Soju, shochu and schools: My parents second trip to Japan!

In November, my parents visited Japan for the second time, and it was equally as jam-packed as the first time, but in a different way. I alternated long weekends travelling with two/three days back in work, for about three weeks.  Although they visited so many places without me, I’ll stick to the places we visited together.

 

Seoul

 

A well-known favourite of mine, we met here to experience the apparent “hype” I gave this city. My mum fell in love and ate her body weight in fried chicken, in preparation for the weeks of dreaded Japanese food to come. I took them to all my favourite areas too; visiting palaces and museums, Namsan Tower and eating our way through Insadong and Namdaemun markets. 

We unintentionally timed our trip to coincide with the Seoul Lantern Festival, where lanterns depicting objects and people, float on Cheonggyecheon stream, a recreational area running through the city where you can walk along the banks. It was somewhat reminiscent of lantern festivals in Japan, however the calm music and the trickle of the stream created a completely different atmosphere that was super tranquil, hidden between the flashing lights of nearby neighbourhoods.

I’ve turned into a proper wimp when it comes to cold weather, and winter in South Korean is positively baltic… obviously my excuse to drink all of the soju and eat a hotteok when I couldn’t feel my hands. I got my mum stocked up with numerous beauty products of course, and she appreciated the men. The less said about that the better, but I’m pretty sure she wants to go back because there were so many places she’s heard me talk about, but we just didn’t have the time. My dad did seem extremely out of place in Hongdae around clubs and make up stalls galore, but fear not, he found numerous bars, including a Liverpool FC one. I guess you’ll never drink alone, no matter where you go.

Kobe, Himeji and Osaka

The next long weekend started nice and early for me, as I left at 5:00am to catch the shinkansen and meet my parents in Kobe. Close to Osaka, Kobe is famous for its China town (one of three in Japan) and its beef. Haruka also joined us for this part of the trip, and her shinkansen arrived from Nagoya just after mine.

First, we visited somewhere my dad had researched, but I had never heard of. He’s a bit of a professional now with his list of go-to spots in Japan, probably more so than me. Nunobuki Herb Garden is located right behind Shin-Kobe station, so we took the cable car and the view was glorious. The sky was clear and we could see almost all the way across Osaka Bay. 

There was a German festival at the time, so we slowly walked down the mountain fuelled by some mulled wine and bratwurst, plus the most amazing dango I’ve ever seen. There was an area full of hammocks, and a local musician played somewhat folky music to keep us entertained, even if both Haruka and I struggled getting in and out of them gracefully.

 

The trail down the mountain led us to a quiet waterfall, and once we reached the bottom we headed to China town and the harbour area. Kobe was much quieter than I expected, but I’m glad I’ve been. If nothing else to say I’ve eaten some dumplings there, and the infamous Kobe beef. Don’t get me wrong, it was expensive, but you can’t really go to Kobe without trying it. If you ever visit, ponder what I learnt; “all Kobe beef is wagyu, but not all wagyu is Kobe beef”.

Himeji was our second day trip, and despite living near one of the most amazing castles in Japan, you still can’t enter Kumamoto castle due to earthquake damage. So, Himeji was actually my first castle experience, and it didn’t disappoint. They actually limit the amount of visitors for the day since it’s so popular, but even with the huge numbers it didn’t seem rushed, or like you couldn’t see the wood for the trees. 

As with Kumamoto, parks near to castles often have food festivals, which we stumbled across in Himeji. My dad loves anything allowing him to try more local delicacies, so we snacked there before heading back to Osaka for custom Kit-Kat making, and spending our evening at a local yakitori joint eating some of the best grilled chicken with yuzu pepper paste.

Kumamoto 

Once my parents finally arrived in my stomping ground, the fun didn’t stop, with us going on adventures, eating with my friends, and them even gate-crashing an ALT pub quiz and complaining they didn’t win. Despite that, two stand out moments to me, and hopefully to them too, were dressing in kimono, and visiting my schools.

My mum has been obsessed with kokeshi dolls for as long as I can remember, so it was apt for her to want to dress like a real life one in a kimono. My friend Billy made time in her busy schedule to prepare the most amazing morning for us, laying out styles she thought my mum would like and dressing her with glee. Next was my turn, and Billy let me wear what she knows to be my favourite kimono of hers, along with a handmade fur obi that got many looks and is just fabulous. 

Shuffling around in our geta, we then took my dad to the local rental shop to get him in on the action too. He really embodied it, and I felt him taking on an Edo-esque personality before my eyes. Even the woman dressing him asked if it was his first time, as apparently he held himself perfectly.

The autumn leaves were at their prime, and at Suizenji Park we couldn’t have asked for a better backdrop to some cheesy family photos. I’m so glad Billy could give my parents a chance to experience something so typically Japanese.

A few months prior to my parent’s visit, one of my teachers had a demonstration lesson to plan and perform (with me might I add, talk about pressure) for numerous teachers from across the prefecture. Long story short, he based it upon their impending visit, and a month after the demonstration lesson, the occasion finally arrived.

Honestly I think some students thought I was just joking until that day, but my parents got to experience making origami, how to write their names through calligraphy, play kendama and making traditional helmets out of newspapers.

After lunch, we headed to one of my elementary schools to experience more calligraphy with 5^th graders, and 4^th graders prepared the most heart-warming presentations on their favourite Japanese things. I was really blown away by the whole thing, and especially how much effort everyone put in. We established that my mum is the most shocking kendama player on the planet, whereas my dad had all the kids going wild when he smashed the most difficult play.

I was so glad to have the opportunity to introduce my parents to school, because I hope they could understand what my daily life really is like, and why I love it so much. They left with so many gifts and letters from students, and despite the language barrier, I was so proud of my kids for trying so hard to communicate and be patient. I’m pretty sure my parents felt the love and gratitude from all of my students just as much as I did.