Her hair was coiled and braided, her eyes were accented, and she had that weird box hidden under the back of her gown. All in all, she looked ready to graduate in Japan!
We finished up breakfast, did a few showers (with handles that it took half the shower to figure out), then headed to the bus after wishing Ben a safe journey back to the US.
We passed a dozen shrines and temples on the way to Ritsumeikan. Apparently Deanne doesn't have to pay for a bus as long as she's wearing a kimono - the rest of us got bus passes, since she's familiar with them and they will fit seven people easily.
The thirty minute trip terminated at a line of kimono-ed and suited students (the men don't have a traditional dress that they wear) who were waiting to take pictures with a flag.
We decided to go take pictures of the resident cats that the Cat Club feeds instead. A much better plan, in my opinion.
Deanne walked us to the hall where we were going to be watching the simulcast of the university-wide graduation ceremony. We were to sit and stay until it was over, then she would fetch us to the degree conferral for the international relations college.
Well, the orchestra before the ceremony was probably my favorite part. No Japanese required. After that, I tuned out and finished up yesterday's blog post. Mom and Dad watched the screen to see if we could see Deanne, to no avail.
She did, in fact, return to pick us up after those three or four speeches and some special degree conferrals. We found our next building with a much more engaging ceremony - there was an entire speech in English, on top of the Dean's speech which was pre-translated on screen. The dean's speech warned of dying alone and unloved... Nice and inspirational for the graduates?
There were group pictures and individual pictures and family pictures.
We passed a few sports teams and clubs that were celebrating their graduates by throwing them in the air, showering them with confetti, carrying them around in chairs, or waving gourd-shaped balloons at them. Kimonos and hair-dos of every shape and size surrounded us, as well as selfie sticks to capture the moment.
We got the pictures then separated ourselves from the crowd to have lunch at a quick service cafe - like Sheetz, you order on the screen, then pay and pick up your food.
The next few things on the list were to get Deanne's suitcases from her friend - she had packed up her apartment a few days ago, so had them kindly stored by Maria. Then, Deanne had to head back to the kimono rental to change. Originally, the hope was to take some photo booth pictures with the three sisters, but since there was only an hour before church, we were just given directions to get to the service while Deanne disappeared.
We made it on a slightly late bus, and got to church ten minutes before the service was to start. The band was warming up, and there was a herd of playing children in the rooms adjoining the sanctuary.
Deanne scooted in the door right at 5, but it turns out that this service wasn't quite as formal as I had in my head. A few people came in late, but it really got interesting when the dedications (similar to baptisms) were going to start. Just one of the three babies was in the room; the pastor's wife went out to fetch the others but came back empty-handed. The service was rearranged, and we continued with a few more messages and songs.
Dedications take two was slightly more successful - two babies went up to the altar with their families and were eventually joined by the third, and the herd of sponsors. The service concluded with an invitation to the side room where a great buffet was being laid out.
There were rice balls (not stuffed, but still a great texture), rolls, pizza, salad (very much appreciated by us, since we'd been eating out continually), and these mashed potato casserole squares that we loved. Made by the pastor's wife, they were a layer of mashed potato (which could be sautéed vegetables), topped with pancake mix and cheese! We feasted while we played a quiz game about Deanne and the other family that was leaving.
Next came the speeches. Deanne is well-regarded in the church, and all of the speeches praised her for her willingness to help out and initiative. Dry eyes were hard to find.
The cake was cut, everyone found someone to chat with, and the night continued on. (Frosting here is more of a whipped cream than a buttercream sweetness, in case you were wondering.) The cleaning began, and - with the majority of her goodbyes said - Deanne led us to the bus and back to the house.
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