31 July 08

We had to cry off from our playdate with Bettina and Tim as both our colds got worse overnight. Emily is coughing and sneezing a lot and my nose is congested. I wonder if I ought to wear a face mask, as so many Japanese do when they are sick?

At least it was cooler today - only 30C! The weatherman said that in July there were 23 days when it was 30C or more. It was good to open the windows and hear the outside world as it can seem like a cage when the aircon is on. The dominant noise was cicadas buzzing. Weird how you can always hear them but never spot one.

30 July 08

Nick's American buddy Aidan is in town, and he met us at Izumi Garden Tower for lunch. It didn't seem more than a year since we saw him at his wedding to Sachi in California. I was only 14 weeks pregnant then, and really fed up that I couldn't get all that champagne, red wine and beer down my neck (Aidan is a good drinker - must be the Irish blood - and there was booze aplenty). Nick got fairly well tanked that night and we had a bit of a row - the demon drink, indeed.


Anyway, we had a nice hour with him and ate some passable Indonesian fare. I don't think that he is a big child-lover but luckily Emily behaved very well. I made the mistake of enquiring if he and Sachi were thinking about a baby - as they were here for a family wedding I think he'd had his fill of being quizzed about it.


Afterwards I walked to Aoyama Itchome for a TNMG meeting at Ai-port. The weather was almost bearable for once - maybe the massive thunderstorm we had yesterday evening cleared the air (as well as leaving some train lines suspended and thousands of homes without electricity). I made the 40 minute walk without expiring, and got to see yet another new part of Tokyo to boot: Aoyama cemetery. It's a big green lung, about 1km square. The crisscrossing roads through the memorial area are lined with old cherry trees that must look fabulous at Hanami time.


The meeting was for those of us who had volunteered to be mentors. We are making ourselves available to those new to motherhood or to Tokyo, or both, to show the ropes and generally be a friend. Emily had fun playing with the wooden toys and hopefully picked up a few new things from the other babies, who were all older than her. I hope she and I didn't pass on the cold that we both have at the moment.

29 July 08

We met Jean, the Singaporean, and her baby Valerie at Ebisu for lunch. Another place I hadn't been to before. There is a large open retail and leisure centre there and we found seats outside Mitsukoshi department store. I didn't hold much hope for the food but actually it was quite good and not too pricey. Emily enjoyed trying a big juicy cherry from the top of my dessert, and got a purple moustache. We went round the store afterwards briefly; I am gradually going native, and am now the proud owner of a couple of sweat cloths. Just about everyone carries one of these small flannels at this time of year to mop their brow. Having always said that I dislike shopping, I was surprised to find myself attracted to nearly every display. How many bags does one woman really need? One more won't hurt...! The Japanese mania for shopping is contagious.

Afterwards I braved the humidity and walked beside the Yamanote tracks for half an hour to Gotanda, where I got Emily a multicoloured playmat. She is never going to learn to crawl on our slippery floor so this should give her some traction. Also it is made of foam so should cushion her if she falls while sitting, as she sometimes still does.

27 July 08

After a slow start to the day we thought we'd better get out for a while, so we decided to go for a walk around the Imperial Palace gardens. My idea to get lunch in Otemachi first was a bad one: this is a business district and the Sunday streets were deserted and restaurants all closed. Eventually we found a building that was open and had a number of places to eat, though from the outside it just looked another office block.

By the time we emerged and went to the bridge over the moat it had clouded over and looked quite threatening. We had to employ umbrellas for a while and it reminded us of the day we were there almost exactly two years ago on our trip, when we caught the tail end of the rainy season and it rained torrentially for the whole day. The Palace is a great green heart in the centre of the city, though parts are off limits, reserved for the imperial family.

I don't think it is as nice as some of the parks but pleasant enough. We walked around for half an hour but I was being bitten a lot and Emily was grizzling with heat and tiredness.

After we'd put Emily to bed there was a beautiful sunset

followed by a magnificent thunder storm to the north, with some awesome lightning bolts that seemed to last for seconds. There appeared to be a lot of building strikes. It caused such a strong wind to blow that we turned off the aircon and opened windows front and back to get a through-draught as it gets so stuffy after days of being cooped up. One gust was so strong that some of the hall doors slammed violently, yet Emily didn't stir.

