Games Japanese Children Taught Me
These memories are so old but so precious. I can just remember little bits of this and that.
Before I get into the games let me share with you one that is still so clear. Also, about the story teller.
Michiko's father was a doctor in the little blue hospital across the way from where I lived. She would often come with him when he came to work. A song that I would often sing was "Bibbity, Bobbity Boo" and thought nothing of it. One day she let me know she did not like it. I could not figure out why until one day it dawned on me. She was hearing "michi ka boola" in the song. I suppose she thought I was singing about her and she did not know what I was saying. I never sang it again around her.
There was a story teller who came around from time to time. He had a box that cards slid in and out of. It was loaded with the cards in order for the story. As he told it, he would pull the pictures out. I loved it when he came. I had to try to guess the stories from the pictures.
He also brought candy which I was not allowed to have. We had particular things that we needed to avoid. We had a few restaurants we could go to. More on that in another article.
They taught me rock, paper, scissors. I had never played it before and I never figured out what it was at the time. I just guessed at what to do. I suppose I won some but I don't remember.
We also played shuttle cock with very ornate paddles around New Year's. I still have mine safely packed away.
Now, my favorite was a jump rope came. They did not twirl the rope - just swung it back and forth. I learned when to jump in and out and learned the Japanese words to the song that went with it. Oh how my memory has changed the words over 53 years. I have been able to figure out that most of it was the days of the week so I can relearn it properly. I wish I could find someone who knows it.
There were other games but they are not remembered. If they come back to me I will add to this. I have some resources that might remind me. My favorite is a children's magazine that was published in Englsh about Japanese children. I have four of them. They are packed away, but one day I will get to them.
I don't know where this will go with the next installment. It will happen in the next few days.
© Copyright 2006 Mary Ann Chidlow (UN: merian at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
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posted by Mary Ann Chidlow at 12:24 PM
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