A relaxing morning in the House of Light included a home made breakfast with a combination of Japanese and American dishes. It was raining pretty hard but the warm temperature and the huge wrap around veranda made it refreshing. The hostess was a little anxious to see us leave on time as a wedding party was scheduled for that day. While Esther and Sassa took the first trip to the family house in town, the boys and I took a walk through some of the nearby field art. After a short time at the house we went to two museums in town. One was a small kimono manufacturing site with a fabric and figurine gallery. The other one was a large museum with sculpture and conceptual art. My favorite was a dark room with a lighted model train riding a track with objects place next to and around the track. As the train moved the objects projected giant moving shapes on the walls of the room. Sassa's mom treated us to a curry lunch in the museum dining area. While the others went back to the house, Calvin and I went to pick Aki and Tsugumi up from school with Megumi. We were able to tour the school as classes had finished for the day but most of the students were still there at clubs. I was a little surprised at the facilities, expecting them to be filled with technology. Aside from a computer lab, it looked much like a classroom thirty years ago. Just a blackboard for instruction. The teachers all shared a common office room because the class stayed put and the teachers rotated. After saying good bye to Sassa's family, we headed back to Tokyo as our Rail Pass expires tonight. We really enjoyed our time in Tokamachi. Sassa's family were wonderful hosts and such fun to get aquainted with. The valley in which they live is beautiful. I hope that we can return some time and enjoy it some more. As we got off the train in Tokyo there was great commotion and crowds of people waiting for someone important. It wasn't us, it was the Emperor. We joined the crowds and had the unexpected treat of seeing the Emperor as he past by into a private tunnel.
No comments:
Post a Comment