A Fish Out of Water

How Hot and Wet Do You Like It?

Very hot, and very wet. Summer, that is. This is the first time I've spent an entire summer in Japan in ages and it was so hot that I've had to rethink my favourite season. It's always been summer, I love the heat and the lushness of summer greenery and not having to wear socks and eating fresh summer fruit and going to the beach and of that stuff. But I'm starting to not love weeks and weeks of temperatures that relentlessly stay above 30C.

The hottest temperature I experienced this summer, 38.8C during a visit to Osaka, is not the hottest temperature I have I have ever experienced: that would be 47C somewhere in the desert on the drive from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, a few days after I got married. But- don't roll your eyes, it's true- that was a dry heat. When the temperature is in the mid-30's and the humidity is at 90%, you start to not like summer so much any more. This wasn't even my hottest summer- 2010, when I was at the end of my pregnancy, was worse. I think it's on record as the hottest summer recorded in Tokyo, ever. Yet this time around it's much harder. Not that lugging around an extra thirteen kilograms of weight in record-breakingly hot weather was easy, but with the baby still inside me I didn't have to do much to keep it entertained. This time around, the baby was now a very active toddler, incapable of staying at home all day with the air conditioning on. This active toddler wanted to go out.

Thank god for splash pools. Thank god specifically for the one that is open from the beginning of May till the end of September, an unusually long period for Tokyo. We have a splash pool right across the street (and another just up the street) but it's only open during official school holidays, for about 6 or 7 weeks in July and August. So despite the fact that it's a 1 minute walk away, we only actually went there a few times this year. We went to the May-to-September splash pool, a 20-minute bike ride away, much more often. Just yesterday, in fact. Because the heat of summer doesn't confine itself to school holidays.

Shuma, of course, loves getting wet, and I know most little kids do, but he loves it with a zeal that I rarely see in other kids. He just goes nuts in the water. And he is not picky about temperature. The first time we went this year, in early May, he stayed in the water until he shivered, and then he stayed until his entire body was cold to the touch, and then he stayed until his lips turned blue. I kept asking if he wanted to get out and warm up and he kept saying no, and I am not a worrying, helicoptery type of parent so I decided to let him have his fun. A little drop in body temperature wouldn't kill him, right? But there is a point at which the distinction between relaxed parenting and wilfull neglect disappears, and that point is when your two year old's lips turn blue after three hours in ice-cold water on a warmish spring day, so I got him out of there. And I had to drag him out kicking and screaming. He loves the water that much.

And I love it too. Many of the mothers huddle under trees and/or their parasols, with their sun hats and long-sleeved UV protection hoodies and shorts over stirrup pants, watching their kids from afar while complaining how hot it is. I am not one of those mothers. There really is no better way to cool down on a scorchingly hot day than sitting on the side of a kiddie pool with your feet in the water, watching your child go berserk in the fountains.

So I survived the summer, and thanks to splash pools and a water-loving little boy (OK, and air conditioning) I am not quite ready to declare spring or autumn my favourite season. Just don't expect me to stay in Japan for the entire summer next year.

Aobadai Koen, May 10th.

Hikarigaoka Koen, with friend Leo on June 7th.

July 19th, Aobadai Koen.

Oizumi Chuo Koen main pool, July 22nd.

Oizumi Chuo Koen main pool, July 27th.

Oizumi Chuo Koen second pool, August 5th.

Aobadai Koen, September 14th.

Canada

In January this year Shuma and I went back to Canada for a seven-week visit. While there we went to Jamaica as well, and originally Hideaki was supposed to join us there for a week, but he was unable to settle his vacation time to coordinate and ended up staying home.

It was a rare winter visit, my first one in about eight years, and I was expecting to hate the snow but of course with a toddler it was lots of fun. Lots of work, too, but I was able to pass most of that on to Baboo (the nickname my nephew gave to my father years ago, which has stuck).

The problem with southern Ontario is that it's not always snowy, and when there is snow it's often the wrong kind. We only managed one snowman. This one had a mohawk for some reason, and Shuma seemed to appreciate the novelty as he only half-destroyed it.

I was happy to see that Shuma still loved the baby swings. But have you ever tried to get a snowsuit and snow boot-clad child out of a baby swing? It takes several minutes and requires all the strength and brainpower of two adults. Luckily he is old enough for the big-boy swings, so he was encouraged to use those.

