Continuing a long held DiLaura tradition (ok, so maybe just since Jed)of learning how to ride a bike at a very young age, we splurged and bought Ariana a bike for her birthday. Not just any bike, but a Hello Kitty bike, fully decked out with a very cool bell and basket.

We took her out on Sunday and while she mastered steering very quickly, the pedalling was another story. So far, she is riding it like a glider, pushing on the petal with one foot and letting the bike glide.... pushing again with the same foot, letting it glide... she was having a ball, we were trying to figure out how to get her to understand that the bike would go a lot faster if she pushed down on both pedals, but then again, maybe going very slow is a good idea.

We were in the park for awhile and then on the way home, were invited to join in the neighborhood parade.

Ariana was given a red sash and we fell in behind the other kids as they helped the adults pull the movable shrines up and down the main street. Every year, each neighborhood does this, taking their shrines out for a walk. Some parades are major events, ours, well, it really was a neighborhood thing. Halfway through we stopped and they gave out treats and juice for the kids, Asahi beer for the adults - which was very welcome as it was probably 95 degrees in the sun.

It's one of my favorite things about living in Tokyo - in the middle of this very large city, every day you can see the traditions that are still very present in everyday life. Neighbors take time out of their day, with Gucci purses in hand (designer bags are very big here - I think I'm the only one without one - I don't think the diaper bag, even if it is highly acclaimed, counts) to march in a parade. Children get away from their computers long enough to do what their parents and grandparents did when they were young, instilling a bit of respect for their culture and heritage, and having fun in the process.