26 July 08

A bit of a quiet Saturday, apart from a quick trip to a new garden I'd founbd about about, Kyuu Shibarikyu at nearby Hamamatsucho. It is very much in the style of Hamarikyu, which is close by. There's a central lake with an island, several manmade hillocks studded with volcanic rocks and the ever-present (but always attractive) trained pine trees.

It was a nice place to stroll for half an hour and a good option for walks with Emily once the weather cools down. She enjoyed sitting in the grass (and trying to eat it).

25 July 08

Emily has started saying 'mumumum'. Of course she has no idea what it means, but it's good to hear after weeks of 'a-goo' and 'a-ba'. I'll have to encourage her to say 'dadadad' or Nick will be jealous!


It's hard to believe it could be any hotter, but it certainly felt it when we went to meet Nick at lunchtime. I think we'll have to meet indoors for the next month or so. I was reflecting that I've spent most of my summers desperately trying to get a tan, and this time I've achieved one without even trying. In fact, I actively avoid being in the sun whenever possible for Emily's sake.
After we parted from Nick I had to detour into a Starbucks to cool down and to feed Emily. It was lunchtime and therefore very busy with office workers. I felt like a fish out of water among those drones, and it's hard to remember that I used to be one of them. I wonder if I ever will be again? My brain is so muddled that I can't believe I will ever be able to hold down a job. It's definitely something that's happened to my mind since I became pregnant. I keep saying the wrong words; turning into Mrs Malaprop.

We carried on a few streets away to Nandemo, the children's playplace in Akasaka. It's good for Emily to play with different toys and see other children, but I also wanted to go there because they had paddling pools out for the summer. I got Emily into a swimming nappy and put her in the smallest, warmest pool. It only had two inches of water in it so she could sit up OK. She seemed happy enough and it was a good way to cool her down. In the next pool up it was quite a bit cooler but she tolerated it. The next one up was too much though, and she started crying, so it was end of session for the day.

24 July 08

We were shaken awake at 12.30am by a quake that turned out to be a 6+ up in Iwate prefecture. That's the second one in a month in the area we are going with Graham, Pam and Kate in September! Unlike last month this one was very deep though, so there was only mild structural damagea nd a few minor injuries. They use a different scale here, so I'm not sure what a 6+ in Japan equates to in Richter scale terms.

23 July 08

After a day at home hiding from the heat, I was glad to get out and go to the new mums group despite it being another scorcher. This time it was in a different place again - Tokyo Metroplitan Childrens Hall at Shibuya. Considering so many are away on vacation it was a good turn out with about 20 mums attending. The Hall is a fantastic resource for kids with 5 floors of activities and I can see it will be a good place to take Emily when she is a bit older. The play area for babies was not as well equipped as some of the other jidokan we've been to, with mainly soft toys, but there was a large crate of plastic shapes and I sat Emily down at one corner so she could dip in and play with them. Several people commented on how well she was sitting compared with the last meeting a fortnight ago. I was able to withdraw a little way and chat as she was very stable and happily absorbed in what she was doing.




Afterwards a few of us went for a drink and Emily insisted on sipping my mango frappuchino (you try and stop her!). She didn't seem to mind it being so ice-cold and got a big orange moustache that I had to lick off, to the amusement of other people around us at the cafe.

21 July 08

It was rather lovely waking up next to Emily. She was on a futon between ours, and made it through to about 5am before she stirred. I can see the attraction for those who do have their baby in bed with them, and it's easier wth futons.


We took her down to breakfast with us as there was no way she was going to nap, and when we got to our table we found that they'd made up an impromptu sort of bed for her by pushing two wicker chairs together and padding it with towels. So thoughtful, and it made it easier for us to eat as she could sit up in there unaided. We had lots of little dishes, mostly savoury, and even a miniature stove each to cook our own omlette on. As always Emily showed a lot of interest in what we were eating and tried my yogurt and a boysenberry. She wasn't impressed with a strip of seaweed though. Our table was in the window of the dining room and had a great panoramic view of the garden and river.

After checking out we walked up through town in the hot sunshine for a kilometre to the cable station that whisks you up to Mount Hodo.

It's only about 700 metres high but on a good day it has fine views. Today was too hazy to see much but we enjoyed the short ride up in the 1950s car. At the top (wooded, as most of Japans hills are), there were lots of plum trees that must look fantastic in springtime. Everywhere there was a soundtrack of cicadas chirruping. I thought I saw one but it was just an empty skin that had been shed on a leaf. We walked back down the mountainside to the town; the track was very quiet and tranquil, with lots of butterflies and wild flowers.

