The morning after going to Nagoya Castle (I was on a roll!), my host mom dropped me off on the doorstep of my friend Joel's host parents' house. It was my first time there, and he showed me around a bit and introduced me to his cat, who appeared to be threatening to jump out the window. His host parents returned a short while later and we set out on the road. Our destination? A festival (matsuri) for kids (kodomo)!
From what I can remember, it was a good 40 min. drive (during which we watched sports on the car TV) from the host parents' home to their daughter's. She lived there with her husband, son (Joel's host grandson? or son? Or does it work like that... lol), and their newborn baby. They also live right next door to her in-laws, with a beautiful garden separating the two houses.
We were already late to the start of the festival, and after a quick introduction we hurried to meet up with the kids on their path. These were elementary school kids carrying a golden shrine model to the nearby shrine, for a good luck blessing and candy from the priests. I had the chance to chat with some kids who weren't carrying the float, and at the end of the journey we took a group photo - all of the kids, and then me and Joel. It seemed a little funny, sure, but we never expected this picture would later be published in a local newspaper. haha
As it turned out, there were five different groups that were carrying in floats, and after taking some good pictures of the shrine we returned to the house for a quick break. We had some delicious snacks that included melon cream soda *drools*, then Joel and I went to hang out with the grandson in his room, later joined by his cousins - a boy and a girl. They were older and knew a bit of English, but were obviously much more confident in Japanese so we stuck with that. We chatted about topics from Naruto to travels to Guam, and they gave us small Gundam figurines as a gift (Chris J., you should know how special those are!). I also got a handkerchief from the grandson's friend, which was very nice and I still use it to this day.
For lunch, the whole family took us out to a very traditional Japanese restaurant, my first one where sitting on the floor was required. No one seemed to actually be trying to sit properly so I didn't bother either. :p I remember the meal being delicious, whatever it was, and for dessert we had fireworks ice cream (ice cream with sparklers) to celebrate Joel's and his host parents' grandson's birthdays.
Finally, we returned to the shrine to prepare for another big event. It turned out that they celebrated men who were turning 40 (I think) that year by having them stand on a platform and throw mochi (rice balls), bread, and other candy or snacks into the crowd. They separated the adults in the front and the kids in the back and let the fun times begin. And let me tell you, it helps being a tall gaijin (foreigner), except when it falls onto the ground (just give up, those ojii-sans have you beat). Of course, we found out later that only the men's families usually participate. Oops!
We got back and went to the inlaws' house to compare and trade our stashes. After a small snack, we played/learned some Japanese board games, which was a lot of fun. Then the family showed Joel and I a shrine that they had for their deceased loved one, and taught us a prayer associated with it. It was so nice of them to include us in their family activities, and I felt bad that I wouldn't see them again for the rest of my trip, and probably my life.
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