Sunday, January 22, 2006
Father and Son, Part I
It's been a very busy week. Where did my vacation go?
Tuesday (1/17): I checked out of my dorm room and moved nearly all of my things into storage. Things went pretty smoothly and I had no problem meeting Dad in Shin-Osaka station at 2 PM. We went straight to Kobe and checked in to Mako's fabulous hotel, rendered affordable thanks to her discount coupons. As usual, the Japanese level of service blew Dad away (not to mention the total lack of tipping). I had been inside the hotel before but only for one meal so I never saw any of the rooms or had the staff wait on me. It was really cool and our room had a view of the ferris wheel across the harbor. Nice!
We had dinner in Kobe's Chinatown which impressed Dad with its cleanliness but not by its size, activity or restaurant variety. In the latter departments, I think New York's version is still the best! If only they could do something about the garbage everywhere I'd want to live down there.
Wednesday (1/18): The day started off with our incredible breakfast buffet which was included with our room. Out of sheer longing I ate far too much bacon (it's been months) but ended up focusing on mostly Japanese-style foods like natto. I told Dad that he wouldn't like it (he had tried it once before in New York) but he gave it another try. The texture alone made him hate it before he even got it into his mouth - it took him several tries just to pick it up, then he dropped it onto his plate so it stuck to his other food.
We met Mako at noon which went very well at first. Dad surprised Mako with a present, making her cover her mouth in shock. I think the two of them got along pretty well and I didn't have to do much translating or interpretation. When I asked Mako what she thought of my dad, she said 「面白い」. That's a hard word to translate (it runs the gamut from "interesting" to "hilarious") but I assure you, it's all good.
The three of us made our way up into the Kitano neighborhood and saw many of the same sights Mako and I saw on our first date. Much like Dylan, my dad was more interested in seeing older buildings than the modern ones that Japan has built so quickly in the last sixty years. I suppose I went through that phase when I first came here for a visit in 2001 but now I just try to explore every neighborhood equally, regardless of architecture. Sure, it's cool to see historical things but I never get tired of bright lights and skyscrapers. Call it the suburban kid in me.
As the afternoon went on, we weren't really doing anything or going anywhere in particular, we were just strolling and looking around. We found a synagogue (probably the synagogue) and later happened upon an odd-looking "temple" that featured both a swastika and a Star of David on the front door. There was also a giant sign warning "women in their period" not to enter. What's that about? If it hadn't been behind a fence I totally would have taken a picture for you to see for yourselves.
Unfortunately, things went sour as we slowly made our way down the hill. Mako's cheerful disposition turned neutral and eventually became downright glum. As usual, she refused to tell me what was wrong even though she was obviously uncomfortable. In a bid to get out of the cold, we went into the city museum and saw an impressive exhibition of works about Napoleon presumably on loan from various European museums. Dad and Mako both seemed to rush through the exhibits without much interest but I tried to take in as much as possible.
Eventually everything became clear: Mako told me she felt sick and tired so she wanted to go home. I guess I was supposed to figure that out on my own but I wish she had just told me so; I wouldn't have brought her to the museum if had known. I wanted to take her back to the station but she insisted I stay with dad who was going back to the hotel. We parted on that awkward note and I assumed she was angry at me.
As for Dad and I, we found our own dinner and went to Sone, a jazz club my guidebook had highly recommended. It was nice but not very lively and I was preoccupied with thoughts of Mako the whole time. At this point, we've communicated a little more and I no longer think she's upset as she is actually legitimately sick with the flu. Instead, I'm worried whether or not she's OK and I'm still a little down about the way our day came to an end. Am I being selfish or just overly protective?
