Profile：Niigata

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Niigata is not idyllic. The weather is absolutely awful. It rains nine days out of ten, the summer is Hot and Humid, much like the Southern States in August. The only things that make the summer bearable are the watermelon and frequent cold showers. If you come, don't forget your Rightguard- they don't have any here. I probably see the sun two or three days in December, January and February.

So why do I live here?

There are actually quite a few reasons. The water is clean, the food is fresh. If you like flowers, April is absolutely breathtaking. Cherry blossoms welcome the warmth of spring with a gentle puff of pink. Autumn splashes crimson and gold on the trees, and the natural hot springs in winter warm your frozen bones and turn your muscles into carefree rubber.

And best of all, the people are usually kind and honest.
I have made many close and trusted friends here,
even with the language difficulty.

Some, like the OMIYA's are my second family. It's a three hour drive and a $75.00 toll road expense to see them (but San Diego is even farther and more expensive). Whenever I need advice, Papa Omiya is always there. Especially when there is an unfathomable quirk in the Japanese mentality or a clash of cultures, he can either explain it or help me forget about it. At other times, just hanging out, drinking root beer with Itaru, Ryo, Dan, and Mai is comforting. I'm always at peace in their house.

I also have many kid brothers to hang around with- Shinya, the 3 Masa's, Shigeo, Minoru,Tatsuya, and after them, the next generation- Takahiro, Yusuke, Mitsuharu, Takuya, Akira, Shunsuke, Hirotaka and Daichi. They keep me company when I want to fly kites or play pool.

But why am I really here? First it was to take care of Shoko's mom. I never knew her when she was well. Maybe it was for the better. Even when she was sick, she kept us running around like headless chickens. I shudder to think how much she would have done if she was healthy. And how much she would have expected us to do. She always wanted to do something for EVERYONE else and used Shoko and me as her hands and feet. Her infamous "You! Hurry up!" still makes us jump.

	After the death of Shoko's mom, we've been living with grandma Sada. She is a gem. Nowadays, her hearing is failing and she doesn't have the strength to do a lot, but it's still a pleasure to be with her.
Shoko is a lot like her. There is still an innocence and freshness about grandma even after 86 years in this world. She's the cutest little grandma you could ever want.

How long will I be here? That's hard to say. For the time being we will do our best to take care of Shoko's grandmother, just as we faithfully did for her mom. After that we may stay to take care of our brothers and sisters here, or go back to help my family in San Diego. One day I would like to repay my Auntie Wuin for all tender compassion she has shown to her parents, my grandparents. I have a lot of respect for her and Uncle Steve for their dedication in supporting the family.

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