Chibi Child: Suika samurai!

Yesterday evening we went out to see my host father’s grandparents. We ate suika, and we played a game that’s often played during matsuri, Madoka told me. You get blindfolded, and then they make you go in circles around the stick you’ll be carrying ten times (in my case all the while rambling “kowai, kowai, kowai yoo!” (scary, scary, scaryy!)). Then they tell you which way to go (right, left and straight ahead) in order to reach and preferably hit the melon. I only scratched it, but I think it was the closest we got. Until Madoka and Momo took off the blindfold and went berserk, that is! XD

We went to deliver some watermelon to the neighbours too, and on or way back we went to a shrine! I hadn’t brought my camera, though, so I’ll have to take pictures some other time. It was really beautiful, and the forest looked a bit like the one in Tonari no Totoro. (Or at least I thought so.) I saw some really big and colourful spiders too!

Afterwards, I spent some time talking with Sayaka. She showed me pictures on her cell phone too, and played some music that I thought I recognized…

Helene: *waving hands frantically*

Sayaka: *plays another tone*

Helene: “AAH! AAH!”

…yep, it was Gyakuten Saiban! XD The next 3 minutes were spent playing different tunes while an overly happy Helene announcing the name of the songs in English, or Japanese where she could “Tonosaman!” “Cornered ~variation~!” and Sayaka laughing. “You know a lot about this, don’t you?” “Well, yes… It’s Gyakuten Saiban…”

We talked a bit about anime, and Sayaka said she’d seen and liked Mushi-shi too. When we got home, she showed me the Mushi-shi manga she has. The drawings were lovely. I’m impressed that they managed to transfer it so well to anime!

I’ve learned that my host mother’s a big fan of a Korean actor. (Sayaka told me when she showed me pictures on her camera.) Later, while we were eating dinner, Sayaka said something like “oh, there he is…” after which my host mother bent around the bookshelf that separated her from the TV, staring at the screen. Madoka jokingly said “Kaa-san no kareshi!” (Mom’s boyfriend). The commercial ended, and my host mom reappeared from behind the bookshelf, nodding and showing the thumbs up. It was so funny! XD

Oh! I watched Mummitrollet in Japanese yesterday morning! I’d seen the episode in Norwegian before, which probably helped, but I understood the main things! I felt so proud. Oh, and they call Mummi “Mumin”. And the opening theme is completely different!

It’s so much fun here – everything seems different. The smells, the sounds, the scenery, the language and the etiquette… Still, people will be people wherever you go, and we’re basically the same, which is kind of comforting to know sometimes. “We’re not that different at all!” At the same time I’m learning “things I never knew I never knew” every day, which is great! Thank you, Disney…