Christmas 1987　***Minnesota***　　　　

　　　In December 1987, I traveled to the United States on my own for the first time. As you know, Japan was in the midst of the bubble economy at the time, so even if you didn’t have a particularly good job, just by working for a few years after college while living with your parents, you could save up enough money for a short trip abroad. My ultimate goal was to enroll in an art school in the U.S., but since my TOEFL score wasn’t high enough, I decided to study abroad to improve my language skills for the time being. Back in college, I had planned to go to France and even took French as my second foreign language, but when I visited France on a trip, I thought, “Oh, this isn't going to work.” (lol) Based on my first impression alone, Paris felt closer to Tokyo—the very place I was trying to escape from… Well, my maternal uncle had moved to the U.S., and that also played a part in my decision to change my destination from Paris to New York.
　　　I completed the enrollment procedures for the spring semester, which begins in January, and arrived in the U.S. in early December—a month in advance—to allow time to acclimate to the area and look for an apartment. However, I didn’t go straight to New York. My plan was to first stay with my uncle’s family in Minnesota for about two weeks, then move on to stay with an American family—a former colleague of my father’s—in Iowa, before heading to New York City on December 28.

　　　Minnesota is located in the north-central part of the United States, west of New York State and bordering Canada. The cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are famous and are known as the Twin Cities. My aunt and uncle’s house was in a town called Wilmar, a short drive (by American standards) west of Minneapolis, surrounded by beautiful nature. “There are so many lakes around here that it’s called the ‘Land of Ten Thousand Lakes,’” my aunt said.
　　　During my stay, my aunt drove me around to places like the Salvation Army and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The Minneapolis Institute of Art was incredibly sophisticated, with a rich collection, and they were hosting a major exhibition of Tadanori Yokoo’s work at the time. Seeing Tadanori Yokoo’s work so far away from Japan was almost shocking. It’s amazing that he was already a hot artist back then and is still active on the front lines today. At the Salvation Army, I bought two jackets—each for less than $10—that would see me through a Minnesota winter, and I think I wore them for over five years after that. Also, since my aunt was a devout Christian and actively interacted with neighbors through her church, we were invited to neighborhood dinner parties, taught origami at the church, and—since it was Christmas time—made ornaments with the congregation, among other events.

　　　My aunt took me to the home of the pastor and his wife next door. The wife took the lead in homeschooling their three children. I had no idea such a thing existed, so I was quite surprised, but apparently it was quite common in the United States. This was something unimaginable by the standards of Japan at the time, where the prevailing belief was that you had to strive alongside your classmates to truly grow.　　　
　　　The next day, an elderly white couple in their 70s who lived nearby invited my uncle’s family and me over for dinner. They welcomed us with a red tablecloth and a turkey—the classic Christmas meal. This is America! This is Christmas!! The wife had a bit of an unusual hobby: she made flashy patterned ties for her husband, and her collection was quite something. They were all incredibly loud, with large floral or other bold patterns—reds, yellows, and greens—that made eyes hurt. Her husband didn’t seem to mind at all; in fact, he wore them with pride, which I found quite endearing. He told us that every year, the two of them drive down to Florida together. When I asked, “Are you sure you can handle driving thousands of miles like that (at your age)?!”, he replied, “It’s no big deal.” I see—so Americans aren’t intimidated by distances like that. To begin with, it seemed they didn’t consider themselves old at all. Back then, in Japan, it was common sense that the elderly should act their age, so I thought it was admirable how they were enjoying life like young people without a hint of embarrassment.

　　　And while Wilmer was such a simple, warm, small-town place, there was a bit of a thrilling incident during my stay. My cousin, who was in elementary school, was taking violin lessons, and every week my aunt would drive her to her violin teacher in Minneapolis—a journey of two hours each way. Since we could do some shopping in Minneapolis, I tagged along, but that day the roads were frozen and slippery. My aunt was driving very carefully, but suddenly the car lost traction and spun around two or three times right in the middle of the road. Since there were no oncoming or following cars, we got away with just a big scare, but I was speechless for a while… My aunt, perhaps because she grew up in the northern part of Japan, didn’t seem particularly shaken by it, which surprised me a bit too…
　　　My cousin’s violin teacher was from Scandinavia and dressed like a character from "Moomin Valley"—wearing a long tunic and tight-fitting pants. As a big Moomin fan, I was a little excited. And what she told us then was quite interesting. She said she had a twin sister who was raised apart from her, and when they met as adults, their hairstyles and fashion tastes were exactly alike. She said it was strange, considering they’d never been in touch at all before that… It really is strange. Two people who look just like Mymble, gazing at each other as if looking into a mirror… It’s all very Moomin-esque.

　　　During my stay in Wilmar, I enjoyed the colorful Christmas lights in people’s homes and the traditional holiday dinner, and while I had plenty of new experiences, what left the deepest impression on me was the beauty of the frozen lake on a sunny day and the vast scenery. Under a cloudless blue sky, the snow-covered landscape stretched as far as the eye could see. Skating amidst that soul-cleansing scenery was absolutely wonderful; it felt as though I could spread my wings and fly away like a bird.

～ To be continued in the Iowa chapter ～