Saturday - Sunny with some rain
F and I slept in a bit, well, I did for sure! I got up a couple of times, but then ended up sleeping quite late. I did have a bit of computer time in the middle though.
When I did get up, F asked me if I’d like some toast. I said I would so he brought toast for both of us plus some decaf upstairs. We had a little feast and made plans for the day. He took his mother out in the afternoon, but didn’t stay out too long. They went to his uncle’s home, but there was a fight going on between a couple of relatives, so F left soon.
When he came back to the house, the two of us went out for a light bite. We went to Cafe H&P and had crepes. They were nice and we got to relax a bit. After that, we did a little hundred yen shopping before going back to the house. F picked up some things for the funeral at the hundred yen shop, I picked up some stuff for my Christmas Ornament exchange.
We had a bit of a rest and then decided we’d all go out for dinner. F thought of a good place, but when we got there they were full for the evening. Oops. That’s why we should always call first. F doesn’t do that often.
We ended up at Youme Shokudo and had a nice, if simple, meal. I had chicken steak that I really liked, F had kara age (fried chicken) and K had grilled mackerel. We all seemed quite pleased with our meals. Over dinner F said that he’d drop me off at the house and then take his mother over to his uncle’s house. Then he said he’d take me to his uncle’s as well. I said I didn’t mind either way, but wasn’t sure if I was dressed appropriately. He said it was fine what I was wearing. Yay.
We drove to the Uncle’s house in one of the suburbs of Tsuruoka and went in. We chatted a bit with F’s uncle and his aunt when she came back. F and K did their rituals at the altar set up on the tatami. I couldn’t really see what they did. No one tried to make me do the same, which made me feel more comfortable. After a while, when there was a lull in the conversation, I asked F if he’d walk me though the procedure so I paid my respects too. It seems a bit odd to have F’s grandmother actually in the room while we’re sitting around a table chatting, but that’s my cultural bias speaking I think. I explained to F’s aunt afterwards that it was my first time doing this, so I think she understood why I took so long and why I needed F to help me.
K was getting a bit tired so F drove us all back to Tsuruoka. On the way, I said to him that he had turned the wrong way but he insisted that he was going the right way and this was a direct route back to Tsuruoka. I decided that I wasn’t going to nag him and I apologized to him and said that he was the driver, he was born there, so he should know. Except he noticed the sign for the famous temple up ahead, the one that is definitely not on the way to his house from his uncle’s!
It was dark and he was tired and it didn’t matter much anyway. We turned around and went back the correct way.
K went off to bed and F and I went upstairs. I was going to change when F asked if I’d like to go to the store. I had suggested that he get something for his and K’s breakfast tomorrow morning. We went off to the supermarket and got a few things, then came back to the house. K was up looking for her clothing for tomorrow. She couldn’t find some of it, so I’m not sure what she’s going to wear.
I took a shower and wrote an email, the usual type of stuff. I’m probably not going to some of the ceremony things tomorrow because of Covid restrictions. If K gets upset in the morning, I might try to go, but I think I’d be a distraction more than a help.
So, that’s it for me for today. Have a good one. I hope to be able to catch you up tomorrow night. Until tomorrow….
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