On the weekend, I went to Tottori prefecture where my brother lives.
For Japanese people, Tottori is one of the most rural areas in Japan. The population of Tottori Prefecture is almost the same as that of Ota Ward, one of Tokyo’s 23 wards. Tokyo has the largest population in Japan with 1,3510,000 people, while Tottori has the smallest population of 570,000. My older brother lives in Tottori and I go there several times a year. Tottori is a city that is suitable for sightseeing as it is close to the mountains and the sea. Due to the low population and cheap land, the park is very large. Fish dishes are cheap and very tasty. If you are interested, please see the tourist site here.
Daisen is one of the mountains representing Tottori.
From the foot of Mt. Daisen, a gentle plain continues to the sea, so people who live in Tottori can see Mt. Daisen from afar. In Daisen, you can enjoy vast grasslands in summer and skiing and snowboarding in winter. Well, I went to Tottori with my mother on the weekend. It is 200 kilometers from my parents’ house. It takes two and a half hours by car. Two and a half hours by car feels close, but since it’s two and a half hours on the highway all the way, it still feels like a long distance. And my younger brother’s family who lives in Kyoto will also go to Tottori where my brother lives on the same day. Tottori is 300 kilometers from Kyoto, which takes four hours by car. It’s interesting how everyone came together. My mother and I have been talking about driving somewhere. On the other hand, my brother bought a new car and wanted to drive somewhere. My younger brother’s wife said, “Then I want to go to Tottori where my brother-in-law is.” When my brother heard that he was coming to Tottori, he contacted me. When I heard that, I decided that my mother and I should go to Tottori. My mother always wants to see her nephews and nieces, but she cares about her two sons’ wives. In general, there is a social convention in Japan that a wife is not good at her husband’s mother. They take care of each other, they are the sons in between, and their husbands sometimes have a hard time. These things can happen anywhere in the world. My mother is kind to my brother and his wife. And each wife is also very close to her mother. From my point of view, they don’t seem to have any problems, but my mother says she cares a lot. Seeing my lovely grandchildren seems to be very difficult at times.
But this time, a little coincidence allowed my mother to see her two grandchildren at the same time. My mother complained, “These children don’t like me at all,” but they had smiles on their faces and looked happy. If it weren’t for the trip to Tottori, it would have been just me and my mother. It may be fun in its own way, but it may be a lonely trip compared to a trip surrounded by grandchildren.
My mother often said, “Even though I have three sons, none of them are getting married.” “Someone else has grandchildren, but I have no grandchildren.” spoke like a tragic heroine. All three sons were married in their mid-thirties. And one divorced in two years, and two sons had grandchildren. Like many grandfathers and grandmothers, both fathers and mothers seemed very happy when they had grandchildren. When my father saw his first grandchild, he even said, “I don’t mind dying any time soon.” Six years later, he is still alive and well.
Years later, covid-19 has prevented my parents from seeing their grandchildren easily. Even without covid it’s hard for parents to see grandchildren. My mother said, “A parent with a son is a loss. I can’t see my grandchild anytime.” Because of that, I personally felt that this trip was a very happy one. Even after returning home from the trip, my mother’s smile looks very fulfilling to me. By the way, I have been divorced for 2 years and have no children or a wife. My brother says, “Statistics show that 30% of married people get divorced. It’s natural for one of three siblings to get divorced.” I take it as an older brother’s words of comfort. I live alone every day, but I don’t feel particularly lonely. When I feel lonely, it’s when someone says, “You’re lonely because you eat dinner alone every day, aren’t you?” I feel lonely when I think, “This person doesn’t understand what I’m saying.” When I was married, I made breakfast, lunch, and dinner. No matter how much I made it, my wife didn’t appreciate it, and I felt lonely every day. When I cook for someone, I worry about their reaction. “Is it delicious?” “It’s rude to ask too much about the taste.” So living alone is very comfortable. However, spending time with my nephew and niece on this trip, I think children are treasures. I don’t have it, but it’s a very nice existence. I am very grateful to be able to spend time like this.
