Enrio comes around

Kaizu-san's house is absolutely beautiful. Not in the overstated decorated half to death way you might see in America, but in the practical elegance and sincere honesty of tatami and shoji.

Upon my arrival in Shirone, I was very excited. As much as I have loved the places and things I have seen in Japan, it is the people who are the real treasures here. I've learned so much from the people I have met here thus far and I am only a quarter of the time through my time here.

Shirone was to be my first 'home stay' since my arrival here and I was looking forward to meeting the people who had agreed to have a total stranger come into their house. Muroga-san gave me a ride to the Kaizu house and explained that Kaizu-san was a good friend of his.

Instant cool points as Muroga-san is one of the GSE council members and has been extremely awesome the entire time.

I had no idea how great the Kaizu family would be.

Kaizu-san and his wife were very reluctant to speak English at first, so Muroga-san and my dictionary filled in anything I was missing, which is a lot because my Japanese is very poor.

After Muroga-san left for the evening, I had some time to sit and talk with my host family for a while about life and what they are like.

I was surprised to find we shared many common interests, even in so much that Kaizu-san's father is a Shodou teacher and Kaizu-san is a Nidan in Kendo.

The following day, we went to the Kite Museum and saw the "Taco no taco" which has been Michael's main source of entertainment, and I got to build a kite.

I picked an agehachou, butterfly, and Mae-chan and I sat down together and colored it that night. After we were done, I gave it to Mae as a present, humble though it may have been.


Kaizu-san was gracious enough to let me try on his kendo equipment for some pictures and we did some fun posing for the camera.

Afterward, I mentioned to Kaizu-san that I would like to find a shop that sold hakama, the pants, before I left Japan. Kaizu-san's generosity still overwhelms me. Kaizu-san presented me with his personal hakama and kendo shirt. Afterward, he gave me a shinai to go with it. All of these items have his family name on them.

I tried to practice enrio and refuse the gifts but Kaizu-san was as insistent as he is generous; folding the gear and placing it on my bag.

I never expected such a heartfelt gift to come from this trip and I am deeply honored and amazed that he would consider me worth something of such great personal and sentimental value.

As wonderful as this present was, the greatest thing I will take away from my time in Shirone is the humanity and warmth that were shown to me by the Rotary Club members there along with Kaizu-san and his family.