“Thank you for helping me,” I say, pulling out my school papers.
“I’m not good at…” I sigh… “most of this. I can read it better than I can speak it, and it’s hard to understand when someone is talking… Littleton-sensei talks so -fast-,” I say.
I’m good at every other subject. Why this one is so hard…
I hand him a sheet of paper. “This is the conversation portion.” It sounds useful, but do foreigners really talk to Japanese girls, expecting them to speak English, just to get directions to the train station or the museum?
Tsutomu: I clear the table as she gets out her school paper. The light from the outside is bright, but not so bright that it blinds us. It’s just perfect.
“I’m not good at…” I sigh… “most of this. I can read it better than I can speak it, and it’s hard to understand when someone is talking… Littleton-sensei talks so -fast-,”
“If you can read it, half the work is done.” I say seriously and get down on the floor with her.
She gives me the material and I look it over and frown.
“This is pretty dry.” I look back seriously at her. “But think of it this way, if you do ever get to those countries, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to ask for directions?”
I flip through some more of the book.
“How about we make it interesting? Instead of asking for directions generically – how about -I- ask you for directions to your hometown and you can tell me that in English. Then you can ask me the same and I’ll respond in the same manner?”
Maybe a generic conversation isn’t what she needs but something more concrete?
“So tell me Nishino-san,” I say in English, “Where do you live and how do you get there?”
It’s as we’re sitting I notice … “is that a… ” I try to remember the word, “sofa?” I’ve seen plenty of Western furniture, but this one is covered entirely in cloth, with no carved wood visible… and it looks soft. They have sofas and chairs in the reception areas of the school, but they’re hard and slippery.
If you can read it, half the work is done.
“I can read… directions. But their poems, novels?” I shake my head.
But he has a good idea about having a normal conversation instead of the rote ones outlined in my homework.
So tell me Nishino-san, Where do you live and how do you get there?
Words come out, haltingly. “I am from Sakata. From Tokyo take train to Niigata and find a boats that goes north. We don’t have train.”
“Where are you from, Fujita-san?” I let out a breath. That one is in my book.
(OOC – she’s getting the words mostly right but her pronunciation is bad)
“I can read… directions. But their poems, novels?”
I’m surprised? She always seem confident but I suppose not with this? But that’s why we’re doing this.
“I am from Sakata. From Tokyo take train to Niigata and find a boats that goes north. We don’t have train.”
I nod. I don’t think I’ve heard of Sakata but it’s up in the North she says? She has to go by boat? “Wait… It should be “From Tokyo take -the- train to…” I pause, “Also it’s “Find a boat… Not boats. Unless you have a lot of friends that you’re taking to Sakata.” I joke a little.
“Where are you from, Fujita-san?”
“I’m from Tokyo but my mother is from Aizu. I’ve only been to Aizu once when my father sent my mother away but it’s easy to get there. You go to the Tokyo Grand Station and take an overnight train to Aizu Wakamatsu.”
“Here, I’ll ask you a question not in the books. If you get it right, we’ll sit on the sofa.” Of course I noticed her eyeing our sofa, “It’s really nice and soft! Great to sit in…”
Leaning in I ask, “Nishino-san, why do you want to go to Sakata? Who do you want to visit there? What do you want to do there?”
He corrects my words. I’m mostly right. They put a lot of extra little words in there that seem pointless, but… one boat versus many… I sigh. My English teacher said that Japanese was harder to learn, but she can’t be right.
Unless you have a lot of friends that you’re taking to Sakata.
I answer in Japanese. “It’s not a beauty spot… ” And besides, what would my Futaba friends, who all come from samurai families, care of a fishing town? Well, they all like to eat fish, but those who risk their lives to pull it from an uncaring, endless sea?
I’ve only been to Aizu once when my father sent my mother away but it’s easy to get there.
Sent away? Is that when she left? And now there’s Yagi-san. “Mountains?” I ask, in English.
Then he attempts to bribe me with the sofa!
Nishino-san, why do you want to go to Sakata? Who do you want to visit there? What do you want to do there?
I’m quiet, think of what I want to say… but also, how to actually say it. Also, he’s close to my face. Maybe he thinks I’m not paying attention?
