Journey To Japan

The bamboo and chestnut trees outside of the Suzuki residence.

Stepping inside, I bowed and announced my presence by saying ojamashimasu (which roughly translates “pardon the disturbance” and is the standard greeting for entering someone’s home on the first time). The genkan (the traditional Japanese entryway) was larger than I had expected and transitioning from my outdoor shoes to my indoor slippers wasn’t as hard as I thought—the trick is stepping inside backwards from one shoe to the other. Entering the main artery of the house, I was greeted by a tall, slender man with a worker’s tan and steady, yet kind eyes. He introduced himself as “Yutaka”—the patriarch of the Suzuki household. I thanked Yutaka for his family’s hospitality and apologized for my inconvenience and informed him that I spoke Japanese, to his visible surprise and relief. In what I would come to understand is his usual manner, Yutaka shrugged off the need for formality and after the exchange of a few pleasantries, he excused himself. Eventually, the two daughters of the family, the elder “Rin” and younger “Haruka”, returned from work and college respectively. They both met with me and shyly introduced themselves in giggling, yet solid English—which wasn’t entirely a surprise as Rin had emailed me weeks before in a written per-introduction.