Introducing My Family

Hi, this is Peter from Smiths English School in Yamashina. During classes my students often like to talk about their families, activities, special events and new additions. In fact, I have two students right now whose wives are due to give birth early next year. As a result, students ask about my family, so today I will tell you a little about them.

My wife

My wife, Reiko, is of course Japanese. We first met in London, England where she was studying English on a homestay program. On finishing her course, she had to return home to Japan, but we kept in touch, and she went back to London after about six months. After spending most of the next few months together we decided to get married in a small ceremony with my family and a few friends attending. Soon after that we moved to Japan, where we have been living for the last thirty years or so.

My daughters

We have two wonderful daughters, Ami and Halina. Ami is twenty-four years old and is married with two young kids of her own. We are lucky in that they live nearby in the same town as us, and thanks to Smiths scheduling, we are able to see them regularly.

Halina, our youngest daughter, is almost twenty years old and studies dance at college in Kyoto. She has loved dance, particularly hip hop since she was in junior high school. We have enjoyed many events where she has performed over the last few years. Recently she has been choreographing many performances herself in the Shiga and Kyoto areas.

My oldest granddaughter

My oldest daughter, Ami, married just over four years ago and now has two young daughters. The oldest is Karin who is now two and a half years old. She seems to be growing up very quickly and reminds me of Ami at the same age. I am once again finding myself watching too many Anpanman animations and having to buy character dolls most Sundays.

My youngest granddaughter

My youngest granddaughter is just four months old. Her name is Marin, I am still not sure why my daughter chose a name so similar to Karin but her choice, I guess. We have, as a family, already enjoyed some of the traditional Japanese ceremonies associated with new babies. At the beginning of October, we visited a local shrine to have a monk pray for her good health. Later the same month, one hundred days after her birth there was a first offering of solid food to her. Both of these events seem unique to Japan as far as I know.

I look forward to continuing to spend good times with my family here in Japan, watching my grandkids grow up and who knows, maybe welcoming new additions in the future.