We're Back....

................safe and sound. While too tired to write much about our trip as we have been traveling for close to 24 hours, it was wonderful. I'll be posting over the next few days with lots of pictures, so stay tuned.......................

Florida

Well, here we are in sunny and horribly hot Florida, where the temperature during the day has been getting dangerously close to 100 degrees – every day. Ariana has learned a new meaning for “hot” as getting into a car that has been sitting in the sun for hours is a new experience for her. Baba-san solved the problem by telling me to put a towel over the car seat – now why couldn’t I have thought of that? Probably because I am in the middle of “jetlag hell”, sleeping one night 12 hours and the next 3, waking at 4 in the morning with an obscene amount of energy. It did, however, provide me with enough alone time to finish the new Harry Potter book, as gratefully Ariana stayed asleep.

 

Ariana has been having fun with all of the old people here – teasing them, doling out attention to only the chosen few. The more they demand it from her, the more she ignores them, only rewarding the calm and collected with a smile or wave. It is amazing how competitive they are with her “she smiled at me!”, “I think she is starting to recognize me”, “can I have a kiss? (to which Ariana replies with a serious, very serious glare)……..well, maybe next time”.

 

I do think it would be great if every senior residence instituted a program with the neighborhood schools because just seeing her makes most of them smile. And they don’t do that all that often, because their complaining takes up so much time. Mostly about the food – which deserves it, it is awful. You know there is a problem when even the instant mashed potatoes are inedible.

 

Olive Garden – here we come!!!

 

Family Visits

Cousins Keiko, Ryushin and Chris visited yesterday. After a quick nap and a bite to eat, Ryushin got down to playing with the toys and the dog. Tess was on her best behavior and only gave Ryushin a dirty look when he grabbed a fistful of hair, much of it which came out in his hand (pugs do shed.....a lot).




Then......the pool.......note to self - do take Ariana out of her regular diaper. She is bending over to see exactly what is that big blob between her legs. She proceeded to take the diaper off, holding it up and saying "heavy". And it was.............................these things really are absorbent, soaking up half the water in the pool.

We are off on Wednesday for another tour of the east coast of the United States, making stops in Florida, upstate NY, Canada and NYC visiting family and friends. Ariana will be seeing her grandma, nana and gramps, meeting some cousins and aunts for the first time, seeing her brother and sister for a short visit and having a reunion of her buddies from China. And of course seeing our friends in NYC.

I am preparing for a fourteen hour flight alone with a toddler - although after two previous trips, Ariana is an expert at flying. We settle in, and as long as I continually provide entertainment, she is fine. The only problem arises when I put her on the floor to sleep and the flight attendant gives me a hard time. I try to explain that the alternative is having a screaming child as she moves around a lot when she sleeps and can't do that in the seat, and the screaming will cause much disharmony for the other passengers, but they are firm - it is against the rules. So she will scream for some portion of the flight, I will walk her back and forth in the isle, getting disapproving looks from the other passengers ("don't blame me - direct those dirty looks at the flight attendants!!!") until she either quiets down or we land, whichever comes first.

The short flights are a breeze, although the hassle of getting through the airports in the US are a pain. But it will be worth it to see all of the familiar faces and have the opportunity to catch up.

And shop.

Kagurazaka Festival

While many in Tokyo were at the big fireworks show on the Sumida River, we ventured to Shibuya to the Kagurasaka Festival to watch the Awa Odori parade. About fifteen units called "Ren" make their way down the spectator lined street. Each Ren is made up of three separate groups; lantern carriers, female dancers and then male dancers and finally the "Narimono", the music group which follows playing traditional instruments.

We started out at our friend Gill's house enjoying great food and company. About 7pm we made our way down to the main street.

Here we are getting set up on our spot of sidewalk.
A group of women dance down the street. It's hard to see in the picture, but they are walking on the front of their slippers....
Ariana and Riku holding hands as they watch...so cute....
Another group of women make their way. The costumes were beautiful and each group had their own style.