Thursday (1/19): After another gorging at breakfast we checked out and rode the shinkansen to Hiroshima. We arrived early enough at our hotel (which I had booked over the phone just two days earlier) so that we had enough time to begin our sightseeing right away. Our first stop, of course, was the Genbaku Dome. It was a little chilling to stand in the shadow of a building ruined by a nuclear weapon (nevermind that it was dropped by my own nation). As I was photographing it, Dad asked me if I wanted to be in any of the photos. I didn't really; how can you pose for a photograph at a scene of such tragedy? Could I dare stand in front of it and smile?
Across the river from the dome is a large area filled with memorials concerning the bombing leading up to the Peace Museum. There was a stunning amount of information inside, including extensive models of the city before and after the bombing and dozens of leftover items of victims. While Dad took issue with their version of why the bombs were dropped, he was impressed with their detailed coverage of the long military history of Hiroshima, making it clear that the city was a legitimate target. Also, the tone of the exhibits did not gloss over Japan's actions during the war (including the Rape of Nanking). This was in total contrast to his experience a few days earlier at Yasukuni Shrine.
As for me, I felt very uncomfortable with the entire experience. I didn't cry or even feel all that sad, I just had an overwhelming sense of...I don't know what. I didn't want to run away, because it was interesting, but I didn't want to stay there any longer than I had to either. I would almost compare it to being at a funeral for someone I didn't know but had died suddenly and very senselessly. It was a tense situation that mercifully ended when the museum closed promptly at 5.
Thankfully, the long walk back to the hotel lightened my mood a little bit and I was eventually able to totally cheer up at dinner. We went out for okonomiyaki at a place known as okonomimura, "okonomi- village." It was actually just a building that held three solid floors of okonomiyaki restaurants. Having no real way to discern between them, we just picked one at random. The meal was prepared totally differently than the Osaka variety I am used to and it was delicious. However, I burned the roof of my mouth very badly, so much so that it still hurts to eat or drink anything now (a full three days later).
It's late. I'm tired. I'll take a cue from Hyde and continue this post tomorrow.
1/25 EDIT: Pictures are now available right here.
Tuesday (1/17): I checked out of my dorm room and moved nearly all of my things into storage. Things went pretty smoothly and I had no problem meeting Dad in Shin-Osaka station at 2 PM. We went straight to Kobe and checked in to Mako's fabulous hotel, rendered affordable thanks to her discount coupons. As usual, the Japanese level of service blew Dad away (not to mention the total lack of tipping). I had been inside the hotel before but only for one meal so I never saw any of the rooms or had the staff wait on me. It was really cool and our room had a view of the ferris wheel across the harbor. Nice!
We had dinner in Kobe's Chinatown which impressed Dad with its cleanliness but not by its size, activity or restaurant variety. In the latter departments, I think New York's version is still the best! If only they could do something about the garbage everywhere I'd want to live down there.
Wednesday (1/18): The day started off with our incredible breakfast buffet which was included with our room. Out of sheer longing I ate far too much bacon (it's been months) but ended up focusing on mostly Japanese-style foods like natto. I told Dad that he wouldn't like it (he had tried it once before in New York) but he gave it another try. The texture alone made him hate it before he even got it into his mouth - it took him several tries just to pick it up, then he dropped it onto his plate so it stuck to his other food.
We met Mako at noon which went very well at first. Dad surprised Mako with a present, making her cover her mouth in shock. I think the two of them got along pretty well and I didn't have to do much translating or interpretation. When I asked Mako what she thought of my dad, she said 「面白い」. That's a hard word to translate (it runs the gamut from "interesting" to "hilarious") but I assure you, it's all good.
The three of us made our way up into the Kitano neighborhood and saw many of the same sights Mako and I saw on our first date. Much like Dylan, my dad was more interested in seeing older buildings than the modern ones that Japan has built so quickly in the last sixty years. I suppose I went through that phase when I first came here for a visit in 2001 but now I just try to explore every neighborhood equally, regardless of architecture. Sure, it's cool to see historical things but I never get tired of bright lights and skyscrapers. Call it the suburban kid in me.