In need of shelter and cool air we dived into a little family noodle restaurant and ordered homemade soba noodles with mountain vegetables. Very tasty. We tarried a while so that we could give Emily her lunch, an extremely bland dried cod and vegetable mixture. Waiting for our train back it was unbelievably hot, yet I saw a woman wearing thick black elbow gloves. It is common to see ladies wearing these to keep their arms white, but these were exceptionally thick and it made me shudder to think of wearing such a thing. We were surprised to only see a handful of gaijin in such a lovely place, but then Nagatoro isn't in the guide books, amazingly. It's funny how I feel put out whenever I see a foreigner, as if they don't have as much right to be there as I do.

On the train, I observed a particularly good example of the Japanese love affair with all things Western: a young guy had a key fob that said 'Bump of Chicken'. What is that about?! They like to have seemingly random English writing on their clothes. People's T-shirts often have a string of words that make no sense at all. I shall have to note some of the odder ones.

20 July 08

Having seen to Emily's requirements, we set off for our night away in Chichibu, north of Tokyo. Ths was also by way of being a reccy for when Nick's family come, as there is a steam train that runs on the second leg of the route from Kumagaya to Nagatoro which Graham would like to ride.

We made our way to Ueno in the searing midday heat, to pick up the first of two trains. When we got there, as we were stood deliberating about which platform to go to, a woman fell onto me. At first I thought that she'd fainted and was concerned for her. Then I suspected that she was feigning illness in order to rob me as she was all over me, and tried to push her off. Finally we decided that she must be very drunk (although I couldn't actually smell alcohol on her). Much later it occurred to me that she might be having a diabetic hypo and I felt guilty. Every time I pushed her off she started to fall and I had to steady her. I began to get very hot and flustered and people were stopping to look; I was worrying that they might think an evil gaijin was trying to attack her, but luckily an onlooker had gone to fetch a member of staff. Mind you, he was young and seemed unsure what to do either. The drunk then latched into Nick's arm and would not let him go, though he had the buggy with Emily. Finally we managed to prise her off and make our escape, though not before hearing that she was bound for the same place as us.

Boarding the train later, sure enough, she was on the first carriage we tried, lying on the floor. We swiftly moved down the platform. The first leg seemed to take ages as it was a local train, though it was actually only an hour. It mainly passed through urban areas before finally getting out into villages dotted among rice fields. At Kumagaya we switched onto another local train for a further 50 minute journey into the wooded hills of the national park. The tracks ran alongside the attractive Aragawa river near our destination, Nagatoro, with lovely bamboo nodding beside it.

Disembarking we found our way easily to the nearby ryokan we'd booked: Chouseikan. At 20,000 yen (£100) each per night it was bound to be nice and we weren't disappointed. It was situated right on the banks of the river just where it emerges from a limestone gorge, and our spacious tatami room had a balcony looking out over the beautiful garden onto the water.

It would have been easy to stay in the cool room and drink in the view, but we decided to make the most of the afternoon remaining and go down to the river. It was extremely busy on the stony beach below, it being a holiday weekend, and boat trips departed from there so there were queues for that. Also, it was the finish point for white water dinghy trips and those aboard were jumping off to bob in the fast-moving current. Some groups were leaping about 10 feet off the rocks opposite. A few lads, probably locals, were tombstoning off higher rocks further up too.

Nick, always keen to go in any river or sea almost regardless of season, changed and got straight in. Unfortunately it was only a few feet deep just there, and where it was deeper further out, it was running too swiftly to bathe safely. He took Emily down to 'paddle' and she seemed to like it once she got used to the cold water.

Then it was my turn and I was determined not to chicken out. I felt a bit self-conscious with so many people around, especially as I have quite a tummy still, but somehow it didn't seem to matter as much because they weren't westerners. Lord knows why that should be. I was busting out of my bikini top, if you pardon the pun, and on emerging I felt a bit like Ursula Andress (in my dreams!). Anyway, the river wasn't as chilly as I'd feared, and because the air temperature was above 30 degrees with no breeze I didn't get cold once I'd got out again. I stayed in for a few minutes and even ventured out into the faster water as far as I dared.

