30DWC Day 13: My First Japanese Kotatsu Experience.

Konbanwa!

Watashi wa nemui desu. (I am sleepy).

It was quite a busy day today. I had four lessons (it wasn’t actually a difficult but it was a marathon class-consecutive classes), one regular pre, two shinmendo (short course)  and one regular adult lesson. And I’m telling you I have to sing during a pre-regular lesson, not only just one song,  but usually six songs and I have to dance and do a lot of animated movements and speaking (if you have seen me on person, please don’t imagine).

After work, I went back home and changed clothes because my nihonggo sensei will pick me up in 30 minutes, I cleaned myself a bit and we went together in his house. I have been to his house before when we had a welcoming party for Claudia, an exchange student from Australia. It was a 30-minute drive and we watched White Chicks while we’re on our way to his home, he likes watching movies like this and his favorite is Mean Girls. I brought something (sweets) for his mom who cooked dinner for us, it’s polite to bring something when you visit someone’s house in Japan.

Her mother and father didn’t recognize me (because of my hair and I was wearing mask that time because I was sick) but when I told them I was the eigo sensei who visited last year, they asked me questions I only managed to understand because of the gestures like she’s saying things while holding her hair and acting like she has a mask on her face. Phew!

We then entered the tatami room, a traditional Japanese room with tatami mat (a mat made of rice straw) and it never fails to amaze me. The room doesn’t have heater so I felt cold, I didn’t remove my coat. I looked at the table and was wondering why it has futon, maybe because the room doesn’t have heater? So the people who will study in the room won’t be cold? But when we started eating, I felt uncomfortable because I wanted to stretch my legs, and I decided to put it inside the table. And it was warm! I then thought about the story my students was telling me, it was uhh, it was a kotatsu!

I asked sensei to confirm, and it is really a kotatsu!

Their kotatsu is an electric one or oki-gotatsu. I felt warm the whole time.

His mom made us nikujaga (dish with meat, potatoes and konnyaku), and it was amazing because I just ate this dish for lunch without knowing it. I just noticed they tasted the same, the only difference I noticed, my nikujaga didn’t have konnyaku. Her mom’s nikujaga was really great. I wanted to ask for more but I was really shy. The aji (Japanes mackerel) was also good. I ate it without rice.

And the chopsticks were so cute!

The noodle like on top is konnyaku (also known as konjaku – devil’s tongue).

I had fun eating and studying inside the tatami room and most especially with a kotatsu. I felt like I was a real Japanese that time. I was also thinking of buying one but I just bought a chabudai and my house is too small for another one. *sigh

I wasn’t able to get photo of the tatami room because I was really shy, but here are some photos I got from google.

Usually, they put kotatsu in the living room and family gathers especially to eat, have fun and do lots of things there especially during winter.

Sensei’s tatami room looks like the last picture.

I had fun today, I ate good Japanese meal, I experienced kotatsu in tatami room and I studied Japanese.

Anata wa do? (And you?) How’s your day? What did you eat for dinner? 

 

Bored Sensei.

 

Featured image’s not mine. 

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