Meet Hideko, our Japanese granny

(Look at that joyful face!)

Back in January, during my first week volunteering at Friendship International, I sat at a table of strangers-to-me who would soon become my friends. Never would I have guessed that nine months later, the mom of one of those new friends would be at our Osaka house on our first full day, helping me shop and cook our first Japanese dinner.

Nanako was one of the friends I met on that first day back in January. She’s from Osaka and speaks English well, so it’s easy to talk with her. When I asked for popular Japanese song recommendations, she gave me several that I worked on for months (and Japanese people, like our Uber driver in Hakodate, are impressed when I burst into song in their language!). (Note: here’s the bilingual singalong I did with some of those songs). We had park play dates with our kids. 

Her mom Hideko came to Lexington when Nanako was about to have her second baby boy. I saw Hideko multiple times—when they all came over for a birthday dinner for Nanako, when I dropped off a meal when Kaito was born, when I helped them on their moving day, and when we came over to celebrate Shohei turning two. She was in Lexington for three months before returning to Osaka (right before we arrived!).

(Hideko cooked okonomiyaki for us at Nanako’s new house)

(helping the boys learn to use chopsticks)

When we said goodbye in Lexington, it was a “See you in Osaka!” 

Well, we got to Osaka Wednesday night the 21st. I sent her a message that night, and she replied that she was off the next day. Would we need help with anything? Um…yes, please! I asked if she could come to our place to help me navigate the supermarket, answer questions about Japanese appliances, and help me cook dinner.

We live on a different side of town, but she was happy to make the trek, and I so appreciated her help. She met us at 5 (we were a little late after getting turned around in Umeda), and we got right to work!

First step: rinsing the rice! She showed me how to rinsing until the water was clear.

We didn’t have a measuring cup, so she showed me how to “hand measure” the water level.

Once the rice was cooking, we walked to the grocery store! We bought some supplies for the meal that night and also a milder, sweeter curry (since I randomly grabbed one that turned out to be spicy). We also stopped at a 100 yen shop (like our dollar store) for a measuring cup and cooking chopsticks.

She wanted to bring Carter along to help carry our bags!

The boys watched Japanese TV shows while we worked.

Here she is cooking the ginger pork.

and plating it with the cabbage and onions

We (she) also made miso soup

Itadakimasu!

After we were finished eating dinner and our ice cream treats, she helped with some dishes and started on the curry for us to eat the next day. She stayed with us for 3.5 hours on our first full day in Osaka! I’m so, so grateful for her willingness to serve us on her day off! I hope we can get together many more times while we’re here (and then we’ll see her the next time she’s in Lexington!).

 I asked her if we could call her “obaasan” which means grandma (or elderly woman), but she said we can just call her Hideko (after all, she doesn’t seem very elderly, huh?!). Still, I’m claiming her as our Japanese granny because she did exactly what grannies do—gave of herself, helped pass on wisdom, and cooked for people!

Grateful that back in January, I met the daughter of our Japanese granny. Thanks be to God!

More poetry musings - language-learning

(More musings about my language-learning journey. I've scheduled this to post when I'm somewhere in the middle of the Pacific)

1-20-26

I wrote out my Nihongo (Japanese) plan of attack

    for the next 13 weeks

        and feel like I am making real progress

Listening

    worship songs

    kids songs

    Psalm 23

    YouTube stories, listening practice, workout videos

Speaking

    TalkBox.Mom

    Friendship International

Reading

    kana quiz

    Japanese short stories

    books from the library

    tadoku!

Writing

    kana tracing book

    From Zero workbook

Going through Japanese from Zero textbook

Translating songs and stories

Consulting laminated study sheet while in the bathroom

Cooking Japanese food

Making new connections and learning new words all the time

Progress!

Consecrate it all!

1-20-26

Anything mundane 

    can be consecrated

Decluttering didn't seem spiritual 

    but contributed to my spiritual well-being

You spoke to me

    that learning the Japanese language

        is an eternal investment

It will help me

    make more and better connections

    communicate more effectively

        before, during, and after our Japan trip

Just as You consecrated

    Lucas' interest in Japanese video game culture

        to raise me up as an intercessor for the nation

You are consecrating

    my language learning journey

        for Your glory

Yes, anything mundane

    can be consecrated

but also anything holy

    can become an idol

as has happened with Scripture memory

                                    church love

                                    reading a lot of books

Guard my heart

    to keep language-learning

        in its proper place

1-30-26

Writing out my "why"

    for when I get discouraged

Why learn Japanese?

    to better connect with Japanese people before, during, and after my trip

    to be able to communicate more effectively

    because it's an eternal investment    

    because it's good for my brain

    to show respect for their culture

    to gain empathy for other language learners (like the Japanese as they learn English!)

    to give my sons a leg up in their own Japanese connections

    to not be as dependent on Google translate

    to be able to have a conversation

    to get better and better over time

    because I have a natural talent for linguistics and memorization

    because I'm an intercessor for Japan

    because I'm consecrating this process as an offering to the Lord

2-22-26

"Your prayer life

    is the most important thing about you."

Really?

What about my relationships?

        It's your prayer life 

        that gives wisdom in conversations

        and intercedes to fill in all the gaps

What about my Bible study/reading/memorization?

        It's your prayer life

        that connects My Word(s) to Me

        and helps you apply them in your life

What about my productivity?

        It's your prayer life

        that sets your pace of working and resting

        and guides your minute-by-minute steps

What about my service?

        It's your prayer life

        that confirms WHO and WHEN I want you to serve

        and fills your tank to pour out

What about my Japanese learning?

        It's your prayer life

        that tills the soil of hearts for planting

        and keeps it from becoming an idol

All else flows...

    from your prayer life

Japanese language learning

6-19-26

It's never-ending --

    this language learning

Even when I finish Book 2,

    Book 3 is waiting

Even when I finish Mango's 30 hour audiobook,

    there's Pimsleur (Levels 1-5!) to pick up

Even when my DuoLingo score goes from 21 to 99,

    I'll still barely be intermediate

Get the hang of basic verb conjugation.

    then throw in the layer of informal speech

It can be discouraging 

    seeing how far there is to go.

But when I look back,

    I see how far I've come

And unlike doing dishes

    (which is also never-ending but shows no progress),

  at least I feel like I'm getting somewhere.

6-19-26

Some Japanese friends have asked

    how I'm learning the language

Well, it's a multi-layered approach

    that I've sketched out

    in 3 three-month phases pre-Japan

Japanese from Zero textbook and video series

    for grammar and a basic foundation

DuoLingo

    for vocabulary, sentence structure, basic kanji

Comprehensible input videos

    for listening skills and "real Japanese"

Read Japanese Kanji Today

    for an introduction into kanji

Tadoku books and online club

    for reading, enjoyment, and interaction

Japanese songs (kids songs and popular songs)

    for understanding and connection

Journaling and workbook exercises

    for increased output

Mango and Pimsleur audiobooks

    for listening and speaking

Shinobi app

    for reading comprehension

Prayer

    for consecrating a hobby

Weekly in-person interaction

    for connection and output and friendship