Japanese Cooking

A while back, my friend Ronna and her daughter Sara-chan came over for a Japanese food lesson by my mother (I am so lucky to have her as my mother, she is the best cook!!)  Ronna had been wanting to learn how to make "korrokke," the Japanese version of croquettes.  It is a typical Japanese home dish which is a very popular among children and men (why do men love anything that's deep-fried?). Just like the French version, it is usually a cylinder shape, with mashed potatoes, meat, and vegetables inside, deep fried with bread crumbs. We eat it with Tonkatsu-sauce, which is a type of sauce made from vegetables, fruit, and spices. It goes so well with rice...I am getting hungry just thinking about it!!!!

We also made "Chirashi-zushi," a type of cake sushi.

Yuuki loves Sara-chan and he goes to hug her all the time....! He's in for a tight competition, though, since Sara-chan has lots of "boy" friends.

Ronna and I met so randomly, in a baby diaper station at Tokyu department store in Shibuya. Since then we've become friends and I love watching Yuuki and Sara-chan play.

I hope we can share each other's culture like this more with other foreign mothers in Japan, too.

Mitsukoshi Department Store, Ginza

Shopping with a one-year-old is challenging. You must time his meal and nap meticulously so that you can shop while he sleeps in his stroller. The Mitsukoshi Department Store in Ginza did an entire makeover last year and is now very baby and mother friendly. They have a great outside garden on their rooftop where kids can run around and play (and get tired). Restaurants in the department store are also baby-friendly. The thing about Japanese department stores is the quality of the restaurants in them. It's not just a regular food court like in the States. They have 10-15 restaurants in all types of cuisines, and in all levels from fine-dining to cafes.

We had lunch at Minoru diner, a Japanese food cafeteria. They had a salad bar with all sorts of Japanese vegetable dishes, which was perfect for Yuuki and I.

After lunch we had gelato on the rooftop garden, and Yuuki ran all over the place he fell asleep on his stroller, giving us about an hour to shop: )!

Hydrangea

June is a time for beautiful hydrangea in Tokyo. They grow wildly all over, and I'd been tempted to cut and take some home with me until my next door neighbor brought some to me, thanking me for letting her play with Yuuki the other day.

I love little surprises like these.

They were truly beautiful.

Kinuta Park

A while back in June, we went to Kinuta Park in Setagaya with my friends from junior high/high school, Aiko, Chiharu, and Sachi. We are all mothers now, which is really hard to believe. It seems just yesterday we laughed at every little thing in our check skirts and navy blazers.

Since the park used to be golf course, it has endless green lawns which is very rare in Tokyo. How good it feels to walk in green grass barefoot: )

It was a gorgeous day for a picnic and the mothers enjoyed beer under the sunny sky.

Thanks for such a beautiful day!!

Bon-Odori

About 2 weekends ago, we went to Yuutenji temple to enjoy Bon-odori (bon dance). Bon-odori is a kind of folk dance held at temples during the time of "obon," where we welcome our deceased ancestors. At the time of "obon, " people usually go back to their homelands, and it is a time for big family gatherings, kind of like Thanksgiving in the U.S. Although the standard dates for "obon" is in August, the date the Bon-odori is held varies at each temple. Yuutenji temple has its Bon-odori festival a bit earlier in July, so we went to go have some fun since Yuuki seemed to be feeling a little better from his cold. (Which turned out to be false, and his fever rose again at night..:( So sorry Yuuki for taking you out...)

The Bon-odori is a big festival where there are lots of food stands and game stands all around the dance circle. Somehow $5 beer cans, greasy yakisoba, and sweet cotton candy taste so good in that atmosphere. People wear Yukata, a summer cotton kimono and enjoy dancing, eating, and playing games. It is a very special time of year, and I am sure Yuuki will love it when he grows up. We are very lucky to have such a big temple that holds a great Bon-odori festival.

We were able to meet up with the Kimoto's our ex-neighbors in Santa Monica, who were back in Tokyo for the summer. Emma-chan, their daughter looked so cute in her Yukata. She had been practicing one of the Bon dances at her Japanese kindergarden, and was able to dance to one of the songs that she practiced! Yay Emma!

Daddy to the rescue

Last weekend, Yuuki caught a cold and had a fever of over 100 degrees. He has only been sick once before, so I was so worried which only added stress to my already deteriorating situation. We were locked up at home for 4 days, eating, taking a bath, and sleeping together, Mizuki, Yuuki, and I. By the forth day everyone was tired of each other, but thank goodness Yuuki's fever has gone down. 

