Adventures in Tokyo

One final post

2010-01-26T23:42:00.000-08:00

Here is the last group of photos. I wanted to do a quick post before we leave New Zealand. We will be up in a few hours at 3:30 AM to begin our long journey home. I imagine we don't have to worry about losing too much sleep as there will be plenty of time for that on the plane or should I say - planes.

Queenstown - Bungy

Nicholas (on his 8th birthday) and Connor watching the LUGE

Rock climbing

Retrieving Connor from rock climbing

Family photo op at Mount Cook area Glaciers

Glenorchy - Town where Lord of the Rings was filmed

Skipping rocks after a picnic at the lake

This is the closest we got to the sheep. When we got out of the car they usually ran, but these guys knew we had food.

Baa...

Great view - and a bonus with the lonely sheep

Fishing - something for everyone

Back through Queenstown - a much needed break from pasta in the camper. Nick wanted to try the local Sauvignon Blanc - not a big fan I guess

Closest we came to Bungy jumping

Our home. This site was swarming with nasty sandflies which forced us to stay inside. At least it was a room with a view.

Stream after lake after river and on and on and on...

One of the many great lookout points

A walk to Fox Glacier

Great limestone rock formations

Hokitika - little beach town, my favorite stop. Our site was steps from the beach that was filled with driftwood sculptures all the way down the

shore. Bruce Bay - different beach, but along the beach road were rocks signed by passersby and then artfully displayed among the driftwood.

We left our mark as well. Always travel with a Sharpie.

Cheers!

2010-01-20T02:06:00.000-08:00

We spent 4 nights in Sydney, the first being in the central part and the photo below is simply to prove that we have seen the Opera House. By the way it isn't white, it's more cream colored.
Ferry ride to Watson's Bay.

Connor's having a bit of a chat with ol' Roo

This one wanted Kate's braids.

First time in a Kangaroo petting zoo - very cool.

Wouldn't be Australia without a photo with the Koala.
The kids fed them ice cream cake cones

Beach day at Dee Why, but first some fish 'n chips

We spent 3 of our nights just north of Sydney at Manly Beach. This is the view from the apt. Also had a great little playground there in the front where Connor spun around too many times and lost his breakfast in the grass.

We arrived in Christchurch, New Zealand with a very loose itinerary for the next 12 days. But that’s pretty much the way this entire trip has been. I am coping with the spontaneity of things. This small city is said to be the most English city outside of England. We rented a punt for a short ride up the Avon River that passes through the city. Christchurch was our stop for two nights before picking up the campervan.

The smart company we rented the campervan from had couches and movies set up for the kids while we learned about our new ‘home’. First stop was the grocery store, and as nice as it was to be back in an English market, the food prices were still really high. We did sit in the parking lot for a good hour and returned to the store 3 times as we realized that we forgot a particular essential. And after we left I realized I still forgot the butter.

First stop out of Christchurch was Kaikoura known for it's whale watching which we enjoyed. Below was our first peek at the coastline and we had to get out to see it.

As we settled into the driving bit, I found myself humming John Denver as the landscape quickly changed to rolling hills and mountains.
Every other turn in the Canterbury Region brought hills and fields speckled with sheep, cows and deer, but in the land of 40 million sheep and 4 million people we saw A LOT of sheep.

As for the campervan it was such a lovely thing when a child yelled from the back in a panic, “I have to go to the bathroom!” I looked at them blankly and said ,”Then go, it’s right behind you.” The first day of driving with the kids nearly made me lose my mind. We were hoping that we could really spread them out around the vehicle, but they all had to sit at a table where the seatbelts were located. There was a lot of kicking and yelling and well, the usual. Jack kept telling me to go and sit back there with them. But I refused. What I learned was that if we let them stay up late, at least one of them would fall asleep on the drive and that would bring much peace to our world.

Day three and we are on our second campervan. We decided to take a more scenic route to our second campsite on the East coast. The views were stunning, but the mountain drives were steep. We stopped at the bottom of one mountain and realized we could smell the brakes. We got out and chatted with a guy who was passing by on his bike (an American but now a Kiwi) and he gave Jack some advice about driving these monstrosities down the mountain, basically downshift and don't ride the breaks. After trying to go over a different mountain on a narrow gravel road we decided to turn around and go back to where we started. The only way out though was to go back over the mountain and down again. I was a complete wreck, pretty sure that the breaks were going to go out and we were going to roll over the side of the mountain to our death. The roads were all narrow and the string of barbed wire for a guardrail wasn't going to hold us back. One realizes now as I am writing this that we didn’t go over the side. But, Jack did kill the clutch partway down. The van was stuck in 1st gear, so we coasted along at about 13mph for about an hour with the gas light on and the possibility that the breaks would give at any moment. Oh and did I mention the guy back at the mountain told us that none of the seaside towns had any gas stations? We have also been travelling without a phone since we left Sydney. The van eventually lurched to a stop, but fortunately in front of someone's home. Perk and her husband were gracious enough to allow us to call the van company from their home and let us sleep in their parking space overnight until someone came to fetch us the next morning. The adventure never ends.

Next day, site for sore eyes, 3rd night, second campsite, Lake Tekapo

Ubud - Part 2

2010-01-10T00:55:00.000-08:00

I am thinking that maybe 5 weeks for our family to travel together was a bit much. We have 3 weeks to go. A manicure and pedicure for 18 bucks today certainly helped my state of being (nice after that combo would have set me back 180 bucks in Tokyo - which is why I didn’t get them). I told Kate that I missed my alone time. She told me I get it every night while I am sleeping. Sorry honey, that just doesn’t cut it. Possibly a change of scenery will shake things up a bit. We will leave our spacious villa and spend 12 days in a camper. Hmmm…But first we leave Bali in two days and head to Sydney for 4 days.

I mentioned the monkey forest before, but neglected to post a couple of pics. Although video is much better for this, I believe my cable wires are on a ship somewhere headed to America at this time – at least I hope they are. Connor found a friend - but we learned later that you are not to show your teeth as it is a sign of aggression - yeah, I am pretty sure that monkey is not smiling at Connor This guy is wondering why his friends aren't moving.

The bottom of my daily cup of Kopi (coffee), no, not from the animal mentioned before. I am never tired during the day, imagine that.

We had an interesting trek today around the river near Ubud. It was a two-hour trek that we thought could be handled by all. And I have to say I am pretty sure no one complained except for Connor who had the benefit of being carried on the back of Wayung, our guide. If Jack carried him he most likely would have fallen as the trails were either slippery or wet or narrow or unseen and we all lost our footing several times. After a steep and somewhat treacherous walk down to the river Wayung told us we had to cross it. He said he would carry the kids across one by one. Then he stripped down to his underpants, threw Connor on his back and went across. Jack and I weren’t quite sure what our job was at this point until he told us to take off our pants, hold our shirts up and cross. I told Kate privately – thank god I didn’t wear a thong today. I think Jack was more embarrassed about this than I was. I just warned Jack – NO PICTURES or he might have to get swallowed up by the river. Well, he took photos that obviously I won’t be posting and then he went in the wrong way, slipped and fell ALL the way in. I thought that was a bit funny – he didn’t. Wayung hollered, "Wrong way!" haha. After we got across Kate said,“ Mom, Wayung’s naked!” He was drying out his underpants and he told me I could do the same. I said I was fine thank you – I didn’t care if my underpants were wet. We continued on our trek and Kate makes the comment, “Well, that was interesting.” Yes it was. There was nothing about that part in the guide books.

Before heading down still dry and clothed...

Connor first

Then Nick

Kate

...and that's all of the photos ;)

Ubud, Bali

2010-01-07T04:27:00.001-08:00

We chose Ubud for a few reasons, mainly for a more cultural experience rather than staying close to a beach that could be any beach any place in the world. We chose right, although jungle life for me takes a little getting used to and technically we aren’t even IN the jungle. But the first night here I am pretty sure I didn’t sleep more than 10 minutes at a time. We arrived after midnight and walked down a dark path for 300 meters to arrive at our villa. Although the beds were covered in mosquito nets I was pretty sure there were all sorts of bugs crawling on me. There were many unfamiliar sounds throughout the night and then I heard a whining, howling sort of thing. In my half sleep state I realized they were roosters – and I only realized that because I read the guest book before going to bed. Everyone commented on the various noises that lulled them to sleep and woke them each morning. Like I said, jungle life will take a little getting used to.

The first day we took it slow. We headed to what I looked forward to most – the Monkey Forest. Travel books recommended that we might not want to buy bananas and feed them as they could get a little aggressive. I realized this when one guy decided to climb up my leg and grab my water bottle out of my bag and run away with it. He then opened it, laid it on the ground and slurped up the water. The monkey forest was amazing - 100's of them everywhere, some definitely more friendly than others. And although it was unsettling to be around all of the free roaming monkeys at the same time it was really fantastic.

The family that takes care of us is wonderful. The woman that cooks breakfast and dinner everyday is very patient with the kids picky palettes. We pay $8 per person a day for meals. And the food at the villa is better than anything we have had in the restaurants. The kids are given amazing fruit plates everyday, if only they could stop asking why we have rice every night? I remind them to look over the wall. We are situated in a villa surrounded by rice paddies and incredibly hard working people – makes you feel a bit guilty, but they are very kind and welcoming.

We are doing all that has been recommended and also just trying to take it easy. Connor is sweating out a fever at the moment, but it wouldn’t be a vacation unless he got sick.

The king in his castle by the pool

The family taking care of us had a puppy and 3 kittens - built in entertainment for the kids

Pool and Villa

Rice Paddy next to our villa and could be seen from the second level

300 meter path to our villa from the road

Connor chasing the many ducks from the path to the rice paddy

Children on their way to school with broom and bucket in hand to clean the school after one of the two week holidays per year

Lunch and Dinner

Kate's spa day on the beach - mani and pedi to be followed by hair braiding

Sanur beach

Elephant safari park - pre-trek entertainment

Jack was a tad bit nervous

The elephants

Feeding Epi after the ride

One of my favorite outings so far was to a place to grow herbs, fruit and coffee. There is a coffee called luwak – named for the place that the beans ferment - inside an animal. Yes, the animal eats the coffee beans, they hang out in his digestive system, he poops them out, they roast the beans and make the coffee. Very rich coffee – very expensive coffee. Jack and I both sampled the coffee.

The Luwak digesting the beans

Droppings into the pot for roasting

Drinkin' the coffee

mmm...good

And just like that...

2009-12-31T06:51:00.001-08:00

...we are gone. The final moments on the Friendly Limousine Bus and taking off from Narita were not so heart wrenching. I had the kids to distract me. Then, at 1AM we land in Singapore. We head down an escalator and the kids automatically get in single file on the the left hand side - but this time I said, 'Guys, you don't have to do that here, we're not in Japan anymore.' But I said it quietly because I liked this obedient way that they have adopted. We took a cab from the airport and fit ALL of our bags into one cab and 5 of us in the backseat! We are definitely not in Japan anymore. Upon arrival at the hotel Kate and I waited patiently while everyone piled out and then I remembered, 'Kate! You can open your door too!' We are allowed to get in and out on BOTH sides of the cab here. I wonder how quickly they will forget all these little pieces of Japanese etiquette we have been drilling into their little brains.

The End

2009-12-29T06:09:00.000-08:00

The end of our time in Tokyo has arrived. Unlike some of my messy goodbyes here I am keeping this short and simple. Thank you to all of you who have followed this adventure of ours. I am not sure I would have kept blogging if there wasn't an audience. I thought it would be appropriate to end with my attempt at a Haiku.

Tokyo thank you

Everlasting memories

So... sayonara

...maybe more to come in January before we return to Minneapolis at the end of the month. Our travels begin tomorrow and include: Singapore, Bali, New Zealand and Australia. Stay tuned.

Blue Man Group

2009-12-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

As with every job we witness here there is a certain dignity and respect that people are given and by all means deserve, whether it's the garbage guy, the combini cashier or my favorite - the men of the Blue Man Group, aka road construction guys. There is never a shortage of construction and unlike the states they are very efficient. Usually they seem to be repairing something that doesn't seem to need repairing. You won't find a pothole or uneven sidewalk anywhere. But whether I am riding my bike, jogging or walking, when I approach a 'construction site,' the ever so polite workers bow, wave their wand and guide me over what feels like a red carpet, but in reality it's a green rubber mat getting you safely from the beginning to the end of the danger zone. I will admit I always wanted to step off the mat and see what would happen.

The Green Carpet

Blue man is watching this guy walk off of the mat - maybe the exception to the rule is if you have a rolling bag you don't have to stay on the mat...

Merry Xmas

2009-12-24T17:13:00.000-08:00

The Japanese love to decorate for the holidays that they technically don't celebrate. But more often than not they hang signs that say - Merry Xmas. Maybe it's a space saving thing...they are efficient and use their space so wisely. Adding 'Christ' just might take up too much space.

Good Stress

2009-12-20T05:48:00.000-08:00

Just trying to keep a little perspective here in our last week before leaving this amazing city and country. My head is in overload trying to take it all in from our simple walks in the neighborhood, staying clear of the bikes on the sidewalk, enjoying the dogs now with their fur lined coats on, absorbing the Japanese conversations that I still don't understand (after 4 lessons), people watching and people watching me, saying goodbye to so many new and forever friends. Should I stroll through the park just one more time? Can we squeeze in one more night out, have one more bowl of ramen with a little gyoza on the side? How should we spend our last days?

It's stressful, but the reality is that this is good stress. Many men will come and politely pack up our apartment in a timely manner with much wrapping. In the meantime we will stay at our friend's home and relax. Christmas will be spent with friends that have not yet left for their holiday. Then we will leave quietly (okay, maybe not quietly) and find our next adventure. In such an enormous and different city, this short time here as an expat was quite easy and quite nice, but also life changing - the best choice we could have made for ourselves and for our family.

Family Karaoke

2009-12-18T23:40:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in a previous post about how karaoke is synonymous with the Japanese. For me, I can take it or leave it, but the experience is worth it even if you only do it once - here. You can find a karaoke bar on almost every corner. Our friend booked a private room at Pasela in Roppongi on a Friday night and got 3 other families to join them. She does this on a regular basis with her girls or with her husband and anyone else she can grab on any given weekend night. I've got to admit that although it was loud, really loud, and crazy with 11 kids - everyone had a blast. You can spend hours searching through the phonebook like catalog of songs (yes, there is an English AND a Japanese version) and then punch in your choices on the computer. See the dads in action below. Kate did not want to go. Kate did not want to leave.

