Father’s Hat Back To Japan!

Father’s Hat Came Back To Japan!

One’s father came to Japan in 1968, at the invitation of Nissan Motor Co Ltd., and wore this hat.

For those who do not know, Datsun was the export brand of Nissan Motors cars.

One’s first car happened to be a Datsun 510.

Really, thanks Dad for paying for 1/2 of my first car.

Things are much more valuable if you have skin in the game, a very valuable lesson one learnt from father.

Invited by Nissan as one of the very first Datsun dealers in Canada, he came back from Japan with an ear to ear grin and some amazing stories about Japan.

As a souvenir, he brought back chopsticks and a chopstick rest and showed the family how to use them properly.

One always smiles when the ever complimentary Japanese exclaim, “you use chopsticks so very well” and I always kindly reply, “thank you so much for your kind compliment, and your spoon technique is also impeccable”.

Be aware when one visits the Japan, the Japanese will compliment you on how good your Japanese is, even if you only say ohayogozaimasu (good morning).

This is part of Japanese tatemae, which smooths this esoteric society along.

Anyway, there were stories of raw fish and tempura, and the wagyu steaks for breakfast at the PALACE HOTEL, what’s not to like?

When the cars arrived, my father would drive to the port of Vancouver and then drive back some of these car on an eight-hour journey through the beautiful Fraser canyon.

Now imagine a five-year-old boy excitement when his Dad drives up in a 240Z and parks it in front of the house on 1st Ave.

Extremely awesome is all one has to say!

There where also 200SX and Datsun Pick Up trucks showing up as well.

Dad ran the Datsun dealership for a few years, and then ultimately choose to reject the long hours of servitude to business and made the decision to take his family camping, hiking, and fishing all over the pristine province of British Columbia instead.

He sold the dealership.

Really, thanks Dad for making that choice; a boy couldn’t have asked for a better childhood.

My father’s hat has now come back to Japan, handed down to me as a family heirloom.

I am honoured to wear this hat, in what is a much materially different Japan from the one my Father visited in 1968, although the way of Japan remains the same, the same it as it has for millenniums.