Other bagel choices include sesame, onion, multi-grain, white poppy, and soy milk/edamame. Oh and you can also get green tea with white chocolate chips ... (?)
Monday, September 22, 2008
good eats
At 'New York style' Bagel & Bagel, "everything" means pumpkin seeds and lots of pepper...
Other bagel choices include sesame, onion, multi-grain, white poppy, and soy milk/edamame. Oh and you can also get green tea with white chocolate chips ... (?)
Other bagel choices include sesame, onion, multi-grain, white poppy, and soy milk/edamame. Oh and you can also get green tea with white chocolate chips ... (?)
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Harajuku, underground
stained glass wall, Meiji-Jingumae metro station
and a public service announcement!
"Please do it on the mountain."
and a public service announcement!
"Please do it on the mountain."
Monday, September 15, 2008
the swing state of... Fukui
Fun fact: Sarah Palin's rimless glasses are made by Masunaga Optical, a Japanese manufacturer based in Fukui Prefecture (part of Japan west of Tokyo). Since Palin came on the scene, overseas orders for the frames have soared, the Asahi Shimbun, a national newspaper here, reported today.
Fukui also happens to be home to the city of Obama -- yup, there is a city in Japan named Obama -- and so now loyalties are divided. The paper went so far as to call it a "face off between two popular U.S. politicians" for the support of Fukui residents, noting that government officials were "jumping on the Palin bandwagon" and displaying photos of the Alaska governor sporting the eyewear.
Back in March the paper had reported that there was "Obama fever" in the Fukui city, and that Barack had written a letter to Obama residents thanking them for their support. "A man striving to become one of the most powerful figures on the planet has returned some love to this coastal city," one article read. Citizens there had formed Obama support groups with "I Love Obama" headbands, and Obama Mayor Toshio Murakami had sent a "letter of encouragement" along with lacquered chopsticks and a dharma doll, a traditional good-luck charm.
Obama's thank-you note said "We share more than a common name; we share a common planet and common responsibilities." The letter was signed "Anata no yujin" (Your Friend) with a signature in blue ink, which, according to the article, "city officials believe is Obama's own handwriting."
Fukui also happens to be home to the city of Obama -- yup, there is a city in Japan named Obama -- and so now loyalties are divided. The paper went so far as to call it a "face off between two popular U.S. politicians" for the support of Fukui residents, noting that government officials were "jumping on the Palin bandwagon" and displaying photos of the Alaska governor sporting the eyewear.
Back in March the paper had reported that there was "Obama fever" in the Fukui city, and that Barack had written a letter to Obama residents thanking them for their support. "A man striving to become one of the most powerful figures on the planet has returned some love to this coastal city," one article read. Citizens there had formed Obama support groups with "I Love Obama" headbands, and Obama Mayor Toshio Murakami had sent a "letter of encouragement" along with lacquered chopsticks and a dharma doll, a traditional good-luck charm.
Obama's thank-you note said "We share more than a common name; we share a common planet and common responsibilities." The letter was signed "Anata no yujin" (Your Friend) with a signature in blue ink, which, according to the article, "city officials believe is Obama's own handwriting."
Sunday, September 14, 2008
brave or stupid?
Conor loves water parks, and last year for his birthday we took him and his brother and two cousins to the Great Wolf Lodge in Pennsylvania. It was perfect.
The Tokyo equivalent is a place called Summerland, and its outdoor pools-with-slides area is still open (as well it should be - it's still so freaking hot), so that's where we will be going to celebrate the Big 8.
I refuse to let this TV commercial for the place scare me off...though perhaps it should...
I can tell you one thing: we will not be going into the wave pool!
Luckily we won't have to worry about the no-tattoo rule, as we Buechners are all tatt-free. Most onsens and fitness clubs also ban them. (Sorry Mom!) The reason? Members of the yakuza (Japanese mafia) all have tattoos, so banning them is a surefire way of keeping criminals out of your establishment. Even though the typical "yak" has a lot more ink than the average person -- usually all across the back -- you can get kicked out just for having a little daisy or kanji character or peace sign on your ankle, so the advice on many of the online message boards I've read is to cover up with tape or a Band-Aid.
