Home Stay with Ryuo family

Hiroaki and Tomoko picked me up at the Hotel Route Inn right on time and off we went to their house outside the city. Neither of the girls were with them, but they both greeted us at the house. Hiroaki gave me a tour of their home, which he had built with his father who is a carpenter. It was adorable. He also showed me his models for the furniture in the home that he had built, such as his desk, his entertainment center, and the computer center. He is a very talented woodworker, and yet his occupation is that of a agricultural food/animal tester, like our FDA, I think.

They made me feel right at home showing me my room, complete with tatami floor and traditional Japanese sliding doors. Although the house was quite chilly, I warmed up immediately when they asked me to sit at their warming table, a coffee table with a heater under it that's covered with quilts and blankets! I loved it, we should have those here, then you don't have to heat the whole house, but you can sit with your family at the warming table.



So after picking up both Emina, who decided to take the day off from cram school after all, and Mihoe, we headed off to a nearby pagoda, the Buzen Kokubunji Three-Storied Pagoda. It was 741 years old! Hiroaki showed me how to make a prayer on the steps, but when the girls discovered that it was open for cleaning and repair we got the chance to go inside. The original wood was still there and I can't describe how intricately it had been decorated. There were fish, people, and incredible shipping scenes. The center support pole was a 23 meters or about a 70 foot cedar tree. We read my paper fortune and then tied it to a tree branch in the sun.



Our next stop was per my request, at Goshogatani Park. We walked up to Kogoishi, the ruins of a fortress wall to defend against attacks from the west. This picture of my family and I was taken at the Nakamon Gate ruins, a dam to control water flow. There were some stops along the way at different shrines along the trail and we even made it to a place with 88 prayer places.
Mt. Takasaki Nature Preserve was my next surprise along the way. They called it Monkey Mountain. We got there just at feeding time and it was awesome! Hundreds of monkeys of all ages came running from every direction. There were no fences or gates to keep the monkeys away from their human observers but Hiroaki did warn me not to stare any of them in the eye. I didn't dare, but I'm glad I had my video camera to catch the action and sounds! Three troups of wild monkeys live on the island and they visit the gathering place pretty regularly.




I can't show any pictures from the next stop because we went to the Hot Springs in Beppu. It was my first ever public bath, but I have to admit that it was super relaxing and the view was pretty neat looking out over the town below. The smell of sulphur faded quickly after visiting a small, unused spring that sort of scared me. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the real one, which was much clearer, but I couldn't believe that a natural spring could heat such a large pool area.
Thankfully, after a long day we headed to the grocery store and home to make Sukiyacki (sp?). It was quite good, I might even try it here at home, just without the raw egg for dipping. After dinner we used Google Earth to put our houses on the map and we sent emails so we could stay in touch. I had my best night's sleep so far on my little tatami floor! It was really comfy under all the blankets and much softer than my hotel beds had been.

The girls had a hard time getting up the next morning but we made it off to Kokura Castle. They took me through the museum and even dressed me up in Samurai gear to have my picture taken. The exhibits were quite interactive and we all had a good time. Before heading back to Yukuhashi we stopped at a few malls to find some souvenirs for my family.



I can't even begin to describe how many sweet moments we had in such a short time. From the girls playing piano for me, teaching me their letters and writing out their alphabet, to following me around and smiling at me as I was amazed by everything. It was amazing.
I hope I have been able to express what a warm, kind family they were to me the entire time. I will forever be grateful for their hospitality and I wish to return the favor when Mihoe comes to New York next spring. Thank you, Ryuo family, from the bottom of my heart!