They had provided a cute little chair for Emily so we used it to feed her (first time using packet food).

Afterwards she settled down immediately on her futon without any fuss. We went downstairs and were ushered along to our very own private dining room (each room eats in a separate booth). It felt almost like we were on a honeymoon somehow. Luckily the traditional tatami room had a footwell under the table, as I always get pins and needles if I have to sit on the floor. The large table was already set with several small dishes each, and the serving girl brought a small glass of complimentary chilled umeshu (plum liqueur).

She kept on bringing more and more food and in all we must have had about a dozen dishes each, plus a large salmon hotpot which cooks on a hotplate in the centre of the table (it would normally be meat but Nick had told them I am a pescatarian in advance). It's great to eat in ryokan, but it's never a la carte. A local speciality is a fish caught in the river, crusted with salt and cooked on a wooden spear over charcoal, and served skewered on a little straw bale.

I baulked at eating the poor thing with its teeth bared in a rictus grin. Even Nick couldn't eat all of it; the internal organs looked very unappetising. This was the first time that I'd felt so full in Japan: the dishes are always so small that even with many of them you don't usually feel stuffed.

We bided our time until 10 when we could wake Emily, sitting drowsily out in the hall with a small bottle of sake. It's odd staying at a ryokan with all the guests wandering around in their yukata (cotton robe) and slippers, even for dinner. It was way too hot to take advantage of the onsen bath, but we'd made up our minds already to come again in a cooler season.

19 July 08

Before I forget, I keep meaning to mention the lovely butterflies that flutter around the streets here. They are black with in sapphire blue, yellow and jade patterns, and are often the size of small birds, with very slow, lazy flaps.

It was 30C+, even in the shade, and we set out at the height of the sun for the BBQ at Odaiba, with Nick's departmental colleagues. Our chosen method of travel was the Urban Launch, a rather swish boat that makes the trip across from Shibaura to the reclaimed island.

The views on the 20 minute journey were superb: we could see the full expanse of buildings along the water's edge for miles, and lots of bird-like loading cranes. The boat passed under multi-layered Rainbow Bridge, which spans the bay for a couple of miles.

On disembarking we found an attractive waterfront with plenty of trees and artfully-arranged rusting anchors along the shore. There were a couple of small islands just offshore, also reclaimed, inhabited only by colonies of cormorants.

We walked along the bay as quickly as we could bear in the heat for 10 minutes or so to the designated BBQ area. It's possible to hire barbecues and tables and chairs, so you just bring your own provisions. The rest of the group had been there for a couple of hours (we were delayed by Emily's routine) so were already well-oiled. They had a kids paddling pool full of chilled water for the copious amounts of drink they'd brought. Unfortunately for me there wasn't any fish, only meat and veggies, so I didn't get to eat much.

The group of about 40 were all young and sure of themselves, as befits successful banking types. I got to meet Nick's very dynamic boss, Okazawa-san. He wasn't what I was expecting somehow, despite Nick's descriptions of him. Emily was very much the star of the show until a gaijin turned up with his adorable retriever, Max. That was fine, as she was hot and tired and being over-stimulated by all the attention. She was very keen to try our drinks and food. I enjoyed a can of an alcoholic grapefruit drink that packed a bit too much punch on such a hot day. One young guy said he wanted to marry Emily when she was 20 and he 47. Nick bridled a bit at that! I asked him if he was rich.

After the hire time had elapsed the others drifted away to carry on drinking, and Nick and I walked on further to see what else Odaiba had to offer. We found a building shaped like a ship, plus lots of boats moored up. There was a fab-looking water park that Emily will love in a year or two. A nice little cafe yielded fish and chips - not quite up to Whitby standards but very welcome as I was starving. We decided to take the elevated monorail back across to our side of the water as we were close to the station. It was a great ride with glorious views over the city and the bay. The track actually passes across Rainbow Bridge, with cars moving along right next to the carriage, before looping nearly 360 degrees beneath the bridge into Shibaura.

18 July 08

Emily wasn't so keen on chicken casserole second time around and it was quite a battle of wills to even get her to have half of it. However, when we went to meet Nick at lunchtime she was only too happy to join in with lunch by munching on sticks of carrot and cucumber, and sipping yogurt. She wasn't very taken with seaweed though!