Before we left for Jamaica we took him for his first-ever salon haircut. He did not enjoy the experience and did his best to make it miserable for everyone involved. His special added touch was suddenly deciding, just as we were leaving, that he loved the place and throwing a tantrum because he wanted to stay. But the end result: non-straggly hair that doesn't cause strangers to say "What a cute little girl!".

You may think that all we did was play at the park, but we also worked. All that snow needs to be shovelled, and Shuma had to pitch in like the rest of us. Here his is pointing out the injustice of child labour:

Well, tough. Now back to work, that snow isn't going to shovel itself.

Luckily, the is not just a nuisance- it can be pretty too.

Indoors there was plenty to do, as Grandma had ensured the toybox was well-stocked.

No food pictures this time! Except I couldn't resist a shot of this alphabet pretzel Scrabble, to show what a twisted bunch I am related to.

Finally, here are some pictures taken by Sherry (Shuma's autie). First with Fluffles, one of those wonderfully patient cats that don't mind little kids. And then playing in the snow in the backyard:

 More pictures here, and a post on the trip to Jamaica to follow.

Motorcycle

So much has happened since I stopped posting regularly. This, for example:

It's a 2005 Honda CBR600RR and my husband went and bought it last weekend. It's pretty much his first time on a motorcycle since he raced professionally 2 decades ago. Did I ever tell you about that? He was a pro racer in California in his youth, long before we met, but when he returned to Japan found that his Japanese motorcycle license had expired and his American one non-transferable. Getting a motorcycle license is even harder than getting a regular driver's license in Japan, and basically requires you to go to school- no matter if you need to or not. This takes time and money that he's never had until now, so this year he took the course (aced it, of course) and bought this bike.

He originally wanted a 1000cc engine but had to "settle" for 600. I told him that after 20 years of 0, 600 should really be enough. So that's what he got, and says it's fine "for now". He hasn't used it much yet- it rained the day after he bought it, and then he had to work, and believe it or not he can't really ride it to work. It turns out that many Japanese companies discourage their employees from driving their cars or riding their motorcycles to work, at least in Tokyo. Did you know that Japanese companies have the right to tell their workers how they can get to work? I actually did not. There are still things that shock me about this country, even after all these years. So he's either going to have to ride to work on the sly (showing up to work drenched in sweat and carrying a helmet might be a bit hard to explain) or just save it for the weekends.

I've been mostly encouraging all of this, by the way. Hideaki has become a regular hard-working, stressed-out salaryman and doesn't have much of a life these days, and I thought he could use some fun. But of course I have mixed feelings about it. It would be hard to think of a more dangerous hobby, and although I am sure he is a very good and safe rider he is still at the mercy of the other, bigger vehicles sharing the road with him. Something I keep thinking about: while he was taking the motorcycle license course, Shuma and I were on vacation in Jamaica with my family. On a day trip, somewhere near Savannah la Mar, we came upon an accident. Big crowd of people blocking the traffic, a car to the side of the road, and a smashed up motorcycle. And beside it, a man lying down. I looked away as soon as I saw his legs but my dad says he was dead. Very very common in Jamaica, and many parts of the world where young men love their speedy bikes and road conditions aren't great. Hell, it's common even where roads are good (I remember one week when I was in high school having to wait for the bus next to the chalked outline of a motorcycle crash victim). But it was kind of spooky to see that just as my husband was getting his license. And now that he has a bike of his own, I see that dead man's legs often.

I also don't want Shuma to get any ideas. I'm glad we live in an apartment building so the bike isn't always around out front for him to admire. I think we're safe for a while though. We all went together to pick up the motorcycle, and when Shuma was done climbing all over Hide's new bike and trying to climb all the other ones, we came upon a praying mantis that had crawled into someone's helmet on a shelf. He was fascinated by it (first one he's seen up close) and helped me relocate it outside to some bushes, and has talking about it all that night and the next day. "Kamakiri in helmet!" is one of his longest sentences ever. He's still not much of a talker obviously, although he has a pretty impressive vocabulary in both languages: kamakiri for example. How many 2 year olds know the word for "praying mantis"? He's barely mentioned the motorcycle though.

And me? I've been a passenger on a motorcycle or scooter a few times, and they were all terrifying experiences. Painful too, that one time I burned my leg on the exhaust. I'm pretty happy to let my husband have his bike all to himself.

