Japan Days 2 & 3

Wow, we’ve had a busy couple of days in Japan. Though the days have been jam packed, they haven’t been completely remarkable, which has been really nice. Primarily, we’ve been spending time with Yasu’s family, eating, drinking, shopping, and laughing a whole lot. Yasu has lived away from his family for about 13 years now, so his time with his family has been very limited. We’re all having a great time getting to know each other a little bit, and it’s fun to see where he’s come from. I also FINALLY got my hands on some of his baby pictures, and holy crap he was cute, chunky, and had a solid head full of hair.

On Friday, we did get to do something very special. When we told Yasu’s mom that we were coming to visit, she asked if I might like to do a kimono photo shoot, which I of course was all for. I was especially thankful that she was willing to share a bit of her culture with me. What we didn’t know was that Yasu would be dressing up and doing the photoshoot with me!

So, we met his mom at the hotel and walked over to the photo studio for hair, makeup, and the shoot. I will say, I’m grateful that our wedding will be in the US so that I don’t have to communicate in gestures when I’m having my wedding hair done—that would be incredibly nerve racking. For this occasion, Yasu helped translate to the hair and makeup artist, and she did a great job. Unfortunately, no cameras were allowed in that room, so I couldn’t take a picture of the process.

After my hair and makeup were done, we were both ushered into separate changing areas to be dressed. I remember vaguely reading about the intensity of putting on a kimono when I read “Memoirs of a Geisha” in high school, but wow it was intense. And spending about 45 minutes in the dress was quite enough for me! It was beautiful. The woman helping to dress me began by putting me in a soft, flowy white undergarment robe. Next, she began padding me with couple layers of towels, which were wrapped around my waist, and a few pieces of cloth layered on my chest. After all the padding was in place, the actual silk gown, layers, wraps, and ties were added, and tightened around my waist.  The process took quite a long time, and given my jet lag, I felt like I probably could have taken a nap while standing there. When the women dressing us drew the curtain between us, it was very exciting to see Yasu in his full traditional garb.

When we were finally dressed and ready, we went downstairs to the photo studio for the pictures. Remember that part where I said I was glad I’d be able to speak to my hair dresser for our wedding? Well, I’ll be REALLY glad knowing that I can speak to our wedding photographer. REALLY glad. Our photographer was less than accommodating with my lack of Japanese skills, but I think it was more that he was an eccentric artist type anyway. It was really quite amusing, especially because Yasu’s mom was just giggling behind the photographer the WHOLE time. We had a few clear winning shots, but there were a few horrendous ones, too. Thankfully we’ll be getting a disc with all of the images in a few weeks.

After the photoshoot, Yasu, his mom, and I went for coffee at a cute little café, where we were finally able to chat and get to know each other before heading to his family’s home for sushi dinner! Mom’s English has been SO much better than I expected, for which I am very grateful—and I’m sure Yasu is even more grateful. I’ll definitely write more about food later, but I’ve honestly eaten some of the best food I’ve ever had here in Japan. 

Saturday was spent having more fun and delicious meals with his family. We met his dad’s mom in the morning, visited with his parents for lunch, and shopped around Shibuya with his sister in the afternoon. Dinner was at an incredible “New Japanese” restaurant called Hechikan, after which we all left feeling quite satisfied! I’ve got to say, it feels really great to just spend time with Yasu’s family. I do feel like the last one to join the party on some occasions, while they’re all laughing at a joke I can’t understand. But at the same time, I’m glad Yasu is in town to be able to get in on those jokes. We are definitely having a great time!

A garden in Yasu's parent's neighborhood

Y getting his photo on

Shibuya's busiest intersection, from the train station!

Shibuya

A tiny, tiny paper diorama project shown in "Hands" a giant craft & diy store in Shibuya

A sweet treat from Shibuya called "yokan." which is a sweet red bean paste cake