The Tokyo equivalent is a place called Summerland, and its outdoor pools-with-slides area is still open (as well it should be - it's still so freaking hot), so that's where we will be going to celebrate the Big 8.
I refuse to let this TV commercial for the place scare me off...though perhaps it should...
I can tell you one thing: we will not be going into the wave pool!
Luckily we won't have to worry about the no-tattoo rule, as we Buechners are all tatt-free. Most onsens and fitness clubs also ban them. (Sorry Mom!) The reason? Members of the yakuza (Japanese mafia) all have tattoos, so banning them is a surefire way of keeping criminals out of your establishment. Even though the typical "yak" has a lot more ink than the average person -- usually all across the back -- you can get kicked out just for having a little daisy or kanji character or peace sign on your ankle, so the advice on many of the online message boards I've read is to cover up with tape or a Band-Aid.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
taiko
Today I went to my first taiko lesson, with the same teacher who instructs the kids at BST. There's a class offered to adults on Thursdays at noon. It's a great upper-body workout, pounding away with big sticks, in warrior stance...and much more fun than the gym! I would've videotaped today's session so I could post it here, but I didn't want to annoy Moko sensei so early in the term.
Sara, strumming and singing
My lovely cousin in Brooklyn, making music .
Sara is the one in the dress playing guitar...
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
yoga
I've been going to a small yoga studio in Meguro called Sun and Moon pretty regularly, because I love Em, a Brit who teaches the Wednesday "community class" (a bargain at only 1,000 yen -- about $10 -- as opposed to the usual $30), and it's convenient for me to get to. Today the place was packed -- more than a dozen students, including one ex-pat guy who looked like Moby, a half dozen Japanese women and a smattering of Europeans, including Delphine from France, Graciella from Argentina and Jette from Denmark. At one point Em told us to find a partner, and so I teamed up with Jette, who pronounces her name "YET-ta" and is about a foot and a half taller than me, and strong and blonde and did I mention that she's a trained massage therapist? We were supposed to spot each other on some back bends, which worked out great for me, because anytime you are doing bow pose or whatever it is they call the one where you're stomach-down on the mat and arching back to grab your feet, it's good to have a strong woman sort of standing/squatting over you so you can reach back and hold onto her ankles instead, while she rests her bum on the soles of your feet and plants her hands on your chest to pull you up from behind. It's really not erotic in the least but I realize that's how it may sound (oh my)...Anyway, it worked, I was bending way back, farther than I ever had before, and just resting comfortably in the pose, while Jette said "Goot!" and other encouraging things. And then afterward she gave me the best 10-second lower back massage of my life. She definitely got the crap end of this deal, as I don't think I gave her nearly as good as I got. Thank you, Jette. And sorry!
I love Tokyo.
I love Tokyo.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
there he goes
I love the open-air corridors of our apartment building here in Hiroo. I open my front door and I'm outside! So different from the drably painted, drearily-lit hallways of the St. George, our high-rise home in Brooklyn. The photo above is my front doorway view of Terry leaving for work in the morning. At the end of that covered walk he will turn left, go down a short stairwell (we're on the 3rd floor), through the two sets of automatic sliding glass doors that enclose our tiny vestibule and out to the street, then on to the Hiroo Tokyo Metro station, 11 minutes away on foot. He's in the U.S. right now, on a business trip until Monday...we miss him!
Monday, September 8, 2008
more Shimoda pix
The beaches there are just beautiful.
On Sunday morning, Caitlin (with tube, left) and Conor (green tube) were eager to get back out on the water.... 
Dylan and Caitlin's brother Charlie (with boogie board) were in no hurry to join them.
Later in the afternoon....Dylan popped up inside Conor's tube. It was fun for a moment, but they were soon squabbling. Caitlin (far left) stayed out of it...
The Azul hotel provided us with parasols and loungers.