Afterwards we went to Babies R Us at Kinshicho again, where I got some swimming nappies, as next week we hope to go to one of the temporary pools the children's halls set up in summer. At the store they'd got several toys for trying out, and Emily loved the bouncer. She looked very funny with her little legs dangling out the bottom but she soon got the hang of it and was jumping up and down with a big smile on her face.

It's tempting to get lots of things for her, but she will grow out of most of them so quickly, and we have limited storage at the flat for larger items like that.

Yet again she spent the whole train ride home shouting and squawking very noisily and attracting the attention of all in the carriage. It's hard to remember how annoying other people's kids were when I was childless, though in Japan she mostly draws indulgent smiles.

17 July 08

After our enjoyable visit to Shinjuku Gyoen at the weekend, I invited Geraldine, Bettina and Sam to join me there for a picnic. They are the only people I know who are stranded here in the heat and have not flown off home for a summer vacation (though Bettina goes next month for about four weeks - a real shame).

What a bad idea! It was really hot and humid and by the time I'd walked there from the station I was dripping. Emily and I sat on the picnic mat and waited for the others to arrive. It was close to 2 by the time they'd all turned up; we moved to the lake area and sat down under a tree with a view of the island. It seemed exactly the same temperature in the shade as it was under the sun and I had to employ a hand fan to stop us from overheating. The poor babies were very sweaty, as were we, and perhaps a bit grumpy as a result. I fed Emily with some cucumber, yogurt and watermelon to try to stave off the tears. We only lasted half an hour or so before we decided to call it a day and head for some respite and a cold drink.

It took a while to find a coffee shop with space for us (Starbucks, naturally!) and even then we had to sit outside and bask in the odd draught when the door opened and let out some cooled air. All in all not a great afternoon, but at least they all came, and bringing Geraldine and Bettina together closes another gap in my social circles. They are both French-speakers so I hope they will get on well with a few meetings.

16 July 08

Emily is now an omnivore! In fact, she attacked the pureed chicken casserole with relish, to my relief, as she has been feeding poorly for a while.

We went exploring in the afternoon, to check out a garden that we hadn't been to before, Rikugien. It's up on the north side of central Tokyo but quite quick to get to as it is on the Namboku line which is less than 10 minutes from home. Given that it was 30C I could have done without having to carry Emily and buggy up 3 flights of steps at the station. Accessibility is so piecemeal - there was a lift from the platform to the concourse but not from there to street level.

The garden was worth the effort though. It is traditional Japanese in style, with mature trees, a large central lake and lots of magnificent pine trees.

It has a bridge of two stone slabs onto the main island, and below it the water was almost seething with turtles.

All very photogenic. Emily had to endure a mosquito net as she got bitten by a huge mozzie, but luckily the bite didn't become enflamed and she seemed oblivious.

There were quite a few paths that I couldn't use because they had steps, including the one up to a mini-Fuji mound, which must have great views over the lake.

Anyway, I'd vowed to take Nick at the first opportunity, so I can check it out then. Rikugien is renowned for its autumn colours so we'll have to remember to return for the display.

Back home Emily ate all of her apple rice with gusto and enjoyed bashing the dish and spoon afterwards (something she can't usually do as she doesn't often finish her food).

13 July 08

Despite the searing heat and sweat-inducing humidity, we couldn't cower indoors under the aircon unit all day, so decided to go to Shinjuku Gyoen park.

First we had another gorgeous lunch at the Breton creperie by the Times Square roof garden.

Emily 'paddled' in the water feature; the water was as warm as her bath.

We'd only been to Shinjuku Gyoen once before, at Hanamai (cherry-blossom-viewing time), when it was heaving. Now it was really quiet and a lovely haven from the hordes of shoppers a few streets away.

We walked down to the string of small lakes and sat under a shelter for a while to take in the view. The main lake is traditional Japanese in style, with a low arched wooden bridge, immaculately-trained pine trees, carefully selected boulders and obligatory carp.

We spent an hour there before wending our way home. It is important to remember that Emily must be kept as cool as possible, so even if we can take the conditions we have to think of her.

10 July 08

After lunch we went to meet Momo and Michele over in Shibaura. I suggested that we have coffee at the place Nick and I spotted last weekend. It turned out to be a bar rather than a cafe, and a very nice one at that. An ideal place for chilling out by the waterfront, with lots of tables inside and out. I bet it has a good evening atmosphere too.

