Tokyo tower food court

I can't keep up with blogging.

I am remembering how much I love the rhythm of daily living in Japan.

Yesterday we went to a local zoo and nature park.  Today we went to Tokyo Tower.  Tomorrow we will be out most of the day for the service and reception for the seventh anniversary memorial of my paternal grandfather's passing (the reason we are here).

The kids are waiting to be tucked in...  So I leave you with a pic of my lunch today.  An unexpected delight in a food court at a tourist attraction.  Spaghetti sauteed with butter and fish roe, garnished with fresh scallion, perilla, and toasted nori.

It was absolutely delicious.

Day off

The kids' jet lag is shifting better than mine...I'm happy for them about that.  I woke up at 3:30am, they slept till about 4:30 and 5:00.

We stayed close to home today.  Gem and I went to the supermarket/department store with my sister, Ellie and Lisa for two hours (Sag stayed home with my mom for some much needed quiet/alone time).  Gem was in search of a specific Pokemon manga so we hit the book section of the department store.  He didn't find it, but we found the latest Bam and Kero book, a picture book series we've been following since the boys were very little.  Very exciting.  Gem did decide to pick up a Pokemon manga, an older series.  (For the record, the kids do not read Japanese.)

We enjoyed a mellow afternoon.  The kids went to explore the stairway into the woods with my sister while my mom, Ellie and Lisa took naps.  I puttered doing laundry and cleaning up our stuff which seems to scatter and spread quite quickly.

I practiced some Qigong this afternoon as the sun was beginning to set.  It felt so good, like giving myself a massage.  Between the continuing jet lag (exacerbated by my dad's very early waking at around 3:30am), the stress of holding the challenges of being GFCF in Japan for Gem, and a near fall I took yesterday afternon, my body is feeling it.

Some quick pictures now, I seem to be receiving the message that I should have done more to prep dinner.  Oops.

some time between 5:00-6:00am.

the new Bam & Kero.

Pokemon manga.

sudoku and crosswords with Auntie.

drawing is essential.

Kamakura

yamakake udon with a raw quail egg.

Lunch was awesome.  A small udon shop with a lot of wooden accents in the decor a second floor walk-up playing jazz.

plum blossom at Hasedera.

The ume (plum) trees are starting to bloom.  They smell wonderful.  Today was cold though.  A high just north of 40ºF with a cold bitter wind blowing by mid-afternoon.

this dude's so handsome.

the kids taking a load off while Cap and my mom checked out a sembei shop.

visual proof that I am indeed present in these travels.

Today we went to Kamakura with my sister and my mom.  My sister went back to the apartment after a couple of hours and my mom really impressed me with her energy as she enjoyed the day with us despite her jet lag.

This is a short post, despite having taken 100 photos today (I love digital photography!), because I am really wiped out.  We are all having a wonderful time and I am very happy.  But, I am also so sleep deprived.  We all are.  Today both of the kids wanted to be very physically close with me as we tromped around Kamakura.  I won't say it's a drawback to attachment parenting, but when one practices AP there are definitely times when the attachment takes a very literal form and, well, you just gotta suck it up.

My mom continues to inspire as she is now cooking multiple dishes up for dinner.  It smells really good...

Not sure what our plans are for tomorrow.  Maybe I'll have more energy and time to blog.

* yamakake aka tororo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioscorea_opposita, one of those uniquely Japanese foods...yum.

* sembei: rice crackers...these were made right in the shop...very cool.

* hasedera is a temple that Cap loves...it was really special to be able to share it with the kids and my mom.  Details will follow with more pics from this adventure.

* attachment parenting.

Minato Mirai

Today we went to Minato Mirai, a big high end shopping and entertainment mecca in the heart of Yokohama City.  Our destination was the Pokemon Center Yokohama, an official retail outlet for all things Pokemon.

The Pokemon Center did not disappoint.  There was a cornucopia of product and the air reeked of consumerism, but this being Japan, most of the stuff was just so damn cute and/or useful.

For example, when in Japan and out and about, locals have a handkerchief tucked in their bag or pocket.  These cloth squares may be made out of typical handkerchief material, or, they may be made out of tyical towel material.  They come in handy because public restrooms do not have paper towels or air hand dryers.  The only way to dry one's hands after washing them is to use your own hanky or towel.  And what did they have at the Pokemon store?  Handkerchiefs and small square towels with Pokemon designs on them.  The kids picked hand towels for themselves.

They also picked up plushies, cards and figures, as well as, some souvenirs for the Pokemon lovers in our lives.

By the time we finished up, we were all very hungry.  We found a bakery/cafe on the ground floor tucked in amongst dozens of restaurants vying for customers.  Sag had two "double cheese" hotdogs ("is this mayo in here?"  "yes it is"), Cap had corn soup, a favorite food of his when in Japan, and a roll, Gem had a brown bag lunch, and I had this:

I needed the caffeine and sugar, I am so sleep deprived, and was pleasantly surprised by the chocolate pastry.  The cake was just barely sweet and had a lovely soft, almost bread-like quality to it.  Inside was a chocolate cream in the hollow of the cake and the cream was surprisingly deep in its tones.  I loved the air pocket inside...that the pastry wasn't stuffed to the max with the cream.  The top of the pastry had a coating of dry cocoa powder.  The tea was "milk royal tea" a featured item of the shop.  It hit the spot.