Mizuki has been a super dad, making all meals for us. He's been so supportive and nice to me, but I've been so bitchy to him.....I am so sorry. I took all my stress out on Mizuki, since I don't know where else to discharge it, not being able to get out of the house with Yuuki clinging on to me 24/7. Poor Mizuki. He would say something to try and comfort me like..."you should go take a yoga lesson" only to be backfired by "yoga? how do you think i can go to yoga with Yuuki clinging on to me? who's going to take care of him? you can't comfort him when he's crying these days. i don't have any freedom anymore!"

It's such a vicious circle. I think Yuuki feels my stress and he's also been in a bad mood these days. I really find that the mother's health both mentally and physically is essential for a happy child. I've never had a problem with Yuuki, he's been so happy until recently, I don't know how to deal with a weepy baby which makes me more worried and agitated. 

I am so sorry for bitching so much!!! However, this is helping me get some poison out of my system. It's very therapeutic. 

Fear of the invisible

I've been stressed out lately. Since 3.11, so many things have changed. I've been trying to act normal, trying to go on with life as before because I thought that was the way to support victims and to keep this country moving forward...but it's stressful. Stressful because nothing is just the same anymore. It's even more stressful because everyone is trying so hard to act normal when it's not. 

I turn on the TV and there is much talk about radioactive contamination in food. Last week, government authorities tested for contamination in beef, and most of the beef from Fukushima tested positive. I've already been avoiding seafood, and now meat. However, the tone of the media in Japan is mostly, "Oh, if you don't eat the contaminated meat everyday for the rest of your life it's okay. Just a little is okay. Don't worry too much." or "Oh, we should trust the authorities, they are saying it's okay." or even "Let's buy vegetables and meat from Fukushima, we need to support them!" What?????? Are you crazy?? It makes me sick how blind and stupid and ignorant these people sound. I have a one year old baby to raise in this sad country. I don't want even the slightest amount of radioactive contamination in the food I serve Yuuki. There may be no effect immediately, but I don't want to see any of our children in pain 10, or maybe even 20 years from now. These children are the hope for Japanese future, but the government is doing nothing to protect them. I resent the fact that I must raise children in this country where no crisis management is present. 

I've stopped shopping at my neighborhood super market where they do not conduct any radioactive testing. It surprises me that most supermarkets in Japan don't have radioactive testings yet. Still, I don't see decline in people shopping at regular supermarkets. I buy all my food at Oisix now, an online supermarket where they have strict radioactive testing systems and disclose them. 

I've stopped drinking/feeding tapped water.       

I've stopped going to parks now since I am afraid of contamination in the playgrounds. 

At an individual level, these little things are all I can do to protect my family, to protect Yuuki from the invisible fear. It is so much easier to pretend everything is okay, to live just like before. I know though, that there will be a big difference in the long run for those who take preventative measures and for those who don't.

I never knew that not having a security in such fundamental products like food will bring so much stress.

Although it's stressful, as a mother, I must continue. I only hope all mothers do the same. 

Hammock for Father's Day

We went to Karuizawa in June for Father's day and put up the hammock we bought for my dad. The beautiful marine colors of the Brazilian hammock we chose were perfect in the refreshing greenery. It was my dad's dream come true to lay on a hammock with his grandson. They both seemed very happy: )

I was also able to read a book on the hammock in the morning with Yuuki. It was a bit chilly in the morning so Yuuki and I cuddled up together in a blanket. Yuuki drifted off to dreamland while I was able to finish an entire novel......so nice. 

Yuuki's Bath

We are trying to do everything and anything that will keep us cool from the Tokyo heat.
I bathe Yuuki about three times a day so he won't get rashes from sweat!! Also I am not fond of air conditioner, but am constantly in an air-conditioned room, so it's nice to take a cool shower to escape the air conditioner.

Thank goodness Yuuki loves the bath!!

Lazy Afternoon in Karuizawa

Yuuki and me

Finding a balance

Being a mom is tough.

Of course, you love your child and you love spending time with him, and your heart melts when he calls you or gives you a big smile or he is able to do something he wasn't able to the day before.

It's all so special and I would never exchange anything for this special time I have with Yuuki.

