Shoe, shoe baby

A few days ago the idea came to me to do a blog about my memories of my trips to Japan, based on random pictures I pull out of the dozens that Bill and I have taken over the years. I may also include memories of our student's visits, too, as it's a piece of Japan that comes to visit me from time to time. Anyway, the first picture I thought of putting up was this one. It took me some time to find it as it's not one I took--rather, it's one Bill took, scanned into the computer and then printed out as part of a composite of photographs of the Kubos. I may do a post about those pictures another time.

This one highlights a fond memory I have of Etsuko Kubo, Hiroko's mother. It's tradition in Japan to remove your shoes before entering a house; it certainly keeps the floors clean. The entry way is called the genkan. It's often a step or two below the main floors of the house. The Kubo's was relatively new at the time we visited (Oct. 2001) owing to the house being new. The floors in the entry were an attractive granite. Every time we'd enter the house we'd take our shoes off. However, Bill and I being the sloppy little America-jin gaijin we are, we would leave our shoes just any whichaway we took them off. Mr. Kubo and Hiroko weren't too much better, really, which is why this picture evokes memories of Etsuko. Every day I would see her methodically and neatly straighten out our shoes so that the toes pointed outward towards the door; making it much easier for us to slip our shoes on and go. She never appeared to scold anybody for this; she just did it quietly. But it struck me as fitting her neat, tidy, methodical personality. Hiroko told us once her mother was a "daemon!!!" because she could be tyrannical about making Hiroko study (Etsuko was an elementary school teacher before she retired). But to me she is a wonderful, thougthful, caring person, and I love her very much and miss her a lot.

We hope to return to Japan this November, and are planning to stay with the Kubos or Hiroko and her husband. I look very much to seeing Etsuko again, and once more observe her untiring effort to make sure all our shoes are neatly pointed the right way so we can go out and get on with life, just like Etsuko does.