It's alright - stand on the furniture - make some noise! This must have been Taylor Swift. This is where the Japanese let their guard down, behind these closed doors.

If only I could remember what they were singing...although I am pretty sure it was a Police song. My choice was 'Do They Know it's Christmas' and of course everyone sang.

Now everybody! And throw a few tambourines in there as well...

And if you are nervous that your breath really stinks while you are belting out your favorite song into the mic, the Karaoke bars will have mouthwash in the bathroom for you.

Good times.

Opening Ceremony

2009-12-08T21:12:00.001-08:00

I had a little shopping to do in Ginza -one of the many areas with all of the top end stores, not that I was shopping in any of them. I did want to go to a department store right when it opened. It's done a little differently here. I chose Mitsukoshi. There were people gathering outside as it was just before 10AM.

I kept checking the time on the clock at the top of the WAKO building - another landmark in Ginza. It was right across the street from Mitsukoshi and of course in a timely fashion a woman in full uniform arrived at the doors - but stayed behind the red ropes. She chatted away into a mic for about two minutes, probably telling everyone not to rush the store, maybe to wash their hands before entering, and to stay in a single file...okay, kidding. But what could she possibly have to say? Maybe the sales of the day? No idea.

She then moved the ropes, but nobody moved. How are we supposed to know that we can go in????

The clock struck 10 and then the people began to move forward. I followed. The salespeople bowed and welcomed us as we walked in, Irasshaimase!!! Then I turned the corner and walked along the cosmetics and perfume counters and each and every salesperson (and there were a lot) was standing in front of their counter bowing and welcoming me as I walked by. It was almost embarrassing, I think I was blushing. I wanted to shout out, 'I'm not worthy! Stop bowing!' I felt so important. Incredible.

Monthly Message

2009-12-04T05:45:00.000-08:00

These posters are placed in all of the train stations. I believe they always say 'Please do it at home,' regardless of the behavior. Every month or so they change the message. The pictures are classic. At the bottom of this one it reads 'Please refrain from drunken behavior.'

One month later...

2009-12-02T23:42:00.001-08:00

So it's about one month later since my last post regarding our plans and I can only offer a bit more. We will be out of our apartment officially on December 24th, yes Christmas Eve. Remember...that's not important to the Japanese. However, our dear friends who will have headed home to Australia for their holiday, have offered us their apartment for as long as we would like. Who knows...maybe we'll still be there when they come home. We will have a homey situation for the kids on Christmas rather than a sterile serviced apartment and that makes me happy. After that? The plans, or ideas, change every day. We are entertaining various travel options before going home. As of today, Minneapolis is our final destination. But before heading back to the tundra for 4 more months of winter we hope to see a little bit more on this side of the planet because there is a pretty good chance we may not be back here again. But never say never right? And since Jack has 'some time off', I have designated him as our travel agent. We decided we could 'home school' the kids for a couple weeks in January while we expand their geographic and cultural knowledge just a bit more. Nicholas, can you tell me the difference in the average temperature for January between Bali and Minneapolis? Kate, how many miles is it from Australia to Minnesota? Connor, how many shells did you find on the beach today, can you arrange them from smallest to largest? Sounds like home schooling to me.

Our tree lot

2009-11-27T22:19:00.000-08:00

I know I posted my reaction to the cost of Christmas trees last year, but I am still having sticker shock this year and decided to post photos because seeing is believing right? As much as I have gotten used to spending more money for most things, I still cannot bring myself to rationalize buying a tree at these prices no matter how sad our artificial tree is...

The tree lot near National Azabu Market

This tree is only 18,900 Yen - (roughly 200 bucks)

Here is a little reference as to it's size...this is Connor's 4 year-old friend. Not a very big tree. My friend did point out that you can replant this one, but I would need a yard first.

A beauty of a tree

Here, let me get a little closer...

Yes, that's about 450 smackers in USD.

I think I'll just pass through the lot each day I go to the market and inhale deeply for my Christmas tree fix.

Packing it all in

2009-11-24T17:17:00.001-08:00

I was talking with a friend trying to make some plans but as I told her we were headed to Kyoto and then to Mt. Takao, she sighed and said, "You are doing all the things that people do before they leave Tokyo." Kyoto is a must when in Japan. My parents came to visit and graciously agreed to mind the children for a couple of days so Jack and I could take off and visit this city known for it's temples and shrines that were spared from the bombing of WWII. Autumn is the ideal time to see Kyoto, so I mentally prepared myself for the crowds. My sister Jill visited Kyoto in June and my parents were going to take their own trip, so between those two I had a semi preplanned itinerary as they enjoy spending time pouring over information and finding out what to see and where to eat. It saves me quite a bit of time.

Kyoto is a 2 1/2 hour ride from Tokyo on the shinkansen(bullet train).

It almost looks like the train attendants are boarding a plane.

I was happy to see the changing leaves. The Japanese maple leaves are so tiny and delicate.

We had only a day and a half so we hit the main temples and the crowds really weren't too bad. This is the Golden Pavilion or Kinkakuji

At the Golden Pavilion you could light a candle for a personal prayer.

It was an easy decision for both of us. Jack chose 'Find Employment' and I chose 'Alleviate Stress'.

Have faith in the burning candles...

Next was the Silver Pavilion or Ginkaku-ji. Unfortunately it was under construction, but these grounds were the most beautiful to me. Below is raked white sand, known as kogetsudai, designed to reflect the moonlight and beauty of the garden at night.

This man was sweeping the leaves off of the moss and rock. I personally think the colors of the leaves looked beautiful lying on the ground, but things are always very tidy.

Perfectly Japanese.

From the Silver Pavilion we headed down Path of Philosophy- very quaint stroll with the canal on one side and shops and cafes on the other. At the end we caught a glimpse of some sort of photo shoot.

Nanzen-Ji Temple - Enormous!

This is a typical fence for the Japanese to wrap their unwanted fortunes that they received at a temple or shrine. We chose not to get another one as last time our fortune read that our marriage was doomed, our house would be lost and a number of other tragedies were going to occur.

Fushimi Inari Shrine

There are 40,000 orange tori gates covering 4 km in the hills. We did NOT see all 40,000, maybe a few hundred??? Very cool sight. It might have been helpful to be able to read Japanese here.

This dog - or this princess was almost more eye catching than the Kiyomizu Temple we were at. The dog had an elaborate outfit on that you can't quite see. Too funny.

Kiyomizu Temple Grounds

Following Kyoto we took our friends advice and ventured with the family to Ukai Toriyama near Mt. Takao (1 hour away and 4 trains that should have been only 2). The dining experience is ultimately Japanese. The clincher for me was that we had not only our own private room, but our own private Japanese House - perfect when you plan to have a 2 hour plus meal with your children. The grounds with the fall foliage, lanterns and Japanese Houses scattered around was really beautiful.

The lobby with hot rocks to keep your hands warm. Keep your feet OFF of the tatami mats!

Our house for dinner

Walking around among the various houses. Great at night as you could look in upon others enjoying their meals.

Our house again while we were in it.

Sake served in bamboo

One hour in...starting to lose control

Our wonderfully sweet Japanese server. She tried so hard to explain the unknown foods to us in English.

Bad Hair Day

2009-11-19T04:50:00.001-08:00

I can't seem to understand why I continue to see older Japanese women with brightly colored hair. I know we have our fair share of blue hairs in the states, but on a regular basis I see old women here with blue hair - royal blue, green - kelly green and purple -very violet hair! Is it just a bad dye job? Why don't their friends tell them that their hair is green? There must be more to this story. So sorry that I don't have a picture to post for this one.

The Crow

2009-11-07T21:45:00.001-08:00

Jack saw this new sign in our park across the street today... The crows here are large and scary - and there are a lot of them. But maybe we should now be looking out for one in particular.

Update - but not really

2009-11-05T23:19:00.000-08:00

We know people are wondering what is going on - when are we leaving Tokyo? Where are we going next? And the answer is...we don't know. But just to give you all something until we know more, Jack's 12 years with Northwest(Delta) is officially over on December 18th. Our apartment lease here will end December 31st. Do we have arrangements for packers to come and move us? No. Do we know where Jack's next job will be? No. Am I concerned for our future? No. Am I disappointed to be leaving Tokyo earlier than planned? Yes. Am I still going to enjoy Tokyo as much as I can until the day we leave? Yes.

Jack is working hard to see what's out there to try and keep us international, but obviously it is now November 6th and the end of December will be here quite quickly. We still have our house in Minneapolis, just not sure if there is a place for our kids at their former school. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks our future will become more clear. Stay tuned.

Tourist for a day

2009-11-02T23:15:00.001-08:00

Today was yet another Japanese holiday. I've given up on trying to keep up on each celebration. I think someone told me the other day there are about 300 hundred of them. Many people in the expat community often have these days off. Jack usually has to work, but not today. The kids had school and we, for once, had the chance to tour the city for a few hours alone. I suggested that he come up with a plan for us. So he decided that we should head to the Park Hyatt in Shinjuku and have lunch on the 52nd floor at the New York Grill - the place 'Lost in Translation' was filmed. It was a perfectly clear day and we had a better view of Fuji-san today than we did when in Hakone. On our walk from the train station to the hotel. Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building - one of the many towering buildings in Shinjuku.

Playing tourist

View from the 52nd floor at the New York Grill - camera couldn't catch Fuji so well, but it was a great view.

The room/lounge from Lost in Translation

Our two hour lunch was wonderful although I can't say that I have ever dined in a place where the water ended up costing more than my glass of wine...

Trick or Treat - Take 2

2009-11-01T04:01:00.000-08:00

We took to the streets of Nishi Azabu and Moto Azabu again this year with the masses of expats and Japanese. I've been told it's getting so popular there are a couple thousand people weaving their way in and out of these streets. It certainly felt like it at times. Plenty of places the kids stopped at had run out of candy. Other places reported that they went through hundreds and hundreds of pieces of candy. I can't find my way around this area when it's light out, much less dark. Thankfully a dad in our group lead the way and helped me find my kids when I couldn't. Jack missed out this year as he joined many Aussie fans for a big Rugby match between Australia and New Zealand. I was told concessions ran out of beer halfway through the match. Doesn't sound like an Aussie event to me.

So the kids ran from building to building with a few houses in between. I think I saw every person I have met since moving here along the route. But whenever I turned to say 'hi' and talk to someone I lost a kid. I was thrilled when both Nicholas and Connor said they had so much candy and thought that they were done.

My little Transformer - Bumblebee

So most of the loot looks familiar...
Then there are a few Japanese treats in there. Kate was willing to give them all a go. I assumed they would all have some sort of fish flavor hidden in them. The first one looks more like salmon bites than what I think it was supposed to be - taffy? I snagged everyone's mini Milky Ways instead.

The night before...

Jack and I have now been here long enough to know someone that was having a Halloween Party, just for adults - The McAvoys

Nat and I after a Tequila Shot and a jello shot - I think

Our good friends The Gatherers

Jack surrounded by Marlo and Sue

The Pirate and his Maiden, although people

preferred to call me a wench instead.

A Field Trip

2009-11-01T03:45:00.001-08:00

I volunteered to join Nicholas's Grade 2 field trip to the Tama Zoo. I was in charge of 4 kids - nice ratio. Nicholas and Aliyu from Nigeria

Ellene from Australia and Anna from Japan

But what caught my eye were the Japanese school groups - decked out in full uniform head to toe.
No variation except the color of their hats

I love the set up for lunch - an upright backpack right in the middle of each plastic mat.

If only I could have walked around and snapped pictures of their little bento boxes while they were eating lunch.

Kit Kat

2009-10-28T03:03:00.001-07:00

One of the unique Kit Kat flavors we came across...not too bad either, but I wouldn't agree that it tasted like Ginger Ale

Saipan

2009-10-20T04:42:00.000-07:00

I think I have finally discovered the perfect family vacation. One must travel with one or two other families with children of similar ages and leave the husbands behind. Okay, I realize that isn't fair, much less a 'family' vacation, but this is the first time I think I might return home and NOT feel like I need a vacation from my vacation. Jack stuck around for a couple of days before he had to return to work, but he can't complain as he was surrounded by 3 wonderful women lounging by the beach, dining by candlelight and swinging the racket out on the court.

Saipan is beautiful however I am not posting any photos because they would be like any tropical vacation photo - palm trees, white sandy beaches, sunburned bodies and turquoise blue waters. A little slice of heaven. Unlike my partners in crime I prefer to keep the sand between my toes, staring out to sea while they prefer to lounge by the pool. Anything goes while the 9 kids are at Camp Hyatt.

I am happy to report that halfway into our vacation there have been no trips to the emergency room, although I may have been better off saving this post until the end of the week. I am seriously considering deleting this and waiting until we return to Tokyo. Connor is sleeping too close to the edge of the bed - close enough to fall out and clip his head on the bedside table...

Hakone

2009-10-11T22:02:00.000-07:00

We had to see Hakone before we left Japan as it is a must for anyone staying here for a significant period of time. Hakone is a hot spring town spanning across the collapsed remains of a huge volcano that was active 3 or 4 thousand years ago. The result? Many fun attractions including some interesting hot spring amusement as well as views of Mount Fuji. Because of our enormous family we couldn't get 1 Western style room, but we could get 1 Japanese style room. Upon entering our room the kids were quite confused. "Uh, Mom, where are the beds?" Ah, yes, the beds - "Why they are in the closet!" The Japanese style room is made of Tatami mats and we had futons for sleeping. The argument was not about which bed to sleep in, but where on the floor would they sleep. Five foutons filled the floor.

A wonderful place to visit is the Hakone Open Air Museum which was our first stop.

Just about everything is outside. Modern sculptures and creations from artists all over the world that allow the kids to run, climb, play and best of all - make noise!

They kids are all in there.

Run Connor Run!

This reminded me of the Chicago Millennium Park Bean - but smaller, and a ball, and suspended.

Woods of Net - Fantastic.

We couldn't get in there -but the kids could. They climbed in and out of those holes.

Such a happy place - although I will admit I heard our kids enthusiasm above everyone else's.

There was a mini Picasso museum. I took the kids through here in about 2 minutes. It was a quiet place with no touching.

The Symphonic Sculpture. Connor preferred not to climb the steps and stayed at ground level.

Connor found this sculpture on the map and couldn't wait to see it. He was then slightly disappointed and declared it was a woman with big boobs.

One of my favorites was the bronze sculpture face down in the grass off to the side.

Curved space

More climbing through these honeycomb spacelike spheres

We took a cable car up a mountain and transferred to a ropeway that carried us across the remains of a volcano filled with sulfurous steam vents. We did this twice in hopes to get a good view of Mount Fuji. There were no views on day one. Day two was a bit better.

