My Host Family
This is my
girlfriend Ayako's family, which also was my host family. I met her at the end
of 1995 when I was stationed in Japan as a Marine. They have an extra room above
their restaurant which they let me stay in. Ayako, the one in red, actually
prefers California to Japan and wants to finish either an Art or Biology degree
at one of the UC campuses. She is now at a community college building her
Engligh skills high enough to transfer. Her older sister, Mihoko, loves and
works at Disneyland, and is into Brit-Pop big time. Her mom, Kazuko, is the
brains behind the restaurant and takes care of all the detail work. The image of
the Japanese wife as subservient to the husband is definitely a false one. In
fact, most wives in Japan handle all the family finances and give the husband a
monthly allowance! Since she is the only one in the family who does not speak
English, I learned a lot of Japanese talking to her. I was happily surprised to
discover that Yasuo, the father, has a lot of common interests with me. We are
both into classic rock such as Led Zeppelin, Santana, and the Grateful Dead, and
he even likes old American muscle cars. While I was there, we had many
discussions as to which Van Halen lead singer was better (I liked Roth, he liked
Hagar). Their restaurant serves a kind of Japanese food called Okonomiyaki
(which means 'cooked how you like it' because it can be made with almost any
ingredients). Okonomiyaki is mainly an Osaka dish, and Ayako's dad actually went
there to learn how to cook it from one of the best chefs in the city. It looks
kind of like a pancake with mayonaise, fish, pork, or anything else you want on
top of it. Their restaurant, called 'Don Don Tei', is very popular and was
recognized on TV and in magazines as one of the best in Tokyo. They even have
Japanese celebrities (Sumo wrestlers, actors, J-Pop singers) as guests from time
to time. They were all extremely nice to me the whole year, and I will be hard
pressed to return the favor when they come to the U.S.
Back