Monday, September 28, 2009
Disneyland!!!
On Saturday we went to Disneyland for a big treat. And we got to ride on lots of rides and on three of the rides we rode, we got "fast passes," which let us go to the front of some lines. We also go to see the Dreamlights parade. It is really neat. It's this big parade with floats made out of lights. We all agree the best ride was Space Mountain and we like it because it's in the dark, and it's really fast, and it has fast and sharp turns. It's really neat because it's so dark it looks like you're in outer space and they have stars lighting up and it looks like they're floating. One of our other favorite rides was Thunder Mountain. It's this big roller coaster, it's almost like being in a train and you get to go on this pretend mountain, and on one part you get to go under some water spraying out, so you get a little misted. We also went to the Haunted Mansion at night time, but that wasn't as good as some of the other rides. We also went on Peter Pan and Snow White and Pinocchio. Those were all fun because you got to see the character's life while in big cars. We went on this space thing, too, which was neat, because you got to turn around in the air. The parades and other festival stuff was really neat, like there was five minutes of fireworks and there were some neat halloween fireworks like a pumpkin and stuff. There were also some neat halloween parades like the one we watched, this villain one, where all the Disney villains were trying to take over Mickey and Minnie's halloween party. The other one we didn't watch but it was sort of similar. All of this and some more we fit in from when they opened until they closed. That's all for now.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Yoyogi Park
Curious. Yoyogi Park is one of the places I visited most often during my first extended stay in Japan, now 20 years ago. Today I took my kids there for the first time. Watching them run around the paths, snap pictures of the flowers and trees. It seems like just yesterday that I was there with my Toshiba-era friends. I feel like a ghost of my 22 year old self must be there, too. What I don't understand is why I don't have this sensation when I take the kids other places I used to live? Curious.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Matsuri!!
The kids and I are settling into a weekend routine where we have one day to visit with one of my friends and do something interesting, and one day to hang around the house and catch up on laundry and other chores (for me, with some help), and reading (for my two bookworms). Yesterday was our active day - wonderful example of one, with a visit to the Paper Museum, Sunshine City's "Gyoza Stadium" and "Pudding Fair," (think amusement park inside a skyscraper, with special food areas - kind of, just kind of - like the Mall of America), and then a great big amazing sale on designer clothes (70-90% off). All done with an old friend of mine who I had completely lost touch with.
So anyway - that means today should have been our quiet day, right? While doing laundry, I heard a big taiko drum. Look over the balcony and a kids mikoshi is coming down the street. I'm not really the right person to teach anyone about shinto traditions - but here's the basics, anyway. Shinto shrines are local institutions, closely tied to place and neighborhood. Once or twice a year each shrine will have a festival of some sort - lots tied to the agriculture seasons. At that time, one of the main features is to take the god(s) from the local shrine out for a tour of their neighborhood. Small gold-leaf covered palanquins (house-things, says Lia) with a phoenix on top, and lots of fancy decorations rest on top of criss-crossing wooden beams. The palanquins are called mikoshi. So, the first one we saw this morning was small and light, carried by kids, encouraged on by the beat of a great big drum also being pulled by a parade of little kids. And I mean a BIG drum... on a float, maybe 12 feet high. Kids rushed outside and took lots of pictures and soaked it in. Then an hour later we heard more shouting - the adults mikoshi was coming!
We watched and photographed. Even took a trip up to our roof so we could watch the procession a little longer. Its really something, because the men and women carrying the mikoshi chant and bounce it around on their shoulders so the god inside gets a good outing.
After a few more chores we headed over to our neighborhood shopping district, and all the mikoshi were gathering in the main shrine. Festival food and crowds everywhere. We ate shaved ice, some kind of middle eastern sandwiches (hey, new traditions are ok, right?), and then a Chinese style stuffed pancake. And boba tea. And we bought corn on the cob, but had to put that in the fridge for later since we're all full.
Whew! So much for our quiet day. I did get all the laundry done, even so.
Kathy
A few more words from Lia about this weekend:
Mixed in with all this excitement we also spotted a blimp. It was really, really big. We went out on our balcony and Evan took some pictures. The blimp went away. So all quiet now, right? But then later we saw the blimp again but way closer and turning. Evan got a few pictures. And we figured out what it was. All it was was an advertisement.