But the more fun you have with your child in the daytime, the more exhausting it is for the mom!!! I must face, I am not that young anymore.....Especially in this Tokyo summer heat, there is not one drop of energy left in me by the time Yuuki goes to sleep. I want to do so many other things when I don't have him clinging on to me, like doing the laundry, cleaning up the house, washing the dishes, taking a nice long bath, reading a book, getting some work done, writing emails, studying, cooking, catching up with friends....etc....but by the time I put Yuuki to sleep, breastfeeding him on the bed, I am often asleep with him, my boobs sticking out, and my hair still wet from the shower.

I really wonder how other mothers do it. And I only have one child.....my mom had three....! How did she ever do it??? Before I had Yuuki, I never thought of being a housewife as a job. I mean, how hard could it be? Being at home seemed so easy and fun. Now, I respect all mothers who are housewives. It's tough work, and it's endless. There is no explicit compensation to keep you motivated. (Of course your family's health and smiles are all worth it, bla bla bla) It is such a big mistake to think that being a housewife is an easy job. I know there are rewards beyond what money can bring in the long run, and please don't misunderstand, I love being a mother and I wouldn't change anything for this time as a housewife now. I am just having a major realization that being a "housewife" is a major job in and of itself, just as much as a "job" that you get paid for outside. It scares me to think I only realized this recently, and that there are so many other young women thinking that working outside is more work.

The Tortured Artist

Tanabata

Tonight, July 7th, was the day of the Tanabata. The "Tanabata” means the night of the seventh, and it holds special meaning based on an ancient Japanese fairy tale. The tale is about two lovers that live up in the sky, Orihime and Hikoboshi. Orihime (the weaving princess) was a princess who wove beautiful cloth for her father, the emperor of the sky. She met Hikoboshi (a cowboy), and fell deeply in love. They soon married and were too happy being with each other they stopped working. This made the emperor of the sky very mad and they were separated by the Milky Way. Since then, they are allowed to meet only on the 7th night of the 7th month. However, if it rains, Orihime cannot cross the Milky Way so they must wait another year to meet. It's a very romantic but sad story....It didn't rain this year, so I think they were able to meet.

It is custom now to write our wishes on a tanzaku, a piece of paper and decorate it on a bamboo.

It was Yuuki's first Tanabata in Japan. He wrote a wish as well, but I don't understand Yuukish yet, so only he knows what he wished for. May all his wishes come true....

Nakameguro Park

Today, we went to Nakameguro Park. It's close to my sister, Yumiko's house so she always goes here, but for some reason it was our first time. The park is located by the Meguro river, but it is on a hill so a nice breeze comes through. They also have great fresh green grass which quite is rare for Tokyo. Yuuki and I enjoyed walking barefoot and blowing bubbles. The weather was cloudy, but we had such a fun day!

Shopping with Grandma

Yuuki and two paintings

Playing at Yuutenji temple

Yuuki and I are great at making everywhere our backyard. We played at Yuutenji Temple, which is just about a 5 minute walk from our house. It's great to have such a wonderful environment around us. 

Rediscovering Japan: Hayama/Hakone

On Monday, we went on a trip to Hakone with Mizuki's parents.

We left Tokyo around 10 am, and stopped over at Hayama, a beautiful city by the sea with a marina. I wanted to have lunch at La Maree de Chaya by the sea, but we got there only to find they were closed on Mondays...: ( My bad for not making reservations!!!

So we went to Marlow, where they are famous for the custard puddings!! They also have a great food menu that uses locally and organically grown vegetables and seafood. Everything we had was delicious.

After lunch we drove for about another hour or so to Hakone. We went to Hakone Ginyu, which was a relaxing Japanese ryokan/ Bali resort fusion onsen. They welcomed us with drinks on their balcony overlooking the mountains of Hakone. They were built on a cliff, so they have the view of the entire mountain on the other side. You are actually at the eye level of birds soaring the mountains, and it was breathtaking. The fresh greenery this time of year was exquisite...the colors reminded me of a painting by Kaii Higashiyama, a Japanese painter I love. They say he traveled all around Japan for beautiful scenery... he may just have seen this scenery as well.

Each room had its own private bathtub outside, and we could enjoy the onsen and the scenery at once. Truly refreshing. Yuuki loooooved the bathtub, and he played until his fingers were wrinkly. It's great to have a private tub especially with babies since you can hop in as many times as you want. Mizuki and I were able to enjoy a starry night onsen while Yuuki slept in the room where we could see.

We all had a great time and we were so happy Yuuki was able to spend some quality time with his grandparents.