Grandmother's visit to Koriyama

B's grandmother came for a three weeks visit to Japan, which meant a great opportunity for us to spend some rare quality time with her, as well as to see a bit more of Japan. We were excited about both and worked out an itinerary for her stay with highlights being Geisha hunting in Kyoto, Island hopping in the tropical part of Japan and Kabuki show in Tokyo.
First and most of all though we wanted to show her our region.
In total we spent a bit more than a week in Koriyama, which gave us sufficient time to introduce her to our everyday life, starting off with a drive on 'Gold line' in the mountainous landscape, to see the first signs of autumns arrival.And then she got to meet some of the people B spends her time with:

B's Ikebana & Japanese teacher had arranged a trip to Fukushima city to visit a museum featuring an exhibition af Uemura Shoens works. Uemura Shoen was born in Kyoto in 1875, and is famed for her stunning 'Bihinga' drawings (images picturing the beauty of women).

The paintings were really beautiful and gave away many details of the ancient life of Japanese women. Our company kindly tried to explain all curiosities that came to mind looking at the pictures, giving us a good insight in the days long gone.
It was a bit difficult to only focus on the pictures though, as we found ourselves surrounded by ladies and men dressed in beautiful kimonos! To promote citizens use of kimonos anyone dressed in kimono could enter the museum for free, and many had followed the invitation, so sometimes our talk would wander of and be about the visitors clothes. We learned that the way the obi is tied shows the marital status, and so do the length of the sleaves. Often the color of the kimono gives away the womans age. I can't help thinking on Taquile Island on Lake Titicaca, eventhough it is a very different world. There too the clothes tell the status of the owner, e.g. a boy's hats design show you if he is married or not.


After the exibition we had lunch at a traditional soba-ya. Both Tempura(deep fried food) and Soba(Buckwheat noodles) tasted great - and fun it was to grate our own Wasabi. (The fresh wasabi root is on the top left of the picture)


The Chigiri-e friends had also prepared an fun day for us.


The day's project was Fujisan in eruption - perfect as Fujisan became a mythical theme of Grandmothers visit.



Sensei had prepared a feast for us - freshly picked chrysanthemum flowers and persimmons turned into delicate tempura. The best tempura is the one with the lightest layer of dough:
And a more challenging homemade treat...Crickets boiled in soysauce! Sensei had caught the crickets herself in the rice field, so who can refuse to give it a go. (well Grandmother could). Insects are not my favorite food, but having said that, these tasted quite ok,- if you could let go of the thought of what unusual thing you were eaten.

After the class we gathered together in front of the house, for pictures and talk about nature, as a perfect way to end the day. Senseis house is just next to a river.


The other days in Koriyama were used on a tour at Hs workplace and with introductions to some of our daily routines, including encounters with the hospitality in Japanese shops. When Grandmother wanted to buy tea for a friend, it gave us a memorable experience in the local teashop where matcha - the traditional whisked green tea - was prepared for us.



Lastly we had some good food experiences while she was here. We went to a tempura restaurant and had anything from deep-fried wild mountain vegetables to deep-fried fish organs served. We also went to one of the citys good Teppanyaki restaurants located with a great view over the city and with an amazing grilled menu. You haven't really tasted grilled beef, before you have tasted it in Japan.

In the end, Grandmother wasn't really impressed by the architecture of Koriyama, BUT the local citizens left a great positive impression on her. So they do at us, so that wasn't really a surprise :-)