Say a little prayer...

Our excursion to the Meiji shrine was a bit arduous. It took a long time to get to it because of the crowds (like marching down to the Brooklyn promenade to watch Fourth of July fireworks-everybody else has the same idea) so by the time we tossed our 10-yen coins and offered up our New Year's prayers things were feeling a bit anticlimactic. The highlight was stopping by the cleansing station, where the boys and T washed their hands and mouths:




(The sign reads: "Please rinse your hands and mouth before praying. Please set your mind at ease. Shifting the dipper from one hand to the other, rinse first your right, then left hand. Rinse your mouth with water poured from the palm of your left hand. Hold the dipper upright in both hands to rinse the handle with the remaining water. Return the dipper to its original position. Please refrain from drinking directly from the dipper.")

While we were being herded along with the crowd, we encountered an American mom and her two daughters, ages 7 and 9, and started chatting. Their family has been living in Tokyo for two and a half years (the dad's company asked him to stay on for a third year). The girls go to ASIJ. The mom said the school was great but the distance was a drag (it's out in Chofu, in the suburbs). She said she did not feel connected to the school because she rarely makes the trip out there, and her girls don't do after school activities because they prefer not to have to take the late bus home. I am feeling good about our decision to send the boys to the British School in Tokyo (BST) which is one stop on the train and perhaps even walkable.

School starts on Jan. 8 and I need to 1) figure out what I am going to pack them for lunch, because peanut butter is off limits (allergies) and PB&J has always been the fallback and 2) find some navy blue backpacks and jackets, black "sturdy" shoes and white "indoor shoes" as well as polo shirts and pants that resemble the regular uniform items that I neglected to order until just a few days ago. The company that makes the uniform clothes, which sport the school logo (go Lions!) is in Australia. Shipping alone is going to cost me $150!

Obviously it was not a good idea to wait until after we arrived to read the fine print of BST's uniform policy. Who knew they regulated the color of the boys' coats! Those brand new Lands' End jackets (royal blue for C, orange for D) can not be worn to school! They are too bright! Aack! There is a Gap here but I shudder to think what the prices must be like. Must find generic children's clothing store...