Arriving in Bunsui

I took the 9:40 bus to Bunsui this morning, arrived an hour later, and began walking, trying to get my bearings. Where was Yuuko's rice shop?

Without thinking or remembering precisely where to go, I walked right to her shop without missing a turn.

I have imagined what that moment might be like. As I approached the front of her shop, I noticed a man sitting there alone where I typically saw Yuuko sitting. I stood there for a moment and our eyes met ... after a long pause, I finally said "Yuuko?"

As I'm writing this, I now wonder why I didn't ask "Yuuko wa doko desuka?" (where is Yuuko?) That may have been more helpful because he and I wound up talking to each other in our respective languages with little convergence.

Eventually I took out a scrap of paper and wrote down the names I knew there ... Yuuko (the rice shop owner), Reiko (the English teacher), and Nanzan (the sake shop owner).

And then I said "kyouju" (professor), and that seemed to ring a bell. So he got on the phone and called Reiko and she and I talked. She explained to me that the man is Yamata-san, Yuuko's husband, whom I had not met before.

So Yamata-san and I sat there and had tea and managed to exchange a thought or two with the help of my little English-Japanese dictionary. I still had no idea where Yuuko was or if I'd see her.

About 15 minutes later, though, she walked in the door and saw me sitting there. She paused in front of me and we both gave deep bows to each other, eyes misty.

A little later Reiko showed up and that moved the conversation along ... I heard Yamata-san telling her what happened when I first showed up. I could recognize "gaijin" (foreigner) and "sensei" (teacher) and from his expressions the confusion he had. As he was describing it we all laughed and laughed.

Several of her friends showed up during the next hour or so, coming and going, and I met an English-speaking engineer who works at Kashiwazaki and who knew firsthand of the damage there from the earthquake. Apparently Reiko had taught him English in her class 30 years ago.

After a stop by the Ryokan museum I got to enjoy the festivities: a Shinto celebration in Bunsui, the Bunsui Matsuri. I was dazzled ... so many smiling faces, so much happiness, a totally engaged community. Look at the photos ... they say it all.

In the photo, from left to right: me, Osamu (the engineer), Yamata-san, Yuuko, and Reiko.