1. Our apartment is bigger this time. It may be only a little bit bigger, but it’s enough that we’re not all on top of each other. Last time, if we couldn’t get out of the apartment it was … (I’m trying to not resort to hyperbole) not good. We all got cabin fever on a daily basis. This time we all have enough space to breathe, and the girls have space to play. The result is that I don’t find myself saying, “Get your shoes, let’s go find something to do!”

2. We know we’re coming back. Last time there was the possibility that this was it, that we needed to see all of Tokyo that we could. This time there’s not that pressure, so I’m not so exacting about getting us out to see everything that we possibly can.

3. We’re in Daikanyama this time, which is not on the Yamanote train line. The Yamanote line is a blessing from God. OK, so maybe that’s hyperbole, but it is a beautiful circular train loop that goes to all the wonderful places you might want to go. Last time, when we lived in Meguro, we were 5  minutes from the station, and from trains that would take us straight to those wonderful places. This time we’re 3 minutes from a station, but that station is a 3 minute ride from a station that you then have to walk for 10 minutes to get to the other side of to get to the Yamanote line. And if the place you’re going on the train is half an hour away, then you just made that a 45 minute trip. The other option is to just walk from our apartment to a different station that is 10 minutes away and is on the Yamanote line, but again, that’s adding at least 10 minutes to the trip- and usually 20 on the way home when little legs are tired.  Not that I’m complaining, I LOVE the trains here. They are a thing of beauty and a joy forever. But it does add a hitch to heading out to see the world.

ANYWAY.

This was not supposed to be the point of this post. I was going to share what we did today, on just a normal day, doing normal things. And so I will.

We got up around 7:30, after the girls lounged in beds for a while reading. The girls had breakfast (yogurt, which they were thrilled about- the store we usually go to doesn’t have the kind they like, cereal, and bananas), and got dressed. B and I did the same, and he left for work around 8.  The girls played with Lalaloopsies and My Little Ponies while I worked out (that part of the day is not normal, and was painful), did breakfast dishes, and did some cleaning.

Around 9:30 we got on the train to Shibuya to meet B at his office. We needed to get pictures taken for our visa applications, so we went to a little booth that takes such things. After many shenanigans because such booths are not really designed for very short children, we got pictures taken of everyone. After dropping B and the pictures off at his office again and hanging out for a bit with the girls’ good friend, the President of McAfee Japan, the girls and I left to go home. Part way to the train we had to turn around because they needed something additional from us at B’s  office, so we went back and met some more of his co-workers who very much enjoyed the girls’ cuteness.

On the way back to the train, we decided to pick up some treats from a waffle store. Waffles full of whipped cream and fruit. YUM!!

A short train ride and we were back home. We had some lunch (cheese sandwiches), and then it was school time. We’ve recently moved school to the afternoon from the morning after Z completed a learning preferences assessment wherein she indicated that she has the most energy in the afternoon. And whattayaknow, school is going SO MUCH BETTER. Anyway, we did math ( a combination of a computer game practicing addition and subtraction facts for accuracy and speed for both girls and a worksheet adding multiple multi digit numbers for Z), a spelling test for Z, reading lesson for Tiny, science- which consisted of predicting how many seeds were in different fruits and then cutting them open to see, looking inside the seeds to see the different parts, and discussing what constitutes a fruit. For history we discussed early inhabitants of the Americas and their mythology and use of animals and the difference between their resources and those of the people in Greece/Persia/etc. Have I mentioned that I love homeschooling?

After school we went to the grocery store to pick up rice, apples, and bread. We have to buy bread ALL. THE. TIME. Almost every day.  I will be so glad when I have my bread maker here and I can just make bread when we need it.

The store is just around the corner, so that only took a few minutes and then we were home again. The girls got to play their DS games, and then played more with their toys and imaginations while I put in my time on Rosetta Stone. Slowly but surely. Did you know that the symbol for the sound “to” (which sounds like toe) looks like a toe with a nail sticking up? It does!

Now the girls are watching Leapfrog shows and I am listening to Lady Gaga (one of my few guilty pleasures- I do feel guilty about it) and posting this. It’s about time for me to make dinner for them. They eat between 5 and 5:30. After that they’ll have showers and get their pajamas on. At that point I pin up the blankets in their window that block out the light so they’re not up at 5 in the morning and get out Tiny’s futon.   B gets home somewhere between 6:15 and 6:30, and he and I either eat then or after the girls are in bed. Around 6:30 the girls get into bed and I read to them for a half hour (we’re currently reading Magic by the Lake and they are LOVING it). Then Tiny stays in bed and Z gets to come out and read for 1/2 hr. If B and I have already eaten then we hang out and read with her, if not then she hangs out with us and reads while we eat. Then at 7:30 she heads into bed.