And from Evan:
So today in the morning we were hearing this drum and didn't know what it was, and then mom said go out on the porch with your camera! So we went out and it was a big drum being pulled by a parade of kids and a small palanquin. When we saw that they were stopping we were interested, and the kids looked like they were having a lot of fun. After a while they walked off to a busy street, and we don't know what they did then. I think it is an interesting tradition. I like it because it seems that even if you don't believe in the gods you can enjoy the idea because everyone is having so much fun. There's so much food and it's a big celebration, and that's all I have to say.
So anyway - that means today should have been our quiet day, right? While doing laundry, I heard a big taiko drum. Look over the balcony and a kids mikoshi is coming down the street. I'm not really the right person to teach anyone about shinto traditions - but here's the basics, anyway. Shinto shrines are local institutions, closely tied to place and neighborhood. Once or twice a year each shrine will have a festival of some sort - lots tied to the agriculture seasons. At that time, one of the main features is to take the god(s) from the local shrine out for a tour of their neighborhood. Small gold-leaf covered palanquins (house-things, says Lia) with a phoenix on top, and lots of fancy decorations rest on top of criss-crossing wooden beams. The palanquins are called mikoshi. So, the first one we saw this morning was small and light, carried by kids, encouraged on by the beat of a great big drum also being pulled by a parade of little kids. And I mean a BIG drum... on a float, maybe 12 feet high. Kids rushed outside and took lots of pictures and soaked it in. Then an hour later we heard more shouting - the adults mikoshi was coming!
We watched and photographed. Even took a trip up to our roof so we could watch the procession a little longer. Its really something, because the men and women carrying the mikoshi chant and bounce it around on their shoulders so the god inside gets a good outing.
After a few more chores we headed over to our neighborhood shopping district, and all the mikoshi were gathering in the main shrine. Festival food and crowds everywhere. We ate shaved ice, some kind of middle eastern sandwiches (hey, new traditions are ok, right?), and then a Chinese style stuffed pancake. And boba tea. And we bought corn on the cob, but had to put that in the fridge for later since we're all full.
Whew! So much for our quiet day. I did get all the laundry done, even so.
Kathy
A few more words from Lia about this weekend:
Mixed in with all this excitement we also spotted a blimp. It was really, really big. We went out on our balcony and Evan took some pictures. The blimp went away. So all quiet now, right? But then later we saw the blimp again but way closer and turning. Evan got a few pictures. And we figured out what it was. All it was was an advertisement.
And from Evan:
So today in the morning we were hearing this drum and didn't know what it was, and then mom said go out on the porch with your camera! So we went out and it was a big drum being pulled by a parade of kids and a small palanquin. When we saw that they were stopping we were interested, and the kids looked like they were having a lot of fun. After a while they walked off to a busy street, and we don't know what they did then. I think it is an interesting tradition. I like it because it seems that even if you don't believe in the gods you can enjoy the idea because everyone is having so much fun. There's so much food and it's a big celebration, and that's all I have to say.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Tokyo Night and Days
NIGHTS
These last couple of nights we've had some very beautiful moons. Bright oranges and snow whites. And sometimes the beautiful city lights and the buzz of traffic.
DAYS
Tuesday after school me and Evan ordered fruits in Japanese at the fruit stand. The people at the fruit stand are really nice. One of them went to college in Oregon, and its her parents' shop. They always give us some treats.
Thanks for writing to us on the blog!
These last couple of nights we've had some very beautiful moons. Bright oranges and snow whites. And sometimes the beautiful city lights and the buzz of traffic.
DAYS
Tuesday after school me and Evan ordered fruits in Japanese at the fruit stand. The people at the fruit stand are really nice. One of them went to college in Oregon, and its her parents' shop. They always give us some treats.
Thanks for writing to us on the blog!
The new school year
Our new experience is so far very nice. Our apartment is very nice and big, and my teachers are nice. They are named Mr. Lee and Yuka Sensei. Yuka sensei goes out of her way to get me easy Japanese homework. Also every Wednesday we get out an hour early. It's really nice to stay in touch with my friends. So thanks Nicholas and Jacob.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Big city streets
We live in one of Tokyo's major central districts: Ikebukuro.
I've just explained to Lia, who's looking over my shoulder, that "central district" is something like a downtown, and that Tokyo has many, many of them.
Anyway. As a central district, with multiple universities and colleges, lots of nightlife, the world's two largest department stores, and many other stores, hundreds of restaurants, and so on, you can imagine that there are some pretty interesting characters around. Since we live on the west side of the main train station, and the kids' school is on the east side, we walk through the district everyday. Here's some of what we've been noticing, some things happy, others less so, but all interesting.
