I know that reading this can be laborious, and I don't want to burden you with more homework, so I thought it would be nice to produce a glossary of characters that come up in these travels so you don't have to remember who everyone is. The lists are not made in order of importance.
Family: The Goto clan
Underlined names indicate heads of households, the other members follow directly after
Uncle Maki: Mama's second to youngest sibling and brother. He works for a Christian organization in Tokyo, where he and his family live.
Mitsuyo-obasan: Uncle Maki's wife and mother of three! They are together dorm parents for a private dormitory so they do a lot of cooking and cleaning for the college students
Mel: The eldest and only son here. He's in 6th grade now, and he's half my age. I was his age when he was born. That's enough. We don't have to discuss this further.
Miri: Only a year and a half younger than Mel, Miri goes to school with her big bro.
Maya: She is the baby of this family, as well as of the whole clan, of which she is the youngest member. I am the oldest of the cousins. Depressing. OK. Moving on.
Ojiichan and Obaachan: The supreme rulers of the family, they are due the laud and honor becoming of their status. These are the grandparents. They live close to Nagoya. The also have a little chihuahua, Joy, who is fond of yapping.
Kenjinchan: Though the 5th child, the first son. He runs a care facility for those with disabilities. He is also a prolific FBer. He and his family live just a few minute's drive away from Ojiichan and Obaachan. Unlike the rest of the family, they have cats. Two of them.
Yayoi-obasan: The ever patient and good-humored auntie. She works with Kenjinchan at their facility in addition to managing the house.
Ayumu: Having finished high school, Ayumu is going to a trade school to be a sports trainer, or something like that.
Saki: Only having a year and a half left of high school, she is thinking of what the next steps will be for her.
Nobuyoshi-ojisan: The youngest of the 7 siblings, Nobuyoshi-ojisan works for Chin-san (below) and they live around an hour away from the grandparents. They have two dogs. Toy poodles? Fanny and Romeo.
Miyoko-obasan: The aunt of this family, she's doing quite a nice job of raising her clutch.
Keina: Now almost done with middle school, she's enjoying her dance club school activities and being tall.
Ryuto: Supposedly the spittin' image of Tomo himself when he was younger, he ironically also shares Tomo's birthday. He's the same age as Mel, and they could be brothers. They play well too.
Toko-obachan: Mama's youngest sister, she lives in the same apartment complex as Ojiichan and Obaachan with her three dogs. Eo, Chris, and Gabu (short for Gabrielle. She's a Christmas pooch).
Chin-san: From China, he came here to study and found a treasure that made him stay. He owns a seafood import company. When he first moved here, he lived in Kyoto for a time before heading north to go to school there. They live about an hour and a half away from the grandparents by car.
I am forever indebted to his and his family's kindness as they have been one of the most key features of my times in Japan. They graciously, generously let me stay with them while I was in Japan for high school, and they've been of the utmost help to me as I made my move to Kyoto.
I am forever indebted to his and his family's kindness as they have been one of the most key features of my times in Japan. They graciously, generously let me stay with them while I was in Japan for high school, and they've been of the utmost help to me as I made my move to Kyoto.
Megumi-obachan: Mama's twin sister and therefore the second to eldest sibling in the family. She manages her household masterfully and is a wonderfully warm person.
Mei: Though she doesn't make an appearance early on, I thought I might as well introduce her here, as she is the eldest child of this family. She is only 18 hours younger than Tomo and is now a Junior at Tohoku University studying some form of biology.
Takashi: A Junior in high school, he is trying to decide what he wants to do about further schooling and whatnot. He enjoys games and arranging music on the computer.
Yuri: Almost in high school, she is preparing to take the high school entrance exam. She is also a very talented violinist. She's been doing the Suzuki Method since she was....3 or something amazingly young like that.
Lab
Nakashima-san:
Uesugi-sensei:
Ohkanda-sensei:
Takaya-san:
Heidie:
Takenoya-san:
Iwata-san:
Loufy:
Watson:
Random People
Megumi Ito: The pen of this journal. All complaints should be directed to her.