Come Away with Me

Faces of Narao

So i spent the last 2 weeks on the island making thank you cards and writing appreciation notes for these folks whom without which my days in Japan would have been a much duller memory.



Some pictures that Alvin took with the owners of Kotobuki, the faces behind what is possibly the most delicious sushi place in town. Come to think of it, I've no idea what their real name is! Anyway, Mr. Kotobuki prepares the best and freshest sushi you can ever find, with menu that varies with the catch of the day from the local fishermen and was also the only person in the whole of Narao who could pronounce Alvin's name the way it should be instead of the usual A-ru-bin or A-bin!



And here is Jun-chan, brother-in-law with the sushi man and an accountant at the town's hospital. A jovial old man who is always tipsy at the end of the day from his after work drink sessions at the local bar, we spent many sessions chatting about nothing in particular over beer and sushi at Kotobuki.


A parting shot with the cake shop owner,Hamasako san at 一鶴堂(Ikkakudou), Narao's premier cake and cafe and one of my favorite Sunday afternoon hangout. This old man is full of character, makes the most delicious desserts and is always asking me to find a Japanese boyfriend so that I won't have to leave Narao! I also taught all 3 of his grandchildren in schools and got along very well with his daughter-in-law Misae-san.


Owners of Nice Day, the largest grocery store in Narao-Yasu, his wife and their grandson Yudai. Very nice people who lent me one of their bicycle for a year and treated me like one of their daughters.


Toshi san is a very close friend of the Hanasakis. Otherwise known affectionately as the Pachinko Star(going to the pachinko from Mon-Fri is like her day job you see), she also runs a 'snack' or 'sunaku' as the Japanese would have call it. In the Japanese sense, a'sunaku' usually refers to a small and cosily run bar serving mainly alcoholic drinks with some finger food. We spent many Saturday nights watching the big screen TV at Toshi's Sunaku while sipping her freshly brewed coffee or specially concocted Toshi's special. As Toshi belongs to the 'I-will-never-step-onto-a-plane' category of folks in Narao, she is definitely one reason why I will have to return to Narao over and over again.


Lastly, we have Michiko or Mic-chan, mother of another student of mine. This picture was taken at the town's festival last year when she was the official hairdresser for all the dancers. Being the lady boss of an izakaya near where I stayed, I used to drop by her place for an occasional glass of chuhai and that was also where I would be fed the latest happenings and gossips in town.

These are but some of the many friendly faces of Narao, people who had treated me extremely kindly and whose hospitality I would never be able to fully repay. From strangers in the beginning to good friends, these folks were like my guardian angels on the island, always keeping a lookout for me and always there when help or company were needed. Thank you very much for your wonderful friendships and I look forward to the day that I'll be going home to Narao to see all my friends once more.

posted by テレサ @ 8:28 AM