Kate not enjoying the smelly air.

Well, we saw it. Off in the distance, not the clearest view, but it's there.

From the ropeway we took a boat across Lake Ashi.

Connor is there playing pirate between the bars.

For the kids, the highlight was Yunessun, something like a hot spring theme park. Before heading there we had to put on our special robes and lovely vinyl slippers.

Loving the outfits.

Yunessun is comprised of various hot springs inside and out. The first was a coffee bath. They actually put coffee into the hot spring. It smelled like coffee, but I can't say that it tasted like it. It was chilly outside, so it felt great.

The waterfall

The wine bath - red. The sign reads 'Do not drink' We missed the 'pouring of the wine' into the bath.

It looks like we have all been drinking from the hot spring.

The paths to each bath wind in and around the beautiful grounds.

The tea bath

Jack in the Green Tea bath

The rock bath

The sake bath - I didn't see a sign that said not to drink out of this bath.

There was a hot spring for everyone.

Nicholas headed down the slide into the warm bath

We missed out on the bath with fish that eat the dead skin off of your feet. That bath had a typical Japanese line that would have kept us there all morning. I think I'll just get a pedicure instead.

More tiny things...

2009-10-11T21:48:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed the size of the restaurant orders, the tiny strips of paper lined up next to the grill. A closer look

And there was Jack's sake that the waiter poured until it pooled in the saucer below. We pondered whether or not he was supposed to consume the extra and how. We chose to ask the waiter, who of course spoke very little English. So Jack attempted conversing with the waiter using his charades of 'Do I sip it from the saucer?' No, the waiter laughed and motioned to pour the extra back into the cup. I am so glad we asked.

Typhoon Melor

2009-10-07T20:46:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday and all the kids are home again, not because of flu or other illness, but because of the typhoon that passed over Japan last night and early today. We had snow days in Minneapolis, and now we face typhoon days in Tokyo. There was as much chatter about the impending storm as there usually is about a snow storm back home. The embassy sent out a letter warning people to have passports in hand, earthquake emergency kits available and contacts abroad.

I must admit that I am a little disappointed. Sure there was a lot of rain and large gusts of wind, but if I didn't know there was a typhoon in the neighborhood I would have just thought it to be a very windy and rainy day. Now there are beautiful clear blue skies (it's only 12:55PM), something we haven't seen for a while because of a string of rainy days. I had hoped to see more 'weather'. I kept checking the weather report thinking, 'That's it? That's all we are going to get?' It's not that I wanted anything bad to happen, just something more to convince me that cancelling school was in everyone's best interest. How about a late start?????

Potty Talk Part 4

2009-10-03T00:58:00.000-07:00

We tried a new restaurant in our neighborhood, Hona Azabu, Teppanyaki -- yum. But the toilet...it had a light. The bowl lit up. Who really needs to see what they are leaving behind? And the flusher? A little complicated, but I figured it out. It looked like a 'push in', but it was really a 'flipper'. On the counter next to the sink there were various business cards and flyers, a container of toothpicks and a container of cotton swabs, black - all black - the whole thing. I googled it. They are manufactured by a Japanese company and have been a big hit here as they apparently allow you to see the earwax more clearly. And you thought I had nothing else to say about the Japanese bathrooms.

Mommy, why is that man lying down on the ground at our bus stop?

2009-09-29T06:33:00.000-07:00

Hmmm...so how do I explain that some Japanese business men drink until complete obliteration, simply fall down and can't get up - even on a school night. We arrived at the bus stop today to see a well dressed young man wobbling in the arms of 3 police men. And unfortunately, this was the second time the kids observed this situation at the bus stop. The first time they found a man's shoe at our bus stop and then realized it belonged to the guy lying on the bench across the street. We delivered it via the police officers who were trying to shake the guy to consciousness. The kids have seen the homeless on the street, although it's not common around our neighborhood, but these guys clearly aren't homeless - just extremely intoxicated. And the people on the street? They just walk on by. Nobody stops, no one stares. Nobody seems to care.

This time, the disturbing part was that after a few moments of drunk guy standing with the police officers, they simply moved him to a bench out of the way of the busy sidewalk. He passed out again and the officers drove off. I couldn't cover up my surprise in front of the kids except to say that clearly he was harmless, needed to sleep it off and probably wasn't going to make it to work today. Kate made some comment about how that doesn't happen to daddy and I when we drink alcohol. Yes, Kate, that is true, but I would be lying if I said there weren't nights that I thought Jack might end up losing his way after a late night at Heaven.

2009-09-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

In all fairness to the Japanese, I thought I would post this...it's not just the Japanese falling down drunk - the gaijin do it as well. No, it's not Jack, although it could pass for him. This is however, a Saturday night around 1AM in Roppongi and this guy is probably just resting before he finishes his night at the next bar.

Beijing - Celebrities and Stitches

2009-09-22T04:24:00.000-07:00

We spent four days in Beijing while Japan celebrated 'Silver Week,' another string of holidays which also meant a couple of days off for the kids, yeah, because my kids have been in school so much already!

The Great Wall was first on our list. Unfortunately it was foggy that day, so half of the experience was lost because we couldn't see beyond the tower in front of us, but nevertheless it was still incredible.

Day two took us to The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Before we left, people told us the Chinese would like our kids and their blonde hair. I had no idea how much they would like them. We were used to people staring at us in Tokyo, but here in China the moment we were off the train and heading for the Forbidden City, people began to tap us on the shoulder and ask us if they could take a picture of the kids - mostly Connor, the baby, they would call him. But, whenever one family took a picture, another jumped in and then asked for a turn. Eventually, we just decided to keep moving because we were never going to get to see anything. The Chinese would simply stop and stare - at us. Sometimes they would point and count and ask, 'All yours?' And I would nod and smile and they looked quite surprised. This happened several times. Kate was the most agreeable for pictures until we told Connor and Nicholas they could earn points towards toys at the Silk Market if they cooperated and let people take their photo.

I think there are three different families snapping pictures in this one.

These guys chose to bribe Nick and Connor with a Chinese flag for a group shot.

Really now, we are just the Malones from Minneapolis!

Many people approached us asking if we needed a tour guide. One in particular wouldn't leave us alone. Eventually she gave up on us. As luck would have it we only made it to The Forbidden City and replaced Tiananmen Square with a trip to the local hospital. While Jack was waiting in line for tickets Connor attempted to scale a wall only to reach up and grab onto a loose slab of brick/marble which then came crashing down onto his head. I grabbed him and tried to soothe his pain when Kate starts yelling, 'Mom! He's bleeding all over!' I didn't want to look, I am not good with blood or open wounds. But sure enough his hair was soaked in blood so I carefully moved it around to see a small gash that probably required stitches. This is a first for our family. We made it almost 10 years without stitches or broken bones and here we are in China breaking our lucky streak. So of course by now we had a circle of concerned people around us. The blonde baby was bleeding. And, the woman who wanted so badly to be our tour guide was now going to get what she wanted. She would escort us to the hospital and get us through the translation nightmare we were about to encounter. There was a sense of calm having Lily, our tour guide, present. I quietly reminded Jack that he would be compensating her for her troubles and then some. We couldn't do this without her.

Upon arriving at the hospital, it was very quiet and empty. This was good for us, no waiting, but was a but unsettling at the same time. They lead us to a doctor who looked at the wound and he then took us to another doctor who was sitting in his office - uh - having a smoke! He was was the who was going to 'operate'. I just hoped he was going to wash his hands. And when Kate and I went to the bathroom - no soap. I asked Lily and the doctor, "Will they numb him up before they stitch him up?" They hesitated and then said 'yes', but I wasn't sure they knew what I meant. Next stop was the 'operating room', basically a little room with a small screen. It felt like something from the 50's. They proceeded to take Connor and leave me behind. Thankfully he went willingly and I simply tried to hold it together outside the door. Lily looked at me and said, 'It's okay Ma'am, your baby be fine.' Lump in my throat.

We heard Connor cry a bit, but overall he was amazing, a brave little boy. They covered the stitches with a piece of gauze and a couple of paper clips. It looked more like a hair accessory. Then they handed us two vials of medicine. It took several minutes for us to understand what we were supposed to do with them, should he drink them? Should we apply them onto the stitches? Oh no, we were to take them downstairs to the nurses in the 'Transfusion Room' where he would get a couple of shots. The first was in the wrist to test for an allergic reaction. The second was the antibiotic in his rear end. Neither went over very well with Connor and there was a lot of screaming and holding down. There were a couple of men in the room with IVs of some sort. I assume we helped them to pass the time with our chaos. We were in the hospital for maybe a total of an hour. Jack paid the bill - $15.00. Unbelievable, so that's Nationalized Health-care.

Connor - a little cleaned up before the stitches.

Recovering in the Transfusion Room.

This photo is just to say we made it back to the Forbidden City, post-op.

Day 3 (yes, these are out of order)
The Summer Palace
Electric Boat we rented on the Lake

Grounds at The Summer Palace

Day 1 The Great Wall at Mutianyu - Cable car going up to the Wall

Great Wall going up...

Great Wall going down...

'Great' place for the kids!

Japanese Lessons

2009-09-17T05:13:00.000-07:00

Although our end date here is uncertain, I decided that I really wanted to take some Japanese lessons. There are still a few things I simply want to master.

1. I want to give a taxi driver directions with more than one word and be able to say more than 'hai' after everything he says...

2. I want to know what I might be ordering from a restaurant that doesn't have an English menu, pictures or an English speaking waiter

3. I want to share daily small talk with the woman who sweeps and cleans around the apartment. She is the sweetest woman and always tries to talk with me and I got nothin' I owe it to her to be able to talk about the weather if nothing else.

4. I want to be able to count higher than Connor. He can now count to ten and write his name in Japanese.

I am talking lessons at the kids' school in a group setting. No, not with the kids, but with the parents. We went around the table and practiced introducing ourselves in Japanese and shared where we were from. Watashi wa Brigitte desu. America kara kimashita. These are my classmates: Argentina, Italy, China, US, Australia, Denmark and Sweden. I love this school!

Yes Virginia there is a Costco

2009-09-11T05:14:00.000-07:00

Costco is in Japan. I guess it really shouldn't be surprising, but it is. Are the Japanese really going to buy 48 rolls of toilet paper? Where would they put it? There are a couple close to Tokyo and for those of us who don't have a car or feel like spending the entire day getting to and from via public transportation we can order from their website, The Flying Pig. You do pay almost double however, if you order online. Then you wonder if it's worth it. This is what I did last year, because I wanted certain items and I wanted my cereal to be in the size of a box that would last longer than two days. But oh how I wished I could just get to that store and see for myself what it was like. It only took a year. There were too many scheduling conflicts last year to make it work. This year I even had two failed attempts with sick kids staying home from school. That gets old after a while as I have previously mentioned...

So yes, I finally got there. I might as well have been in the St. Louis Park Minnesota Costco with the exception of more sushi , rice crackers and plenty of other unidentifiable Japanese food items. The layout was the same. You could tell a gaijin cart from a Japanese cart. They had 5 things in their cart. We had 50. I tired not to make eye contact passing by the Japanese as my cart began to spill over. I wanted to announce, 'It's my FIRST time! I've been waiting a year!' To get to the parking lot there was an escalator that I went on with my cart, kind of like the magic carpet at the ski resorts. Somehow the carts just lock on. It's sort of visible off to the side in the picture.

Although it is Costco, it's still Japan, so my bill was twice as much as it typically is in the states, but with plenty of great deals to keep me happy and my cabinets full for a while.

Flu invasion

2009-09-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

Ahh!!!Connor has been diagnosed with the flu. People ask, but is it the swine flu? And the doctor says most likely that it is the swine flu although they don't send samples out to the labs due to overload. The seasonal flu apparently hasn't arrived yet - which is why they assume that it is the swine flu. At the doctor's office, they requested that he arrive wearing a mask and when we left they took us out through a back entrance - basically a narrow storage area, sprayed us down with disinfectant and gave us 10 days worth of Relenza to keep the flu at bay for the rest of us.

Most importantly, Connor will be fine. Not as important, but more annoying, is the school policy (or Japan's policy) is that if one sibling is sick with the flu ALL siblings must remain home for 5 days. It's Tuesday and beginning tomorrow they will all be home, sick or not, for the remainder of the week. You can imagine how happy this makes me. The school is also closing Connor's class down as he is the 4th case just in his particular class. We are in week 3 of school. I am pretty sure there have not been two days in a row when all the kids have been in school. I am now officially in desperate survivor mode.

Hachiko

2009-09-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hachiko - A Dog Story is out in theaters in the US. It has not made it here yet. It's an Americanized version of the heartfelt Japanese story about a dog who met his owner at the Shibuya Train Station at the same time every night after work. One night the owner suffered a stroke while at work and later died. The dog continued to go to the station every night for 10 years waiting for his owner's return. The Japanese placed a bronze statue outside of the station to commemorate this amazing animal. The statue is now a very popular meeting point as we met our friends there last night before going out. I don't know if the movie will be any good, but I will probably watch it just because...

One more reason to love dogs. One more possible explanation as to why the Japanese are so crazy for their dogs.

Potty Talk Part 3

2009-09-03T23:52:00.000-07:00

Every time I enter a public restroom in Japan I worry that I won't be able to figure out how to flush the toilet. Last week I told my girlfriend to go into the restroom first and then tell me where the flusher was. Kate always asks me to go in first and check it out as well. You would think it shouldn't so be complicated but it often is and the last thing you want to do is leave a public restroom with an unflushed toilet. Sure there is the handle method and some have automatic sensors. Those are the no brainers. But then you come across ones with buttons, lots of buttons - without a drawing attached. Some buttons have colors. Is it the green one? Or the red one? I am pretty sure I pushed an emergency button once. There might be levers or buttons on the floor that one steps on. I have also been known to stand and wave my hand in front of anything on the wall hoping it will trigger the flush. I think it took me 10 minutes at a restaurant one night in this teeny tiny restroom trying to figure it out. I was waving my arms, trying every button and handle I could find. I was sweating. Nothing worked. This was the last time I forgot to ask where it was before I went in.

The Container

2009-08-31T08:53:00.000-07:00

Jack and I were at dinner at a little tapas place in Roppongi. I was bothered by the empty wine box resting between us at the bottom of the table. I had nowhere for my feet to rest. Jack tells me the box is for my purse. I forgot about this. I said, "But how would you know that is for my purse?" He said he looked under all the other tables and saw women's purses and man bags sitting in the baskets and boxes. Duh.