We had one of those wonderful traveling treasure moments after lunch.  We ventured outside for some fresh air and immediately came upon an incredibly arresting structure...

The Pokemon Center is located in The Landmark Tower, the tallest building in Japan (69 floors).  We had lunch in a restaurant area on the ground floor of the building.  The building was built at the tip of a former ship docking area!  I loved how they incorporated this location into the building of this super modern complex.  It is rare to see older Western architectural relics in Japan and this place really caught my eye and imagination.  Yokohama is an old port city and has more Western influences in its architecture and history than most other places in Japan.

More pics of the day will follow.  But, now, I must off to make some dinner.  It was really a wonderful afternoon.  Gem is taking a nap, Sag is doing some journaling (in his new Pokemon notebook :-), Cap is grading papers, my dad is on his way home from work and my mom and sister are on their way here from the airport having landed safely.

Love and light to you.

We walk in Japan

We spent the afternoon outdoors and active today which is great for getting out from under jet lag.  We walked about a mile and spent time at a really cool park.  In a day of notables, I will note that my kids rarely walk.  But, today, the novelty of the environment distracted them and we walked and walked.

Gem has stated he loves the architecture and trees of Japan.  Sag enthusiastically said "yes" when Cap asked him if he'd like to spend a few months in Japan in the future.

I am exhausted...I am struggling to have coherent thoughts and typing them.  So I will leave you now with some pics.

this is so him: he has quickly found a favorite reading spot.

Jiji's hallway.

this is so him: breakfast=toast+oj+newspaper

the family that screens together...

I love laundry.  I love laundry in Japan the best.

intriguing stairway leading into woods seen from my dad's veranda.

they lit up when we entered the park.

he's laughing here as he rolls down the hill.

it's been rising into the 50s here lately.

more often than not, people are sporting masks so as not to catch germs.

this is so him: excited about yummy and interesting food.

We've landed

"to do" post-it Gem left on the tv.

they wasted no time getting to know their individual screens.

"I had no idea clouds are so close to land..."

flying over Russia caused much excitement.

stayed awake for the whole 14 hours!

at Narita taking a picture of our plane.

Wow.  Love my dad's apartment.  Can't wait till morning to take in the views.  Sag made it through the 1.5 hour bus ride but conked out during the cab ride, our final leg of the trip.  He went right to bed once we got to my dad's (6:30pm Japan time...4:30am EST).

Gem and I are hanging out on the super soft sheepskin on the living room couch waiting for Cap and my dad to come back from the market.  Soon we will have dinner and then go to bed.

The flight, though long, was very smooth.  The kids and I were lucky enough to have bulkhead seats which made the trip comfortable.  I watched the Social Network and Unstoppable, both which were great genre pieces.

More soon, thanks for all the positive vibes which got us here safe and sound y'all!

We leave tomorrow

Today is about preparing to leave for (just shy of) three weeks away from home.  The kids and I will be in Japan for 11 days and then in Oakland and Sacramento for a week.  Cap could only take a week away from work so he'll be back sooner to temporarily live the academic bachelor's life.

My period arrived early yesterday, the good being my not having to deal with getting it while traveling, the bad being I was hit sideways and got very little done on what I thought was going to be my über-productive preparation day.

When I awoke this morning, I was happy to feel the foggy lethargy lifting.  It was soon replaced by the intense buzz of the thoughts of what need to be done crowding my mind.  I started a list on my computer desktop and haven't looked back.

Part of my work today is to keep things sane for the kids.  Gem is definitely nervous about the plane trip.  He is a thinker and is asking questions like: what happens if someone gets really sick during the flight?  So far no questions about engine failure or the like...

They are doing their thing.  No worries...

Sag singing along to The Decemberists reading the lyrics off of the liner notes.

Gem has been assisting the gnomes as they gather petals for their collection.

We leave early tomorrow and will be arriving to my Dad's apartment around 4am (Saturday) EST.  It will be Saturday late afternoon Japan time.  I am expecting to keep up with e-mail, Facebook, and blogging as time allows.  See you soon!

Carrot scallion latkes

I am realizing that I haven't yet uploaded pics from my dinner party...as I post about the one dish that didn't make it to the celebration table because I ran out of time (as I thought I might) and I didn't want to prepare these in advance.  Latkes are definitely at their crispy best straight out of the skillet.

I made these latkes this morning to bring with us to a play date.  My contribution to the lunch table.  Gem tried one and really liked it.  I had a feeling he might because he loves potato latkes and he loves carrots.

You can find the recipe here.  I eyeballed my measurements and felt like mine came out ever so slightly on the egg-y side.  A skosh more carrots next time.  I minced my scallions since I was feeding these to kids.  I have found that the tinier the pieces, the easier it is to get things like onions and scallions past resisting minds.