My husband and hero!

This morning after our walk with Choco, Tetsu and I went to Utsunomiya to have breakfast at Denny's. We do this about once a month and breakfast is a nice way to start the day. I had a "normal" breakfast, Tetsu had a Japanese style and I think it funny that Denny's serves rice and fish for breakfast. Well, we live in Japan so it's not so strange, but that the Denny's restaurant serves it seems funny to my foreign tastes. Here's Tetsu's breakfast. Grilled salmon, rice, tofu miso soup, natto (fermented beans) pickles and seaweed. Yum...

Though I've posted pictures of my kids, of my cats and dog, I've only had one picture of Tetsu (the one with Choco sleeping on him) in all the time I've written my blog. Tetsu doesn't really like to have his picture taken but I got him today! So here is a little history about us.



I met Tetsu not long after I came to Japan as a missionary associate and we dated for two years before we were married. I didn't speak much Japanese when I met him and he spoke no English but we got by with help from friends. Our courtship was even written up in an English textbook. Dare I include it here...? It was written up in conversation form from something someone had read about us.

Love at First Bite
Listen to Keiko and Tanya

K: Tell me, Tanya, how did you end up getting married to a Japanese?
T: Well, after college I came all the way from sunny California to icy Morioka to teach English.
K: Don't tell me--your husband was your student?
T: I wish he had been. His English is appalling!
K: So how did you two meet?
T: With a little help from my friend Gladys, who was teaching Spanish at the same school One day, Gladys and her husband Hajime invited me to go ice-skating. They brought along this good-looking guy called Tetsu.
K: Was it love at first sight?
T: For me it was. For him it was about five minutes later when I offered him a bite of my half-eaten roasted corn. That did it!
K: But Japanese men are so shy. How did you get together?
T: Well, I couldn't skate and he could, so I just took hold of his hand.
K: But how did you two communicate? Could you speak Japanese?
T: Not a word! It was incredibly complicated. Everytime we went out we had to go out with Gladys and Hajime. First, I'd say something in English to Gladys. She'd translate it into Spanish for Hajime. Then he'd translate it into Japanese for Tetsu. Of course, Tetsu would reply in the same manner.
K: Did you two ever manage to be alone then?
T: Well, gradually my Japanese improved, although I always carried my dictionary. But you know, the fastest way to learn a language is to fall in love with someone who doesn't speak your own!

Yep. That's about right. It wasn't so hard for me to decide to marry Tetsu as it was to decide I would live forever in Japan. We've been married for 27 years so I guess it's been a successful marriage!