Surfer boy plots his next move... (our hotel is the large white two-story building directly behind the white house with pitched roof).
riding one in
On Saturday night the grownups gathered around the two picnic tables to drink beer and wine and eat paella, grilled lamb and octopus prepared by one of the Dads...
...while the kids watched each other play Pokemon Diamond on the Nintendo DS
On Sunday morning, Caitlin (with tube, left) and Conor (green tube) were eager to get back out on the water.... 
Dylan and Caitlin's brother Charlie (with boogie board) were in no hurry to join them.
Later in the afternoon....Dylan popped up inside Conor's tube. It was fun for a moment, but they were soon squabbling. Caitlin (far left) stayed out of it...
The Azul hotel provided us with parasols and loungers.
Surfer boy plots his next move... (our hotel is the large white two-story building directly behind the white house with pitched roof).
riding one in
On Saturday night the grownups gathered around the two picnic tables to drink beer and wine and eat paella, grilled lamb and octopus prepared by one of the Dads...
...while the kids watched each other play Pokemon Diamond on the Nintendo DS
Sunday, September 7, 2008
yup, it's still beach weather in Japan
Just got back from Iritahama beach in Shimoda, on the Izu peninsula, about 3 hours southwest of Tokyo by train. We were there with a half dozen other families from the British School (but without Terry, who, sadly, is away on a business trip). We all stayed in the Azul beachside hotel, a very short distance away from the shore.
On Saturday a few of the Japanese moms organized a suica wari, or watermelon smash: kids take turns trying to split the fruit open with a big stick, then everybody eats the watermelon afterward. The kids were blindfolded and spun around three times, and had to walk a few yards to their target while everybody shouted orders (take another giant step forward! turn to your left! no, your other left!). Only one child made contact. (Su, one of the moms, had to finish it off.) It was almost as frustrating as watching a bunch of kids try to whack open a pinata at a birthday party (and those ribbons are such a cheat!). It was good watermelon though.
Clare, holding the stick, helped get everybody organized.
Conor's turn! Spectators from left to right: Jinu, Yuto, Kiho, Kiho's dad, Dylan and Maya.
There was more watermelon on Sunday. Tomoya, 2, ate three slices.
That's his brother Yuto and their mother Aki in the white bonnet..
On Saturday a few of the Japanese moms organized a suica wari, or watermelon smash: kids take turns trying to split the fruit open with a big stick, then everybody eats the watermelon afterward. The kids were blindfolded and spun around three times, and had to walk a few yards to their target while everybody shouted orders (take another giant step forward! turn to your left! no, your other left!). Only one child made contact. (Su, one of the moms, had to finish it off.) It was almost as frustrating as watching a bunch of kids try to whack open a pinata at a birthday party (and those ribbons are such a cheat!). It was good watermelon though.
Clare, holding the stick, helped get everybody organized.
Conor's turn! Spectators from left to right: Jinu, Yuto, Kiho, Kiho's dad, Dylan and Maya.
There was more watermelon on Sunday. Tomoya, 2, ate three slices.
That's his brother Yuto and their mother Aki in the white bonnet..
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Ninja on a cell phone
The other day, walking up Aoyama-dori in Shibuya, we found this half-mannequin propped up against a wall in a stairwell leading up to a salon (there's a beauty shop every 15 yds in this town). As far as we could tell, it's an advertisement for a video game website, maybe one where you can download games into your keitai for hours of mindless fun!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
the suit
So about a year ago Terry goes to Brooks Brothers in New York City to have a suit made. He pays about $1,000 and waits two months for it. It's a huge disappointment. It doesn't fit right, the stitching is off, it's just poorly made. But he decides to live with it... until the cuffs start coming undone.
He moves to Tokyo and takes the bad suit with him. He writes an angry email to the company. He hears back from the Tokyo office, and they ask him to bring the suit in, that they will see what they can do. By now it is summer, and Terry suddenly finds himself with some free time on the weekends, what with his wife and children away. He takes the suit to the Brooks Brothers in Kitta Aoyama, off Omotesando Street, Tokyo's high-end shopping district. He doesn't know what to expect. Maybe they will fix the cuffs, he thinks. And if he's lucky, maybe they'll give him a credit to spend at the store, as a sort of penance.
