Working life First winter visit to Japan By Masako Yamada	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
日本の冬を初体験 雅子さんは昨年末、休暇を利用して、久しぶりに日本へ「里帰り」しました。里帰りといっても、アメリカ育ちの雅子さんには、日本で長く暮らした経験がありません。だから、今回が日本の冬初体験です。祖父母やいとこを訪ねたり、高校の同窓会に参加したりして、2週間の日本滞在を満喫しました。

広島に住むいとこを7年ぶりに訪問した筆者(左端)。 2人のいとこは結婚して、今やすっかりお母さんになっていた

I knew that I'd have about two weeks of vacation time to spend at the end of 2003, so I decided to take a trip to Japan. I grew up in the States and have only visited Japan during the sweltering summer, so I was curious to see what the winter was like.

I especially wanted to visit my grandparents this winter, not next summer, because they are getting older as the days go by. Unfortunately, one of my grandfathers passed away a couple of months before I arrived, so I could only visit him at the altar. I was glad that I could at least pay my respects, but I was sorry that I wasn't able to visit him while he was still well.

Another reason I chose to go to Japan in December is because my 10-year high-school reunion was being held in Tokyo. One might ask why my reunion was being held in Japan when, in fact, I'ｖe never lived there. I attended Japanese schools in New York from fifth grade to the end of high school, and was one of the few who decided to stay in the States. About 30 of my classmates showed up, and the evening flew by quickly as I caught up with each of them. Just seeing them made the trip worthwhile.

I also visited relatives across the country. I spent a few days with my grandparents in Kumamoto, my birthplace. There isn't much to do in the village, so we mostly spent our time chatting about old times. I also visited a new tourist attraction called the "Melon Dome." It's a market selling local specialties such as melons, rice, citrus fruits and basashi. My grandparents know almost all of the farmers who sell the produce there, since they'ｖe lived in that village since childhood.

I also visited Hiroshima. It's been seven years since I last visited, and since then, two of my cousins have gotten married and had babies. The oldest "baby" is now seven years old, and I met him for the first time this winter. Seven years ago, I remember complaining to one of my cousins that my shoulder hurt. It still does, so I stocked up on goods to help alleviate the pain: magnetic pads, stickers that emit chi, a necklace that gives off ions, a shoulder-supporting strap. These are all suspect items, so I also visited three shiatsu places.

Of particular interest to my readers may be that I toured the ST editorial office for the first time in about seven years. Things have changed mightily since my initial visit, including the way the paper is typeset. I remember being astonished back then that individual articles were snipped and laid out by hand on grid paper. This time around, I saw that digital typesetting software was being used. Back then, I faxed in my articles and sent in actual photos through the mail, so things have changed all around.

筆者が祖母とともに訪れた熊本のメロンドームのウエブサイト( http://www.melondome.co.jp)。メロンドームでは、 メロンや馬刺しなど地元の特産品が販売されている

My first winter trip to Japan was wonderful. My only regrets were that I couldn't see my grandfather before he passed away, and that I wasn't able to spend more time with my remaining grandparents. Also, I was both happy and sad to learn toward the end of my trip that there is an online bulletin board where my elementary and junior high school classmates exchange news. Had I known about this beforehand, I might'ｖe been able to meet more of my old friends while I was there.

I think the only way to get rid of these regrets is by visiting Japan more often. Now that I have the vacation time to make such visits and the income to afford the trips, I think there is no excuse not to.

Shukan ST: Feb. 6, 2004

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