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At Home in Hiro
It was nearly 10:30 when we arrived at the small station in Hiro.
We were two of only a handful of passengers who stepped out onto
the long platform. We climbed a long staircase, crossed over the
tracks and then down a similar staircase on the other side. We handed
our used tickets and showed our pass to the uniformed agent and
stepped out into the light drizzle that was still coming down. Her
brother was waiting for us in his little Honda and my wife's mother
was with him. They greeted each other warmly, but with no more intensity
than if they had only been apart for a long weekend rather than
three years. They spoke to each other as if they were resuming a
conversation that had only been momentarily interrupted. We struggled
for a while to our bags in a way that fit into the Honda's compact
trunk and drove off.
My wife's brother was a very quiet, serious young man. During the
week, he worked as a truck driver, getting up long before dawn and
going to bed soon after dinner, which he usually had in his room.
During the weekends, he and his father would go off fishing, a sport
they take very seriously. My wife's mother is a woman who defies
an adequate description. She is confident, sturdy and self-assured.
It's the strength that comes to some people as a result of dealing
with the kind of adversity that would emotionally cripple many others.
| ...it was a place that people had lived
in and grown used to for a long, long time. It was not meant
to impress anyone. |
Hiro is a city/town at the edge of Kure. It is a working class
place, dedicated to manufacturing and farming. The central district
was a little cluttered and unassuming. Like an old New England town,
it was a place that people had lived in and grown used to for a
long, long time. It was not meant to impress anyone. The streets
were narrow and buildings of various kinds and ages lined the streets
of the downtown area. But in the distance, large areas of darkness
revealed the limits of its size.
We passed through the center of Hiro and were on a road that appeared
to be heading out of town. Exactly where we were going was unknown
to my wife as well as myself. Her brother had just bought a new
4LDK house (four living areas with a dining area and kitchen--bedding
is usually stored away during the day, what we would call a bedroom
a "living area"). He and his parents moved in after my
wife came to America, so she had never seen it. We turned off onto
a narrow, residential side street and into the driveway of their
beautiful home, elegant and new and a fine example of modern Japanese
residential architecture.
A Typical Japanese Home
On the outside, the differences between the style of Japanese and
Western homes is quite apparent because of the sturdy, multi-tiered
roofs with rippling ceramic tile. They are perfect for withstanding
the strong winds and heavy rains that sweep across the country twice
a year. On the inside, the differences are more subtle, particularly
in newer homes with a much stronger Western influence. The first
thing you are bound to miss is the fact that, in a Japanese home,
you never enter directly into a living area. The main entrance leads
to a short hallway with the adjacent rooms only accessible through
doorways. After removing your shoes in the entrance hall or genkan,
step up into the home. In fact, instead of welcoming visitors with
"Come in, please," the traditional greeting is "O-agari,
kudasai!" which means literally, "Step up, please!"
Her brother led us up a narrow stairway (which would always feel
a bit cramped my large Western feet) and into the guest room that
was prepared for us. My wife's suitcase was waiting for her there,
along with a futon for her, a small, Western-style bed for me, a
new TV/VCR combination her brother had bought for us to watch, a
large closet for bedding (known as an oshiire) and a small
rack with several hangers for our cloths. A soft, gray sweat suit
was waiting on the bed for me to change into. This, my wife told
me, was our room and would always be waiting here for our visit.
I don't think that I had ever felt at home in any other place as
quickly.
By the time we got unpacked and began to settle in, the rest of
the family was asleep and we were beginning to feel fatigue of our
long day on the road. We fell asleep quickly and soundly.
Next: Day 10 -
The Itsukushima shrine and the attack of the wild deer
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