They do that here. They provide a special container to set your purse/bag in at a restaurant, instead of placing it on the 'dirty' floor or on the back of your chair. Last year I was out with 4 girlfriends at a restaurant at the Grand Hyatt. Instead of a basket, they gathered all of our purses set them on a chair and then covered them with a napkin?!?!?!? And at my house, my girlfriend was over, my American girlfriend, and I noticed her purse was sitting in our newspaper basket. I questioned her why it was there and she said she just assumed it was the Japanese bag holder. She has been here a bit longer than us.

Connor's Birthday Outing

2009-08-28T17:05:00.000-07:00

Connor was so confused about when his actual birthday was because he had his kid party on Saturday and his birthday was on Sunday. He kept asking us, 'Am I 5 yet?' We didn't have anything planned for the birth DAY. In the morning he repeatedly came into my room while I was sleeping and asked for more presents and when they were all opened he wasn't happy. Hmmmm...did the other two act like this at 5?

So I decided we should take the train to see this 18 meter tall 'Gundam' in Odiba. Odiba is a man made island by the Tokyo Bay. It has it's own list of things to do including shopping, museums, an aquarium, water/onsen park and a giant Ferris wheel. It also has a Statue of Liberty which was fun for the kids to see out the window of the train because we were just at the 'real' one two weeks earlier while visiting my sister in NY. This Gundam reminded me of a transformer and Connor has been obsessed with transformers for quite some time. It was supposed to move it's head and blow smoke - which it did, and it was pretty funny to here the ooohhhh and ahhhhh's of the Japanese upon these highlights.

As we approached Shiokaze Park where the towering Gundam stood there were also hundreds of other people heading in the same direction. Ugh. All the pictures I saw online were of an empty park with a few spectators. But of course we happened to go on the day that there was some sort of Green Tokyo festival surrounding this Gundam guy. It wasn't so bad/crowded at the park, we only lost Connor once. It was the dreaded train ride home with lines and lines of people waiting to get on a train and then the wonderful packed cars with our kids still managing to fight and pinch and cry and I am pretty sure I said, more than once, this is our tourist event for the month. I'm done. Happy Birthday Connor!

McDonald's

2009-08-22T02:14:00.000-07:00

Tonight I am recovering from Connor's 5th birthday party and decided to buy the kids McDonald's for dinner. Another thing I missed - the 2 minute walk to McD's when I'm too tired to cook for my children. So I am standing in line watching this young guy place an order when he flipped open his phone. I thought, 'Hmm, a bit rude,' then he said something to the cashier and I thought, 'Okay, maybe someone is texting him their order.' THEN he places the bottom half of his phone on some disk thing in front of the register which then lit up and apparently that paid for his food! George Jetson , your order is ready.

Part 2

2009-08-19T19:42:00.001-07:00

We are back. It's day 3 and unfortunately the jet lag only seems to be getting worse before it's getting any better, for the kids anyway. I have my sleeping pills.

I had two brief conversations with friends long before we left for the summer. The first one was about how I should mentally prepare myself for that 'first' comeback to Tokyo after a summer in the states, that it might be difficult. The second friend said she couldn't wait to get back to Tokyo, and at that time I couldn't imagine that and I remember saying to her, 'Really?' As it turns out for me, for us, we loved seeing everyone back in the states; had a great, great time, but I was more than ready to return to Tokyo - and I believe anyone in close contact with me the last couple of weeks knew this to be true.

Upon stepping foot back onto the 'island' I was happy to be surrounded by people carrying on conversations around me and not understanding anything they said. I realized that I missed being in the minority. I missed the grocery store across the street. I missed the 5 o'clock curfew bell-sort-of-tone that is heard every night across the park. I missed Japanese service. I missed NOT having a car. I missed carrying around a boatload of Yen. I missed our doormen. I missed the vegetable/fruit guy even though all we say is konichiwa and domo. I missed the silly dressed dogs. I missed the view of the park out our apartment window. I missed my bed. I missed more than I thought I would. It feels good to be back.

On our way back home...

2009-06-19T03:11:00.000-07:00

We are headed back to the states for most of the summer. I imagine I won't be posting anything unless there is some unusual experience between now and stepping onto the plane - which is entirely possible. I am looking forward to the flight as I will be sitting in business class with the two older ones and Jack is sitting 'in the back' with the little guy - he's not old enough to sit up front as a non-rev rule. I may be speaking a little too early, but - knock on wood - everyone is healthy, right now, and hopefully can stay that way until we reach American soil.

Thanks to all of you for reading and sharing in this great adventure of ours, and we look forward to more upon our return in August.

Buy me some peanuts and crackerjack...or yakitori

2009-06-17T06:11:00.000-07:00

My sister is visiting with her 14 year-old daughter and her daughter's friend. We all went to see one of Japan's major league baseball games, the Yakult Swallows, at Jingu Stadium tonight. We might as well have been back in Madison at a Badgers Football game...in the student section! We unknowingly chose seats right behind the 'band'...the five guys playing trumpets throughout the game. We also heard random parts of the song, Africa, by Toto over the loudspeaker and then the crowd would sing the Canadian anthem when the Canadian guy on their team was up to bat. The crowd was crazy, non-stop cheering. I'll just have to let the pictures do the talking for this one.

Notice the guy in his work clothes? No time to go home first, men were hurrying into the stadium with briefcases in tow for the 6PM game

Kate and the girls enjoyed Baskin Robbins - green tea flavored on the far left, while the adults had chicken yakitori

A lot of flag twirling and most everyone had a jersey on - which was helpful when they started chanting a player's name as we just looked on the shirts to figure out who they were cheering for

This is a big thing - cheering bats that one bangs together - most everyone had these as well

By then end of the night these became weapons between the boys

Yes, cheerleaders

At every home run the mini umbrellas went up swaying and bopping in the air and everyone sang a song - this game was a blowout 10-1, so there was a lot of umbrella action, but I still never caught onto the words in the song

My sister couldn't resist - she had to have one too

The beer girls with mini kegs on their backs

Our Ebisu beer girl with a typical Japanese peace pose

A great time had by all. We will definitely go again.

Washi

2009-06-14T10:01:00.000-07:00

I decided to squeeze one last cultural thing in before summer vacation. It was another opportunity through the social committee at Connor's preschool to take a class and learn how to make Washi paper. Washi comes from Wa meaning Japanese and shi meaning paper. There are stores throughout Tokyo that carry endless amounts of colors and patterns of Washi to be used to cover tea boxes, wrap gifts as well as so many other uses in traditional Japanese arts. The place holding the class was also a museum with a wonderful store selling an overwhelming collection of Washi. This stuff is much stronger than regular paper. They showed us a beautiful scarf and sweater made out of Washi as well as a Wedding dress that could actually be washed. Wow.

We were able to make two sheets of simple white Washi and one with a design sandwiched between two other sheets. Really interesting - many steps to the process that were explained to us at the start. When they saw the look of panic wash over our faces after reviewing the steps they reassured us that they would help us along the way.

There was a special way of dipping and dumping the pulp to get it onto the contraption. I was sweating knowing I wasn't going to remember the steps. Fortunately, the man assisting us was so sweet and helpful.
After a certain number of dips into the pool of pulp there were a certain number of swishes - so he tells me 9in Japanese of course) to count to twenty, 3x - but I not only forget how to count past 6 in Japanese, I then forget how many times to swish, 'Was that 2x to 20 or 3 times to 10 and what comes after 6? Ici ni san shi go roku...By my third washi paper making turn sensei gave up on me and started counting in English. So here I am counting as far as I can in Japanese and he is counting in English. You just don't want to screw up the method - this is an exact science!!!!!

Wiping of the excess pulp in a STRAIGHT line with a certain hand with certain fingers. Ah!!!

Transfer to a screen and lay down gently - rolling it little by little

Then rip it off - fast like a bandaid - can you see the look of relief on my face that I didn't screw it up?

Drying the Washi with a serious suction like machine

- The final step - smoothing the paper onto a hot metal board to dry, brushing it out from center to corner...she had to redo a couple parts for me

This is an art. I am not artistic, but can appreciate Washi paper now in a whole new way.

Random

2009-06-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

Just some photos that didn't need their own post

Kobe, not Tokyo - When the swine flu was confirmed in Japan the masks were out in full force

Daikenyama - My mom and I saw this shop - a shop just for tomatoes and all tomato sorts of things. Loved the window display. Yum.

Arisugawa Park - Typical Japanese preschool in their matching hats

Omotosando - I don't know.

Roppongi Hills - I parked my bike, got my hair cut, came back out and found this piece of paper attached to my bike. I never did ask anyone what it said - I imagine it was a 'no bike parking zone.' If it was a ticket - I never paid it.

Shinjuku - I kept seeing people with Krispy Kreme bags around the various train stations. Then I saw the mothership here. This was a rainy day. I have read that the line can get pretty long - notice the ropes. I will admit I haven't had one yet...here.

Convenience Store - part 2

2009-06-07T17:40:00.000-07:00

In theory being able to buy tickets for something at the convenience store sounds great. In reality, not so much. The website for the museum I wanted tickets for had great step by step instructions in English for the handy machine which I printed out and took with me. This particular museum requires one to purchase tickets in advance, not all of them do. When I got to Lawson I found the machine and just stared at it for a while. Nothing matched up to my pictures and there was no magic 'ENGLISH' button. So I just started pushing buttons. No luck. I walk up to the cashier, 'Sumimasen?' and showed him my printout. I wasn't sure how I was going to convey, 'I need tickets for the Ghibli Museum, 3 adults, 2 children between the ages of 12 and 18, two children between the ages of 5 and 12 and 1 ticket for the 4 year-old. I just said Ghilbi Museum. He lit up! Hai! Yeah!! We are in business. So he starts pushing buttons. When he got to the credit card page - I gave him my card and he had to translate my name and number into Japanese. He used the backspace bar a lot. Then there was a calendar page with numbers that I could understand. So I know I got that right. But then the screen to order individual tickets was a little confusing. All I could understand was that there was a ticket for 700 yen, 400 yen and another for 400 yen. On my sheet there were 4 choices. Hmmm. I decided to purchase 2 - 700 assuming that was an adult and then 4 of the first of the 400 Yen, but not one for my little guy. Maybe he was free? Because on my paper he was supposed to be 100 yen. I am thinking I can't go to the museum without a ticket for Connor as they might not let him in. I guess I'll go back and buy one more 400 Yen ticket. I am going to go to a different convenience store though as I am too embarrassed to return to the original place of frustration. I have to assume that if I bought all the wrong tickets they will reimburse/exchange them for us at the museum and chalk it up to the stupid gaijin. And that process will probably take a half an hour.

Jill, we WILL be going to the Ghibli Museum on Wednesday at exactly 10 AM.

Money, Money

2009-05-29T01:36:00.001-07:00

First of all I have never carried around so much cash in my life. People don't write checks here. I don't even know where our checkbook is! And we rarely use credit cards although they are more widely accepted than what we first understood. For us because we don't have a Japanese credit card our purchases carry an additional 3%. And when things are already so unbelievably expensive why bother spending more than we have to? So we use cash ALL the time. It's often a topic of conversation in the morning, 'Do you need cash? Are you going to the ATM? Here, take all of my money and I'll just go to the ATM. If I go this morning you can take more out after 2 PM.' It's kinda fun.

The Yen is an easy one to figure out against the dollar as I have mentioned before. The kids caught on very quickly. The '100' Yen (~$1) comes in the form of a coin and the '1000' Yen (~$10) as a bill. But because we are in Tokyo and because the 100 Yen is a coin - we use it like a quarter - or so it seems. The kids want a gumball from the machine? Sure here's a 100 Yen. It doesn't seem to be worth as much because it's a coin. And we use the 1000 Yen bill more like a dollar - crazy.

It's a little strange to send your kid off to school with their club/activity fees in an envelope. 'Nick, make sure you give that 20,000 Yen to your teacher.' Gulp. I once found an envelope on the ground with about 35,000 Yen in it. Fortunately, it was an English speaking family who wrote a name on it and said it was for Kimono pics. I figured it was an International School close by and got the money into the right hands, but that's what I am talking about! No one has lost any money yet. I'm just the one who makes the costly mistakes like buying a rice warmer instead of a rice cooker. If I had written down every time I made some purchasing mistake I would flip out, whether it was food that wasn't what I thought it was or hey, how about the nail polish that didn't have a price, but I thought 'How expensive could it be at this drug store?' It could actually be about 21 dollars. Ahh!!!

We have also learned that exact change is appreciated. The cashiers don't seem to mind as I count out my Yen - Yen by Yen. And you know you are in Japan when you hand them the equivalent of 100 dollars when in fact you only need to pay 10 dollars that they won't rip you off. Early on I would often just hold out a handful of change and let them pick out what they needed. The good and trustworthy Japanese.

We definitely are a bit more aware of how much money we are spending since we aren't dropping the plastic all the time. A perk of cash verses credit however is that there is no credit card statement to 'report' how I spent my money... Yeah, Jack, I must have spent A LOT on groceries this week, mostly on butter I think ;)

10 things we like to do at the Japanese convenience store

2009-05-28T22:28:00.000-07:00

There are an amazing number of convenience stores, 40,000 in Japan to be exact. Combini is the Japanese word for convenience store which actually comes from the word convenience - since the 'v' isn't used here, it's replaced with the 'b' and then just shortened up a bit or something like that. The ones most commonly seen every block or so include some familiar ones from the states and some new ones: Lawson, am/pm, Circle K, Family Mart and 7- Eleven. Why would I mention something that is so similar to the states? Well, we are able to accomplish quite a bit at these little shops and I learn everyday the endless amount of services that they provide. These are our favorite 10 things to accomplish at our Japanese 7-Eleven.

10. Observe the business men in their black suits at lunch time line up along the magazine rack and read comics

9. Make copies on the copying machine with a little help from the cashier to read the buttons - green does not necessarily mean 'print'

8. Get cash

7. Pay utility bills

6. Add money to the balance of the phone calling card

5. Use the Pasmo (public transportation card) to pay for purchases since nobody really uses credit cards here - ever.

4. Buy ice cream and candy - Coolish, an aluminum pouch filled with ice cream with a screw off lid and limited edition flavors of Kit Kat - these go fast!

3. Buy some onigiri for lunch - rice filled triangles with tuna, salmon etc...wrapped with nori and many other healthy lunch/dinner options that I haven't tried - yet.

