Our Japanese Visitors

So several weeks ago I offered to host a few members of the Japanese Junior Olympic Wrestling team that comes over and wrestles every year or so.  Then I forgot about it.  Heard nothing more.  Nothing was entered into our calendar.  I blissfully started pulling stuff out of the attic for a massive reorganization that I could do at my own pace since no one was going to be using the guest rooms.  HA!  Then Derek casually mentions that in 5 days we will be hosting 2 of the Japanese coaches.  In our guest rooms.  Which are currently full of the attic.  And in the 5 days before they show up I have very little time.  SO, turbo speed attic clean out.  I walked 11 miles in one day moving stuff in and out, rearranging, going through boxes, purging and purging and purging.  My kids have grown, my decor style had changed, but it was all hanging out in the attic.  Whew.  Got it done!
Then I got SO nervous!  I know how to host Americans.  I know what they expect in a bed, in a towel, in a shower, in a meal...but I know little to nothing about what Japanese guests might want.  Yikes!
Derek got to spend about 2 1/2 days completely immersed in the Japanese wrestling exchange experience.  None of them spoke much English.  And he hasn't really spoken much Japanese since he finished his Japanese minor after his Japanese mission.  So 10 years.   But, it came back well enough.  The team toured around Edmonds & Seattle.  They went shopping, met the mayor, and enjoyed American cuisine.  Derek helped translate for all of it.  And he loved it.
I got to feed the coaches breakfast twice.  Scrambled eggs, bacon, rice, ketsup, soy sauce, barley tea, and fun conversation (through translator Derek).  It was so fun that it made me want to have an exchange student at some point.  They gave us so many fun gifts.  The coach on the left has 2 daughters, so I loaded him up with candy and gifts for his daughters.   We were exhausted by the end (mostly Derek), but it was well worth it!

I am hoping we will be able to afford to send Derek in June when our American All Star team goes to Japan for 2 weeks.