Cherry Blossoms in NYC

We miss sooo many things about living in Tokyo. I mean really, the standard of living there is so high. People are polite. It is clean...we just miss it. Also, with our family being Japanese/American we try to make a big effort to find Japanese cultural things to do here in the city.

I was really missing the cherry blossoms in Japan. I miss hanami :(. Also, I love the cherry blossoms because they were starting to bloom when I was hospitalized with Mia. For one week I was stuck in bed with nothing really to do but look at the cherry blossoms. So, when I see them....it makes me happy. With all of that being said, I was on the hunt to find cherry blossoms...and luckily there are quite a few places to seem them in NYC.

On Sunday we decided to walk 30 blocks north to Sakura Park to see if the flowers were blooming since the weather was so nice...I haven't been able to find a bloom update online, so we had to just go see for ourselves.

When we got to the park, we first stopped by the swings.

Oops, not in full bloom yet...but just means more time to enjoy them.

A nice view of the park.

Lantern donated to NYC when it became Tokyo's sister city.

After playing in the park, we headed over to Grant's tomb. It was odd to see a tomb in the U.S....but it was so pretty and worth the visit for sure.

Grant and his wife's tombs.

We hope to head out here again when the flower are in full bloom. If not, we are going to a sakura matsuri at the end of this month. Can't wait!

Hina Matsuri 2013

Happy March everyone! I am super excited for the beginning of spring to arrive. Also, I can't wait for Easter eggs and our staycation...more on that one later.

First off though, today we celebrated Hina Matsuri. Hina Matsuri is a day to celebrate little girls...what a wonderful holiday if you ask me. There was a really great event held at the Japan Society today, but it sold out months in advance!! Better luck next year.

A few weeks ago, we received two of the dolls for the doll display from Ten's mom. She didn't send them all because there would just be way too many. I love the fact that these were her dolls when she was a little girl.

Dolls and lots of snacks and things from Ten's mom.

 Mia is really too little to eat any of the dishes for this day, so we had to improvise and decided to do mini cakes for breakfast. We used pancakes, whipped cream, and red berries.

Mia LOVED her breakfast! I mean it isn't all that often that she gets to eat super sweet things.

We also did some finger painting sheets with the dolls on it. Can you tell which one Ten did?

Next, we watched several versions of the Hina Matrsuri song along with a whole lot of other fun videos. If you are curious, here is a clip of the song....not the best quality...but beggars can't be choosers.

Today was all about celebrating our little girl. Here is to her having a long and healthy life and finding a wonderful husband!

Setsubun 2013

While most people were having Super Bowl parties today, we were celebrating Setsubun....and we had so much fun...well me and Ten did...I think poor Mia was mainly just scared and thought we were crazy.

Ten ran down to Times Square today to Sunrise Mart to pick up some goodies for us. He brought back so many great things...including jasmine tea for me...and dorayaki....and he brought me peanut butter cups the day before. I have no idea what I did to get so many great sweets, but I better keep doing it.

I digress. If you aren't familiar with Setsubun, briefly, it is the day where the beginning of spring is brought in by getting rid of evil spirits and letting the good luck in. 

In the morning, Mia finger painted these oni masks, and we hung them up on the door. I was kind of hoping that it would help her get used to them, so she wouldn't freak out too much when we got ready to chase her around the apartment wearing a demon mask...no such luck people...

Later, we presented Mia with her ehomaki, but she decided to share it with us since she couldn't eat it all....and we didn't eat it facing the proper direction...or in silence as one is supposed to...mainly because we just wanted to enjoy it...maybe next time.

Sharing a pre-made bento, ehomaki, homemade miso soup and crab rangoon, with jasmine tea....heaven.

After that, we all put on our homemade oni (demon) horns.

I thought they were super cute and fun...but Mia on the other hand was having none of it...totally freaked out.

Once she got to play with the cute oni....she felt a little bit better.

After her breakdown with us only wearing the horns, we decided it would be a good idea for me to go outside and storm into the apartment as the evil oni so that Ten and Mia could throw beans at me while saying "Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi!" .... you know.... "Demon out, good luck in!" .... She didn't like it folks. While Ten was throwing beans at me...which I found to be hilarious...seriously being hit by roasted soybeans may be one of the funniest things I've ever done....she had a mini breakdown...so sad. So, we stopped and tried to let her throw beans around...she wanted nothing to do with it. Ten and I quickly munched down our soybeans (according to our age, one bean per year)....and then cleaned up. I actually can't wait until next year because we really did have a lot of fun.