He explains the situation to a very nice English-speaking Japanese woman who works there, and the store manager inspects to offending suit. He feels the fabric, checks the seams. Then he throws it back down on the counter and makes a noise, not a snort, exactly, but the kind of noise you make when you're disgusted, annoyed. Terry thinks they are going to politely ask him to leave. He feels silly. But then the manager says something to the woman in Japanese, and she translates: "Yes, this suit is terrible," she says. "We are going to make you a new one."
And they do. And it's ready in two weeks. I picked it up yesterday, and it's beautiful, and fits him perfectly. No charge. Special ex-pat treatment? Perhaps. But I believe that when it comes to customer service, the Japanese set the bar a helluva lot higher, whether you're getting a bowl of ramen or plane tickets or postage stamps. There's a very deliberate approach to all transactions here, big and small, so that mistakes are not made. And if something does go wrong, as in the case of the suit, well, then, it gets fixed. And that's a good thing, I think.
He moves to Tokyo and takes the bad suit with him. He writes an angry email to the company. He hears back from the Tokyo office, and they ask him to bring the suit in, that they will see what they can do. By now it is summer, and Terry suddenly finds himself with some free time on the weekends, what with his wife and children away. He takes the suit to the Brooks Brothers in Kitta Aoyama, off Omotesando Street, Tokyo's high-end shopping district. He doesn't know what to expect. Maybe they will fix the cuffs, he thinks. And if he's lucky, maybe they'll give him a credit to spend at the store, as a sort of penance.
He explains the situation to a very nice English-speaking Japanese woman who works there, and the store manager inspects to offending suit. He feels the fabric, checks the seams. Then he throws it back down on the counter and makes a noise, not a snort, exactly, but the kind of noise you make when you're disgusted, annoyed. Terry thinks they are going to politely ask him to leave. He feels silly. But then the manager says something to the woman in Japanese, and she translates: "Yes, this suit is terrible," she says. "We are going to make you a new one."
And they do. And it's ready in two weeks. I picked it up yesterday, and it's beautiful, and fits him perfectly. No charge. Special ex-pat treatment? Perhaps. But I believe that when it comes to customer service, the Japanese set the bar a helluva lot higher, whether you're getting a bowl of ramen or plane tickets or postage stamps. There's a very deliberate approach to all transactions here, big and small, so that mistakes are not made. And if something does go wrong, as in the case of the suit, well, then, it gets fixed. And that's a good thing, I think.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
American Summer: the Last Hurrah
Some of my best summer photos of the boys were shot at Playland, an amusement park in Rye, New York. Click here to see the whole Flickr set!
Monday, September 1, 2008
garbage art
Recently the Children's Castle hosted some sort of Wall-E promotion in its family lounge. Huge models of the Pixar film character were on display, next to a big-screen TV looping the trailer. But my favorite part was the collection of objects fashioned out of recycled product packaging. Some highlights:
Sweet wafer Bird
Lipton tea wasp (or bee?)
Chocolate candy Lion
Soup mix Kangaroos
Sugarless Gum Fish
Dinner Curry clogs, Fujifilm sneakers
Flower, Emperor and Empress, Frogs
Pocari Sweat (Japanese gatorade) Robot
Those who found themselves in this part of the Castle could also sit down and make something out of trash, which is exactly what our resident garbage-artist did.
Dylan presents his "penguin nest," made out of old videotape and other plastic odds and ends:
misc. zoo animals
Sweet wafer Bird
Lipton tea wasp (or bee?)
Chocolate candy Lion
Soup mix Kangaroos
Sugarless Gum Fish
Dinner Curry clogs, Fujifilm sneakers
Flower, Emperor and Empress, Frogs
Pocari Sweat (Japanese gatorade) Robot
Those who found themselves in this part of the Castle could also sit down and make something out of trash, which is exactly what our resident garbage-artist did.