Then B and I have the evening for Doctor Who or Community or movies or reading.

And that’s a normal day for us in Tokyo.

Today we went into Harajuku to Yoyogi Park to ride bikes with some friends. I took my camera.

I liked the message on this bag.

The girls in the subway corridors. They are often this far away from me, unless there are lots of people around, then they have to hold my hands so we don’t get separated. But when they have space they like to take it.

I love this torii gate.

Sake for the kami of Emperor Meiji and his Empress.

I LOVE that these school girls are making fox ears.

I keep seeing Nana graffiti around the city and have created a whole “Bad Wolf” mythology for it in my head.  (That video TOTALLY gave me the shivers, by the way.)

These signs at the front of Yoyogi Park want you to know that ghosts might scare you,

and cats and dogs are not allowed to dance.

Hello Mr. Crow.

Cute girls.

These are called “Winter Roses” and are like pinecones- they hold seeds and then drop to the ground to spread them. The guy staffing the bike stand showed them to the girls and explained all about them.

A wish trying to come home with me.

Tiny on her bike.

Racing around and around.

She’s a funny girl.

The weather is getting warmer, so both girls ended up with their jeans rolled up and, of course, we had to get some ice cream.

In one of the windows on Otemasando Dori we saw an art exhibition going on, so we went in and looked at the beautiful paintings and bought some prints to bring home.

Soon after we got to the park, we caught sight of this beautiful little fellow. I’m fairly certain it’s a Blue Triangle, otherwise known as Common Bluebottle, but this guy doesn’t look common, does he?

The park has a number of areas where you can get wet, and the kids jumped right in!

A little while after we got to the pool area a little boy toddled out a little too far and went off the edge of one of the steps, face down into the water. His momma, bless her gorgeous heart, went right in after him, fully dressed and with suede and leather boots on. She stayed remarkably calm, and kept him calm too- I was super impressed.

There is a lakey/marshey kind of area where kids use their nets to catch bugs, crawfish, and fish.

Water lilies!

Z climbed a tree.

We went past a group of people doing a piggy back race- which is just what it sounds like.

And there was a playground, which made the kids super happy.

Isn’t this play structure insane and awesome?

Z really wasn’t sure about it, but was brave.

There’s another area where you can slide down a hill on sleds- we didn’t do it because the line was insanely long.

We picnicked here.

It was a glorious day!

On our way to the train station we saw the Fashion Service Car truck. For all your Fashion Service needs, I suppose.

Here are pictures of the park where we picnicked.  So very pretty.

Look closer at the row of rocks. Do you see them?

8 turtles.

Tiny, looking adorable.

Z was given a school backpack by the daughter of one of B’s co-workers. She’s in high school now, so she doesn’t need it any more.  (She’s used it since 1st grade and it’s still in gorgeous condition.) Z has wanted one of these since we came here the first time, and I told her she was probably never going to get one, because they are REALLY expensive. She was so thrilled to get this one, and was so excited to use it today to carry our lunch.

The girls on a “good luck path”. The other day, at a different park, the girls declared a stone path like this one a “good luck path”. If you walk on it, it gives you good luck. As we were walking, Tiny turned to me and said, in all seriousness, “Legend says that if you don’t walk on the good luck path for a long time, it will disappear.” I almost died. Legend, huh.

This area of Denenchofu is full of crazy huge houses.  (Very ritzy people live here. We live just outside this area, and our house is not so huge, though it is big.) This is a house:

After we got home, Bruce kept the girls at home while I went out to explore Daikanyama. The girls usually really enjoy going into stores, but for some reason they rebel against going into stores in Daikanyama. So I went today and explored to my hearts content.

I love this next picture so much.

This sign says, “We stimulate your “5″ senses. The Brisk.  Vintage New THRILLING STUNNING EXTRAORDINARY Unique and high quality selections of Vintage pre-owned and new clothes.” How in the world can you say no to that kind of enthusiasm?

I got a new lightweight scarf (not at The Brisk). I couldn’t resist the color.

I used my handy dandy library card to check out ebooks from the library today- 9 of them- but I can’t figure out which one to read first. So instead of reading I’m staring at the computer and listening to Roxette, because they are incredibly happy making. Don’t believe me? Watch this.

