I invited Mike and Anna to come along to my grandparents place in Yamanashi and my aunt and uncle's place in Yokohama (later) to experience some real Japanese family environment, especially for New Years. My cousin Wataru came up the day after we did so the new years weekend participants consisted of Mike and Anna, my grandparents, Wataru and me. Good times!
The drive to Yamanashi was beautiful. Some real mountains.
Kampai!
Obaachan playing the keyboard and Ogiichan singing an old song in his gravelly voice. We jammed quite a bit, actually. We had a really nice piano (so Anna told me, I don't know much about those things), a guitar and keyboard. I didn't really know this before, but Obaachan has a really good ear! She'd listen to what Mike was playing on the piano and after one listen would play right along with her keyboard...
Their dog, Ai-chan, though being a female, had a peculiar habit....
Great picture of Ogiichan in his workshop. Their house is just a big clutter of various crafts, artifacts, raw materials and other nicknacks... a lovely home.
This is the driveway to my grandparent's place. We had to park Mike and Anna's car out by the main street because it wouldn't fit in the footpath that is the driveway. Only Ogiichan's skinny van driven expertly by Ogiichan himself can navigate this course.
Fuji-san. Quite possibly the most beautiful mountain in the world. I hear the Table-Top Mountain in South Africa is pretty, too...
Me trying to play a shamisen. I was inspired by two brothers playing on TV - they ROCKED out on these things, I don't know how they did it, but it was amazing. The "pick" is that ice-scraper-like thing in my right hand and you have only three strings on a fretless neck.
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