“I want to see my mother also father. My brothers also sisters also some have babies now I have not met.” I close my eyes for a minute, remembering the sounds, the smells… the busy harbor. It’s been -years-… “I want to see my father’s new factory, made with brick also stone from your Aizu Wakamatsu. I want see the tairyo-bata…” I stop, struggling for the words, “good catching flags?”
I take a piece of paper, and a pen, and quickly sketch out. “My father flag. Our name…. also three fish, waves…” How he said that he liked having one more little one, because only the little ones were excited to see him at the end of the day…
“It’s not a beauty spot… ”
Her use of English is not elegant but she’s only starting. “Maybe you mean, “It’s not a beautiful place, like a tourist town.”
“Mountains?”
“There are mountains but I’ve only heard of it in stories – that young men fought in Mt. Bandai and -him- in Inawashiro. I didn’t go out much for the few months I stayed in Aizu.” Ah, I said that in Japanese and I didn’t really mean to answer her.
“I want to see my mother also father. My brothers also sisters also some have babies now I have not met.”
Oh so she has a lot of family. That’s nice. Then she closes her eyes and starts talking more. I watch her face. She’s pretty… I blink and lean back, making sure there’s proper distance.
“I want to see my father’s new factory, made with brick also stone from your Aizu Wakamatsu. I want see the tairyo-bata…” I stop, struggling for the words, “good catching flags?”
I don’t know much about the stone cutters of Aizu, only that they made the castle a maze – but I don’t tell her this. It’s then I realize, her father is a fisherman – if he goes out to see and has a flag.
“My father flag. Our name…. also three fish, waves…”
She draws it out. Not badly. I can make it out. “Your father must be a very proud man. I bet he tries his best to have a good catch to wave his flag by the time he gets home.” I smile.
So even fisherman have -pride-, unlike him. “Oh wait, I should say that in English…. Your father must catch a lot of fish so he can proudly display his flag.” I look at her and wonder did she understand that?
“Tourist?” I repeat his English. I don’t know that word…
He answers me in Japanese about Aizu, and his reference to him… must be Fujita-san. The stories about fighting certainly matches up to the stories Tsurumi-chan likes about him and Fujita-sensei… “But you could at least see the mountains, right, even if you didn’t climb them?” Still, in Japanese, I ask, “and are there regional sweets? I -know- you had to find those…”
I’m glad that he leans back. I don’t want his family thinking… ugh. I’m not old enough. And it’s nice just to have a family to visit.
Oh wait, I should say that in English…. Your father must catch a lot of fish so he can proudly display his flag
“He… he have factory now, also more boats, others can fish. He can sit in factory, but he happierest on boats.” I say, knowing I’m stumbling. “Hahaue likes factory, she has… want to do more. But we are not samurai. We catch fish. Now we sell a lot of fish.” I look at him. “My parents are both proud,” I finish in Japanese.
I go ahead and move over to the sofa. I don’t know if I passed, or if non-samurai can sit here.
But you could at least see the mountains, right, even if you didn’t climb them?” Still, in Japanese, I ask, “and are there regional sweets? I -know- you had to find those…”
I don’t answer her question about climbing mountains. My mother was too sick or maybe too ashamed, she asked me to not go out. I try to smile as she mentions sweets, “Aizu has some sweets. It is called Dagashi, samurai families have it with tea or honey.”
But we are not samurai. We catch fish. Now we sell a lot of fish.” I
“So your father was a fisherman and now is a merchant. I think that’s better.” Then I remember to add, “In Aizu, Commoners can have Jokashi.”
“My parents are both proud,”
I nod at this but she leaves and goes to the sofa. “Hey!” I say and stand up suddenly, then plop down, “You could’ve waited. It’s not like I was going to forbid you to sit here – even if you didn’t pass.” I look serious, “But take a break. I think you did okay, but you need to work on it some more especially your English pronunciation.”
I wonder if we did enough to get her to pass Monday’s test?
Tsutomu-kun doesn’t seem to want to talk about Aizu, or the time he spent there.
So your father was a fisherman and now is a merchant. I think that’s better.
I don’t tell her that plenty of people look down on both… but he’s trying to be nice, I guess, in his own way. Commoner? Is that all I am?
No… I know that I come from good people. And isn’t this a new Japan? There’s the Emperor, his court… and everyone else.
“My family works hard,” is all I say.