This is my desk:

Notice the headless Loopsy- we need some superglue to re-head her. The stack of magnet toys got confiscated earlier because there was arguing over them. The sunglasses never get worn because I’m always wearing my glasses, not contacts.

This is the view out the window in front of me. It’s an  overcast day. I think it was supposed to rain today, but I don’t think it did.

The view out the window to my left.

My lunch. Grilled cheese and peach tea.

Tiny made a little platform out of pillows and cushions to sit/lay on while watching TV. She was trying to make it into a see-saw, but obviously that didn’t work. I’m honestly surprised she hasn’t fallen off it yet.

Z’s tooth is SO close to coming out. If it doesn’t come out today I’ll be very surprised, and slightly worried that it will come out tonight while she’s sleeping and she’ll swallow it. It’s seriously holding on by a thread. A tooth thread.

And that’s kind of it.

What’s going on with you at this moment?

The Case of the Bizarre Bouquetsby Nancy Springer : This is another in the Enola Holmes series, and in this one John Watson goes missing. Enola’s had run ins with him in the past and liked him, so she gets involved in the search even though she’s afraid it might all be a trick by Sherlock to get her to show herself. It’s well done, and the mystery at the core of it is clever.

French Twist: An American Mom’s Experiment in Parisian Parenting by Catherine Crawford: This is firmly in the realm of “cultural parenting”- the American author (living in Brooklyn) decided to parent the “French way”, and this book is about her experiences. I am intrigued by the French way of parenting, so it was very interesting to see how it played out, practically sp eaking, on a day to day basis. My favorite quote from the book comes from a vacation the family takes to an island where there won’t be constant entertainment for the kids.

“On this trip we pared down the excesses and turned up the trust in our kids’ inherent coolness.”

Isn’t that awesome?
The Most Beautiful Walk in the World: A Pedestrian in Paris by John Baxter: Once I start reading about France it’s hard for me to stop reading about France. Baxter is a writer who also gives walking tours of Paris, and this book is about his experiences with that and different walks he’s taken. Makes me want to go to Paris RIGHT NOW!  A funny note, I was in the middle of this book when we got to Tokyo, and from our apartment window you can see the Tokyo Tower, which was fashioned after the Eiffel Tower. So I’d look out the window and pretend I was in Paris.

Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood: Berlin seemed a good follow up to Paris in Tokyo. This is the book that I am A Camera and Cabaret were based on, and deals with a British ex-pat’s experience in Berlin leading up to WWII. The writing is evocative, and Sally Bowles is a bit of a jerk, but I suppose she was in the films too.

The Candymakers by Wendy Mass: I have no idea why I got this book (perhaps it was a Kindle daily deal?) but I’m so glad that I did. It’s a middle grade book about four kids who get to go to a candy factory to work on their entries for a candy making contest. One of them actually lives at the factory, he’s the son of the owners, and it’s his perspective that the book starts with, as the other kids show up and he tries to figure them out. The perspective shifts from kid to kid with each section, and as it does, information that was left out by previous narrators gets filled in, and what gets mentioned and what doesn’t becomes a fascinating puzzle as each kid has their own secrets and reasons for wanting to win. It’s complex and well told and absolutely delightful. I’m waiting to read it to the girls until they’re a little older- there are some aspects that are a little heavy though they all end up resolved, (one boy carries a huge amount of guilt over a disturbing incident, for example).

The Book of Story Beginnings by Kristin Kladstrup: Another middle grade book, this one started out really strong and was solid, if not quite as magical as I’d hoped. A girl moves  with her family into the house of her aunt, where years before, her uncle (the aunt’s brother) disappeared. According to the aunt, one night he got into a rowboat in the front yard and rowed away. The problem is that the house is on a hill in the middle of a field, with no water anywhere around. When the girl finds a book with the power to make beginnings of stories become real, she finds out what happened to her uncle, but makes her father disappear, and the adventure is on.

The School for the Insanely Gifted by Dan Elish: And another middle grade book. I was on a bit of a streak. This one was cute- about a school for super geniuses, run by a Steve Jobs type mogul who comes out with marvelous new products every couple of years. The main characters are three friends who find themselves solving a huge conspiracy  in the midst of trying to finish their big project for school. The characters are fun, there are musical, mechanical, artistic, mathematical geniuses running around the school, and the adventure the kids find themselves embroiled in is clever.

Doctor Who: The Angel’s Kiss: A Melody Malone Mystery by Justin Richards : This is a spin off Doctor Who novel that appears in The Angels Take Manhattan episode. The story is not the story of the episode, but another set in the same Manhattan, and featuring River as Melody Malone. Richards does an excellent job of capturing River’s voice, and the book is a blast to read. Super pulpy, super silly, super River.  For example,

“Some days you just know things are going to get dangerous and out of hand, and this was without a doubt one of those. About time too.”

