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                 My 86 year old father waiting for the incense and the flowers.

The old Okame sculpture greets us.

The occasional haikus that I post on my blog are mostly written by my 86 year old father, Toshio Kondo.  He asked me if I would go to Kaneiji temple to visit our ancestor's grave this morning. The temple is in Yanaka, the old section of downtown Tokyo.  My father drove. He knows all the back streets and shortcuts.  Considering his age, I wondered when he was going to stop driving. He said he planned to drive until his license expired. That's in two years!   

Whenever I come to Yanaka, I feel my old roots. The area is also known for artisanal shops and cherry trees. The buds are still tight but the old trees are elegant and beautiful even during their dormant period. Our routine visit to the family grave site includes stopping and saying hello to the lady who manages the gravesite.  My father always calls her in advance of the visit.  

When we arrived to her house, the lady who manages the gravesite served us tea at the entrance of her house. We talked about the weather, how good it has been in Tokyo.  She prepared a bucket of water, some incense and flowers to take to the grave.  As we got up to go to the family gravesite, I noticed my father was walking slower than he did last year.  He said he was pacing himself so as not to tire himself.  I slowed down, myself, too.  I am always in a hurry to go somewhere. To do just the opposite is a good exercise.

The family head stones stood tall. They felt ancient but solid.  My father traced the engraved names on the headstone with his old hands and recounted stories of my grandparents. On this occasion, I noticed the construction of three new high rise buildings since I was Iast here. I found their presence rather intrusive. There was also construction to remove some of the old graves to make room for the new. My father said we were lucky we still have our family grave. I felt fortunate to have a father who can still drive, show me around when I am Tokyo and remind me of the things that matter.