But this sofa… I sink back. “It’s like a cloud,” I say, in Japanese, even though I’ve never been on anything like this. We have Western beds in the dorm but they’re harder than a thin futon on a bare floor.
“Sakata is far from everything in Japan, but it’s near enough to the rest of the world. There’s trade… with Korea, with China, with Russia. And the kitamaebune connects us to the other towns in Japan, up and down the coast. We have good pears, apples…” I smile a little, “cherries… all good for turning into serious sweets. Although when people think of Yamagata prefecture food, sadly, it’s Hippari Udon… that has -natto-.”
Then I stand, realizing that he’s sitting next to me. “Thank you… I’ll study more on the written part, but maybe I’ll get a passing on the conversation.”
OOC: will reply tom
“My family works hard,”
“That’s a… Good thing.” I tell her as she sinks into the sofa. I turn my head to look at her.
“It’s like a cloud,”
“It’s my next favorite thing in this house.” I say. There’s not much I like in this place but there’s nowhere to go.
Sakata is far from everything in Japan, but it’s near enough to the rest of the world. There’s trade… with Korea, with China, with Russia. And the kitamaebune connects us to the other towns in Japan, up and down the coast. We have good pears, apples…” I smile a little, “cherries…
“Do you want to see the world?” I look up at the ceiling. “If you do, you’ve got to learn more than just English. Korean, Chinese and Russian.” She smiles as she says cherries, “But if you like cherries there’s enough of those here.”
Suddenly she stands up. Why?
“Thank you… I’ll study more on the written part, but maybe I’ll get a passing on the conversation.”
I stand up from the sofa. “I understood you well enough, that’s what’s good about practicing without a script.”
I look at the time. It’s just around time for lunch.
“Do you want to stay for lunch? Yagi-san cooks well but, since “he’s” here, we’re probably going to have soba but maybe there’ll be tempura.”
It’s my next favorite thing in this house
“What’s your first favorite?” I can’t help but to ask.
Do you want to see the world?
I nod, but I don’t answer further, for a minute. If he feels like he does, and shares his mother’s opinions about my interests, which helped me to find my dream…
“England London is where I want to go,” I say, in English, slowly. Switching back to Japanese, I add, “I want to study… and share… at the Royal School of Needlework, for a year or two. I love Japanese embroidery, but… I want to learn more. At RSN I can learn not just European, but Indian, central Asian… and I can teach the artists there our ways.” I look away. Well, at least he won’t throw my imported pattern book across the room like Fujita-sensei did once, because it’s not with me. To her, anything not Japanese is inferior, just like farmers and vegetable sellers are to his son.
I’m a little surprised that he invites me to lunch. “Yes, please, thank you – I do actually eat food and not just sweets,” I say, with a bit of a smile. And again, saying “he” for his father instead of something more normal.
One day, if we’re ever friends, I can ask about that.
“What’s your first favorite?”
“Oh…” I consider whether to tell her my secret hiding place, “Umm the roof.”
“England London is where I want to go,” “I want to study… and share… at the Royal School of Needlework, for a year or two. I love Japanese embroidery, but… I want to learn more. At RSN I can learn not just European, but Indian, central Asian… and I can teach the artists there our ways.”
“Embroidery? Ah girls should make pretty things. Maybe you’ll get even better if you go to different schools.” I nod, “But uhh… -he- was in London a long time ago and left us, I’m not sure if it helped him in any way.” I shrug. Oh I know he recuperated there but he could’ve recuperated -here- and now Yoshi’s gone.
“Yes, please, thank you – I do actually eat food and not just sweets,”
“OK you just study there then and I’ll ask Yagi-san to include you for lunch.”
(OOC: You can close unless you want to RPG the lunch though I don’t think they have to.)
The roof? “Oh… that does sound like a good place to go. What can you see from there?” Not that I find Tokyo particularly scenic after the sea back home, but… it must be nice to see the sky all around you.
But he doesn’t… scoff at my dreams. That’s something, I guess? But either way… I didn’t let his mother discourage me, so he won’t.
But uhh… -he- was in London a long time ago and left us, I’m not sure if it helped him in any way
“He didn’t go for craftwork, did he?” I smile a little, imaging Fujita-san at anything like that. But Tsutomu-kun’s voice is flat when he talks about this part of his father in particular.
I sit back down at the table and start to work on my word list.
(OOC – Close, not RPG’ing lunch lol)