A group of musicians.....
It seems like Riku has some competition......

These little girls performed and were taking a break. Notice the slippers neatly lined up by the blanket. Kids here are taught this very early. Even Ariana knows when and where to take her shoes off.

It seemed like the whole neighborhood was out this wonderfully comfortable evening. It also seemed like the residents who were not watching were participating - people of all ages were dressed in their yukatas; from the very young to the very old - the very hip teenagers to the not-so-hip older people, all dancing down the street. Some of the groups were very serious and others clearing having fun, not taking the competition very seriously. Yes, one of these groups will win something - I'm not sure what. It does seem like we were the winners though, to spend a great night with friends on the streets of Tokyo watching what makes being in Tokyo so much fun.

Oh so hot!!!!

Where is PETA When You Need Them

Today I saw a poodle with a barrette in it's hair.


Not a bow, but an actual hair clip, similar to the ones I would put in Ariana's hair if she kept them in for more than a minute or two. But you see, Ariana has hands and when she rips them out of her hair, I take that has a hint she doesn't want to wear them. Unfortunately, dogs don't have that option.


The big question is why? Why do people feel the need to treat their pets like dress up dolls? I really should stop torturing myself asking this question as people here have truly bizarre relationships with their dogs and I would be much better off if I just accepted this.

I have seen dogs in little outfits; some even matching their owner's. I have seen dogs with jewelry, booties (it was not snowing, the only acceptable reason for subjecting your animal to footwear and only to protect them from the salt spread on the sidewalks) and even a hat. Not even a baseball cap, but a little straw hat with an elastic strap to keep in from falling off. And most egregious, I have seen people wheeling their dogs around in strollers made especially for their furry little children - sorry, I meant pets.

Now my question to PETA is this? Is this not abuse of animals? Forget protecting the animals formerly skinned and being worn by people to keep warm, go after the individuals who are causing dogs all over to try to hide from the shame of having to wear little dungarees (no kidding, I saw this). The poor chihuahua wearing the hat looked like it wanted to jump out of the bicycle basket it was sitting in - while the bicycle was moving - just to avoid the humiliation of looking like a stuffed animal.

So, you PETA people out there, the next time you see a dog dressed up like a doll, intervene. Talk to the owners. Better yet - make them put on the same outfit they are parading their dog in and see how it feels. They might not like it, but I'm sure their dogs will have quite a laugh.

"If We Stand Here Really Quiet, Do You Think They'll Find Us"

"Yes, we can. But we won't let on because you are being quiet and we like the lack of sound. Next time, you may want to find a closet with a door, though".


We were at a charming guesthouse on the coast of Japan over the weekend with our friends and their children. Manazuru is a fishing village and a haven for divers. Very quiet. Not many people. We watched over the weekend as they were preparing for a festival which will take place next weekend; the floats being created, the drummers practicing, all the while watching mourners dressed in black on their way to the town cemetery.


We spent most of the time at the beach, Ariana having gotten over her fear of them since Hawaii. She loved running around and racing the waves. Here she is watching her feet disappear, but even thought that was funny.
The house was all of four rooms, but absolutely beautiful in it's simplicity.
We had a Japanese style dinner, prepared by the owner Yuki, and then rolled out futons at bedtime.

There are many guesthouses around Japan and staying in one is a great way to experience a bit of the lifestyle here.

Natural Disasters

Just in case the idea of going on a weekend getaway to a part of Japan where English is rarely spoken wasn't enough of a challenge, we decided to do it on a weekend where there was a typhoon predicted. Throw in an earthquake, a small tsunami and an nuclear waste spill and you have a weekend we will be talking about for some time.

With a three day weekend ahead of us, we decided to be brave and get out of Tokyo, traveling to Sado Island, which is off the western coast of Japan. We found a hotel on the northern tip of the island, booked our Shinkansen and Jetfoil tickets, packed our bags and were off.