P.S. here is the mask we used for Setsubun...there were cuter ones but we decided to make the hardcore, scary one...hahaha....and yes...made by me, none of those store bought ones this year...looks fantastic if I say so myself.

P.P.S. If our neighbors happened to spot me standing outside with this mask, I'm pretty sure they must think we are part of a Satanic cult.

First Mini Shopping Trip

One of my favorite types of blog posts to read are those where people talk about the daily things that they shop for or use. I think it is one of the ultimate sneak peaks into a person's life....or the ultimate form of creepy stalker things to look at...however you want to word it.


Anyway, one of the things I have learned from our time in Japan and short stay in London is that you definitely start to miss the small things from your host country. Right now, we miss the awesome Greek yogurt and desserts from London. While we were in London, we pretty much missed every Japanese food/bath stuff/etc imaginable. Also, when we go to the US we load up on tons of stuff. We buy everything from toothpaste to small kitchen appliances.


So since we are heading back to the US this summer, I decided to plan ahead and stock up on some of the things that we might miss from Japan. I know that we will be able to find a lot of this stuff at Japanese grocery stores but I figure that it is cheaper to stock up first and will save a lot of hassle in the beginning. Also, you can't always find exactly what you want overseas... So, here was my first mini shopping trip today. It was pretty small since I really can't be away from home for long periods of time right now.

First, I bought four boxes of pudding. Ten always missed this stuff when we were in the US five years ago. So, I went ahead and bought four boxes....I think I might pick up a few more though!

Next, I bought tons of Furuche (I guess that is how you would spell it). Four boxes each of banana, peach, and strawberry. I was on the lookout for blueberry too, but I didn't have any luck. I think I'm really well stalked though....hahaha. You may be thinking that this is a lot for two people!! However, our living situation will be a little bit different. We will also have my sister and nephew with us, so I wanted to make sure that we had enough for four people for a good long time.

Finally, I bought 3 bags of powdered milk tea. I LOVE milk tea, so I bought these. I've never tried them before, but I'm confident they will be as good as the already made kind. Ten asked me if I could just add milk to black tea and get the same result.....ummm....no....hahaha. He just doesn't get it. So, I bought three bags, so I'm sure I will have plenty to share.  

Anyway, so really small shopping trip today, but I will definitely be doing a lot more over the next month! If anyone has any suggestions of what they would want to take back with them from Japan...I would love to hear suggestions!! 

Crazy Things People Say

As most of you may know by this time, our days in Japan are numbered. In fact, we will be moving back to the U.S. before the summer is over. I was thinking back over my time here as an English teacher, and I wanted to make a list of some of the funniest things my Japanese/Chinese/Korean students have said to me....So here they go:


1. "So, how is California life? Oh, you aren't from California? Then, how is it living in New York?" Yes, that is right. Most students that I met would inevitably assume that I was from California because I have blond hair. When I told them that I was not from California then it was assumed I must be from New York...because these are the only two places that exist in America. I even had one student say he was disappointed that I wasn't a "real" American because I wasn't from either of these beloved states....haha.


2. "How many guns do you have?" Once when I was asked this question for the hundredth time, I got a little bit mean and told the student that in fact I was carrying a gun in my bag at that very moment. The sad thing is....he actually believed me. I had to physically show him the inside of my bag to ease any fears.


3. "Can you use chopsticks?" "Can you eat rice?" "Can you eat Japanese food?"  No matter how many years I have lived here....it seems to boggle the average Japanese student's mind that...gasp...I can use chopsticks! Also, here comes another shocker...we have rice in America! Actually, I'm sure they know that rice exists in America if they really put their mind to it...but the logic escapes them in the beginning. Also, I'm not sure what kind of food you live on in if you are living in Japan, but I'm almost certain some of it must be Japanese.


4. "I hope my son doesn't marry a white person when they study in America, and it would be even worse if they were black!" Now, this one I must say is more of a favorite phrase of my lovely Korean students. I think that even if Japanese students think this...they wouldn't necessarily say it. However, I have been told many a time how terrible it would be if a non-Korean were to enter the family. Really this statement doesn't bother me all that much. Korea is predominately....wait for it....composed of ethnic Koreans...so I'm sure it would upset things quite a bit.


5. "Can you speak Japanese?" This is an absolutely reasonable question, but what I have loved about Japan is that they in NO WAY EXPECT YOU TO SPEAK JAPANESE!! How great is this!! I mean they understand it is a hard language and assume that foreigners haven't taken the time to learn it....could you imagine Americans saying this about English...hah! Now there are two sides to this coin...I know. But since I don't plan on staying here for too much longer, I have decided that this is a good thing.


