1985/7 Japan

Okayama
13 February 1987
c/o USA Academy, 238-6 Izumida, Okayama-Shi
Posted 16.02.87; received 23.02.87

Gleetings!

If all goes well I should have arrived in Korea this morning six weeks hence. Not long to go at all, at all. I am really looking forward to doing some travelling again. Although I shall be a little sad to leave Okayama. My students are already saying they don’t want me to leave!! According to the Insight Travel Guide I bought, Korean food sounds great. Very hot and very garlicy. It will be a nice change from Japanese food. (Dad, I forgot to mention in my last letter that I will hang onto the R1,000 I owe you until you decide about Korea.)

Last Wednesday was a National Holiday. Designated Independence Day, although nobody is quite sure independent of what. Unless they mean independent of the American Occupation Forces. (Had to stop writing for awhile as the post arrived and with it SEVEN pieces of mail for me including my Newsweek and a long-awaited letter from Garth.) Anyway, it was marvelous to have a full day off work. I spent the day with the people from work and assorted family members. Motoyo brought her husband and two kids, Reiko her two kids, and then there was Nobue, John, the new Canadian teacher and myself. So ten of us in all. We drove out to Kibi – an area west of Okayama, where we hired bicycles and spent the day cycling between a shrine, several ancient grave mounds and a Buddhist temple. The sun shone all day despite the predicted rain of the weathermen. And it was warm, warm, warm. Like a spring day. I never did bring that electric blanket with me – and I haven’t needed it at all. After we had returned the bicycles we drove to Kurashiki for a pizza. All in all a very pleasant though exhausting day. At one of the shrines we saw part of a fascinating ritual. I could have stayed to watch the end quite happily, but one problem about doing anything in a group is that you have to bow to the will of the majority. I was especially disappointed as I’m sure they were preparing coals to WALK on. There was a huge bonfire and much loud chanting and beating of drums and ringing of bells and blowing of conch shells. All very thrilling.

The paper I’m writing on was made by hand on Shikoku. It is actually intended for writing KANJI from top to bottom!!

That’s all for this week. Take care, huh. I’ll call again on the 1st.

Love to Oupa and yourselves
Gail