Hi! It’s me! Lily!!!
I’m in Japan!!!
And I’m TIRED!!! OMG AM I TIRED!!!
But I have news!!!
So after I wrote my post… yesterday? I lost track. Yesterday I guess… I got on the plane… it’s a big plane!!! Liz and I sat next to each other… Emiko sat behind us with her kids. So we got in the air… and it was ten hours of boring!!! Just lots of water to see!!! Water and snow!!! But I had a book, and they brought us a couple of pretty good meals. Even though it was light most of the way, I did get a little sleep.
And when I got there, I was soo happy just to get off the plane!!! It was so strange to hear the announcements in Japanese as well as English though!
But when we went through customs, they wanted to see my passport, and then took me into a little room. I didn’t know what was going on! Someone who spoke English (my Japanese isn’t that good) came in and asked me a bunch of questions. I didn’t know what it was about! They asked my name and what I was doing… and finally I just asked what was going on, I was getting a little scared. They told me that they had my fingerprints on record… but under another name!!!
OMG I’ve been to Japan before! And I don’t remember!
So I told them all about how I was found on the side of the road, and lost my memory, and was adopted by Dave and Sabby.
They told me that checks out, but for an irregular situation like that, they have to ask me a few questions. I asked them if they could tell me what my previous name was. They said they didn’t have that information, but maybe if I went to the Japanese immigration offices, they could tell me.
I was floored. Someone might have a name.
Someone might have a name.
But… if the Japanese immigration offices know… why doesn’t the passport agency of my own country?
They gave me back my paperwork, bowed, and wished me a good day. I bowed back and ran to meet up with everyone. They were waiting patiently.
“What happened?”, Emiko said.
“They… I’ve been to Japan before. They wanted to know why my fingerprints were already registered under a different name.”
Liz squealed and hugged me. Some Japanese people looked at us funny. I didn’t care.
“We can figure that out some other time,” I yawned. “Let’s get to Saitama. I really, really need a nap.”
Emiko laughed. So we got on the train and, after a couple of hours, we ended up at my… my grandparents’ place.
OMG were they happy to see me! Japanese people don’t usually hug, but obaasan gave me a big big hug, and ojiisan bowed deeply. They were a little reserved to Emiko, but Aika and Mika got presents!!! And they were polite to Liz, after all, they didn’t really know her. But eventually we all sat around the small table and they served us snacks, which was very nice of them. I even remembered to say “itadakimasu!”
And then I took a much, much needed nap. They showed me to a bed roll on a tatami. It was surprisingly comfortable. But honestly, I didn’t care about comfort, I just needed sleep. I share the room with the other girls, but I don’t mind. It’s like a separated girl-pile!
After a couple of hours, we got up, and we had a traditional Japanese dinner. It was delicious! Obaasan can COOK!!! And then we talked for a while. Their English isn’t great, and neither is my Japanese, but they were interested in my life, and told me a little about Emiko too. They told some stories!!! Emiko was a wild child!!! She was so embarrassed, she kept hiding her face behind her hand and turning red! It was so cute! But you could tell that they still loved her, even if they seemed a bit ashamed. They doted so much on Aika and Mika though!
They asked Liz about her parents, and actually they had a lot in common. Maybe Liz is Chinese and they’re Japanese, but they’re still Asian, so there’s a little commonality there. They warmed to each other, I guess sometimes it just takes a while.
Anyway, we’ve got a busy couple of weeks. Tomorrow I’ll meet Emiko’s sister and her kids! My cousins! That should be fun!!! But tonight.. I’m going to catch up on sleep.