6. "So you eat McDonald's everyday." This is always in statement rather than question form. I always had to gently break it to the student that....no...we do not eat McDonald's everyday. Instead we go to Taco Bell, Burger King, Arby's, etc...hahaha. Well, I'm sure people don't go every day....but admittedly we Americans (did you see what I did there if you are familiar with Japanese English)...do tend to eat a lot of fast food compared to people in Japan. I wouldn't say this statement is necessarily that unfair.


7. "Why do Americans love war?" I honestly have no idea how to go about this one. Do Americans love war? We have been in a war of some sort or the other for most of my life. Also, isn't history class mainly a string of wars with some social issues sprinkled in between. I always approach this one with the idea of making the world a safer place, blah, blah blah....but I'm not sure if I buy it myself.


8. "My son made a friend in the U.S., but I'm sad that the friend isn't a real American." The first time I heard this one....I was a bit confused. I kindly asked the student to clarify and found out that said friend was of Indian descent. Born and raised in America....but not American in Japanese eyes. Now, this issue runs very deep here in Japan. Even someone born in Japan to one Japanese parent and one foreign parent...may not be considered really Japanese. Yes, I have been told this many, many times. So, it doesn't surprise me that this poor Indian American is not considered a real American....but I always go through my little speech that one of the great things about the U.S. is that if you are born/naturalized there then you are a "real" American. 


9. "Why are American women in porn so scary?" hahaha....this one made me laugh so hard. This poor guy explained how when he watched a U.S. porn he was quite terrified of the actress and didn't find her attractive. Too aggressive he said with all of the yelling....and...well you know. These conversations always just went to really wacky places...because...honestly...I have no explanation for this...cultural I guess? .... hahaha...maybe they are scary.


10. "When will you leave Japan?" Most students that I have met always assumed that I would leave. Not because I had mentioned it...but because they don't expect you to stay here for long. You are expected to go back from whence you came. I never knew how to answer this question because I wasn't really sure if I was leaving Japan...so this always ended up with me asking why they would assume that I would leave.


Now, as you read through all of these it may sound like people are a bit....hmmm...I don't know racist? However, if you inserted U.S. or American for Japan or Japanese....I think the questions aren't really all that different. Do we expect foreigners to go back to their own country? Probably. Do we assume that Japanese people eat sushi all of the time. Yes. Do we ask if a foreign person can speak English. Yes, and we assume that they should (which is beyond ignorant).


So, while I have faced a lot of interesting situations here...I believe that it was all for the better in the end...I have a much better idea of what it is like living as a minority. I honestly feel that no white American can say the same without having truly lived in such a situation for an extended period of time...no matter how many non-white friends you have....you are always looking at it from the viewpoint of the majority...so, overall I've been very thankful for my experiences over the past five years.

Cherry Blossoms are Here

One of my absolute favorite times in Japan is cherry blossom season. They have finally bloomed near our apartment, so here is a quick look. Pics are from my phone, so not the greatest.

They are truly impressive every time they bloom.

Hidden Gem

The weather is slowly getting better here in Tokyo, and I do so hope that warmer days are coming soon. So, with all of this nice weather....it really makes me miss living in cities that have lots of greenery. Tokyo is mostly gray....sigh. However, Ten introduced me to this great park, and it is only like a 5 minute walk from our apartment.

Isn't it wonderful? It is clean, and they have tons of benches to hang out on....and the best part.....they have a huge area with picnic tables!!! Yes, my picnicking dream is getting one step closer to becoming a reality. We can have nice picnics outside...rather than the ghetto ones we have been having on our living room floor....hahaha. Someone once told me that picnics and picnic tables aren't really a Japanese thing...well my friends...I beg to differ.

On another note, really close to this park is a really great shrine and temple....Yes, indeed I think they have both almost across the street from each other. We loved all of these statues.

We loved spending a few hours walking around here and looking at everything. This is the perfect spot to escape our cramped apartment on nice days...and it is miraculously not that crowded...well at least the few times we have been here.

Anyway, I will leave you with this picture of us 2 months ago. If you try very hard, you may see Mt. Fuji in the background...hahaha. It was actually the first time I've seen it since living in Tokyo (going on 5 years)...Shame on me...yes, I know.

Be careful what you wish for....