Oh, Japan

Oh Japan, sometimes you're so weird.

This morning when I dropped Shuma off at his home daycare, a playmate came up and said "Wow, Shuma's wearing sandals!". He's been wearing sandals every single day since he started in July, but looking at the shoes lined up at the front door I noticed they were all sneakers (and have been since last week, now that I think about it). So I've missed the magical day that all good girls and boys change from summer to winter footwear. Never mind that it's getting up to 29C today! It's not the first time that his apparently unseasonal attire has drawn attention: back in May the moms in two separate playgroups commented on Shuma's short sleeves. They were hot days but I guess the official It's OK To Change Over To Short Sleeves Day hadn't arrived yet. But that was moms and I'm getting kind of used to having our clothes and lunches and such drawing comments. This time my faux pas was so glaring even a 3 year old noticed.

Then, riding to the supermarket I passed a host on his walk of shame. (A host, for those of you outside of Japan, is the male equivalent of a hostess, which is kind of the modern equivalent of a geisha. They have a particular look which, because there is something seriously wrong with this country, a lot of Japanese women find appealing.) A shame-walking host may be a common sight in some parts of Tokyo, but in my little part of suburban nowhere you don't often see a hung-over young man with a slick suit, satin maroon dress shirt and dyed-blonde hair making his way to the bus stop at 9:30 in the morning.

And then I had to argue yet again with the checkout lady at the supermarket because she wanted to put my two ears of corn in a plastic produce bag. I had already said I didn't need a shopping bag (and thank goodness this supermarket is fine with that now, it used to be like pulling teeth to get them to understand that you brought your own bags and don't need theirs), but she just had to protect my other groceries from the bare naked corn. Or maybe I'm supposed to keep my corn clean? Even though it comes already protected with several layers of husk that I am going to remove and discard? And that even if I were to eat the husk, boiling it would disinfect it? Or maybe I've been living in Japan for 16 years and failed to notice that raw corn husk is a delicacy? Lord only knows, but they've been bagging my corn every time for the past two months after years of them being fine with naked corn, so they must be under orders.

 

* I have decided my blog is going to die if I don't start posting. So I'm going to start writing something, anything, and it will probably be boring so please just ignore it until I get my blogging mojo back. One big problem is Facebook: it's so easy to share stuff there (in fact, the post above is lifted straight from my most recent update, apologies for the double posting) but I'd really rather keep FB as a place to stay in touch with people and keep my blog as, well, my blog. I also have family members who miss seeing regular Shuma pictures so I'm also going to include crappy cell phone pictures of him (the only kind I take these days) that have nothing at all to do with the post. To that effect, here is Shuma eating a donut:

I wonder what's just off-camera that's got him so excited?

Tripping: Uchibo

This weekend we rented a car and drove to Futtsu City in Uchibo (the Tokyo Bay side of the Boso Peninsula) in Chiba. It was a repeat of many trips we've taken in the past, most recently three years ago when Shuma was just a hiccuping little otter in my tummy. We went to most of the same places and stayed at one of the minshukus we used last time, and it was neat to compare the two trips.

It's not a long drive but Shuma is newly out of diapers and we needed a bathroom break, so we stopped at Umi Hotaru, a rest stop in the middle of the bay. It's a cool concept, built just where the Tokyo Aqualine changes from a tunnel to a bridge- right in the middle of the bay! But it's also kind of a tourist trap, so we let the boy stretch his legs a bit and then got back on the road.

After eating some local seafood for lunch (clams and anago eel, no pictures because Shuma was being Shuma) we checked into our beachside minshuku, Kinkaitei (see more about this cute inn in this post). Then we hit the shore. Shinmaiko beach is nothing special but we aren't picky- it was the first time for us to be on a beach in Japan as a family.

I'd like to do some before and after comparisons, starting with beach pictures:

A picture of me contemplating my future family, three years ago.

Me, taking a picture of my present family (nobody took a picture of Shuma and I in the water, sniff).

Next, compare how we spent our time lounging on Kinkaitei's many comfy chairs and hammocks:

Hideaki on our room's little balcony, relaxing pre-baby.

Me on a hammock, not relaxing at all. Relaxing is hard to do when there is a monkey-child swinging in front of your face.

But I love my monkey child, and hammocks are as good for hugs and tickles as they are for chilling out.

