It was July, and Todd wanted to hang out with his friends. Yet, on Friday, Todd and his family were flying to Tokyo, Japan. They would visit his grandmother, Obaasan. She liked being called by the Japanese word for grandmother. Obaasan promised to show them around Tokyo, but Todd really did not want to leave San Francisco.


First of all, they arrived early and had to sit in the airport for two hours before the flight. Finally they took off and were airborne, but it was still another eleven hours before they would land in Tokyo. Todd’s mother was petite, so she didn’t suffer from the small amount of space each passenger had, but his father was soon complaining about leg cramps. This trip was even worse than Todd had expected.


After a taxi ride, they were at Obaasan’s apartment in a modern building. She met them with a big hug. Inside her apartment, there were no doors, but rather screens that separated the rooms. Instead of carpets, straw mats were on the floors. The furnishings with cushions for seating and a low dining table were different from the kind of furniture in Todd’s home. Obaasan also had flowers in every room.


Obaasan had prepared a special meal for them. Todd liked the rice and grilled tuna, but he didn’t care for the cake of soybeans called tofu. He had never eaten pickled vegetables, but the taste was not bad.



Due to being awake during the protracted flight, Todd was exhausted and slept well. Obaasan served them breakfast and then took them to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the tallest building in the city. The observatory decks at the top are the best place to view all of Tokyo. It was a clear morning, so they could see Mount Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan and a kind of volcano. Todd had never seen such a view! Maybe this trip would not be boring after all.


Afterwards, they ate at a restaurant in the building. Everyone ordered sushi, a small, tasty food and a delicacy. Some pieces were rice rolled with fish and others were rice rolled with vegetables. The sushi in San Francisco was not nearly as good.


The next day, Obaasan took everyone to Sunshine City, a city within the city with shops, restaurants, and an indoor theme park with games and rides. It had a number of food theme areas like Ice Cream City where shops sell ice cream. While Obaasan and Mom went shopping, Dad and Todd visited the theme park where Todd played video games. Then they went to the aquarium to see sea animals. The stingrays were Todd’s favorite.



Everything was turning out to be more interesting than Todd expected, but his best time was at a bunraku, or puppet theater. The puppets were as big as people and seemed to be alive. The people who worked the puppets were right on stage in front of the audience. Because the puppets were so large, everything they said and did seemed exaggerated. Todd loved the colorful costumes and sets.


When it was time to return to America, Todd did not want to leave. It had been the best two weeks of his life! He asked Obaasan if he could come back next summer, and she said, “I would love that.”

​



​Which details best support the theme of the passage? Select two choices.

​

a.
​the length of the trip to Japan

b.
​Todd’s new experiences in Tokyo

c.
​the description of Obaasan’s home

d.
​Obaasan’s efforts to show her affection

e.
​the way Todd feels about his trip to Tokyo

f.
​the differences between Japanese and American food