we’ve landed

Leaving my job, leaving Dad, leaving our home and our dog – it was a marathon. At work I raced against time to leave projects in good order. And then with just five days left, there were care issues for my father to resolve, and paperwork and bookkeeping that needed to be organized for the hand-off. There was last-minute packing and what cleaning I could fit in for our renter. And Weaver needed to get to the vet.

Saying goodbye to Dad could have been the hardest of all, but because of his amazing generosity, and the assurances of family and caregivers, it was warm and upbeat. I reached the finish line at 3 a.m. the morning of our 6 a.m. departure.

A week ago we arrived in Himi.

It’s a small city of about 40,000 located on the Noto Hanto Peninsula. The city is known for its remarkable view of the Japan Alps and their fixed-net fishing industry that is focused on catching buri, or yellow tail tuna. Douglas is working at Totoza, a fishing heritage center located on the waterfront. As part of their public programming, and supported by the Himming NPO, he is building a replica of a boat used inland for work in the rice fields and adjacent canals. You can read about his project at http://www.blog.douglasbrooksboatbuilding.com.

We’re staying in a great house located quite near the center of town – easy walking distance to an osen, a sento, the waterfront, and small shops of all types. This is all good, since our house does not have a bath or shower (typical of many post-war houses), has just room heaters run on kerosene (very cold when the heat is off and very efficient when on – our first week’s heating bill was seven dollars), and the kitchen is rudimentary with just a very small refrigerator.

our street

futons in one room and almost everything else in the other

The Japanese that I know has come back easily, and this time I’m learning new words and making an effort to put verbs in their correct tenses. I’ve had little conversations with shopkeepers. Most are older, curious and so appreciative of the fact that I can speak even a little Japanese.

Earlier this week Douglas came home telling me of a fish shop owner who was easily the most beautiful 80 year old he’d ever seen, and he assured me that she would be perfect for an Eileen Fisher clothing ad. I met her two nights ago and she’s just as he described. She beamed and talked away while giving us some sort of flatfish she’d roasted in a miso paste. Sam: it was our best meal yet!

While these conversations are fun, and the people at Totoza are warm and outgoing, another part of leaving Vermont was leaving behind friends and family. Lacking language fluency creates a bubble of anonymity that can be refreshing at times. Other times it’s just plain lonely.

A heavy wet snow fell for most of the first three days we were here. The streets were wet and slushy, and when we walked we kept our heads down or hidden beneath umbrellas. Finally on Thursday the clouds gradually cleared to reveal the amazing view across the Toyama Bay.

My plan is to keep my head up, and take in all that comes my way. I hope you’ll come back, now and again, to find out what’s up.

This is my long letter home. xo, Catherine