Great-Grandma Day

For Family and Friends who loved Grandma Narimatsu:

The Narimatsujayne Family proclaimed Saturday, October 27 as Great-Grandma Day in Japan.  It was our way of saying good-bye in the fun-loving way that we think Great-Grandma would have liked.

As we left our house, our neighbor was outside and asked if we were going for a walk.  Kevin explained that we were going to the shrine because his grandma had passed away, and Ethan burst into tears.  He held my leg tightly for the next several blocks as we walked down the street.

First stop:  the Meiji Shrine in Yoyogi Park.  A beautifully simple shrine surrounded by majestic entrance gates.

The sun was setting as we entered the grounds and we walked through the park headed towards the main shrine.  Before entering the shrine area, we cleansed our spirits by dipping the large wooden ladle in the water and washing our hands and rinsing our mouths.

Most people were leaving, so it was quieter than usual.

We walked through the courtyard and up the few steps to the main shrine.  We stood there for a few minutes, each lost in our own thoughts.  I kept rubbing the locket that Great-Grandma had given me.  As is the custom, we bowed twice and clapped twice, made an offering, thought of Great-Grandma, and then ended with a deep bow.

We then proceeded to the wall of wishes, bought a wooden plank called an "emma", and each wrote our own message to Great-Grandma.

Ethan wrote in Japanese "My great-grandma is gone.  I am sad.  She played games with me."  He also drew a picture of watching TV together with Great-Grandma on her couch.

Ryan drew a picture of playing in the snow in Chicago.  

Technically, you are not supposed to go to a shrine while mourning as it is a sign of impurity.  But, we were there "celebrating" Great-Grandma anyway, so I think it was OK.

As we left the shrine, it was starting to get dark and the moon was rising above the shrine gates.  It was still and peaceful and beyond beautiful.

After leaving the shrine, we were on a mission for all of Great-Grandma's favorite foods.  Udon was her favorite Japanese food, so we searched for an udon restaurant.  Luckily, Ethan was with us as he spotted it right under our noses.

After a delicious udon dinner peppered with Great-Grandma stories, we headed for the next part of our Great-Grandma mission - CREAM PUFFS!  

Cream Puffs!

Great-Grandma is famous for her homemade cream puffs - Kevin loves them!  We are not as skilled (or patient) as Great-Grandma to make our own, so we headed to the Papa Beard's cream puff stand at Shibuya station (it's the same Papa Beard's cream puffs Kim used to get for us in California - same yellow box and everything).  Cream puffs in hand, the kids wanted to eat them by the famous Hachiko dog statue.  So, we did.  We will miss Great-Grandma and her cream puffs.

Last stop:  Ice Cream.  Another one of Great-Grandma's all-time favorite foods and a love that she passed on to Kevin.  We took the train home, stopped at our local Baskin Robbins ice cream store, and indulged.  Yummy!  Thank you, Great-Grandma.

When we got home, Kevin read the eulogy to the kids (Ethan liked the corvette part) and we watched the slideshow of Great-Grandma's life, a very fitting end to our day.  It was getting late and the kids were tired, so it was a rather quiet viewing of the slideshow.

Thank you Great-Grandma, for all the wonderful memories.  And for all that you were and will continue to be to everyone who loved you.