Parking Garages and Japan Trips

We were in a parking garage the other day, and I told John that underground parking garages always remind me of going to Japan, because we would stay in the Hilton and leave our car in the garage. The only other parking garage I ever went to when we were little was the one at the mall, but it didn't have that same echo and parking garage smell.

Other memories of Japan trips? Leave comments!

Obaachan Advice

I found a list I made of items of advice that Obaachan gave me one summer when I was staying with her.

• It is better to have friends that don't live too close. Neighbors can snoop and know your doings, so they don't make good friends.
• Don't lend money. If someone is asking for money, it's because they don't have any, so they won't pay you back.
• Don't marry someone too tall. It looks funny. Better someone about the same height.
• Don't marry someone with a long face. A little face is better.
• Half-Chinese, half-Japanese children are the smartest.
• Don't cut your nails too short; they'll bleed and they are hard to heal.
• Roll your clothes up to pack them. More will fit. That's what Motoyuki does.
• Fold your clothes up and hit them before you hang them to dry. They won't wrinkle that way.
• Run clothes through the washer one or two extra times to get all of the detergent out.
• Don't go for the #1 guy in class, because he'll have a big ego. Go for the #2, because he's still smart but won't think too much of himself.
• Marriage isn't fun. Don't look forward to it.
• Save money. Then you will be happy.
• It is best when the whole family lives close by.
• When you are a big lawyer, hire your mom to run the office. Give Eimi and KJ jobs too.
• Don't let animals sleep in your room. Their hair will get stuck in your throat and lungs.
• Don't eat greasy foods. They'll make you fat, and they'll raise your cholesterol.
• Don't go for handsome guys, because they think they're good-looking. Better one that is a little bit homely.
• Don't tell a guy that you like him. Just find a chance to pay him a compliment.
• Don't walk around barefoot in the house. It will make childbirth more difficult. If you always wear your slippers or socks, the baby will come right out.
• If you go on a trip, always bring back presents to your teachers. They may not show it, but they will like you for it.
• Be polite. People will like you if you learn to be polite, and will be offended if you don't.

Words to live by...

Middle/High School Daddy (Round 2)

Back row, 7th from the right

Middle/High School Daddy, Round 1

Primary Age Daddy

Obaachan always brags about how smart her Takao was in school. In elementary school, the school was divided into achievement levels, and the groups met on different floors, the lowest group being on the first floor and the highest on the fourth. Of course Takao shot right up to the fourth floor ahead of all his cousins, even the older ones. Apparently his older cousin was having a hard time in math and was getting tutored, and Takao was there and would sit in. When the cousin couldn't get it, the tutor would turn to Takao, who would invariably give the correct answer. This of course made Obaachan's in-laws upset, and got his cousins in trouble for not doing as well as Takao did =).

Daddy was a bit of a loner, but everybody liked him and he always had a lot of friends.

Daddy loved dogs. He had all sorts of dogs over the years. Mom always heard about Shiro, which was a little white spitz.

Obaachan ran a few restaurant/kiosks in her day, and had soft-serve ice cream. I'm sure Daddy got his fair share of them =).

I think we all know the pig story, but here is Mom's retelling for posterity's sake:

At school, Daddy didn't recognize what a pig was in some kind of homework or classwork, and the teacher may have ridiculed him a little bit. This, of course, made Obaachan unhappy (to say the least), and being the excellent mother that she was, they got on a train and went into the city to the zoo in search of a pig. When they couldn't locate one they asked a zookeeper where the pigs were kept, and he replied, "Madame, this is a zoo. You find pigs on a farm." Takao never let Obaachan live it down (though she tells the story the best).

When Daddy was 7 or 8, he was laying under the kotatsu (Japanese table with a heater underneath and a quilt over the top), and while he slept he developed a third degree burn on his leg. As an adult he still had about a 4-inch ovular scar on his calf from the burn.

This bicycle wasn't his; it was a prop at the photo studio.

With cousin Yasuko. Obaachan contributed a lot to raising her after Yasuko's mom passed away.

We think maybe Dad is the 4th from the left on the top row, looking over to the left.

Third row back, first on the left.

Third row back, fourth from the right:

Daddy's drawing is the biggest face in the lower left corner, with a long, straight line for a nose. He misspelled his name: Yamata Takao =).

Same picture as above, but bigger.

Daddy's Baby Record

 So I forgot that I also took pictures of all the documents and things that Obaachan showed me but I couldn't take to copy. One was the infant record for Daddy. Mom wanna help me translate any of this? I'll edit this post as I am able to do it.

Daddy was born at 9:50 am, 5 lbs 12 oz.

If I am not mistaken, the box has a piece of the umbilical cord in it. Obaachan has it all wrapped up together in the handkerchief.