Dylan presents his "penguin nest," made out of old videotape and other plastic odds and ends:
Sunday, August 31, 2008
fish in the sky
The Sky Aquarium, Mori Tower observation deck, Roppongi Hills
Most of the fish tanks were inside a dark exhibit hall. This big blue sphere was my favorite...
Most of the fish tanks were inside a dark exhibit hall. This big blue sphere was my favorite...
Saturday, August 30, 2008
I've made mistakes before, but....
...I feel really bad about this one.
So the boys and I were wandering through Roppongi Hills when we decided to go up to the top of the Mori Tower (52nd floor, 360-degree view of the city) so we could visit the Sky Aquarium, a temporary installation featuring all kinds of pretty fish. That part was great. But then....we made our way over to the Mori Art Museum, which is on the same floor. (The price of admission is included in the Viewing Tower ticket, which ain't cheap, so I was thinking we'd get our money's worth.) The exhibit changes every 2-3 months or so, and right now it's showing Annette Messager: The Messengers.
And now Conor is having nightmares.
OK, so I don't know for sure that he is, but I wouldn't be surprised. We had been in the exhibit hall for five minutes - the first room featured a series of authentic-looking birds and small mammals ('taxidermied'? 'taxidermal'?) with cartoonish stuffed animal heads -- when he said, in a low, slightly panicky voice, "I don't like this place. Can we get out of here? I don't want to be in this place."
"Freaky," added Dylan, staring at some ragged, deflated furry animal costumes and fake limbs dangling from cables.
I grabbed their hands and started walking quickly toward the exit, but it was just like the Ikea Marketplace: there was only one way to go, and the way out forced us to hit every department, or in this case, see every strange ensemble and disturbing set piece. We picked up the pace, through more doorways and down more halls, then up a ramp past some bright red silky sheet, spread across the floor, fans underneath puffing it up and making it billow, and I was reminded of that scene in "The Shining" when the hallway fills with blood...
Then we saw the bat. The wings of black cloth stretched along a wall, maybe 6-ft. across; the "face" was a photographic composite of a wide-open (screaming) human mouth and two bulging eyeballs. "Don't look," I said, and of course they did (who wouldn't?) and then we were running.
Outside the exihibit, heading to the elevator, Conor, now crying, demanded to know why I made them see that. I swear I don't know.
update 9/11: I found this image online (wish I could find one of the bat)
So the boys and I were wandering through Roppongi Hills when we decided to go up to the top of the Mori Tower (52nd floor, 360-degree view of the city) so we could visit the Sky Aquarium, a temporary installation featuring all kinds of pretty fish. That part was great. But then....we made our way over to the Mori Art Museum, which is on the same floor. (The price of admission is included in the Viewing Tower ticket, which ain't cheap, so I was thinking we'd get our money's worth.) The exhibit changes every 2-3 months or so, and right now it's showing Annette Messager: The Messengers.
And now Conor is having nightmares.
OK, so I don't know for sure that he is, but I wouldn't be surprised. We had been in the exhibit hall for five minutes - the first room featured a series of authentic-looking birds and small mammals ('taxidermied'? 'taxidermal'?) with cartoonish stuffed animal heads -- when he said, in a low, slightly panicky voice, "I don't like this place. Can we get out of here? I don't want to be in this place."
"Freaky," added Dylan, staring at some ragged, deflated furry animal costumes and fake limbs dangling from cables.
I grabbed their hands and started walking quickly toward the exit, but it was just like the Ikea Marketplace: there was only one way to go, and the way out forced us to hit every department, or in this case, see every strange ensemble and disturbing set piece. We picked up the pace, through more doorways and down more halls, then up a ramp past some bright red silky sheet, spread across the floor, fans underneath puffing it up and making it billow, and I was reminded of that scene in "The Shining" when the hallway fills with blood...
Then we saw the bat. The wings of black cloth stretched along a wall, maybe 6-ft. across; the "face" was a photographic composite of a wide-open (screaming) human mouth and two bulging eyeballs. "Don't look," I said, and of course they did (who wouldn't?) and then we were running.
