I'm going to start off by telling you what happened yesterday afternoon, it was a sunny beautiful day, very different to when I first arrived where myself and Steph were greeted to torrential rain. With my map in hand I ventured out in full summer attire and headed for Shintenoji temple, a short walk from my accommodation. Now, I have seen many temples in variouse city's around Japan however the combination of perfect weather and the beautiful architecture of the complex makes for a pleasing experience. After exploring and being a classic tourist taking photos at every opertunity I sat down overlooking the temple and I was soon approached by an elderly japanese man.
He politely tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if I spoke English. He soon sat down next to me and progressed to pull out this huge English book from his bag. It was all really random, what an earth was he doing carrying that huge textbook around! He began to flick through the pages and asked me if I could help with some of the pronunciation of certain words. At this point he clearly had no idea of my incredibly thick Yorkshire accent and that half the time people struggle understanding me but never the less we sat down and I tried to help him as best I could.
We sat at that bench for over an hour chatting and exchanging stories about all sorts. He told me that he has two daughters, one of which is married and the other unmarried who still lives with him at his home in Osaka. I didn't ask if he was married, I assume yes but he didn't mention. He told me how his favourite place he has visited was Fiji but that Japan to him was home and that he wouldn't want to live anywhere else. He has been learning English for the last ten years and has become almost fluent.
We sat at that bench sometimes in silence as we people watched but most of the time in deep conversation. I just want to say thank you, whoever you are. It was wonderful talking to you and learning about your life. Your country is beautiful and hopefully one day you I'll get the chance to visit mine.
He politely tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if I spoke English. He soon sat down next to me and progressed to pull out this huge English book from his bag. It was all really random, what an earth was he doing carrying that huge textbook around! He began to flick through the pages and asked me if I could help with some of the pronunciation of certain words. At this point he clearly had no idea of my incredibly thick Yorkshire accent and that half the time people struggle understanding me but never the less we sat down and I tried to help him as best I could.
We sat at that bench for over an hour chatting and exchanging stories about all sorts. He told me that he has two daughters, one of which is married and the other unmarried who still lives with him at his home in Osaka. I didn't ask if he was married, I assume yes but he didn't mention. He told me how his favourite place he has visited was Fiji but that Japan to him was home and that he wouldn't want to live anywhere else. He has been learning English for the last ten years and has become almost fluent.
We sat at that bench sometimes in silence as we people watched but most of the time in deep conversation. I just want to say thank you, whoever you are. It was wonderful talking to you and learning about your life. Your country is beautiful and hopefully one day you I'll get the chance to visit mine.
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