Dinner was on the inn's deck, facing the sunset. All the fishies and veggies shown above plus rice and soup, and Shuma got a lovely kid's plate, which he tore into before we'd even finished sitting down. He also had most of my soup and all of those pickles (Hideaki's too).

The next day we drove down the coast to a different beach, stopping for coffee and ice cream at Michi no Eki Tomiura Biwa Club, a rest stop with a nice little cafe and pretty grounds.

Another comparison:

Hideaki sitting on the bridge behind the rest stop, all by himself.

Hideaki sitting on the bridge, small child running on the bridge. He's nearly three so if he's not sitting he's usually running.

Shuma, just before getting in trouble for picking a marigold.

This area is famous for its biwa (loquat) and this place sells all kinds of biwa products (we like the biwa soft-serve ice cream) and has a giant steel loquat in front. I've inherited an inability to resist giant novelty statuary from my father, so here are some more comparison shots:

Giant belly on a giant loquat.

Little boy on giant loquat (medium-large belly behind giant loquat).

Next door are two shops selling local seafood. Shuma wanted to touch all of these drying fish and squid, and those tiny fish on the far end were being grilled and offered as samples. He wouldn't stop eating them so we bought a bag to appease him, and now they are sitting forlornly in the fridge as he won't go near them.

Bellies full of ice cream and tiny dried fish, we drove to Haraoka Beach. We'd been here on the last trip and thought it would be perfect for little kids. It's not crowded, the other bathers are mostly families, and there's a toilet and life guards but just one umi no ie (beach hut). And best of all, the water is very shallow and the sand is fine- ideal both for sandcastle building and toddler swimming.

It turns out that the shallow water is only at low tide though. We enjoyed a few hours of endless shallow water and soft sand, which meant we could relax a bit with Shuma, and then the tide came in and we had to watch him more carefully as the water was deep and the sand mixed with ouchy seashells and rocks. Next trip we will find out the tide tables and time our visit a bit better.

But we still had a great time. The umi no ie was actually a good one, with ice cold draught beer (seriously, it stayed cold till the last sip, amazing on such a hot day) and the best fries I've had in ages. And this beach does have play music, but at low level and from a single speaker (other beaches here often blast music from speakers spread out on the beach, I've never really understood why).

Shuma is a bit better in the water than he used to be, and is now actually fun to be with (sometimes). He still has no fear of the deep so needs to be watched like a hawk, but he's learning. Out of the water, he still has a long way to go. Hideaki and I are both Sancastle Champions (of an imaginary contest) and used to enjoy spending hours building our special "glorp" style sandcastles (free-form structures using just water and sand, no tools). The technique was perfected by my father, passed on to me, and I look watching the lagacy continue through my own son. But he is so much better and destroying them than creating them.

Now, let's compare:

Me building a magnificent sandcastle in peace. It will remain standing for several glorious hours until the encroaching waves gently lap away at it, returning the sand to the clams and crabs and other creatures of the sea.

Me having my almost-finished masterpiece ruined by a creature of the land. Not just knocked down in a few places, but utterly, completely destroyed.

And with an unseemly amount of glee.

Does this look like a future Sandcastle Champion? Future hooligan more like.

More pictures from the trip here.

Tripping: Nasu

Way back in May we took a weekend trip up to Nasu, a hot spring resort in Tochigi prefecture. I've been there many times, but this was our first visit as a family, and our first time at a fancy family style resort hotel (Epinard Nasu). We had a great time, except for when Shuma woke up crying around midnight. He could not be calmed down and wanted to go out, and ended up screaming until Hideaki took him for a walk around the hotel. Three walks, as the first two times he started crying again as soon as they got back. So weird as he sleeps really well at home. Hideaki was such a hero that night.

We didn't do much- just walked around the hotel's grounds, swam in the pool, soaked in the hot springs (Shuma's first- and he went in the men's side with his dad!). And ate, ate, ate. All-you-can-eat shabushabu for dinner, a buffet breakfast with local products, and scones for lunch at Shozo Cafe. I've done all of this a few times before so didn't take food pictures, but you can see pretty much the exact same stuff in previous posts (here and here for example)

One reason Shuma cried that night was that he'd seen some little kids bikes in the lobby and wanted to ride them. So we rented one the next day and let him ride around the hotel grounds. The bike is a Strider and has no pedals, kids just push with their feet. I've seen them before and they can go suprisingly fast, but Shuma couldn't quite get the hang of it. He looked like he was just walking around and happened to have a bike between his legs. Whatever, he had fun!