Outside the exihibit, heading to the elevator, Conor, now crying, demanded to know why I made them see that. I swear I don't know.
update 9/11: I found this image online (wish I could find one of the bat)
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Ebisu Garden Place
So we leave Terry alone for one month and he buys a purse.
Sorry, "men's carry-all" (calling Seinfeld...)
Sorry, "men's carry-all" (calling Seinfeld...)
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Sunny Wednesday!
Things are starting to turn around here: we're officially unpacked, the kids are sleeping past 6 am and the sun finally came out (briefly) so I took the boys to Arisugawa Park for a bit. The bubbling brook, shade trees and stone steps were as lovely as ever.
Later on we joined our neighbors Karen and Sienna and hit the Children's Castle's rooftop pool, a temporary, shallow thing with lifeguards, a poolside shower, and benches and tables under tents, where parents sit and watch and supervise swimsuit changes and snack breaks. As we entered the pool zone -- after purchasing tickets for 200 yen a piece from a vending machine, which also dispenses little speedos and one-piece suits for girls, for a small rental fee -- the attendant handed each of us moms a little plastic crate for our stuff (with handles, like the baskets you carry around the grocery store when you're only getting a few items).I don't know if the staffers in white shirts were trained lifeguards, all I know is that they kept a closer eye on this pool than the teenagers in charge of my parents' country club pool back home. One of them stopped Conor from completely stripping off Dylan's suit during some sort of dragging game. She even waded into the water to help retie his drawstring. It's okay to show your bare ass in the onsen, but not here!
It's too bad that this pool, and every other outdoor pool in the city, I'm told, closes for the season on Sunday, August 31 -- the official end to summer. Apparently the locals also stop going to the beaches once August is over, which is why expats are advised to take their weekend shore trips in September, when it's still hot and humid but the crowds have gone. We are thinking of going to Kamakura next week.At one point I had to bench Conor for shoving his brother down in the pool. Sigh. (How many more days until school starts?)
The ramps you see in the distance behind him lead to a few different tricycle-riding areas and a basketball hoop, all part of the castle complex.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Rainy Tuesday
If this photo was on Flickr, these would be the tags: rainbow-whale mural; guy napping; pedestrian bridge; Yoyogi Park; Tokyo
Today the kids spent the afternoon doing various crafts with their Japanese teacher, Eriko (she offers a "holiday camp" this last week before school starts, bless her), so I took the opportunity to walk through Yoyogi Park, alone, as in, by myself, no kids to chase or scold or look after. I love my boys, of course, but the three of us have shared, how should I put it, abundant quality time together this summer, feel me? (we're back watching The Wire, Season 5).
The park was practically deserted (due to the rain, I suspect) except for a few joggers and a group of young men singing under the shelter of a gazebo (choir practice?). There were a few other random people about, including two dudes who paused like me to appreciate this bit of pink.
I walked from the east end of the park to the west, then up and around the north end, until my legs ached and I had to get back to business and run some errands before picking up the boys. They had a full day, making shaved ice with syrup, traditional Japanese fans, and "stone art" (they painted some rocks). And because I had time to go to the grocery store, there was milk at dinner.
Today the kids spent the afternoon doing various crafts with their Japanese teacher, Eriko (she offers a "holiday camp" this last week before school starts, bless her), so I took the opportunity to walk through Yoyogi Park, alone, as in, by myself, no kids to chase or scold or look after. I love my boys, of course, but the three of us have shared, how should I put it, abundant quality time together this summer, feel me? (we're back watching The Wire, Season 5).The park was practically deserted (due to the rain, I suspect) except for a few joggers and a group of young men singing under the shelter of a gazebo (choir practice?). There were a few other random people about, including two dudes who paused like me to appreciate this bit of pink.
I walked from the east end of the park to the west, then up and around the north end, until my legs ached and I had to get back to business and run some errands before picking up the boys. They had a full day, making shaved ice with syrup, traditional Japanese fans, and "stone art" (they painted some rocks). And because I had time to go to the grocery store, there was milk at dinner.
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