Momo is the second person this week to comment that Emily's cephalhaematoma bump seems to be going down, and I think I can see a difference but I'm trying not to get my hopes up.

After coffee we went over the road to the city-run kindergarten, where we were able to take the babies to the playroom. It seemed very pleasant and clean and the staff were super-helpful. Emily got to play with some different toys and watch the other, slightly older babies crawl and toddle. We were thinking about buying her some new toys as she seems bored with her old ones, but all I really need to do is take her to these playrooms regularly and use theirs. She spent most of an hour sitting up unaided, only toppling over once or twice.The other mothers all told Momo that she looked like an angel, and indeed she did look extra sweet today in her pink seersucker sundress and bloomers, with a bright smile to match.

At teatime, I was slightly alarmed to notice that she came out in a rash wherever the banana rice had got onto her skin. She didn't seem to have any problem with ingesting it but I didn't give her any more all the same. She's had banana before with no obvious reaction. I think I'll give it a few days then rub a piece of banana on her leg or something and see if her skin reacts again. It will be a shame if she can't have any more.

9 July 08

Emily and I went up to Nick's office to meet him for lunch, then afterwards we went on to the fortnightly Tokyo New Mums Group meeting, which was being held at a jidokan (children's hall) in nearby Akasaka. It seems that there are quite a few of these in each city ward. They usually have a play area for babies and toddlers, plus rooms for arts and crafts and sports. They are also free. This particular one was better than Ai-port, I felt, as it had a wider range of toys for all ages. Maybe they are donated by expats as they leave Tokyo.

On the way there I passed a Disneyesque place which I am reliably informed is a love hotel.

Geraldine, Helen and I had a quick drink before parting company. Akasaka has a bigger quota of coffee shops than anywhere else in Tokyo, I think. Kate would be happy with the number of Starbucks.

I still find it amusing when I buy Emily's nappies that displayed next to them is a range of diapers for dogs. At our local supermarket I find it mildly disturbing that the checkout ladies, who are nearly all about 60, wear a uniform of above the knee culottes with long socks. It looks plain wrong. I try to imagine Mum or Pam in such get-up. What is this Japanese love affair with socks?

8 July 08

I'd invited Jo over for lunch so that she could have a look through some of Emily's 3-6 month things in case she could use them for Issie when she goes home to the Melbourne/Tasmania winter. She insisted on bringing the food herself, so it was nice not to have to worry about what to make. She also asked if Bettina could come as she wanted to see her before she went away for a few weeks, and I was more than happy to agree.

We had a lovely time for a few hours, and the babies were pretty well behaved. At one point we all swapped to give our little ones a taste of being held by someone else, and they seemed perfectly happy with that.

Emily's scheduled nap was disturbed by some horribly loud drilling from next door - I will be glad when they finish this week and the new neighbours move in.

6 July 08

It was very hot again, but also cloudy and therefore more humid. It makes me so feel so lethargic when it's like this. At least it reduces my appetite for stodge though.

We had been invited out again, this time to Sam and Mario's for tea and cakes. Sam also works at the embassy, and they had just moved from Azabu to Aoyama. Another swanky expat pad to make us feel like poor relations. Anyway, it was a nice social occasion and the whole gang was there with husbands and babies (except Sharon because they are in the UK on holiday at the moment). Nick finally got to meet James, his step-second cousin or something. We had to leave just as the party was in full swing, as it was time to get Emily home to dinner. As she hadn't slept for 6 hours, she got very upset while Nick was feeding her and took a lot of calming down, but she did eventually eat all of her peach puree and rice.

As it was Sunday, I went ahead with my evening run. There was a slight breeze - a bit like a hairdrier on its slowest setting. I did manage to complete the half hour and was surprised how well I did considering the conditions.

5 July 08

Phew! What a scorcher, as they say. It was about 30C in the shade. For the first time, we resorted to aircon in the living room, and what a relief it was, though I spent most of the time feeling guilty about the environment. We set it at the highest temperature that we could tolerate, but we have to think about Emily too. She is sitting up quite well now, though still wobbly when she's tired. She loves to sit on the chairs out on the balcony.

We couldn't stay holed up in our cool haven all day though, so mid-afternoon we took a walk over the JR tracks to Shibaura Island. This is part of a large reclaimed area and mainly newish apartment blocks, with some industrial areas as it's right by the bay. It was pleasant enough in a sanitised sort of way - rather like Limehouse or the Isle of Dogs. There are a couple of canals with landscaped walks beside them and at the end of the island you can see Rainbow Bridge curving off, and a monorail that looks quite fun.