2. Buy baseball tix or concert tix

1. Drop off the dry cleaning - Jack's lucky find - cheapest deal in town !

Let the rain begin

2009-05-23T22:09:00.000-07:00

We are headed towards rainy season here, hopefully we will miss most of it while home in the states. In any case, this is what you get when you make a purchase at most stores on a rainy day. Nice huh? Sometimes the packaging is a good thing, although still unnecessary. You also get a good workout lifting and lowering your umbrella on the crowded sidewalks as well as dodging a few that don't move for you.

Sayonara Parties

2009-05-22T05:35:00.001-07:00

As we near the end of our first year - well school year - here in Japan, we prepare to say good-bye to some new friends and our kids will do the same to some of their new friends. Traditionally one holds a sayonara party, and unfortunately due to economic times there are a lot of sayonara parties over the next few weeks. It's quite an emotional time for those leaving. For some, they knew their time was up, for others it was unexpected. Now the question is not, 'How long have your been here?' but 'When is your leaving date?' No one ever wants to leave the expat life here in Tokyo. I was talking to a woman yesterday and saying how much we've liked it so far and her response was, 'Yeah, what's not to like?' (except for the butter that still costs 14 dollars a pound, no I can't let that one go) So we look forward to celebrating the last hurrah with our new friends, but are sad to see them leave, yet are grateful we are able to stay. No one really ever knows how long they have here anymore, things change so quickly. So we try to make the most of it while we can. We are fortunate no matter what comes our way.

Did you get the mail?

2009-05-18T05:01:00.000-07:00

Mail. Not so interesting here. Quite a relief to not get ridiculous amounts of credit card applications and charity requests with address labels on a daily basis. Instead our 'junk' mail consists of shiny paper with pictures of food, usually sushi or pizza advertisements. I never know where they are from as it is all of course in Japanese. We do get some real estate advertisements also in very nice shiny plastic covers with elaborate brochures in thick paper like catalogs. The pain then becomes separating the plastic cover from the paper so that we can throw half of it away in 'burnable' and half of it away in 'non-burnable'. Does the shiny advertisement go in burnable or recyclable with the magazines? I still don't know and my mood at that time decides the final resting place of all that paper. There is important mail. Bills. Sometimes I look at a piece of mail and I have no idea if it's junk mail or maybe a bill. By now I know most of it, but a few stump me from time to time. Jack will have to take some bills into work, because we aren't quite sure what to do with them. The best mail we recently received was something with our name on it and and a decent amount of money at the bottom of what I thought was a bill. I wondered, 'What could we possibly owe? What is this bill for?' Jack learned at work that it was a stimulus check from the government. Whee!

Glad I didn't throw that one out.

Kappabashi... or my Heaven

2009-05-13T04:24:00.000-07:00

Imagine a street with kitchenware vendor after vendor and take away the Tokyo price. This is Kappabashi. A street lined with wholesale kitchen/restaurant goods and tons of other 'I don't need, but have to have' sorts of items. This is my favorite place to shop in Tokyo. Each time I am there I always end up rushing to the train, sweating with multiple bags in tow so that I can make it in time for preschool pick-up. And I always think I can squeeze in just one more shop, then I remember how long they take to wrap items, although very well, I have to move on. It is also here that you will find all of the plastic food for the restaurant display cases including: sushi, fish, pasta dishes, toast with jam, beer, ...anything and everything. The plastic food costs twice as much as the real thing. Go figure.
In this shop I was trying to mix and match some bowls and when I went to pay, the guy shook his head and said, 'No, only 5' I was like, 'huh?' I looked at the other gaijin and they gave me the knowing look of 'yeah, good luck trying to figure out what he's saying.' When I didn't put back my items and continued to browse he brought another guy who spoke some English and he sort of explained that I had to buy 5 of the same thing, no mixing. That was common in a lot of other shops - this does cater to the restaurants, so it makes sense, but I didn't want 5 of the same, so I left. I managed to find a few that let me buy just one.

Coffee everything

My main goal for this particular trip was to purchase a chef's knife and have them inscribe my name in Katakana on the knife. One of the three guys spoke pretty good English, otherwise I don't know what would have ended up on my knife. I'll have to ask the kids if it says what it is supposed to say. Initially one guy said ' Two alphabets only' So I thought - okay my initials. But I hate my initials, BM, I usually put BSM, but that clearly wasn't going to fit. So I write BM down on a piece of paper for them and the men all look at it laugh about something - they couldn't be laughing at the meaning of my initials could they? I told them I wanted it in Katakana. "Oh......" they said and then chatted away, back and forth and finally English speaking man says - ' Too long in Katakana' as he sounded it out. So I settled for just the 'M' I think.

The Union Tokyo Knife shop

Making the 'M'

Basket vendor

Restaurant sign vendor

Kitchenware vendor

More kitchen stuff

The best part -ceramics

Whaddya need?

And the fake food shop, but it looks pretty good! Hey is that sushi on that cake?

Must click on these photos to see them in larger form to appreciate all of the fake food and beer

The beer is great, there are ice crystals on the cans that appear incredibly real .

Sign of the Month

2009-05-08T01:09:00.000-07:00

Saw this on the sidewalk in Asakusa

Golden Week

2009-05-06T00:02:00.000-07:00

We are at the end of Golden Week. This ranks as a big one in Japan. A week that celebrates 4 holidays which ultimately means that none of the Japanese are working and everyone takes a holiday or vacation. The 4 holidays include: Showa Day, the birthday of the former Emperor, Constitution Day, Greenery Day, but the only holiday that seemed to draw a lot of attention was Kodomo no hi, Children's Day, formerly 'boy's festival'. The Japanese fly carp windsocks everywhere. The streamers represent the hope for children's success, health and happiness.

During this 'Golden Week' at preschool all the dads are picking up and dropping off except for Jack as he prefers to save his vacation days for our longer trips. Our kids all had school being in international schools, so it made sense for him to be at work. It's also much easier when you are the only one in the office. I, myself, celebrated by lying in bed with some nasty stomach bug. The illnesses here are different, can't quite explain it, just different which makes it a little scary. I am slowly returning to an actual functioning human being. I had to resurface as two days in bed = an unrecognizable apartment. One of the days that I spent in bed Connor was home with me and I later learned he had Vanilla Wafers for lunch (no, they don't sell them here, we shipped those in). Poor child. He wasn't complaining though.

To recognize Kodomo no hi the kids in both schools created their own koi no bori (carp streamers). And of course, the curse of the middle child, I only have photos of Kate and Connor, but not Nick. When I asked him why he wasn't in the picture from school he told me that was the day he was home sick. Oh well.
Connor's class created a giant carp streamer. They are usually completely immersed in their art. I only remember that Wednesday is Art with Miss Shioh because he comes home with multicolored jeans, paint in his hair and a shirt that will never be the same again even after the full body smock. They have a great time.

The Carp windsocks flying at TIS

Kate's Japanese class showing off their origami koi no bori

I guess we've been here a while

2009-05-01T05:59:00.000-07:00

At dinner tonight the flu came up for discussion and when Kate referred to the dreaded disease she called it -the shrine flu. I couldn't stop laughing. I'm still laughing. She is clearly aware of the culture that surrounds her.

Finally Nicholas's turn

2009-04-28T04:43:00.000-07:00

At TIS the kids had their spring concert. This is really more for Judy-gram who requested that Nicholas be in the spotlight on the blog as the other two have had their chance. Poor middle child. He really did surprise us with his somewhat enthusiastic performance. Kate's class performed a few traditional Japanese dances - and I should probably post those as Nicholas's class focuses on water - not really anything Japanese...but it's his turn. It's a long one and I don't expect anyone to watch all of it. It's hard enough to sit through your own child's performance.

Connor is narrating.
This one's for you mom.

Fish heads fish heads rolly polly fish heads

2009-04-27T00:07:00.001-07:00

One thing on everyone's list when they visit Tokyo is the Tsukjij Wholesale Fish Market. It is recommended to hit it around 5am to see the most action. So the best time to visit the market is the first or second day you are here as you will be waking up early enough due to jet lag. All of our visitors have been there, done that. Finally it's my turn. The highlight is the Tuna Auction from 5AM-6AM. I wasn't there for the early show - but there was still plenty to see at 9AM. And the earlier the better as the market closes up around 10am. I was on a tour with 6 other women. We walked by so many unknown things from the sea, it was nice that our guide could do a little explaining. I have never been a big seafood eater and what I saw today pretty much reinforced that. I really tried not to look disgusted at times, but I am not sure I hid my reactions very well.

These are the guys to watch out for - the ones on the trolleys - they have the right of way, they WILL run you over. Things are tight and fast moving, you have to be very aware.

Just a little smoke while he sells his goods. The smell of smoke actually overpowered the smell of the fish. There is no way this place would pass any inspections in the states.

Octopus eggs - about 4 inches wide and very squishy

I didn't touch them, someone else in our group did - I was surprised no one hollered at her.

the whale stall...hmm...is this really possible today?

vacuum packaged whale

these were moving - baby eel? not sure, but plenty of the buckets of these squirmy things around

lobster covered in sawdust to keep them moist

blood and guts - everywhere

turtles - alive - this guy was trying to get out of the bag - made me very sad

swordfish, this guy was tearing off pieces and putting a piece in his mouth and then offering a piece to us - I took their word for it that it was tasty

this place is not recommended for small children - for obvious reasons

this was also moving, a bit hard to get in the bag

some very large shellfish

I was informed today that the Japanese carve out the eyeball and eat the jelly like substance

it's a delicacy, my friend's husband was offered this at a work dinner, but he just couldn't do it

so cheap! that's 2,000 yen for the entire tray

Fish heads fish heads

Rolly polly fish heads

Fish heads fish heads

Eat 'em up Yum!

Sunday in the Park/ Meiji Shrine and Harajuku

2009-04-19T22:53:00.000-07:00

Ah...another lovely day seeing the sights in Tokyo with our 3 well-behaved children. At least the sights were enjoyable. Such torture for the boys until they had ice cream in their hands. We headed over to Meiji Shrine, in Harajuku, one of the best known shrines in Tokyo. I specifically wanted to go on a Sunday in hopes that we would witness a wedding, but I guess weddings are common there any day of the week. We were able to see two processions, but no actual ceremonies. Entrance to the Meiji Shrine

The grounds are enormous. This is the place that packs in 3 million people to ring in the New Year.

The first wedding procession. This couple was surprisingly a bit older.

The guards telling us to get out of the way - in the nice sort of Japanese way.

She was beautiful. Didn't crack a smile.

Outside of the shrine - Harajuku girls

Looked good. Smelled good, but tasted more like the dough they put the red bean paste in. We didn't finish the bag.

Some 50's group that hung out, drank beer and danced - drew a good crowd

Serious hair

and outfits

quick clip of 'the show'

Even the dogs are well dressed in Tokyo

2009-04-14T04:14:00.000-07:00

Dogs are everywhere here, and people usually have more than one. And they are usually dressed well - for a dog. The outfits change with the seasons. Down coats for winter, raincoats for the rainy season, light shirts for spring. It makes me a bit crazy as I miss our dog terribly, but most of the dogs I see are small dogs and the big dogs typically don't have frilly outfits on or a pair of jeans on either - just a large t-shirt, you know like the way we would dress up our dogs when we were kids.

Here is a sample of what one can expect to see walking down the streets of Tokyo, but I missed shots of so many more outrageous outfits.

At one point the owner took off the outfit -- someone we were with suggested that was because they didn't want it to get dirty

fairy dog?

so many dogs in bike baskets, strollers and handbags

notice the matching hair(fur) accessories

and sometimes the dog matches it's owner

And these 4 dogs just hung out letting everyone take their picture.

Freshman 15

2009-04-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had another parent's night out for Connor's preschool class, which then led to a pool hall and I believe Jack ended the night at his favorite hangout - Heaven. Sometimes it feels like I am on a really long vacation. Sometimes it feels like college or my 20's in Chicago (except I am now trying to do the same things in a 40 year-old body). Everything is new and exciting. We go out more often than back home, eat out more, drink more and stay out later. Last night when we came home at 10, the sitter was quite surprised. It was an unusually early night.

I must keep things in check or I just might roll home this summer with a few extra pounds -my Japanese version of the freshman 15. You would think that all the walking should make a difference and it does probably help. It certainly doesn't help one's self-esteem that the Japanese are so tiny. There was a paragraph in the expat bible stating that, 'one might feel self-conscious of their size and it will take some getting used to.' They weren't kidding. You certainly notice when someone is not so tiny. My clothes still fit - check. It doesn't matter that the Japanese portions are smaller, that the food is healthier, the celebrations are many.

Sakura

2009-04-07T22:20:00.000-07:00

Cherry Blossom Forecast for Japan

The Sakura, or Cherry Blossom season is forecasted by the Japanese Meteorological Agency similar to the tracking of the changing of leaves in the states. Apparently March 28th was the day for Tokyo. But Tokyo can't control Mother Nature and as much as they would like everything to be ON TIME the forecast was off. Fortunately for us the peak wasn't until after our return from Thailand. When the trees bloom, spring has arrived and every single Japanese is out with their family and friends celebrating under a tree with some sake and food on a good ol' plastic mat. This is Hanami. We decided to partake in a Hanami picnic with 5 other families at Shinjuku Gyoen. Interestingly enough, I was trying to spot our group in a sea of Japanese in this enormous grassy (well, not quite grassy yet) park and I couldn't see them for some time! I am not sure how we didn't see them as there were almost 20 of them, including several kids and no other gaijin around! As usual we drew plenty of attention with the children running about, screaming, yelling, and a couple of knock-down drag outs (those were between Nick and Kate). I probably should have consumed some Sake myself, but I was the designated (bike) driver responsible for getting Connor home safely. And from past experience drinking and riding don't mix(this happened just once). In any case, it really was spectacular and a sight to see everyone celebrate this season and taking pictures under the trees, holding the flowers, pointing to the blossoms. It seemed as if this was the first time they had every witnessed this beauty in nature.

The photos below are from my quiet stroll to Naka-Meguro the following day, which I personally enjoyed more. Maybe that's because I was alone. The trees lined this waterway. The breeze blew. It began to snow - cherry blossoms. Girls giggled and ran after the petals, little kids collected the fallen flowers from the ground. People took their sushi and grabbed a spot on the curb. It really was a sight to see.

I get it now.

What just happened?

2009-04-02T23:21:00.000-07:00

I am walking through the train station today on the way to the gym and a Japanese guy stops me and starts asking me questions I can't understand. Then of course I forgot my phrase to tell him I only spoke a little, so I just stood there. He then pulled out a police badge and some sort of ID. He was wearing street clothes and about 25, maybe 30? Who knows. My first thought, is this a joke? He is trying to scam me? Is he really a police officer? (I chalk my paranoia up to watching too much TV and reading too many warnings on the Internet about people posing as police officers. But come on! We are in Japan.)