Remember that post where I talked about our pretty uneventful Christmas and how we would make up for it on New Year's? Well, as I sit here surrounded by clean laundry on the floor, a bag of vegetables sitting out since yesterday in the corner, two electric kettles boxed up next to the wall, and just general messiness everywhere....I'm thinking that uneventful would have been just fine.


Also, I have no idea where to begin. This may have to be a part one, part two type of entry....


So, got a call from my mom and step-dad on the 30th...saying that their flight was delayed by a whole 24 hours. Kind of sucked since they would lose a whole day here, but I mean can't be helped. Also, pretty easy to rearrange the schedule.


I put off grocery shopping until that night since there was no rush, so when Ten came home...off we went. Well, I was walking on a completely flat road....with no steps...when all of a sudden my ankle popped....and then the other ankle popped. Down I went on to the pavement. All that was running through my head was...How stupid do you have to be to twist your ankle while walking on a flat service....dumb...dumb...dumb. 


Ten helped me hobble back to the apartment, and after a few hours of not being able to walk at all and being in intense pain...we decided that the hospital was best.


However, it would have be completely impossible for me to hobble down the four flights of steps and then up a hill to catch a taxi...so, we called 119 (or equivalent of 911 in the U.S.). 


Our tiny apartment was quickly filled with at least 7 rescue workers (paramedics and firefighters) who were taking my temperature, checking my ankle, and asking about if the baby was okay. I also noticed that they removed their shoes before coming in...kind of smiled to myself there. These were probably the most polite people I have ever met in Japan. They even made arrangements to send me to a "foreign friendly" hospital...since Ten insisted English speaking doctors would be best.


So, off we went to the Red Cross where I was X-rayed and checked out by a not so friendly doctor. Turns out I had sprain my left ankle pretty badly and the right one was also moderately sprained. Also, the nurse informed us that there was about a 50-50 chance of the baby being okay....ummm....she completely didn't know what she was talking about. When the OB/GYN came in....he explained it was about 99.9% safe to say that the baby was indeed fine (which is what we kind of thought as well...I mean I didn't fall down steps), but we opted to have an ultrasound just in case....indeed Baby was not phased in the slightest.


So, off we went back to our apartment around midnight...where I was forced to have Ten partially carry me up some steps....but that was so uncomfortable I decided to crawl up on my hands and knees for two flights....I felt like a lame dog at this point that desperately needed to be put down.


Anyway, off to bed we went....but little did we know more was about to come...which I will continue in Part 2.


Also, not to self...I need/want to make some goals for the New Year...which I will also post...after using the weekend to recover from sheer exhaustion. 

Wrapping Finale

Okay, so today was the last day of my wrapping class....and here are my beautiful creations.... ;)

We started with some origami practice. We were focusing on kimono today, so we had to get the basics down on paper first.

The green on can be used to write names on for place settings and the orange can be used as a chopstick/toothpick holder...really cute. I would have never thought to use them in that way. I will definitely say that this class got the creative juices flowing....

You may notice that I accidentally made the green one a bit on the wide side....the teacher said...oh that is the pregnant kimono like you and the orange is after labor...hehehe....ummm....yeah we aren't going to comment on that....but she had good intentions.

Next we learned how to wrap the wine bottle to resemble a woman wearing a kimono. This is actually really simple but does require a few cords and ribbons to hold it all together.

Finally, we practiced something called peacock wrapping.

Pretty creative, and you can tape the top of it together so it is shaped like one big bow. This is really easy to do. You just make the top side of the paper longer than needed and then fold it back and forth like a paper fan. You then tie a cord or ribbon around the center....super easy!

Anyway, I think I learned a lot of good basic things from this course, and I would like to continue. However, at the same time I'm glad to have it finished with...and it is kind of too cold to get out now anyway. So, I think I will focus on tying up some other loose ends before I commit to anything else.

Tapeless Wrapping....yes it is possible.

Today I learned the most amazing skill. I can now say that I can wrap gifts without having to use tape, and it looks even better than traditional wrapping. It is done through a series of folds and tucks and is amazing. Here is a little snippet of how its done.

And voila! You insert a card in the pocket. Really cute. Everyone said that this was the most difficult style, but I thought it was the easiest. I will never use tape again!! haha

I finished a little bit earlier, so here is a sneak peak of the classroom that we use.

Next we practiced using single sided ribbon to make bows. I have mad bow making skills now...well kind of.

Finally it was furoshiki time! I love, love, love this part of class. We learned how to make wine bottles more presentable for either dinner parties or for gift giving.

Wine bottle before:

Wine bottle after:

Rather elegant don't you think? Now I just need someone to invite me over so I can gift some beautiful wine.