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Nara City is where Yushi grew up and where his family still lives. The first permanent capital of Japan was in Nara, back in the 8th century AD. Like most fairly large cities in Japan, Nara has its own prefecture (county/state). Nara prefecture is located just next to Osaka prefecture. In fact, it's only a 30 minute subway ride to Osaka.
Like Kyoto, Nara is also famous for having a large number of ancient buildings, many of which are sited in the world heritage listings.
In the center of the city, you can find Nara Park, a large park inhabited by thousands of deer. They are all over the place. The deer are quite friendly and will eat from your hand. In fact, they can get a bit anxious and somewhat agressive. I saw a little old lady get attacked by five deer while she was trying to feed them. They started chewing her sweater and scratching her to get at the food.
Also within Nara Park is the Todaiji, which houses the world's largest bronze statue. Founded in the 8th century, the Todaiji is the largest wooden building in the world, even though it is only one third of its original size. Not only is it a national treasure, it's also registered as one of the world heritage sites.
The day after I arrived on my first visit to Japan, I met Yushi's friends from school. Yushi has known most of them since gradeschool, so he is on very familiar terms with them. They introduced me to an interesting custom. It would seem that once someone is introduced into a group of close friends, it is necessary to find a way to totally humiliate that person; sort of an initiation. Since I had no idea what any of them were saying, it was quite easy for them to accomplish this task. I also have a terrible time remembering names; especially Japanese names. This was exactly what they needed. All throughout the evening, they would point to themselves and ask me if I remembered their names. A truly horrific experience.
Another bizarre part of my first visit was Yushi's dogs. One of these dogs, named E.O., always mounts my leg at every opportunity. His mother really enjoys this for some bizarre reason. Instead of prying the dog from my leg, they encourage him and say "Oh, isn't that cute..." Yushi's father will finally intervene and lock him in the other room. Tempting though it may be, I don't dare strike the dog; Yushi's mother would probably throw me out of the house. So, between the food and the dog, a visit to see Yushi's parents is always a challenge. Fortunately, they have a guest house where we stay.
Yushi's mother didn't like me at first. I later found out the reasons for this. Initially, though, it was caused by the fact that she didn't know me very well and I didn't speak the language. The fact that I was dating her son probably didn't help things much, either. Yushi told me that she used to be Catholic; I wonder if this has anything to do with it. We have since developed a good relationship. She likes to challenge me with Japanese food. Whenever we come to visit, she puts together a wonderful home-cooked meal. I don't like shellfish or raw things very much, but what can I do, say "no"? She always wins. I guess we both do.
Yushi's father was very nice from the beginning. We just light up a couple of martinis and we're off to a great start. He's a very easy guy to get along with and he's really been a great help in convincing Yushi's mother to give me a chance.
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