Then he says passoporto something...
I said, "I don't have my passport. "
He says, "Sorry, passoporto carry/require" ( not really sure )
I said, "I am an American?"
He says, sorry, passoporto thing....again
I said, "I have my alien registration card?"
He just looks at me and apparently he isn't leaving until I produce something for some reason I have no clue. I look around, I don't see any officers. I pull out my alien registration card and show it to him.
He says, "Oh, sorry, sorry!" All the while smiling and giving me a little bow.
I said/motioned, "Can I go now?" I was clearly annoyed.

And apparently I was free. What just happened? Seriously, did he think I was a criminal in my gym clothes, spring coat and YMCA bag on my shoulder?

Kate's turn - again

2009-04-02T04:58:00.000-07:00

One of the hardest parts for me about leaving Mpls was giving up Kate's gymnastics. Okay, so Kate was giving up her gymnastics, not me. In any case we found a program here that allows her to have fun and make some progress, but it's not as challenging as it was back home. She was going to begin competing last fall just before we moved. And although the program here isn't about competing, but about building self-esteem, she is still enjoying herself and we have said as long as she wants to go we'll keep signing her up. The coach recognizes Kate's strength and always feels badly that he doesn't have a team she can participate in, instead he gives her a little extra time and pushes her where he can. She has definitely made some progress and it was great to see her tumble on the special 'watching day.' This happens only one time per session.

Connor's Turn

2009-04-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post some of Connor in action at Willowbrook International Preschool. He has a fantastic time and I am impressed with all that they do. Tracing some kanji, katakana or hirigana (not sure which one)

...remember my lessons haven't begun

Working with one of the three teachers for 16 kids - nice ratio

These are used for Japanese ball games, although not so good with the superballs in the apartment

A bit of Yoga with Miss Yoko

...and close your eyes and stretch

Practicing mochi making for the New Year

This is the sushi roll I believe? Playdo and paper version

Finished product

Looks a bit disturbed.

Waiting for his turn

Connor and his buddy Leo, apparently telling him something important

Inventions and vaporizors

Connor and Aiden

Arisugawa Park Play - they are identified by their smocks as there are often several preschools playing here. The younger Japanese preschools outfit their kids in matching hats instead of smocks - really cute

Learning about South America

In the month of February the parents came in on various days to share information about their home country

Pinata making - which then they broke open at the park with those paddles from above

USA day - I asked Connor later (at home) how he liked those weiners. He looks at me shaking his head and says, "Mom, don't you know a weiner is a penis?"

Below is a clip from the Spring Show. One of the songs Connor's class performed was We are the World (in case you can't tell). Of course tears just started streaming down my face. It was really sweet looking at all the kids from 'all over the world' singing this song along with the sign language. The costume directions were basically whatever they wanted as long as they had their flag somewhere on their body. Connor is in red. This is not the best footage, but I don't have a cable to download from the actual video camera. Kate took this with our picture camera.

More toilet entertainment

2009-03-31T00:08:00.001-07:00

Connor was requesting more toilet paper when he dropped the paper holder thing on the floor. It started playing music. So we replaced the holder with a new roll. Now, when you roll the paper off it plays a little jingle. I think I heard 'It's a Small World.' I really don't think I want to know how much toilet paper is being used while the music drifts from the bathroom as a new tune is played with every spin.

Things to do:
#1. Find toilet paper roll holder

2009-03-25T17:23:00.000-07:00

On vacation. Catch up later after the 1st of April.

St. Patrick's Day Parade

2009-03-15T05:52:00.000-07:00

The Malones and the O'Deas decided to bike over to Omotosando today and celebrate our Irish heritage a bit. It was quite a sight to see us riding down the sidewalks 7 bikes long. There were 4 adults riding, 3 of which had kids on the back of their bike and then 3 other kids riding in between. If that wasn't enough to draw attention, Kate painted half of her face bright green (she wanted the other half white, but we didn't have any white paint). I am pretty sure every Japanese person we passed took a long look at us parading by.

The parade itself was entertaining. The spectators were very tame however. I think we only witnessed two gaijin hollering something loudly and even what they said was not inappropriate. Following the parade we headed home and stopped at a park for a while so the kids could run around. Jack couldn't help himself and found an am/pm convenience store (aren't those on the east coast?) so that he could buy some beer. As he put it, it just didn't feel right to watch a parade and not enjoy a Guinness, even if the parade was over.

The Irish Setter Club - my personal favorite

The -uh - Irish? Girl Scouts?

Just a dog - the Japanese love their dogs

Nicky O'Dea, Brendan O'Dea, Jack Malone and Connor Malone enjoying the parade

Of course Guinness was there

Kate got plenty of attention and a few photos taken of her as well

This guy walked away from his Guinness group to tell Kate she looked great...he kinda hung around and chatted a bit

Just sweet

Dunno?

Now this was interesting! Make sure you notice the Mohawk. What do you suppose is under his Kilt? You hear Tracey O'Dea in the background.

Once a bargain shopper, always a bargain shopper

2009-03-12T20:26:00.000-07:00

I've said it's in my DNA, I can't buy anything full price - most of the time, or spend a lot of money on anything unless it's remodeling my house or buying a new (used, see?) car. Even if I had a million dollars I would still find the sales. If anything is on sale here I wouldn't know it unless I stumble upon it and even if it is on sale it's still more money than I am willing to spend. An article I came across today reported that due to the currency exchange rate Tokyo was ranked as the most expensive city in the world. So this is tough, as I haven't been able to do the shopping that I so enjoy. It's a bit like detox for the perpetual bargain shopper, but today I got my fix.

I joined a church here early on so that I could take some of the classes offered about Japanese culture. Since they had my name, they called me and asked me to bake some brownies for their flea market. I said of course and then remembered how much I despise baking in that damn oven. I baked 3 batches of brownies just so I could get a good dozen and a half to bring to the church. The kids weren't complaining as they got all the scraps, burnt edges and the parts that were just too chewy or just not really baked. So I bring the brownies over to the church and already there is a line outside the door waiting for the flea market to open. I had planned to have a quick look, but now I felt my adrenalin pumping, that high coming on when I hit a really good deal. These people must know something that I don't. The door opened and let me tell you those Japanese were good. Nobody was trampling anybody, we are in Japan, they did make their way through quite forcefully, but quietly at the same time. I hit all three floors and could have spent hours sifting through everything, but I was on my bike and already I wasn't sure how I was going to get home. It was hard to leave, but I had no choice. I had to do a lot of rearranging and such to make it all work. I had a bag over my shoulder, one hanging from the handlebars, both baskets spilling over with bags. I looked like a Japanese biking pro, now I just needed to talk on my cell phone while I was riding home. Not this time.

The Mask

2009-03-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

As we near the end of winter, although coming from Minnesota, this was hardly a winter...I should probably mention the mask. You see people wearing them ALL the time, no matter what season, but they are clearly more popular during cold and flu season. I wanted to snap a bunch of pictures, but I didn't think strangers would appreciate me taking their photo and there were so many good ones, like rows of people on the subway all wearing a mask - so close. Instead, I had my mom act like she was posing and took pics of the foot traffic behind her.

There are a few reasons for the mask, at least these are what we have come up with:

1. To help those with allergies

2. To prevent the spread of your germs to others

3. To avoid the germs of others

4. Keeps your throat moist as you are not inhaling dry air while you try to recover from your cold/cough

Then there are those people who just hack away on the train without the mask and now all I can think is, 'Geeze! Put on your mask!' I am also surprised that at school it just isn't mandatory to wear a mask particularly in the winter. It should just be part of the uniform, particularly in preschool. They come in kid and adult sizes and I believe there are some with designs although I typically just see people in the white version.

Jack was just diagnosed with strep throat today. I am thinking I should go buy him a mask as we are planning on taking a trip to Thailand in 10 days and with our track record I'm a bit nervous.

I don't speak much Japanese, key word 'much'

2009-03-03T21:56:00.001-08:00

My newest phrase...Nihongo o amari hanashimasen

We still haven't started our official Japanese lessons as I am at the mercy of Jack who needs to set them up through work. We have officially been here 6 months and my Japanese repertoire probably doesn't reflect that, but I add a few phrases or words from time to time out of necessity.

I love the phrase in my book following the one above:
Koko ni dareka eigo o hanasu hito ga imasu ka - translation: Does anyone in here speak English? Cracks me up because the image it brings to my mind is of me throwing my hands up in the air yelling these words.

I still have my ongoing argument for learning the language. The minute you rattle off a phrase in Japanese they begin their lengthy reply and wait for your answer - and then I have nothing to say and simply stand there and smile. The other day all I said to a woman at the train station was 'sumimasen' (excuse me) and she starts chatting up a storm. I just looked at her and said,
"iie nihongo," (no Japanese) but that was not the correct way to respond. Then she starts apologizing to me 'gomennasai.' What is she apologizing for? I'm the one who can't communicate. That's when I learned my new phrase of the week - Nihongo o amari hanashimasen.

*btw this woman then snuck in behind me on my pass through the turn style into the station - so unexpected!?!?! My mom and I figured she was gabbing about losing her pass card and wanted to get by on mine.

Iwappara

2009-02-22T03:51:00.001-08:00

With another 4 day mid winter break we decided to take the kids on a quick one-nighter ski trip. This time to Yuzawa, a 75 minute train ride on the shinkansen (bullet train). We left early Friday morning to allow for a half day on Friday and full day on Saturday. Although we allowed enough time to get to the train station we had to change our tix as the travel agent booked us for the wrong dates. By the time Jack finished with that exchange we had 1 minute to get on the train...and a lot of stairs to climb up to the track. The train was not going to wait. Poor little Connor was crying and I'm just urging him to hurry hurry. We literally got on and the door shut. There were a few other Japanese in the car out of breath as well. It was nice to see we weren't the only ones cutting it close.

Kate and Nick far more confident early on this time.
We got a nice dump of snow Friday night that carried over into Saturday. Kate catches a few flakes below. Jack and I took turns hanging out with Connor. I tried to get him down the hill at the kid's park. We lasted halfway and I told him to take off his skis and walk down. Later I learned that Connor had Nick's skis on. Do you think that was part of the problem???? The photo below is of a far more patient and eager parent helping Connor to ski. I think I used up all of my patience while teaching prior to having children.

Connor looks like he should/could be skiing.

It's been a while since they have seen this much snow.

Jack decided to pound them with a few snowballs.

A wonderful Italian restaurant on the hill. We ate lunch here both days. It was also the only English menu we found. Best pizza in Japan so far.

Nick is on a mission to see how long he can grow his hair...I have become the mother who continues to say, "Move your hair out of your eyes! How can you see through that? Don't you want to get your haircut?"

My favorite pics of Kate. Although the one below makes me a little nervous as she looks like she is about 16 and drinking a beer.

Connor at the end of the second day. Not sure why he is so tired, as he skied down the little hill 1 time - you saw it above. I guess it was walking around in those ski boots all weekend. Notice the required slippers he is wearing? Before we went to dinner at the resort the kids were giving me a hard time because I wouldn't let them wear the vinyl slippers supplied by the hotel for the guests. They had baskets of them stashed all around. Anyway, we went to dinner and EVERYONE had on the slippers, but us. There's something a bit bothersome about these slippers that you often see in many public places. I am not really interested in putting my foot, even with a sock on, into a plastic shoe that many other people have put their sweaty feet into as well.

At the train station eating dinner.

I bought some yakitori at a little stand in the station. I thought chicken? beef meatballs? and probably some chicken nugget things. There were other choices...squid, octopus, whole fish, unidentifiable pieces of meat, but I played it safe. We tasted each one and the consensus was that the chicken nuggets were the only things we all really liked. The meatballs, as Jack put it, were probably meatballs but with crushed bones or something unusually crunchy and the other chicken was basically fat. Yum. Could you pass me the peanuts instead?

...to be continued below. Don't ask.

The ride home from Yuzawa

2009-02-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when you think your train leaves at 8:20, but really leaves at 8:04 - not my fault, and this is what happens when you realize this but can't speak Japanese and you don't know which track your train is on, but a conductor tells you to get on this train even though you are pretty sure it's not your train and you don't know why you are on this train because you can't ask anybody because nobody speaks English, but you are happy to be going home even if there are no seats - at least you think you are going home.

Smaller and smaller and smaller

2009-02-19T21:52:00.000-08:00

One more story - a quickie. I had coffee with a mom from from Connor's school today. We started chatting about Chicago/Evanston as she grew up in the suburbs and went to Northwestern. I told her Jack and I were married in Evanston, she said so was she. We were both married at the Alice Millar Chapel on Northwestern's campus and she had her rehearsal dinner where we had our reception! Crazy.

2009-02-18T07:30:00.000-08:00

We heard plenty about how safe Tokyo is...for children and for us. It was great to come out of a movie tonight with some girlfriends at midnight, say good-bye, and take the 15 or so minute walk home, alone, and feel completely safe.

More potty talk...

2009-02-17T17:47:00.000-08:00

I happened to see this instructional video that may interest some of you, especially if you plan to visit. Or it may answer a few of your questions - including yours Gretchen from a few months back. I couldn't get it to upload so you'll just have to follow the link. Sorry. As far as the Western vs Japanese toilets go, you usually have your choice, unless you are at the park, but at least there is a toilet there. When we were visiting the Buddha in Kamakura there was a man in the ladies room sending people into stalls as they became available. But when he saw me and my mother-in-law he made us wait until there was a Western style toilet available. He wouldn't let us use the Japanese toilets. Now there are a few things wrong with that scenario. First of all, what is a man doing in a ladies public restroom? And was he being kind and respectful or discriminating and assuming we couldn't squat? I'll never know. Finally this past weekend, I had another new toilet experience. Pardon the graphic explanation, but there really is no other way...as I began to 'relieve' myself, I heard this waterfall sound. I turned around and there on the wall was a motion sensored noise maker. When I finished, it stopped making noise! Is that for my comfort or to mask the sound for my neighbors next door? Maybe both.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zL9pgK87Rw

First Blooms

2009-02-15T00:05:00.001-08:00

Kate was very excited to notice some of the first (and I believe quite early) blooming Cherry Blossom trees in Arisugawa Park. Shortest winter of my life.

Will you be mine?

