This is a bit of catching up from our stay in Osaka:
Jukka and Lois went to the giant (several acre) underground mall one morning with Jim, in search of a donut shop Jim was raving about. After the donuts, Jim left for an appointment, and Jukka and Lois started to meander back toward the hotel, checking out whatever looked interesting along the way. Eventually they realized they were very lost, surprise, surprise!
After asking directions several times with little progress (other than winding up at a police station, led there by a couple of kind souls who didn't know how else to help them get where they were going!) they had finally gotten an idea of which way to go when they stopped one last time to confirm that they were on the right track. A friendly lady on a bicycle stopped to say she spoke English and asked if she could help. When she learned where they were headed she offered to guide them there, and walked her bicycle with them all the way back to the hotel. Of course, Jukka being Jukka, he invited her for a cup of coffee as small thanks for her kindness. She was on her way to meet with a client, but said she would return in half an hour for coffee, which she did!
This kind lady was Sumiko, a 52-year-old single mom with a 15-year-old son. Jukka, Lois, and I had a delightful afternoon coffee break with her, and Lois (quite unlike Lois!) invited her to come back in the evening with her son to join the group for supper, which she did!
Sumiko helped us find a tempura restaurant that could seat a group of 12 (though by the time we found one we were down to 8). We gave her a "Contrasts" cd, and she had also brought gifts for us, including a Peanuts calendar she had promised me and handkerchiefs for Jukka and Lois, as well as a number of hand warmers and Universal Studios tissue packets to share with the rest of the group. (Sumiko works for Nissay, a life insurance company that is a marketing partner of Universal Studios in Osaka.)
One thing Sumiko had asked us in the afternoon was what kind of souvenirs we were taking home from Japan. Jukka and I are on a tight budget and Lois is not a big shopper, so I told Sumiko we are taking our souvenirs in the form of extra weight around the middle from enjoying Japanese food so much. Well the next day, while I was resting in my room, Sumiko called again from the lobby. I went downstairs to find that she had brought the group another gift bag full of goodies from Universal Studios, including wasabi snack crackers, "Jaws" fish snacks, chocolates, and packets of green tea!
It was truly a pleasure to spend time with Sumiko in Osaka. It's always a treat to make new friends while on tour, particularly when they are local to an area we visit. We look forward to meeting up with Sumiko and her son again on another trip to Japan, or in the US when she comes to visit in a few years!
1 comment:
Thanks Missy for the post! Say hi to Jukka. I'm glad your guardian angels appointed Sumiko to rescue you!
My micro-gig went well, I suppose. Once again drowned out by partying Christmas merriment. :-) Your bells are fine and in my garage, awaiting an appointment with Dennis to bring them back.
Merry Christmas!
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