Blast From The Past

Here comes a long post, people...It's a good one, though!

I had an amazing day. It was probably the best day I've had since arriving here. I was ridiculously happy for about 6 whole hours, to the point that I was giddy and could not stop talking :-) I decided to go to Kyoto on my own, after plans of going with a friend fell through. I am really glad I went alone :-)

Reconnecting with old friends is such an awesome experience, especially with those who are halfway around the world! It was truly by chance that I was able to meet four of the people I went to elementary school with 13 years ago. I owe it to the current principal of the elementary school. The school is completely different today, since it was rebuilt after we left. I was a bit disoriented and more disappointed that it was not the same old place...I showed up, and there was a baseball game in progress. I assumed no one was in the building, but after talking to one of the moms there, she directed me to the principal's office. I explained myself to him, and he pulled out the old class lists from 1993. The rest is history! Basically, he called my friend Minako's house, which was closest from the school and in my neighborhood as well. The conversation went something like,
"Hi, this is the principal from Kinugasa Elementary School. Does your daughter Minako remember a Monica Greene? Yeah? Well, she's here in my office. Can she stop by your house?" Kind of ridiculous, right? :-) That would never happen back home!
Well, Minako happened to be home, so I just walked over to her house and met her! I was SO excited to see her! We walked to Hirano Shrine, where we used to gather every morning to walk to school. It looks a LOT smaller than what I remember. Most of it is the same, but the inside changed a bit, the paths and whatnot.

Finally, we walked down the street to my old house. The narrow alley is just as narrow as I remember, perhaps even more so, now that I am bigger. The house at the corner is still there, where the old lady who HATED children used to chase us with her broom...No one lives there anymore. Anyway, no one was home at the house, but the outer door was open (leads to the area before the front door of the house, also known as the genkan). I snuck in and took a few pictures. See them below. The area of what I could see was a mess! Seeing the house brought back many memories (Alicia, you know what I'm talking about when I say the bathroom window!!!)...I plan on going back again, hopefully to see the inside of the house, too.

Minako and I walked around the area and came upon another classmate's house. Maho was home, so we invited her to come and go for a walk. Minako and Maho had not talked since high school (I think, something like that). To make a long story short, we visited 2 other friends' houses: one was unable to come hang out but we got to say hi and take a picture. The other works at the Lexus Car dealer place, so we interrupted her at work and surprised her (her dad said we could). Before leaving, my friends and I also visited with my old neighbors, the Watanabes. Their house is EXACTLY the same as when we left! They were very excited to see me, invited all of us in and talked nonstop for an hour and a half. It was very intense. But I am glad I got to see them. The general consensus from everyone (including Minako and Maho) was that I look the same, talk the same and "actually remember Japanese". I guess that's a good thing!

One of best parts of the day was going to a place called Monica's. It is a famous cake eatery in Kyoto. The cake was delicious! It is very cool to have a place named after you. Now I can officially say I am FAMOUS in Japan!

I also saw Kitano Tenmangu, which is another shrine close to our house. With Minako and Maho, we stopped at the local candy store (same one, relocated), walked past our former dentists' place, and reminised together over the good times when we were little....sigh.

I am also putting up old pictures from our last time there, some of the same places I visited today...a long time ago. Good times!
-Monica


























































Kyoto, 1990-1994