.  I'm not even going to try to explain.  I will later, once I've been there again and taken pictures :)  I think I'll go there often!  It was nice to spend time with my おかあさん (okaasan: host-mom) and to see some more of Komagane.  

I am reading The Fellowship of the Rings.  

TV [テレビ]:  A lot of it is seeing famous people react to different things.  There will be a group of people sitting on a stage, and someone will introduce something, like technology or a game etc, and they will all go "eeeeeeeeeeeiii!" and someone will say something amusing, and they all laugh.  Tonight, they were playing with sea creatures. 

It was sunny for the first time today!  I still couldn't see the mountains all the way because of the humidity.  Maybe this will give y'all an image of how big the mountains are [they're blocked by humidity on a clear day!] and how muggy it is [the moistness of the air blocks mountains!]  After writing this, I think maybe it doesn't make sense, but I'm trusting you to put it together...

My older host brother, Eishin, showed me his kyudo bow and equipment after dinner.  [Kyudo　きゅどう is Japanese archery].  I don't really know what to say about it, but I was impressed and wanted to make a note of it.

After seeing the kyudo things, my host-father showed me shodou [calligraphy].  There is a stick of ink, and a stone ink-basin, and he put water in the trough in the basin and rubbed the ink stick on the flat part of the basin for a loooong time.  Then he used a large brush to draw kanji [Chinese characters] on big pieces of thin paper.  Afterward, he signed them with his stamp [いん].  The whole thing is so beautiful.  If I can, I'll take and put up a picture, because I really can't even describe it.  [I find myself writing that a lot...Lesson: Take my camera with me!]

Yesterday, I wore my yukata [summer kimono] and geita [those wooden sandals] to the Obon Festival.  There were lanterns and fireworks and sparklers and cotton candy and people dancing a Japanese dance.  Very Japanese.  Perhaps the epitome of Japanese. 


Tomorrow my family is going to Tokyo.  My other host-brother, Yasutaka, is leaving for his year in Pennsylvania on the 18th, and they are staying over in a hotel the night before, I guess so that they aren't rushed on the departure day.  Eishin lives there and is going home.  I will be staying with Masaki Ito, my Rotary counselor, and his wife, who is from Spain and speaks English.  After that, I will be an only child.  


Exactly one week till school starts.  [ :D + :O ]