“I’d never seen any thing like it. And things I’ve never seen anything like worry me. Because I have seen so many things.”

Can’t you just hear River?

Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi : This book was perplexing. Even once I’d finished it I wasn’t sure what exactly had gone on. I don’t know that it completely succeeds at what it’s trying to do, but the language was interesting enough that I kept reading, so that definitely says something.  It’s about writers and muses and marriage and how all of those things fit together or don’t.   But it has one of my new favorite quotes:

“I’m never sad when a friend foes far away, because whichever city or country that friend goes to, they turn the place friendly. They turn a suspicious-looking  name on the map into a place where a welcome can be found. Maybe the friend will talk about you sometimes, to other friends that live around him, and then that’s almost as good as being there yourself. You’re in several places at once! In fact, my daughter, I would even go so far as to say that the farther away your friends are, and the more spread out they are, the better your chances of going safely through the world.”

The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel by Diane Setterfield: Oh, this book was good. A bookish young woman (Margaret) gets invited to stay with a reclusive author (Vita)  who is a notorious liar when it comes to her personal history, and is asked to write her biography. As the story progresses we get Vita’s story of her life, but both Margaret and the reader have to try to sort out what is real and what isn’t, because something is off about the story we’re getting. And what a story it ends up being. Vita’s books are described as impossible to put down, and Setterfield manages to create the same thing with her book. The language is gorgeous, the story engrossing.  Favorite lines:

“A good story is always more dazzling than a broken piece of truth.”

“My gripe is not with lovers of the truth, but with truth herself. What succor, what consolation is there in truth compared to a story? What good is truth, at midnight, in the dark, when the wind is roaring like a bear in the chimney? When the lightning strikes shadows on the bedroom wall and the rain taps at the window with its long fingernails? No. When fear and cold make a statue of you in your bed, don’t expect hard-boned and fleshless truth to come running to your aid. What you need are the plump comforts of a story. The soothing, rocking safety of a lie.”

Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel: I don’t really know exactly what to say about this book. It’s good. It’s powerful. It’s painful. The idea at its core is that there should be more diverse ways at looking at the Holocaust in art, of processing it, of grappling with it. One of the characters in the book says that there are war thrillers, war comedies, war romances, war science fiction, war propaganda, and that we talk about war “in may ways and for many purposes. With these diverse representations, we come to understand what war means to us.”  He continues that the Holocaust is generally only represented by historical realism- the same story, in the same place, featuring the same people.

It’s a fascinating idea, and one that plays out in an interesting way in the book. I personally think that artists/writers don’t create works that view it through a different lens because most audiences only want to deal with the Holocaust in a certain way- with their guard securely up.  If you know the story you’re walking into, you can stay detached. And audiences influence what sells, and therefore what gets made.

I would love to discuss this book with other people, but I don’t know that it’s one I would freely recommend- you’ve got to be ready for it. Heh, see, I just did what I was talking about in the previous paragraph.

My favorite quote:

“To my mind, faith is like being in the sun. When you are in the sun, can you avoid creating a shadow? Can you shake that area of darkness that clings to you, always shaped like you, as if constantly to remind you of yourself? You can’t. This shadow is doubt. And it goes wherever you go as long as you stay in the sun. And who wouldn’t want to be in the sun?”

Anyway, that’s what I read this month. 11 books in the month, the yearly total is at 38.

To begin with, there are two main religions in Japan, Shinto and Buddhism.  Most people who participate in Shinto rituals also participate in Buddhist rituals, and some consider Shinto to be a lifestyle rather than a religion. The religions are so connected that most Buddhist temples have Shinto shrines on the same premises.

Shinto is fascinating, because it is completely indigenous to Japan, and one of its major goals  is to connect present day Japan with its past.  The word Shinto translates as The Way of the Gods, but Gods in this instance encompasses deities, essences, and spirits. The general word for these is kami.  Everything has a kami- people, animals, rocks, mountains, rivers, lightning, wind, everything.  (Interestingly, gods from other religions, including Buddha, Christ, and Allah are also considered kami, which makes sense, really.)

