yesterday i went back to munakata shrine to take more pictures of chrysanthemums. each year there are some people there selling plants (for your garden i suppose; trees and bushes as well as flowers in pots). one of the women there started talking to hiro. she was older, as in grandmother-age, and she thought he was cute. when he didn't answer her she started asking me if he could understand japanese. if i only spoke to him in english. what about his father? ok, whatever. i could handle those questions, she was just curious (and not in a rude way).

then the questions started for me. where are you from? lots of baseball discussion about seattle and matsunaka (is that his name?) although he's probably going to boston. then she asked me, is japan cold? i really really dislike this question. what was her meaning? i really couldn't gather it from the question. sometimes it's meant as, japan is #1!!!! in everything, including cold. *rolls eyes* sometimes it's meant as, 'is japan colder than the US?' well, yes and no. *sigh* and sometimes i think it's just meant as a conversation starter. hmmm. in this case, though, it wasn't clear what she meant.

but i don't know what to say. this time i just said, hummmmm. but really, what's the response i should give? sarcasm does not work in japan. a 'real' answer will just drag me into a conversation i don't want. i wish people wouldn't talk to me!! LOL