Every time a delegation from Israel visits Japan, we are invited to a visit at the Hashimoto’s family house, and to a feast fit for a king. This time was no different.
Hashimoto-San is a modest man, all smiles, a dentist by profession, and one of Suganuma Sensei’s most senior pupils. He and his wife, Harumi-San love entertaining guests from abroad.
We arrived at their house at the appointed time, and Hashimoto-San came to meet us, just to make sure that we don’t get ourselves lost on the way.
At the entrance to the house, his wife, Harumi-san, welcomed us with a smile and a bow.
It is uncommon for visitors to Japan to get invited to a Japanese family home. There are a few reasons for that, one of them being that Japanese homes are usually small, too small for entertaining guests.
For that reason, the fact that we had the privilege to visit Hashimoto-San’s home is a gift to be doubly appreciated. It is important to note that the Hashimoto residence is a very spacious one, and very different from the average Japanese apartment.
The tables were heavily laden with delicacies and fine foods, all home-made.
Having known the Hashimoto family for 28 years, and after visiting the family home countless times, I am still deeply impressed by the generous hospitality, and by the food that is excellent, and just as important, plentiful.
When I apologized to the hostess for having to prepare food for 8 hungry Israeli guests, she laughed and said that only a few weeks before our visit, they had 23 rather large Dutchmen visiting at their house, so 8 Israelis didn’t seem too many in comparison.
Before we left, we were given a take-away, all the great food that was left from the meal, so that there will be no chance we get hungry at the hotel.
Before leaving the Hashimoto home, we presented them with a small gift: a wooden sign of the name "Hashimoto" in Hebrew (Yuval Moyal gets full credit for the idea and its execution). The sign was promptly situated on the window sill. So, if you are passing through Fukuoka, and you see the Hebrew sign from the street, you will immediately know that this is the place.
Hashimoto-San and Harumi-San, thank you very much for your generous hospitality. You are the best!