Certain places are considered sacred for the purposes of connecting with the kami.  A shrine’s purpose is to enshrine the kami. Sometimes this is done through the use of some kind of symbolic item, a mirror or statue, which is not the kami itself  but which the kami has been invited to inhabit. In this case, there is a building  that houses the item, and is not entered except by Shinto priests performing rituals. The doors  are usually closed, so most people don’t see the object representing the kami. In other cases, the shrine is near or on the kami itself- for example, a mountain- and so there wouldn’t be a building to house the kami.  There are shrines for all sorts of kami, from rocks and waterfalls to ancestors or even figures from legends.  (I very rarely know what kami is enshrined in the shrines we visit, since I can’t read Japanese.)

There is also usually a structure for worship- a place to make an offering and pay respect and/or pray to the kami. Some shrines also have place for ritual cleansing of your hands and mouth. You would visit this wash area first, using a ladle to get some water and pour it over one hand then the other. Then you take a little sip of water and spit it out again. (At some shrines we’ve been to they’ve said not to do the mouth part, others have said to do it.)

After you cleanse yourself, you would go up to the shrine, put a coin in the offering box  and ring the bell a couple of times. Then you take a step back, bow two times, clap two times, and then pray if you like.

Shinto has no scriptures, and no sense of absolute right and wrong. Practitioners aim to receive help from friendly kami, and keep unfriendly kami appeased with offerings and prayers.  There are Shinto rituals for births, marriages, and various life milestones. Death is considered a source of impurity, so there aren’t Shinto cemeteries, and most funerals are held with Buddhist rituals.

In general, when we visit shrines we don’t “worship”.  We’ve talked to the girls and they know to be reverent and respectful. They’ve wanted to wash their hands, and I’ve let them (and I usually do myself) , as purifying yourself to enter someone’s sacred space is only appropriate.  We did let them make an offering, ring the bells, and make a wish when we visited the shrine at midnight on New Years Eve, because that was a larger cultural experience to be a part of. But in general, it would just be a kind of game for them, and so we don’t.

I hope that answers any questions- if there are more, feel free to post them!

B had the day off, so we had a little adventure. But before we get to the adventure, I have to share what’s on offer at the bakery down the street.

Do you see them there, next to and below Big Apple Pie? Robert Redford and Brad Pitt are both available here.

For our adventure we went out to Senzokuike, which is where our church building is located. Near the church is a lake, and you can rent paddle boats and rowboats and go around the lake. The girls always want to get a boat, but that’s not something we do on Sunday, so we always tell them that we’ll do it another day. Well, today was that day, and they were thrilled.

The view out of our boat.

Z wanted to take a turn paddling. She found that standing up helped.

Our lovely swan boat.

The ticket machine.

The park around the lake was filled with the most beautiful flowers.

The girls had fun climbing around this tree.

I love this little shrine.

Tiny is crazy.

The girls played at a playground, and I loved the look of this peeling paint.

Tiny, the ice cream lady, is ready to take your order.

All in all, an awesome day at the lake!

Today was a gorgeous day in Tokyo, and after lunch we decided to head out to Tamagawa. It’s an area one stop away from where we’ll be living in Denenchofu, and it has a large river that runs through it. B rides the train over the river when he goes out to Yokahama for Aikido, so he thought it would be a fun place to go explore. We found the most wonderful park and explored to our hearts content, then found a playground, where the girls played happily for quite some time. They even gained a little follower- a little Japanese boy (probably about 2 1/2 years old) who followed them around and wanted to play where they were playing. At one point Tiny just ran around in circles and he followed her. It was awesome.  After the playground we went down to the river side, where there were people fishing, relaxing, and practicing instruments. There were people practicing trombone, saxophone, and trumpet- all in different areas. I guess if you live in a small place you can’t really practice at home!

Not a great picture, but an awesome butterfly! ( I believe this is an Old World Swallowtail.)

This grandpa was swinging with his grandson, and the little boy was so utterly delighted by the whole thing, he was doing this giggle from his gut (different than a belly laugh) that was just so wonderful.

Playing baseball in Japan

Another butterfly. We saw so many today- made me wish I brought my actual camera, not just my phone.

The girls found dandelions and had to make wishes.

And Tiny had to throw leaves in the air and run through them.

These fish made me incredibly happy.

There is an aviary in the zoo, and while we were there this little Great Spotted Woodpecker decided to get some attention.

Not to be outdone, the Secretary Bird decided to show his range.

Secretary Bird is exasperated.

Secretary Bird is quizzical.

Secretary Bird is shocked and sad.

Secretary Bird is mad.

SO MAD!

I shouldn’t pick on dear Secretary Bird, he’s our favorite. Here he is, looking rightfully regal.

Tiny, just not having it on the play structure. (She wanted to rock it- it moves back and forth- and couldn’t because the other kids were getting on and off.)