" Re: Thoughts about Japan and more…
A little while ago I was able to teleport myself (almost) back to Japan by watching the movie “The Ramen Girl” starring Brittany Murphy. I figured, since I can’t teleport by eating Chicago-based sushi, I can try to immerse myself in a movie (although they come close, no restaurant tastes enough like the fish I tried at Tsukiji fish market at five in the morning – soft, sensual, just the right balance of flavor from fresh fish caught right out of the water). Well, it worked for a short while, but I find myself always itching for more Japanese culture, food, and the past experiences of GIM Japan 2010. Most memorable for me will always be my home stay family. What started out as a bit of an embarrassing occasion turned into one of the most warm and welcome events of my life. Why embarrassing? The night I stayed with my family I did not realize we would be together after bath time for tea-time. Note to all home-stayers! A long t-shirt does not suffice as a proper night gown. I understood immediately after my bath, stepping out into the living room for some family tea-time, the discomfort in the room (three kids, parents, grandparents and all!)
The next morning all was fine. I was treated to a fresh breakfast with the entire family, and we happily romped off sightseeing and shopping. I was part of the family, even though I knew three words of the language, looked nothing like them, and met them the evening prior. So if you also find yourself itching for Japanese food, culture, or similar, you can either make sure to go to Japan Club events or, if you need something even more frequent, visit Dozika in Evanston. You get fairly good sushi for the price, and there’s always this cute little Japanese girl stacking menus, smiling, or coloring – bringing me back to the warm family environment on my Japan trip. I even spotted our dear friend Kota with his family there one evening – he’s from Japan and he goes there, so then something must be right.
The movie can be found here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0806165/ "