I've been enjoying the steady stream of high school and university students dressed in black and white, carrying instruments on their back as they head to classes at the Tokyo College of Music (Ondai). I'm looking forward to heading over there to see what kinds of concerts and performances we could listen to.
Less happy: we walk thru an underpass, which always has several homeless people sleeping on cardboard boxes, morning and afternoon. Lia and Evan were talking this morning about how guilty they feel, having so much and seeing others who have so little. I agreed with them, of course, and I think we'll have to look to see if we can't do some sharing with groups that help them, while we live there.
On the alarming side: A drunk man from the neighborhood, and a "macho" dad from the kids' school ended up in a shoving match this afternoon, as parents gathered to walk their kids home. The drunk was muttering about people crowding the sidewalks, and the feisty father got into his face. Sigh. Mothers and teachers got the kids all inside while others tried to get the two of them to stop it. Much discussion from me about big cities, and characters, and the evils of alcohol....
Amusing: a woman pulled us aside on the way home to offer the kids' Japanese classes, to offer me a job teaching English, to offer to sell us English novels... my! and to guess that the kids' father is Japanese (after looking at me, and listening to me answer her in Japanese). Reminded me of all the silly conversations that I've had and will have, once Steve comes to visit and people encounter us, and have me talk to them in Japanese while he stands by grinning quietly.
Just plain friendly: In Shiinamachi, which is our neighborhood shopping district, and apparently known historically for being home to many important artists and writers, we made one acquaintance yesterday, while buying fruit. After I chatted with the storekeeper a bit, she switched to English and asked where I'm from - perfect accent, she graduated from U of Oregon. She was very friendly, and then today, I saw a scooter with an Oregon license plate on it, which made me think that she might also live quite near.
I've just explained to Lia, who's looking over my shoulder, that "central district" is something like a downtown, and that Tokyo has many, many of them.
Anyway. As a central district, with multiple universities and colleges, lots of nightlife, the world's two largest department stores, and many other stores, hundreds of restaurants, and so on, you can imagine that there are some pretty interesting characters around. Since we live on the west side of the main train station, and the kids' school is on the east side, we walk through the district everyday. Here's some of what we've been noticing, some things happy, others less so, but all interesting.
I've been enjoying the steady stream of high school and university students dressed in black and white, carrying instruments on their back as they head to classes at the Tokyo College of Music (Ondai). I'm looking forward to heading over there to see what kinds of concerts and performances we could listen to.
Less happy: we walk thru an underpass, which always has several homeless people sleeping on cardboard boxes, morning and afternoon. Lia and Evan were talking this morning about how guilty they feel, having so much and seeing others who have so little. I agreed with them, of course, and I think we'll have to look to see if we can't do some sharing with groups that help them, while we live there.
On the alarming side: A drunk man from the neighborhood, and a "macho" dad from the kids' school ended up in a shoving match this afternoon, as parents gathered to walk their kids home. The drunk was muttering about people crowding the sidewalks, and the feisty father got into his face. Sigh. Mothers and teachers got the kids all inside while others tried to get the two of them to stop it. Much discussion from me about big cities, and characters, and the evils of alcohol....
Amusing: a woman pulled us aside on the way home to offer the kids' Japanese classes, to offer me a job teaching English, to offer to sell us English novels... my! and to guess that the kids' father is Japanese (after looking at me, and listening to me answer her in Japanese). Reminded me of all the silly conversations that I've had and will have, once Steve comes to visit and people encounter us, and have me talk to them in Japanese while he stands by grinning quietly.
Just plain friendly: In Shiinamachi, which is our neighborhood shopping district, and apparently known historically for being home to many important artists and writers, we made one acquaintance yesterday, while buying fruit. After I chatted with the storekeeper a bit, she switched to English and asked where I'm from - perfect accent, she graduated from U of Oregon. She was very friendly, and then today, I saw a scooter with an Oregon license plate on it, which made me think that she might also live quite near.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
silly date lines
Just wanted to let you all know that I am NOT letting my daughter write on the blog at 3 am... I need to get this silly thing set right so that the blog knows where we are.
SCHOOL!
First things to do for school:
1.Get dressed in uniforms:mine a beige jumper skirt with a white shirt underneath a maroon cross
tie and a white knee high socks.
2.Get backpack read
For Violin lessons I started to learn twinkle twinkle little star.
We also had a assembly about school community.
1.Get dressed in uniforms:mine a beige jumper skirt with a white shirt underneath a maroon cross
tie and a white knee high socks.
2.Get backpack read
For Violin lessons I started to learn twinkle twinkle little star.
We also had a assembly about school community.
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