Teeth

Last week, as Yuuki was biting my thumb as he likes to these days, I felt something hard and sharp....something I've never felt before...I opened his mouth and saw...Yuuki's bottom front teeth!! I was so amazed...my little baby has teeth already! He is growing up so fast. Yuuki wouldn't let me take a picture of his teeth, but here he is, all grown up!

Eihosai, Yutenji

Before our walk around Yutenji, we filled our empty stomachs with delicious Chinese food at Eihosai (03-5721-3666) on Komazawa-dori. I had been wanting to check this restaurant out for a while, and it was a great hit!!

It is mainly Taiwanese-Chinese cuisine with some Shanghai flavor to it. Their dishes are not greasy, but very light and elegant. Their price range is also very reasonable, so you can try out many dishes which is lots of fun. I definitely recommend coming here if you want to eat Chinese that will make you and your wallet happy : )

Let me eat too Mommy!!!

Walk around Yutenji

The day after Mizuki got back from San Fransisco, we went for a walk around our neighborhood, Yutenji. Yutenji is just three stations on the Tokyu Toyoko Line from Shibuya (Shibuya is a town for young people and shopping, famous for its multiple crossing with thousands of people...you've probably seen it on a guide book or an image picture of Tokyo). Despite being only three stations away from such a busy part of Tokyo, it is a cute little town with a flavor of its own, with little local shops that have been here for many years still in business. In a supermarket-dominant society like Tokyo, it is difficult for small shops to compete, but here in Yutenji, we still have a butcher, a flower shop, a non-Starbucks local cafe, a general store, a house ware store, a pharmacy, a bakery, a liquor shop, etc.  There is a very nostalgic feeling to this town, where people still know each other and say hello. On the other hand, it is also becoming a trendy spot for artsy people, and many new galleries, furniture shops, and restaurants are making its debut in Yutenji. It is definitely an interesting little town with so much to look forward to. I grew up in a more residential  and established area of Tokyo, so it is all very new to me and I am beginning to like it here in Yutenji.

The name, Yutenji, is the name of a buddhist temple that represents this area. It is an old and grand temple that has been around since the 1700s. 

Anyways, we had a nice long walk around Yutenji. We put Yuuki in the Baby Bjorn carrier so he can face the world. I usually put him in a carrier that faces my chest, so Yuuki loved his new view!

As we walked on Komazawa-dori, we passed by a gallery called Happa where they were having a photo exhibition by Ikuko Soda, with pictures from her latest trip to India. I heard they had free curry and chai but I guess we got there too late. 

There was a little shop behind the gallery that had cute little things made by artists. 

After walking a bit, we ended up in Nakameguro, the town next to ours. There was an antique shop we had been wanting to check out, and guess what we found!! A baby USC sweatshirt :) I've never seen a blue UCLA-colored USC sweatshirt before! How rare....but it was $100.....couldn't get it. 

On our way home, Yuuki fell asleep....he seemed very happy to be able to spend time with his daddy. 

Puppet Show

I got a cute little piglet puppet from my friends Yukiko and Kimiko, and the boys love it! Well, Sosuke cried a little when I played peek-a-boo, but Yuuki seems to love it. Either way, it really grabs kids' attention! Thank you Yukiko and Kimiko for such a cute gift : )

Yuuki's favorite toy

Being first-time parents, we have both bought and been gifted many many toys for Yuuki. But somehow, Yuuki's favorite toy seems to be my cell phone. Japanese cell phones have so many different ring tones and the it also shines and glitters when it rings, so it actually is a great toy for Yuuki. Sometimes he presses buttons I don't even know of and my phone goes weird, but if it'll keep him quiet for a while I guess it'll have to do.

So much fun!!!

Kamata

The other day, my parents took Yuuki and I to Kamata, a little suburban town in Tokyo. I wanted to go to Yuzawaya to get some yarn to knit a scarf for myself. Yuzawaya is like the mother ship of all arts and craft stores in Tokyo. They have multiple locations, but I think the biggest store is in Kamata. Kamata is like Yuzawaya Town and they have at least 4 separate buildings that handle different craft goods and gadgets galore.  Endless rows of ribbons, buttons, prints, beads, art supplies, stationary, and yarn fill the stores! I only went to the yarn section, but it would definitely take days, maybe even weeks to browse through all the stores. This place must be heaven for crafty people.

After getting the yarn, we took a walk around the town. It is an interesting town, Kamata. Kamata is an industrial town where lots of small and medium sized businesses are located. There is a big shopping arcade  with lots of local stores selling daily goods and supplies, a little diner that's been around for years, a local barber, a fruit shop, etc. They have old-fashioned neon lights all over the arcade, and Yuuki was just mesmerized by all the bright colors.