I'm missing quite a few trip posts: one we just took to the Boso peninsula, one to Canada and one to Jamaica. Will try to catch up soon!

See a few more pics from Nasu here.

Japan's Next Top Model?

Here are some pictures from a photo shoot Shuma did a few weeks back. It was just a freebie offered by a new photographer, so he's not famous quite yet. Actually, he may never be as he wasn't very professional, needing several snack breaks and pulling a tantrum when we tried to take the balloons away. And frankly, his Blue Steel needs some work.

I'm not even kidding, he really doesn't seem like model material: the picture the photographer chose to put on her website is the third one down, where he is facing *away* from the camera (I'm assuming his dirty feet will be airbrushed). Also, don't ask me what's going on with the skateboard outfit, because I don't know.

 

 

Spring Dinner

So here's some food. I don't do a lot of proper cooking these days, but I try to do some nice seasonal Japanese food once in a while.

Clockwise from the top:

Takenoko gohan (bamboo shoot rice). From a mix. I was all set to make it from scratch, which is a huge deal because fresh takenoko takes ages to prepare, needing to be peeled, carefully simmered with komenuka (rice bran) and peeled again. Usually, at least in the past, takenoko is sold together with a little bag of komenuka but the two places that were carrying bamboo shoots didn't have it, just a sign saying you can simmer the shoots in rice washing water. Well guess what? I use musenmai, rice that doesn't need to be washed. So I just bought a takenonko gohan mix. So why does anyone bother making takenoko from scratch? Because it is a thousand times better freshly cooked than pre-cooked, and it only shows up for a short time in the spring. I used to make it at least once each spring but haven't attempted it in years.

Snappu endou (sugar snap peas). Shuma has gone through a few phases where he eats tonnes of these. On this occasion he would only eat the peas inside, leaving the tasty pods for me.

Miso soup with tofu, wakame, beans and shiitake. That's kind of a big variety of stuff for miso soup, but you never know what Shuma will eat, and also I was lacking side dishes. 

Fuki (butterbur) with chicken meatballs and wakame seaweed. Fuki is another spring vegetable with a unique, fresh flavour. It is somewhat similar to celery, but needs a bit of work to prepare. You have to cut it down (the stalks are almost a metre long), rub it with salt, parboil it, pull the strings out, then cut it again and cook it. The huge leaves are also edible and clever cooks make use of them, but I just threw them out this time. These meatballs are Japanese style, so very very soft and lightly flavoured. The wakame is a favourite with Shuma. The three are simmered with dashi (Japanese stock) flavoured with soy sauce and sake.

It doesn't look very fancy but is more work than I usually put in. Only possible on a weekend, when Hideaki can distract Shuma. Frankly I'd usually rather be with them as cooking in my tiny cupboard of a kitchen is not much of a break. But this meal was good enough to be worth it.

Hello out there!

Hello! Is anyone still there? It's me, Amy. I know my attendance record has been pretty bad for the last little while, and you might have assumed I'd just given up for good, but here I am. Sorry for the past few years, and I'll try to post a little more often. At least so friends and family can see pictures of Shuma.

He's 2 years and 7 months old now, and pretty average all around. I weaned him just after his second birthday and am going to start toilet training when it warms up a bit (following the Japanese method of letting him run around naked for a few days). He still doesn't nap regularly but continues to sleep well as night. He eats fairly well and is not very picky, but his likes and dislikes change often enough to make feeding him a challenge. He's a bit behind in his talking and still doesn't make sentences, but his speech really improved after our visit to Canada this winter. Naturally his English is much stronger than his Japanese, but he understands what his dad says just fine. He is still far more interested in toys and objects than other kids, and above everything else he loves animals (or "ammos" as he calls them). And backhoes. Oh yeah, trains too. I guess it's an even tie between vehicles and animals. Please don't give me a knowing look and say "Boys will be boys!"

So here are some recent pictures.

Canada

Hello from Canada! Shuma and I are here visiting my family for two months and trying to enjoy the winter weather as much as we can. But it's cold, so we're staying indoors a lot.

Sadly the guest room is rather small, but Shuma doesn't seem to mind. Oh well, both the weather and accomodations should improve in a couple of days when we head to Jamaica!

Stay warm everyone!