We found a little cafe with nice wooden chairs and decking outside though unfortunately next to an expressway. It was actually a dog grooming parlour so the cafe is probably mainly for patrons. It even had a section on the menu for 'doggies', and playpens outside for them.

Later we discovered a nice-looking cafe that looked out over the canal, for another time. From outside you can take the Urban Launch across the bay to Odaiba, which we will try out later this month because we have an invite to a BBQ there from a colleague of Nick's.

3 July 08

Bettina and Tim and Tracy and Lottie came over for lunch. Emily was a gracious hostess and let them play with all her things. I'd already decided that I would get rid of the Bumbo as we just don't have room for it here; Tracy tried Lottie in it, but just like Emily, her thighs were too big for it! In the end, Tim tried it and seemed happy in it so I gave it to Bettina.

Tim was putting Emily to shame. He is two and a half months younger but already rolling onto his tummy and even making good attempts to crawl. He gets his knees underneath but doesn't have the arm strength, whereas Emily has been doing pushups for a long time but can't get the hang of the legs at all.

Maybe it wasn't the chair after all. I still had trouble with food today and a few tears and refusals, even of the banana. There are so many reasons why it happens that it's hard to isolate why. I thought weaning was supposed to be fun.

2 July 08

Hooray!We have smart bedroom furniture now. Those nice men from IDC even managed to deliver without waking a sleeping Emily. While she slumbered I also managed to assemble her new all-singing, all-dancing high chair. She's been difficult about feeding the last couple of days, and as I hoped, once ensconced in the chair the next feed went well. So much easier now I can face her, and can use both hands (as opposed to balancing her on my lap). It also means that I don't get plastered in gunk, though she still managed to. She really enjoyed banana, to Nick's delight. In order to get her to eat I have to taste a little bit from each spoon, and it's just occurred to me that will be a problem when we get onto meat dishes. Hmm.

We had carrot and pumpkin yogurt for dessert. There's a range of vegetable flavours available. Quite nice once you get your head around the idea. Vegetable juices are big here; they are mad for health foods and tonics, though they don't seem to have latched onto brown rice at all, strangely.

29 June 08

It seems that Nick is destined never to cross paths with James. We went to Bettina and Steve's flat for a brunch party, but James wasn't there, only Tracy. He had been detailed off to attend a full day first aid for infants course.

It was a really wet day, so we couldn't make the most of their decking area, but it was a pleasant couple of hours all the same, and we met some new people and I was glad that Nick got to meet Steve, who is very nice. Nick was cornered by a Romanian guy for much of the time, who was apparently a bit full-on and offering unsolicited advice on childcare. As often happens when we are out, Emily did something which she had not really done much at home so far and spent minutes at a time sitting unsupported. She was the oldest of four babies there so she had to compete for attention, perhaps.

On the train home we realised that she'd done a massive poo, and a big yellow stain soaked through her white trousers and onto the buggy pad as well by the time we got home. A fun evening of scrubbing ensued!

Though it was bucketing down I went out for a run for half an hour. Like a typical Brit I found it was actually very enjoyable being drenched; I always have the best runs in bad weather, and at least there were fewer people out and about to witness me puffing along. I felt that I might be able to increase the time up to about an hour, so I resolved to work my way up to it over the next few weeks.

28 June 08

After a messy 'lunch' (10.30am) for Emily,

we had an afternoon jaunt to Hibiya Park to make the most of some unexpected good weather. As always, the shopping crowds around Yurakucho station were hard to navigate but we were soon in the tranquility of the nearby green space; that is, until we discovered that there was some kind of open air talent contest being staged there. We kept coming across little knots of singers practising, and more annoyingly, a band doing a rather tuneless sound check right by the little lake.

Emily practised using her beaker, though most of the water ended up down her front.

We sat and enjoyed the fountain and the fish, ducks and turtles despite the racket, until an old man arrived on a bike and announced that the shelter we were sitting under was his house. I've no idea if he was serious or not. He was quite amiable though, and insisted on giving Emily a couple of strips of cartoon stickers.

Afterwards we went to the play area and gave her a go on the slide and the rocker, but she didn't seem to enjoy it much (but I did!).