page five

We arrive at the grave. The area is beautiful; the green mountains, the misty rain, the gray skies, the smell of incense in the air, and the millions of fresh flowers decorated in loving adorement upon the many graves by the many families sharing our common purpose. Aya's brother Katsuyuki and cousin Gen clean up the grave (even give it a polymer finish!) as the rest of the family relaxes with snacks and drinks. Yuune finds the cemetary fascinating and tries to check out as many graves as possible. Aya asks why there are so many families at the cemetery today and her uncle (Taojichan) responds that, "Today, September the 21st, is a holiday..." At this point, i finally realize, though i can't quite put my finger on why... that it is September the 21st. Accordingly, i sneak off to our car to retrieve my pen and pad to start the documentation.