As the afternoon went on, we weren't really doing anything or going anywhere in particular, we were just strolling and looking around. We found a synagogue (probably the synagogue) and later happened upon an odd-looking "temple" that featured both a swastika and a Star of David on the front door. There was also a giant sign warning "women in their period" not to enter. What's that about? If it hadn't been behind a fence I totally would have taken a picture for you to see for yourselves.
Unfortunately, things went sour as we slowly made our way down the hill. Mako's cheerful disposition turned neutral and eventually became downright glum. As usual, she refused to tell me what was wrong even though she was obviously uncomfortable. In a bid to get out of the cold, we went into the city museum and saw an impressive exhibition of works about Napoleon presumably on loan from various European museums. Dad and Mako both seemed to rush through the exhibits without much interest but I tried to take in as much as possible.
Eventually everything became clear: Mako told me she felt sick and tired so she wanted to go home. I guess I was supposed to figure that out on my own but I wish she had just told me so; I wouldn't have brought her to the museum if had known. I wanted to take her back to the station but she insisted I stay with dad who was going back to the hotel. We parted on that awkward note and I assumed she was angry at me.
As for Dad and I, we found our own dinner and went to Sone, a jazz club my guidebook had highly recommended. It was nice but not very lively and I was preoccupied with thoughts of Mako the whole time. At this point, we've communicated a little more and I no longer think she's upset as she is actually legitimately sick with the flu. Instead, I'm worried whether or not she's OK and I'm still a little down about the way our day came to an end. Am I being selfish or just overly protective?
Thursday (1/19): After another gorging at breakfast we checked out and rode the shinkansen to Hiroshima. We arrived early enough at our hotel (which I had booked over the phone just two days earlier) so that we had enough time to begin our sightseeing right away. Our first stop, of course, was the Genbaku Dome. It was a little chilling to stand in the shadow of a building ruined by a nuclear weapon (nevermind that it was dropped by my own nation). As I was photographing it, Dad asked me if I wanted to be in any of the photos. I didn't really; how can you pose for a photograph at a scene of such tragedy? Could I dare stand in front of it and smile?
Across the river from the dome is a large area filled with memorials concerning the bombing leading up to the Peace Museum. There was a stunning amount of information inside, including extensive models of the city before and after the bombing and dozens of leftover items of victims. While Dad took issue with their version of why the bombs were dropped, he was impressed with their detailed coverage of the long military history of Hiroshima, making it clear that the city was a legitimate target. Also, the tone of the exhibits did not gloss over Japan's actions during the war (including the Rape of Nanking). This was in total contrast to his experience a few days earlier at Yasukuni Shrine.
As for me, I felt very uncomfortable with the entire experience. I didn't cry or even feel all that sad, I just had an overwhelming sense of...I don't know what. I didn't want to run away, because it was interesting, but I didn't want to stay there any longer than I had to either. I would almost compare it to being at a funeral for someone I didn't know but had died suddenly and very senselessly. It was a tense situation that mercifully ended when the museum closed promptly at 5.
Thankfully, the long walk back to the hotel lightened my mood a little bit and I was eventually able to totally cheer up at dinner. We went out for okonomiyaki at a place known as okonomimura, "okonomi- village." It was actually just a building that held three solid floors of okonomiyaki restaurants. Having no real way to discern between them, we just picked one at random. The meal was prepared totally differently than the Osaka variety I am used to and it was delicious. However, I burned the roof of my mouth very badly, so much so that it still hurts to eat or drink anything now (a full three days later).
It's late. I'm tired. I'll take a cue from Hyde and continue this post tomorrow.
1/25 EDIT: Pictures are now available right here.
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Sounds like you're really busy with you dad. That's good. As long as you're having fun.
How's Mako? Did her flu got better? Hope everything is fine now?
コメントがあります？ Type something, please. It's less work for me.How's Mako? Did her flu got better? Hope everything is fine now?
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