These are characters from a classic Japanese anime called “GeGeGe no Kitaro”. The author of GeGeGe no Kitaro is from Tottori, so with the support of the town, the entire shopping district has become a town of Kitaro.
Ge…Ge…Ge…Gegege of Ge….
Goo-goo-goo in bed in the morning.
It’s fun..It’s fun…
Ghosts don’t have school or exams.
Ge…Ge…Ge…Gegege of Ge….
Let’s sing together
Ge…Ge…Ge…Gegege of Ge….
Ge…Ge…Ge…Gegege of Ge….
Take a leisurely walk in the afternoon.
It’s fun..It’s fun…
The ghost has no company, no job, nothing.
Ge…Ge…Ge…Gegege of Ge….
Let’s sing together
Ge…Ge…Ge…Gegege of Ge….
Ge…Ge…Ge…Gegege of Ge….
Sports day at the graveyard at night.
It’s fun..It’s fun…
Ghosts don’t die and there’s no disease.
Ge…Ge…Ge…Gegege of Ge….
Let’s sing together
Ge…Ge…Ge…Gegege of Ge….
This is a GeGeGe no Kitaro song. It seems that the ghost is singing the morning, day and night.
In Japan, if they are over 40 years old, it is an anime that everyone watched in their childhood. The author lost his arm in the war. It seems that he continued to write this animation in a very difficult situation. There is also a documentary film about the author. The ghosts that have been passed down from ancient times in Japan are drawn in a very familiar way. The author’s name is Shigeru Mizuki.
We all got together on Saturday about the trip. I went to the town of Shigeru Mizuki. Go to the pub at night. It’s an izakaya in Yonago City, Tottori Prefecture. By the time we arrived at this restaurant, we were refused entry from about four restaurants because they were full. However, there were still seats available in this restaurant. The restaurant clerk said, “There are seats, but we are very busy. It will take more than 40 minutes to serve the food. Is it okay?” We walked in because we’d rather be haphazard than wandering around in the cold outdoors. And we had heard that the food was slow to be served, so we placed many orders on our first order. We ordered two beers each, anticipating that the beer would be served too late. However, after about 10 minutes, the ordered dishes and alcohol were served one after another. We thought we would have to wait a long time, so we were happy, but we were served a lot of food and alcohol at once, so we all just consumed food and alcohol. Everyone laughed and ate and drank. The two kids are running around and playing in the tatami room. Our private room was very spacious, so even if our two children ran around, it wouldn’t be a nuisance to others. I stumbled upon this restaurant by chance, but I was lucky. The two kids were watching and talking to the robot that brought the food with great interest. There were many dishes such as sashimi, sushi, tempura, sukiyaki hotpot, and yakitori, but the two kids ate only edamame. I just looked it up, and it seems that edamame is also known overseas as edamame. Surprise. In the middle of the meal, it looked like we would have a fight as our opinions were divided into two groups: pro-nuclear power and anti-nuclear power. But after all, we are brothers, so we can talk about such delicate things. Brothers are wonderful, I don’t really understand, but the talk ended peacefully.
The next day, we went to A forest country on Mt. Daisen. Large slides, a wide variety of athletics, railroads that only children can ride and adults push forward, shuriken throwing sites, blowgun games, children’s golf, table tennis, crayfish fishing, hiking trails, mountain bike trails, campsites, etc. It’s a huge park. We can buy unlimited play tickets for $20 per person. It seems that the holiday is full of many families. For children, it’s a place like heaven, but for adults, it’s a hell that robs them of their physical strength.
Around 3:00 pm, we came to a crossroads with my brother’s family. On the way back, Daisen saw us off.
I went home while running side by side with my brother’s car. My brother and I were tired from traveling, so we often stopped at highway service areas. There were so many souvenirs for sale in the service area, but we just had a look. Most of the souvenirs were items that we had seen or purchased before, and there were quite a few items that were new to us. And the ones sold in the service area are overpriced. This is probably the best reason.
It was around 19:30 when I got home. It was around 21:00 when my younger brother’s family arrived in Kyoto.
I’m glad everyone made it home safely.
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