Dear Ryden,
I am learning a little bit of Japanese. The polite way to say grandmother in Japanese is "Obaasan or very polite, Obaasama" . Most kids just call her "Baba". If you want to say good morning, the polite way is "Ohayo Gozaimasu", but you can just say "Ohayo". Baba is from Ohio so she calls it the good morning state. I got to use that word this morning because we got up very early and drove into town to feed the homeless.
First we walked to the place where Baba's car is parked under the train tracks. The trains were not running because it was four o'clock in the morning, so we had to go by car. When I got in the front seat, I thought I might have to drive because I was sitting on the left side. Then I learned that in Japan, the driver sits on the right side and all the cars drive on the opposite side of the street. It was kind of nice to sit in the driver's side as a passenger, and look out the window. There were lots of big trucks on the road bringing things into town. Maybe driving is easier for trucks during the night and early morning. When we got to town, there were some trucks parked at the side of the road and the drivers were resting.
First we drove to the church parking area where we picked up some bags filled with packages of "onigiri" or rice balls. There were two in a pack. One had a pickled plum in the middle and was wrapped in seaweed. The other, the rice was mixed with something that made it darker and more tasty, There were also Japanese pickles in the pack. We also took some packages of crackers to hand out. The school where Baba was teaching buys some snacks for the kids in case of an emergency like an earthquake, and when the date on the food gets near expiration, they knew Baba was feeding the homeless so they donated those crackers to the church.
Then we drove into a big station area near the church, called Shibuya. Baba made me a mask so I could go with her to deliver those onigiri. We went down the stairs to the B1 and B2 halls of the station. The homeless people come there at night after the trains stop running and sleep on cardboard. It is warmer that outdoors and quiet and safe from rain or snow. We walked around and put packs of onigiri and crackers next to the sleeping people. If they were awake, I got to say "Ohayo". Some, who were awake, thanked me, saying "Arigato". They said to tell you "Yoroshiku" (Greetings ).
The sun was beginning to come up as we drove home. I think I may take a little nap while Baba goes out to sweep the street.
Yoroshiku, and Love, Flat Stanley
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