2009-02-14T23:48:00.000-08:00

I think this is the first time in many years the kids did not exchange Valentines, not a problem for me. That's not to say that Japan doesn't celebrate the day, Valentines were everywhere. It's just done a little differently. Here in Japan the rule is that only girls/women give chocolate to the boys/men. There is something called Giri chocolate typically given to men who are not love interests. So I was told that the admin assistants at work will give this gift of chocolate to their boss. Then the return is expected one month later on March 14th, called White Day. The men give a gift of white chocolate to the women. Now, either Jack's 'person' doesn't feel obligated to him or he ate all the chocolate before he came home because I didn't see any?!?! At least Connor brought home some very sweet heart origami from preschool.

I promise it won't be Japanese

2009-02-12T05:33:00.000-08:00

Connor is at that wonderful age where he is trying to make sense of the world he lives in. Random comments come out of his mouth that have nothing to do with what's going on at the moment, but they are well thought out and intuitive. But tonight - tonight's comment was a keeper. He has been thinking really hard about living here in Japan, living in Tokyo, his home in Minneapolis -references these things ALL the time. He actually never stops talking. So tonight he is upset. He is upset because he said that if we have another baby (or kid as he put it), he said that he wants it to be English, not Japanese. Hmm. Too young for the talk - so I just said, it would be American, just like him. He disagreed, no it would be Japanese and he didn't want it to be Japanese...and just kept rambling and grumbling as he left the room. I think I'll just let that one be.

No, we are not having another baby.

Sumo Time

2009-02-11T22:18:00.000-08:00

I was looking forward to the Sumo Wrestling tournament and I wasn't. Who wants to sit and watch a bunch of large almost naked men bounce off of one another in a ring for 5 hours? While we Americans have our favorite baseball, basketball, football players, the Japanese have their favorite sumo wrestlers. Kate and Nick passed some of the time on their Nintendo DS's and somehow connected with a 10 year-old Japanese girl a few rows away who was also on her DS ( I don't get how this happens). It was actually pretty cool. They kept writing back and forth, exchanged seat information, school information, waved to one another and then the girl started writing about all of the wrestlers...she knew all their names and had opinions about them. She was our private announcer for a while as we didn't understand anything being said over the loudspeaker.

We arrived 3 hours into the 6 hour event, just in time to see the special Kid's Sumo Tournament - they hosted about 15 kids from TIS, Kate and Nick's school. Anyone (boy) could sign up ahead of time. No surprise that Nick didn't sign up, but his good friend from school was out there. It was hysterical. Kudos to those kids who were willing to get up in front of all those people in less than a diaper- the mawashi belt, not to mention having to stand up against the real deal. See below. It was great.

The actual matches were very fast- 10-15 seconds. The first man to go outside of the ring - dohyo - won. There were a few things I wish that I better understood. At the start of each match they grab some talcum powder or something and then throw it in the ring- sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. Then they lift one leg - like a dog peeing, and bring thit back down giving it a slap. Then they get into position, but stand up and go back over to the talc - or whatever it is...sometimes they would get ready, get set and not go 5 or 6 times. Never understood. And in the proper Japanese way, when a competor lost he calmly walked out of the ring after bowing to his opponent. As the wrestling group narrowed down it got more interesting and the crowd got a bit more intense. We decided to stay until the end because we wanted to see who would win. The crowd became very vocal near the end and we could actually figure out what name they were chanting. It was very exciting - definitely recommend this.

Our 3 little sumo's

Three kids from TIS go for it

Although blurry, you get the idea - the crowd loved this! Bit of a wedgie I imagine?!?!

The sumo guy did not budge.

The Contenders

The big guy.

Typical match

Just another lunch date

2009-02-10T22:05:00.001-08:00

I am beginning to feel a bit spoiled. We had a lunch get together for the parents in Nicholas's class. The room parents at TIS set these up a couple times a year, usually just a casual gathering. There is no shortage on lunch dates in my life. I think I have gone out to lunch more in the last 6 months than in my entire adult life. However, I was a teacher for 9 years, so I was brown bagging it for quite a while. Again - the expat community came through nicely. One of the dad's in Nicholas's class is in Hotel Management - for Ritz Carlton. So, we had a nice table for 12 on the 45th floor of the Ritz at Tokyo Midtown not too far from where we live. After the husband said hello and welcomed everyone, he excused himself because he had to say good-bye to a guest. Will Smith. Unfortunately, Will couldn't join us for lunch.

Tokyo continues to get smaller and smaller...

2009-02-09T21:25:00.000-08:00

So I am at a fitness class talking to this girl/woman that I have talked to before. Her t-shirt catches my eye as it said Max's 5k Run. I thought, isn't that from Minneapolis? No, there are probably other Max's runs in other cities. Then I stepped closer and said, "Is that a picture of Lake Harriet on your shirt????" She was of course surprised and said "Yes?!?!" She was from Minneapolis and before moving to the burbs she lived on 55th and Penn. We lived at 51st and Penn. I guess the first time we talked we must have skipped questions 1 and 4.

Kate

2009-02-04T21:33:00.000-08:00

Kate's Girl Scout troop back home is participating in 'Thinking Day,' where each troop picks a different country and shares the information on a particular day. Kate's group chose Japan. We mailed a package of origami, pictures and chopsticks back to Minneapolis. And then she and I put together this little video for them as well. There is also a 'Thinking Day' here, on the same day, but I haven't figured out how to get Kate involved in the Girl Scouts yet.

She's a little quiet here - nothing like the true Kate who we could usually hear screaming 3 houses away back home.

Small Talk

2009-02-04T02:32:00.000-08:00

The 5, sometimes 6, questions expats ask one another upon meeting...

1. Where are you from?
2. How long are you going to be here?
3. Is this your first assignment overseas?
4. What company brought you here? (not always in the mix...or may come later)
5. Where do you live in Tokyo?
6. Where do your kids go to school?

Then apparently you are friends. Just takes a little more effort than a facebook friend.

Expat Express

2009-02-01T05:37:00.000-08:00

No, I did not buy that dress for the ball here. I didn't even bother to look. In my crazy bargain hunting ways I waited until the 1st of the year when dresses were marked down and looked at all the major department stores online - I mean ALL. I found a safe fitting dress...girls, you understand. Then we have this fabulous thing called Expat Express. You can shop from any store online in the states and have the store ship your stuff to them in Utah. They combine all of the purchases in as few boxes as possible and for a small fee ship it to me in Tokyo. There is still duty to pay, but far less than what one would have to pay if you had the store ship directly to you. Don't ask me why. So in my last box I had Lands End, Dillards, Amazon.com and Nick's Birthday presents. Opening the box was a bit like Christmas. Sometimes when the box is small, the delivery guy doesn't ask for any duty. Again, we don't know why. I made a mistake early on and had Land's End ship the kid's uniforms directly to me. When the guy showed up at the door he wanted 8000 Yen. I said no and started freaking out. He left and came back later that night when I was able to get some cash. When it's convenient I can also just have stuff shipped to the next Tokyo visitor and let them bring it to me for free. So please, do not send me anything - ever.

The Australian Ball

2009-02-01T03:58:00.000-08:00

Jack and I have some friends who asked us to join their table at the Australian Ball at the Grand Hyatt in Roppongi. The night was quite entertaining. The people watching was great and I always love to dance to live music - maybe a little too much. I think I scare Jack sometimes. But, late into the evening, he was the one who actually suggested I jump into his arms during the Dirty Dancing song - The Time of My Life. I declined. The prom, I mean Ball, was a lot of fun, but it was basically a prom for a bunch of 30/40 somethings. And it looked like everyone was having a great time. It was a fundraiser as well for two Tokyo organizations, but during the live auction we couldn't even consider bidding on any of the opening bids. It never ceases to amaze me how much money exists in this city. Uh, yeah, let's bid on that hotel room at the Ritz for 4,000,000 Yen ( move your decimal), cause they are throwing in a massage as well. And that wasn't close to the final bid.

And apparently 7PM-1AM isn't long enough for a party anymore now that we live in Tokyo. I knew better, but we headed down the street to a dive bar called Heaven. I had actually been there before, but not Jack. It is very tiny with only seating for about 20? if that. We took up the last seats. This place is all about classic American rock, decorated with many familiar bands' memorabilia. The best part is that you can pretend you ARE a classic rock band. And so Jack got to pick up some sticks and play for a while. I think it's actually the first time he's played in a bar since we dated in Chicago. Another friend grabbed a guitar as well as one of the Japanese guys who worked there and then another Japanese guy sang - and as Jack put it, although he wasn't quite 'on', he sang better in English than we would have sung in Japanese. Rock on. I left at 3. I left Jack there with some of the others. The next day was very slow.

Facebookers, you can skip the photos. You have already seen them.

The beginning

Our group - 3 from the states, 1 from Australia and one from UK/Australia

The middle

The end

A gift

2009-01-28T18:52:00.000-08:00

Jack came home from work the other night and shared with me the gift he received from one of the Japanese men that works for him. It was a white towel, simply wrapped in white paper, about the size of a hand towel. I said, "I don't get it, did the guy say anything about it when he gave it to you?" Jack said that he just gave it to him right before a meeting and there wasn't much time for discussion. It's not even the sweaty season when most people carry around a towel to wipe themselves down, but this towel was too big for that. Maybe it's the clean, white, new thing- symbolizing the New Year? Anybody?

Comfort Foods

2009-01-27T03:56:00.000-08:00

One of my initial concerns prior to moving to Tokyo was, 'What am I going to feed my picky eating, I like processed snack food children?' Before we arrived we talked to a woman who was here working for NWA and had a bunch of questions for her. I believe Jack's first question was something about electronics. My first one was "What do you put in your kids lunches?" Priorities! We would be arriving on Saturday, the kids were starting school that Monday and I was supposed to pack a lunch for them! I don't even remember what she said it was all a blur. When we got here, I realized I had nothing to worry about. I couldn't believe the things that were on the shelves at our international grocery store, National Azabu, the one right by our apartment. Here are a few items that keep us close to home - for a small price, yeah right.

Oreos - much smaller package
Ritz - ditto
Premium saltines
Goldfish - only cheddar, thank god - who needs 10 choices and colors?
Pringles
Campbells soup
Kraft Mac n Cheese - for 4 bucks a box
Sargento Cheese slices
Kraft Cheese slices
Kit Kats are big here
Jennie-O Turkey franks in the frozen section
Johnsonville Brats - this one is the funniest I think - and more than one variety!

There a tons of other products from the US as well as other countries so I love to go to the store, EVERYDAY! We go through stuff quickly due to all the small packaging. I realize I could buy more at one time, but I buy what I can carry home, unless I am buying wine, then they deliver it :) When I don't feel like going to the store, or if I want something from the US that I can't get at the store I can use a few different websites that will deliver. And yes, there is a COSTCO here. I haven't been as it's a trek and whenever a friend is heading out it's hasn't been a convenient time for me. But I can buy online through The Flying Pig who sell Costco products, and Kirkland has a few bulk items on sale as well at National Azabu.

There are also plenty of American cleaning products. But, I am taking my chances with less expensive Japanese laundry detergent and dishwashing soap. I am still guesstimating how much soap to add since I can't read the bottles. So far things look and smell clean. I wanted to buy some of that fruit and vege cleaner, but wouldn't buy the American brand because of the cost and saw what I thought was a much cheaper Japanese brand. I tried to ask the sales guy - same-0? ( I know this is not the Japanese word for same) clean? and held up both bottles. He shook his head and kinda laughed - no...and that was it. Still don't know what the other product was, but I am glad I didn't wash my strawberries with it.

Those of you who visit will have a few things to bring along, things I refuse to pay for here or things I simply want or cannot get. Some of our requests so far have included: wheat thins, cheerios, lucky charms, teddy grahams, cheeze-its, clif bars, mac and cheese, granola bars, jello and generally food that will also not get crushed in transit.

Sign of the Day

2009-01-25T00:17:00.000-08:00

Harajuku - Anybody got a smork?

A taste of Australia

2009-01-24T16:25:00.000-08:00

Kate is off for a 'play' today (as the Aussies call it) at her friend's home - at the Australian Embassy. Jack is off to Sydney for the week for 'work.' And upon his return Friday we will be attending the Australian Ball. For obvious geographical reasons there is a large Australian expat community here. And who doesn't like to listen to an Aussie speak?

The dressing room

2009-01-16T02:27:00.001-08:00

I never intended to buy any article of clothing while I was here. I couldn't imagine they would have my size. I played it safe and bought some socks in Harajuku (some rather tame ones for that part of the city). I went with the largest size, which I think was still smaller than my foot according to the chart. Surprisingly, they fit. Maybe that's what gave me the courage to take it to the next level. I simply wanted some layering pieces and headed to a store I have been told is similar to a Gap. I found my pieces, but had absolutely no idea how many centimeters I was in a shirt size, so I played it safe and went with the XL. Well, a little bittersweet as it fit. Now the socks and the camis were a 'buy without trying on sort of thing' and I got lucky. I then thought I would try on some pants. I never liked trying them on in the states and I definitely won't be trying them on again in Tokyo. I remember Jack tried on some pants at H & M in Omotosando and he said he couldn't even get them over his calves - haha, made me feel slightly better. Into the dressing room I brought some pants and a sweater, the sweater at least would be a bit more forgiving. As I stepped in past the curtain, the attendant said,"Excuse me, please take off shoes." Oops. Then she handed me a thin folded paper towel. She said this was for my face. My face? Ah! So my make-up doesn't rub off onto the clothing. Quite smart, because how many times do you go into a dressing room with a piece of clothing and see someone else's make-up smeared onto it? So I unfolded this towel and draped it over my head, feeling absolutely ridiculous even though no one could see me, and pulled the sweater over my head. Whaddya know? It worked. When I came out of the dressing room, returning all of the clothes, another woman was waiting for a room. The attendant offered her the towel, but instead she pulled her own out of her purse!

English speaking people!

2009-01-15T23:34:00.000-08:00

My friend Sue and I were trying to find some children's clothing stores in Ginza today. We were walking down the street chatting and a girl hollers at us, "English speaking people!" Looking desperate, she asked us if we could direct her and her friends to a particular train station. She had her map, I pulled out my Tokyo Atlas ( I am learning to love this book of neighborhood maps) and together the three of us sent them in the right direction. She was so grateful and I knew exactly how she felt. It was nice to be on the other side for a change.

