2015-06-14: Subtle Jokes

Part of the Japanese Party rules include the guests giving presents to the host. Obviously we attempted to dissuade people from this as anything people give us we have to carry but traditions are not to be defied so cavalierly.

Shiny! Noisy! I shall have to learn to tie pretty bows.

Fortunately our friends are much smarter than me and the gifts were largely things we will need on our travels. From our Naginata sensei I received flags and a whistle. Given that I am about to do a seminar on how to be a judge these are immensely helpful, she had noticed that I had flags of the wrong size and had no whistle. Apparently the rules call for a silver whistle. Ewa is glad I have a silver whistle. She doesn't feel like the mother of a kid that got a drum kit at all. The flags and whistle have a handy (and pretty) little bag for carrying them in.

Factual and non insulting info sheet.

As Conrad was shepherding the more unruly of the guests (me) to the tequila bar the waiter from Chez Toto ran out over to give us a farewell gift of a baguette. Ewa, He and I had a discussion regarding their bread a month or two ago.

We ate these today during cleaning. They had been sitting on the shelf as I regretted buying lasagna flavoured chips almost immediately. I was correct in my distrust of the core concept.

He had remembered, no doubt because of my insistence to attempt to insert french (which I don't speak) and japanese (which I don't speak) into the conversation (I may have been tired or drunk at the time), how much we both liked their bread (we actually tried to buy some to give to our froggy friend at the jukendo seminar but woke up late and forgot).

A Rambling talk about Tenegui. Yep that feels like a subtle comment on my behaviour

We also received some gifts which will be useful and had humour. We use tenegui (small cotton towels) to collect the sweat under our helmets while training. They are a rather traditional gift and so there is no subtext that I am a sweaty sweaty fellow.
These ones were of the fancy traditional style and came with little pamphlets explaining the manufacturing process and how to care for the tenegui.

We may not give you a special service but you are welcome any time. sounds like "Y'all come back now y'hear, but don't go thinking you're special because we asked you back"

I suspect there may be a place in Japan for a translator that has a sense of humour. If we come back and if Ewa can learn enough Japanese we will start a business where I add the silly bits.