First day in Nikko

Finally Tony arrives in Nikko!

I stayed home while Tetsu went to the local train station to pick up Leiya's family and all their luggage.  But I was out the door as soon as I heard the car drive in!  

Luka was happy to be back in a place he knew and he began showing Tony all the toys that he'd been playing with the month before.  This wooden push train was Takumi's and it still toots as it moves across the floor.  Luka found the mechanism to make the train toot very interesting and had to show Daddy how it worked.

I can't even remember what we ate for dinner this first night but I know I did more cooking while Tony was here than I usually do.  The family had been on the trains all day and we didn't really want to go out to some restaurant again so I threw something together and reminded myself that I didn't have to show off for family...  

Despite the long day, or maybe because of it, we did decide that instead of taking showers at home that we would go to the nearest onsen and introduce Tony to public bathing.  He'd been warned so he took the plunge!  It was also going to be a first for Tetsu too because going to the onsen meant that Leiya and Luka and I would be going into the women's side and Tetsu and Tony would be using the men's side and Tetsu would have to do the explaining and guiding.  Tetsu's spent the last few years doing Duolingo's English but this was going to be the first chance for him to communicate on his own.  

"Have fun guys!"

Tony liked the outdoor bath, Tetsu seemed to get across all that needed to get across and afterwards Tony tried out one of the massage chairs in the waiting area (where men and women meet up after the bath.)

Tony and Leiya relaxing with us, maybe Luka was already asleep?

The next day was raining but we decided to make a stop at the Oya stone quarry (where I had been when the Great Tohoku Earthquake struck 12 years ago.)  

Tony and Leiya and Luka went on inside to the bottom while Tetsu and I enjoyed coffee at the giftshop. 

The rain made for interesting markings on the scenery's rocks.

Our next stop was at a recycle shop... Though I wasn't quite sure why as there isn't much in the way of clothing that Tony could buy... but we found ourselves in the used kimono section of the store where Tony convinced Leiya she should buy a couple of kimono coats to just wear over sweaters or something.  While there we started pulling out kimonos that I thought might fit Tony, and he was trying those on when an older woman approached us and pointed out that all the kimonos I was handing Tony were women's kimonos.  (Goes to show how much I know!)  She explained that women's kimono sleeves are open like a pocket but men's kimono sleeves are sewn shut.  Ha!  I didn't know that.  I started pawing through the racks of kimonos pulling out men's kimono and Tony tried those on.  

"Oh wait," said the lady, "that is an under kimono, not a real kimono."  

It was very interesting with figures on it but the lady explained that under kimonos that no one sees have patterns but outer kimonos are plain and "masculine".  Hmm...  I figured that no one in Indiana was going to know the difference and Tony wasn't going to be wearing a kimono out anyway... it was just for fun.

"In that case," said the woman, "Here is a very nice men's kimono with a kimono coat that could be used many ways though it is really much too short for you." and she began to explain, IN BROKEN ENGLISH, about the length of kimonos.

"You speak English!!  Could you explain to us what obi (belt) would be used with this kimono?"

and she pulled out an obi and proceeded to tie Tony into the kimono.  She reached across him in a big hug thrusting her arm through the belt and said, 

"Sword.  Here is where samurai held sword."

We were fascinated.

"Why do you know so much about kimono?"

It turns out that the lady was a kimono teacher and obviously, though her English wasn't great, she had experience dressing foreigners in kimono.  I then asked her to explain how to fold up a kimono and she demonstrated that for us.  We really took up a lot of her time but she seemed to enjoy the encounter and using her English and Tony bought the kimono set and obi though I don't know how he's going to use it once back in the States.  Just having it though will bring back memories of the very nice older lady who helped us so much this day!

We had ramen for lunch at one of our favorite ramen places and then home for a VERY short rest because we had things planned for that evening!