The Japan Travel Diary – Part 5 – Seven Haiku

… And the Original Reason For the Trip, Concluded

By Greg

I hope you have enjoyed reading the Japan Travel Diary, and the photos I added from our trip.

Once we returned to Perth Trenna set about writing an email to our friend Wayne, who had shown us around one afternoon, and with whom we had a very enjoyable evening meal in Yokohama.

Trenna loved seeing Wayne, who she had a soft spot for, and set about writing some Haiku to commemorate the times spent with him in Japan.

I had forgotten about the Haiku, but I recently contacted Wayne and he forwarded a copy of the e-mail Trenna sent him. He gave me permission to include it on the website.

So here it is.

Trenna’s E-Mail From Perth to Wayne in Japan

“Hey Wayne,

Thanks for catching up with us, it was a treat!

Greg found your memories of working at the ABC and JJ particularly entertaining. Of course, we both enjoyed your convivial charm.

Greg had a look on the ABC iView site for the Doco he had mentioned. However, it was deleted from iView in February but there are websites that you can access that do have some sections of the Doco which may appeal. It was entitled ‘Sounds Like Teen Spirit, Triple J at 40’.

We both are glad we made it to Japan. We liked the idiosyncratic way of life in Tokyo and Kyoto even though we were often befuddled.

Annoyingly, we both returned home with a ‘Plane Virus’! We were seated amongst coughing and spluttering passengers of all ages and capacities. We’ve been crook for the entire last week of our hols.

From me to you:
my slant on 7 HAIKU having spent time with you

afternoon greet meet
swap table near sniffling girl
mocha tea chat well
*  *  *

time marches head off
squeeze our way guided through hordes
stroll trees sway leave stay
*  *  *

walking on eggshells
silence hearts won't beat in tune
blossoms fall buds form
*  *  *

yakitori bar
cool night hot sticks warm hearts quips
not our salad days
*  *  *

link arms walk find train
funny we get lost again
worth it just the same
*  *  *

cycle in darkness
beam bright Ls wait for our friend
all right sleep tight dream
*  *  *

see the light at dawn
more wine beer much cheer we fear
back to school for you
*  *  *

Hey you, please don’t leave your guitar standing silent in the corner, pick it up, play it, write music and lyrics it’s a gift, make the time “chanter à haute voix” !

Look after yourself Mr Johnson, son of “the most handsome man in the world”

C u on fb!

Take care,
love
Tren & Greg xox

BTW, feel free to use any of my outstandingly, witty verse, or not!

Here are a few pics.”

[GM: I’ve used the pics elsewhere in the series, so left them out of this post.]

The Reason We Went

You may recall that at the start of this series I said that the trip to Japan was to test Trenna’s ability to endure a long overseas trip. We were trying to decide if she could feasibly travel to The Netherlands to attend our niece’s wedding. Mel was marrying Crist.

We concluded from our Japan trip that Trenna’s health and fitness meant a journey that far was just going to be way too tough.

However, Trenna was a person who really cared about others. She judged that Mel’s wedding day would be important to her, and therefore it was important to Tren.

As usual, Trenna agonised over a present and a suitable card.

We designed a card ourselves using a picture we had taken in Tokyo. We did this because we were told they would go to Japan for their honeymoon.

The present was a bit trickier, especially as we had to post it to the young couple in London. We knew that both Mel and Crist worked in the IT industry and that Mel loved books.

I had held onto, since I first picked it up for free in the Curtin University Computing Centre (the building that contained the university’s mainframe computer that serviced pretty much the whole campus), a first edition copy of Zen and the Art of the Internet by Brendan Kehoe (his Wikipedia entry is quite interesting and refers to the book).

Looking back on Trenna’s emails of the time it looks like we sent two books to Mel and Crist. I don’t remember what the second one was. It was possibly Microsoft’s GW-BASIC Users Guide and Manual.

We know a good present when we see one.

In reply to a thank you email from Mel, Trenna replied to her on 21 May 2015:

Our pleasure Mel,

Brilliant days are the way to go! 

I apologise for what may have seemed to you, annoyingly demanding re: getting a reply from you for your address. 

We thought you may be heading off to Japan soon after your wedding and we wanted you to receive a little bit of ¥ cash spending money before you departed. (They like cash in Japan)

Also, the 2 books; granted, a little dry, are books we cherish. We also think a room in a house/flat is not really a library without at least one 1st Edition on the shelf. You may have a number of them but we don't know. 

As we don't have our own next generation to pass them on to, we thought you may be the most likely to appreciate their worth and keep them safe.

From our library to yours.
Love to you both
Tren & Greg xox

The message was accompanied by a photo of the gift wrapped present, held by Trenna and I whilst we stand in front of our library.

At page 42 of the Zen book we stuffed a wad of Japanese money we still had on hand.

But Trenna being Trenna, and a hopeless romantic, there was more.

On the actual wedding day we both got dressed up as if we were going to the event, even though we were just at home, opened some Champaign (never a favourite drink of Trenna’s) and toasted the bride and groom. And we took a photo and sent it to them with our good wishes.

Trenna really cared.

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