As you can see, Ariana was having a fine time on the very fast train we were riding on. After two hours, we landed in Niigita, the port city where we scheduled to catch the jetfoil. Another hour and we were in Ryotsu, the main city on Sado. As we made our way to the hotel pick up area, a man came up to us, obviously briefed on the "gaijin" who would be arriving, and loaded us into the van. Off we were on a beautiful ride up the coast to the hotel. But the ride couldn't match the view once we checked in.
It turns out we had an amazing view of both Ohnogame and Futatsugame,
two famous rocks formations off the northern tip of Sado. There was a path leading from our hotel down to the beach where we could walk to both of them. As it was a few hours before dinner, we decided to make the steep walk down - 347 steps.

Ariana started out fine, but once she saw just how many steps she would have to maneuver, she pulled the "I'm only 2 1/2, help me" act and so..
.... she made the remainder of the trip safely in baba-san's arms.
We started strolling and passed a small Buddhist shrine. We found out later it was set up by someone mourning a child who died prior to his or her parents.
It was incredibly peaceful and relaxing, even with the knowledge at some point we would have to make the trek back up all 347 steps.


After exploring the beach a little bit, it was time to head back up. Ariana started out for the steps, but looked up, realized what she was in for, and ran in the other direction. We found a solution that would make her very happy... and baba-san slightly winded.

After a dinner of the freshest seafood we have ever had, it was time for a few episodes of "Father of the Pride", an hysterically funny animated TV show that didn't last very long on network television and should have.

We woke up to rain and wind and a truly Japanese breakfast (no coffee!!!!) of seafood and salad. We hung around the hotel deciding what to do. For those traveling to Sado Island, take our advise and rent a car. We did not, because our international driver's licenses had expired and we had not yet started the process of getting Japanese ones. It left us in a bit of a bind, as we had to figure out how to get down to the middle part of the island where much of what we wanted to see was located. Finally figuring out the bus schedule, we left just as the rain was stopping and made in back down to the port, only to get on another bus going across the island. Let's just say we did a lot of riding the second day. We did make it to Aikawa, the old mining town that looks pretty much the way it must have looked back in the days when the gold mine was still operating.

We met an old woman on the way, who asked us where we were from. We spoke for awhile and it was clear she had a lot of pride in her island. Other than a few other people, itt was very quiet, almost like a ghost town.

Dinner that night was another feast.

Ariana listened intently as baba-san explained (or tried to) the various dishes that were in front of us.

Our last day was when the fun started. About 10:15 am, as we were standing out on the cliff taking pictures, I felt the earth move. Literally. Not a lot, but it did move. As we were STANDING ON A CLIFF!!!!!!!, I immediately looked around for my loved ones to make sure they were far enough away from the edge and then waited for the movement to stop. Since Arny was walking around at the time, he didn't feel it. Ok, I thought, maybe it was just a strong gust of wind. As you can see, it was blowing: (yes, I know, bad hair day)

On the television in the lobby of the hotel, we kept seeing pictures of houses down and trains derailed, but we thought it was the result of the typhoon that hit further south and didn't pay much attention. Then, we started hearing "Shinkansen", the Japanese name for the bullet train that took us to Niigata, where we boarded the boat and would have to return.

No one at the hotel spoke English and our Japanese is enough to order food and say please and thank you. So, we drove down to the ferry where we found out that the trains were in fact, not running. OOOOOOOOkkkkkaaaaayyyyyyyyy then. We boarded the ferry thinking we would just deal with it when we got to the station. Imagine our surprise when as we were waiting for a taxi to take us there when we felt the earth move. Again. OOOOOOOOOkkkkkkkaaaaayyyyyyyyy. Looking around, everything seemed fine, so in the cab we got. Arriving at the station, we saw many people very calmly hanging around. Waiting. While Arny waited on the very long, very calm line for the ticket booth, I found the other gaijin in the station and asked what happened. And then we knew. The very city we were standing in was the one that earlier that day, an almost 7 point earthquake had hit. All trains were down. They were supposed to start up again at 7pm, but no one knew if that would really happen.