The 'Club'

2009-01-13T05:02:00.001-08:00

Connor and I headed over to the Tokyo American Club (TAC) today. I think I have mentioned this place before. Unfortunately, the location isn't ideal. Its a 17 minute bus ride to the train station where we pick up the shuttle that takes us to the club. So it's about a 40 minute journey door to door. They are in the process of building a new facility that is much closer to us. I imagine it will be finished when it is time for us to leave Tokyo. It's a great space to hang out, especially if you need to just be someplace where everyone speaks English. It's a one stop shop, restaurants, hair cut, spa, fitness center, UPS center, childcare, library, and all the signs are in English. They offer so much for the expats, it's really great. Anyone can become a member, it's not exclusive to the expat community.

Fortunately, our membership is paid through Jack's work, one of our benefits. But, everything else still costs money - childcare, fitness classes, sports programs for the kids (ouch, this is not the YMCA), so I choke a bit as I am still trying to get used to the cost of living here in Tokyo. So after childcare, fitness class and lunch, the day is starting to add up. At least I took the bus here and avoided the 1500 Yen cab ride. We head up to the library and video center. It's great! Packed with tons of stuff. We check out our books and videos and then I learn that the videos cost money - ugh. Of course I had to add up our day, and in retrospect it wasn't that bad - compared to what? I don't know.

Connor and I had a great day. My main goal was simply put him in childcare, work out and have lunch together. We accomplished that. Lunch was interesting as I watched a Japanese mom eat with her toddler and then another Western mom eat with her toddler. The Japanese child was fully clothed covered in a smock, arms and all. His mother placed a few pieces of pasta in his dish as a time as he pierced a piece with his fork, but occasionally used his fingers. She then proceeded to clean his hands with a new wipe almost after each time he ate with his hands. Then there was the other child. His mother gave him the full plate of pasta which he happily dug into with no bib or utensils. Upon finishing, his mom pulled him out of the high chair and a pile of spaghetti fell off of his body. She pulled out one wipe and gave him a quick swipe. Too funny. Two different worlds.

Hakuba

2009-01-11T04:24:00.001-08:00

We were happy to break up our holiday with 4 nights away in Hakuba. We decided not to take the Shinkansen (bullet train) and get there quicker as it required a change along the way. And as I always say here in Japan the fewer changes the better. So, we took the 'limited express' train. The train is such a nice way to travel. It was a simple taxi ride to the train station, two taxis because taxis are smaller here, and we can't all fit into one with our American baggage. Westerners, maybe just Americans, always have not only larger bags, but many more than the Japanese. It's just another way we stand out. We had seat reservations and we were supposed to stand in a certain spot in line waiting for our particular car. It's the rule. Problem was that there were many signs with many numbers, but it wasnt clear which train/line belonged to which number. Jack darted all over and we eventually figured it out, a little stressful.

So, we get on the train, equipped with a woman coming down the isle with her food and drink cart every so often; Kate wanted the beef jerky - until she learned that it was beef tongue. I am glad the woman spoke a little English. Four hours later we arrived in Hakuba. The property manager (Australian guy) from our hotel picked us up at the station, sent our bags ahead to the Alpine Chalets, and took us to rent our skis and equipment, including a coat for me. I realized on the train that I left my new ski coat at home - a Christmas gift from Jack. And of course Jack tells me later, "You know Brigitte, renting this coat cost more than what I payed for yours."
So then Kevin, our guy, takes us to a place where we can eat and then shop for some basics to have back at our place. Nice service.

As most ski vacations go, they all probably don't differ that much. I do love that we can say that our kids not only learned to ski in Japan, but on Happo One, the slopes from the 98 Nagano Olympics. But, as with most Malone vacations someone got sick - Connor. He came down with a pretty good fever after our first full day and was out of commission for the remainder of the trip. After being stuck in our simple, tiny quarters with him for one day, downloading many itunes videos, we brought him to the hill and traded off hanging out with him in the lodge.

The lift passes were a new thing for us. Maybe it's not new to everyone else as we haven't been skiing since Kate was 4 months old. But here they give you this square plastic computer chip thing that the regulars put in a little pocket protector and strap it to their arm. Then you wave it at the lift entrace it lets you through. The beauty of this for us was that while Connor was sick, we just passed the chip back and forth. Always trying to save a buck - or some Yen. Speaking of Yen, MUCH cheaper here. That was nice.

I did find the town of Hakuba feeling more like a European town in terms of the buildings, inns and hotels. We really enjoyed getting out of the city, walking the quiet snow filled streets at night. We are hoping to go skiing again. We learned of a place that is less than an hour on the train and it takes you literally to the resort, an easy day trip. Well, maybe not with our family, but still a day trip.

The kids before their first ski lesson. They are in front of the Alpine Chalets

Me and my rental.

The only day Connor was out.

Nicholas was great out there - really enjoyed himself. Phew.

Except when he fell down and had a tantrum and then unsuccessfully tried to put his skis back on while vertical to the hill despite what I was hollering at him from further down...

I read that if we were there at Christmas we may have seen Santa and a Sumo wrestler on the mountain as well.

25 Days

2009-01-09T07:28:00.000-08:00

I am finishing day 23. Many have heard me say over and over that the kids were off of school for a total of 25 days, add two more for Connor. It is logical. Most families go to their home country during winter break and this allows them time to get there, stay for a while and return and adjust to Japan time. We chose to stay here, to make it seem more like home instead of rushing back when we just got here 4 months ago. So no Japan blog info for the last week because I am just too damn tired, even though I am up writing at 12:30. It's quiet, nobody needs anything from me, I am not fighting to get the kids away from the TV, computer or their DS's . So I am up, but only to vent for a short time. In all honesty it was a pretty good break. Who doesn't love staying in their' pj's half of the day most days? No alarms or lunches to be made. We had a nice trip to Hakuba, did a little skiing. More on that later - after the kids return to school. I love my children. But I don't need to spend every waking moment with them for almost a month straight. It's just not healthy for anybody. But now I have officially made it to the weekend and Jack and I will get through it together. We will also begin to plan our trip home for next winter break.

Sogatsu - The New Year

2009-01-01T05:15:00.000-08:00

Shimekazari - To keep evil spirits away - placed at the doorway of a home. Typical decoration for New Years. On our neighbors' doors and around town the Christmas decorations came down on the 26th and these things sorts of things went up. You can bet Santa came off our door as well the day after Christmas.

Kadomatsu - Bamboo is for strength and pine for longevity. The three shoots represent heaven, humanity and earth. They are usually placed on either side of an entrance representing man and woman.

New Years is Japan's most important holiday celebrated for 3 days. It's a time for wiping the slate clean and starting fresh. I believe they make their resolutions at the shrines and temples, and they ALL go and pray for good health and fortune, something we all look forward to. It's more of a custom than a religious thing. Instead of Christmas cards, they send New Year's cards. They have their traditional foods that are all prepared ahead of time so that come the New Year they are relaxing, not working, and having a quiet peaceful time with family. Kate desperately wanted me to buy two of the traditional foods, mochi (for pounded rice balls) and soba noodles. Apparently the rice after it is prepared takes a long time to eat. You chew and chew and chew. So, I looked for that for about a minute, didn't find it. I did buy the soba noodles. Soba noodles are eaten in hope that your life is as long as the noodles. Mine are still in the package on the counter. I went with the traditional southern American dish and prepared black-eyed peas. As I write this 10 hours later, the soup is not finished. Hmmm. First time with my slow-cooker in Japan - it must be REALLY slow. Our electronics are not quite up to speed here. I am going to be up for a while.

On New Year's Eve, instead of the ball dropping they ring the bell at the Buddist temples 108 times. Each bell represents an earthly passion that the people need to overcome in order to attain enlightenment. That's a lot of passion. At the popular Meiji Shrine, 3 million people will visit over the 3 day holiday. No, we won't be 5 of that 3 million.

We were invited to an open house (a family from Connor's preschool) on New Year's Day. Although our neighbors in our building didn't have the same age kids, this open house did. It was an extra treat. We had a really nice day/evening talking, eating, drinking, meeting people all with their own interesting story from their travels in the world. Between the 5 or so families there, we were from or had lived in France, London, Egypt, Turkey, Japan, US including Alaska, Colorado, Arizona, California, DC, NY, and of course Minneapolis. I am beginning to see how people catch the expat bug.

The new neighbors

2008-12-28T04:08:00.000-08:00

I learned from the English speaking doorman that a new family with three children was moving into the vacant apartment on our floor. I had high hopes that it would be another expat family with three children, the same ages and genders of our kids and that they would attend the same school, although it would be okay if they went someplace else. I can hope right? I then learned that they were Japanese - sigh. But, their nameplate was in English unlike all the other Japanese families whose nameplates were in character form. Maybe they were Japanese American. The movers came, no sign of the people. Then we saw a kid's bike, looked like Nicholas's size - red, a boy maybe? Okay, now I would just be happy if a boy Nick's age moved in. We wait.

Today the doorbell rang. The family came by to say hello. They came bearing gifts- a nice assortment of cookies from the bakery down the street. You see in Japan, when a new family moves into the building they bring you something. Now that's one tradition that just doesn't make sense. Why should they have to go to the trouble? I did explain to them that we do just the opposite in America (or well, some people do). Then I felt badly because I hadn't brought them anything. But in all honesty, I wasn't even sure they were living there yet, all we had seen were their things. No noise, nothing.

They were very sweet and obviously spoke English. Hooray! By their side were two little ones, a 6 year-0ld girl, and a boy about 18 months. They also had a 2 month-old boy. Oh well. Yes, I am a little disappointed. The genders were the right order, unfortunately, they were just 4 years behind us. They came from a nearby Tokyo neighborhood and moved to be closer to the girl's school. Before that they lived in Hong Kong and Singapore, so they are familiar with the expat life. I imagine I will see the mom around a bit, and maybe even become friends, who knows. At least I'll have someone I can ask to explain my rice cooker to me. I did buy one, and this time it is actually a rice cooker.

Tokyo Disneyland

2008-12-22T04:32:00.000-08:00

Let's just start at the end. On the subway home Jack asks me, "So what kind of drink are you going to have when we get home? Vodka and tonic? I think I may just go straight for the whiskey. Yes, after a day at Disneyland we were shot. No surprise there, but I did have my fantasies if only for a while. I don't need to tell anybody how well the kids did or didn't do. Yes, I am glad we went. Yes, they drove me nuts. No, it was not magical.

Although I know I can't complain about the weather when those of you in the midwest and east are having stormy weather; windy and cold does not make for an enjoyable time at Disneyland. I saw 60 in the forecast. When we left fantasyland it was raining, windy and hmm below 40? Despite the miserable weather as we ducked in and out of shows and rides we were able to warm up and gear up for another bone chilling time waiting in line.

One attraction put us in our own special line because we needed English translation. As we got closer to the entrance we were separated from the Japanese in our own roped off corner against a wall with a handful of other English speaking people. Then we were told we had to sit in the second to last row where we would have our own headphones speaking English. That felt a bit odd. Why not the middle row, why not the last row? No, the second to last row. Our last ride was Space Mountain, an excellent choice for all. Connor was a trooper. We put him in the front with me and he didn't make a sound, possibly because I couldn't hear him over my own screaming, but he was smiling and not crying at the end. Probably shock.

We tried to time this visit to Disneyland before the Japanese were out of school. It really never matters where you go in Tokyo - it's always really crowded. This is something I will tolerate for our time here, but not something that I enjoy every time we go on a family outing. Even when it's 'not crowded', it's crowded. And all day it looked like it was going to rain. All I could think of was, 'Where are all the people going to go when these skies opened up?'

I thought Disneyland at Christmas would be great, all the lights, decorations, music. It would make up for a little something we were missing from home this year. But the Japanese wishing us a Mawry Christmaaaas didn't quite do it. An A+ for effort though...so very merry! Each Christmas performance was bright and colorful and I could sing along although they were signing Rudolph in Japanese, I was singing in English.

So when you are done with the exciting, but exhausting day you get the kids into the car and they all fall asleep on the way home. Oh yeah, 2 subways and a 1 train before we arrive at our doorstep. Maybe I shouldn't be writing this post 3 hours after we got home when things are still so raw. But yes, we had to do it. Yes, I had unrealistic expectations. Yes, I will still have hope the next time we venture out into Tokyoland after I recover in about a month. It's kinda like having a baby, if you allow enough time to pass you forget all the pain that you felt while going through it and you are willing to do it all over again. Okay, I realize that's a little extreme.

Windy, before it got cold...Connor is behind me
I was so close to buying a hat like Kate's - and I certainly wouldn't have been the only adult.

Freezing! Swiss Family Robinson house - the only attraction NOT crowded - because it was up in the trees and everyone else was smarter than us knowing how cold and windy it was up here! Scary skies.

The people and the tree and the people.

Merry Merry

2008-12-17T03:35:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Paranoia

2008-12-16T04:29:00.000-08:00

Jack is in Saigon for the week. Nicholas was home sick today. Kate was home sick last week and as stated in a previous post Connor the week before that. I took Kate to the doctor, but decided to save the cash and buy boots instead of taking Nicholas to the doctor. Well, that's not entirely true. But, Nick's symptoms were more like Kate's and she didn't have strep so I thought, 'What's the point? Let him ride it out." And then I won't feel too badly about buying another pair of boots in a city who considers 40 degrees 'cold.' We certainly don't miss Minneapolis these days. It's plain nasty there. Now, as I get ready to crawl into bed I begin to think, 'Am I getting sick? What if I start throwing up? What if I can't get out of bed in the morning? Seriously? Who will pack the kids' lunches because I won't be able to look at food or I'll barf. Who will bike Connor to school and pick him up? What if I have to go to the hospital? All of these thoughts start terrorizing my brain. Yes, I have friends who could help, but it's still different than home, we are still newbies and relationships are young. So, I cross my fingers, drink lots of water and tell myself everything will be fine. I'll just wait to get sick when Jack gets back, just in time for the scariest 25 days of my life...the kid's holiday break. It will be fun. It will be fun. It will be fun.

O Christmas Tree

2008-12-12T18:36:00.001-08:00

We have always had a fresh Christmas tree. Even when we bought it at Home Depot - it was fresh. I vowed never to have an artificial tree. That had to change, but only while in Tokyo. In the parking lot at the market they put up signs that announced fresh trees were coming from Oregon. I held my breath, I knew they would be expensive. They arrived. I walked by and glanced at the price. I looked again and again...how many numbers were in that price? That first one must be a dollar sign. Oh, we are in Japan, the Yen character is at the end. They were actually asking about 20,000 to 50,000 Yen - move your decimal and then some, given the dollar to the Yen these days. Thank you, but I will not be paying 200 dollars for a 3 foot tree, much less 500 for a 6 footer. Instead, we brought our tree home in a box and decorated it with origami, however the star must go or possibly be replaced.