Rather than hanging around the station for hours, only to get on a very crowded train with a 2 1/2 year old who likes to repeat things over and over and over and over and over....................
and over, we decided on the spot to find a hotel and stay overnight. While baba-san straightened out the tickets, I did exactly that and off we were. While watching BBC worldwide, we discovered the whole story. The typhoon that did little damage, the earthquake that did much more to the older area of town (I am happy to report that the part we saw was untouched) and to the nuclear power plant, which suffered a leak they are still trying to investigate (won't be swimming in the sea of Japan anytime soon). There was also a small Tsunami on Sado Island, but not the part we were on.

All in all, a whole lotta weather goin on in this part of the world.

Goodie Bags - not just for children anymore

After attending my second children's birthday party as a parent, I have some observations. Mostly involving the goody bag and the other assorted treats one brings home from these events. As I sit here writing this, in my kitchen sits this:


In it is the cupcake Ariana and I made yesterday at her friend Rhianna's birthday party. Now, we went through the gift bag when we got home - Ariana got all of the little toys, the bank, which she proceeded to fill with the change I gave her from my purse as she said "money!!" with a look of glee on her face, the princess charm and the "Little Princess" rice cake. I got the Cadbury square of chocolate, which I did share (ok, a little reluctantly) with her when she saw what I had.

What, you think something is wrong with me digging into my daughter's goody bag for a little taste? Why shouldn't I? After all, I participated in the party just as much as she did. While she was playing "let's all jump on the trampoline", I was playing "Oh, really, and where does your child go to school?". While she was watching the clowns, I was watching the parents look at me, then at baba-san, then at Ariana and then try to figure out the best way to ask "the question". While she was doing the hokey-pokey, I was doing the busy answering "the question", which someone finally asked (most tastefully I might add).

Actually, and mostly due to the quality of my friend's friends, baba-san and I had an excellent time, as did Ariana, once she found the cutest boy in the room:
and no, that is not a cigarette in her hand (you have a dirty mind, you know)......they were just bouncing!!!!

But, back to the gift bag - I'm thinking perhaps the adults should get one too; with aspirin, for the headache you will have from listening to child say over and over and over "I want a (fill in the blank here) after the birthday girl or boy gets one as a present; a Tide stain stick to remove whatever remains on your child's clothing from all of the party activities; a small bottle of wine - to enjoy in the privacy of your own bedroom after your child has gone to sleep and for the first time since the party, there is quiet, and a nice piece of chocolate (the dark kind, which has been shown to be very healthy!!)......just because.

We are planning Ariana's party as her birthday is coming up - perhaps the adults will get a little something......

A Man, Playing a Woman, Playing a Man

..or so it went yesterday at the Kabuki-za Theater's production of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night". Since all roles in Kabuki are played by men, the character Viola, here Princess Biza, along with twin brother Cesario (aka Shuzennosuke) and Sebastian (aka Shishimaru) were all played by the actor Onoe Kikunosuke.

I had been wanting to go to a Kabuki performance ever since I arrived here in Tokyo and I couldn't think of a better (and more bizarre) initiation than this. And it didn't disappoint - the beautiful sets, ornate costumes and over-the-top acting (here it is actually an acting style called Aragoto) were all evident.

Just as enjoyable was the experience itself of being in a Kabuki Theatre, with all three levels filled with food and clothing shops. I mean really, what better way to spend the two 30 minute intermissions than to shop and eat. The patrons as well were interesting to watch - some dressed in kimono, some going very casual, bringing their own lunch to eat outside during the breaks.


There is a special type of patron or Omuko-san allowed to call out greetings, or Kakegoe, to the performers. Usually the greeting is either the actor's generational number or "acting house name", one which they share with other members of the same acting family. These patrons are almost exclusively men (do you see a pattern here?) and highly knowledgeable about the theatre. They sit in the far reaches of the theatre, which makes their name (Omuko-san means "great distant people") rather appropriate.