31 October 08

It really did feel autumnal for the first time, with blanket grey sky and a definite chill in the air. A T-shirt alone did not feel quite enough. We met Momo and Mikele and took them to the jidokan in Hamamatsucho, as they hadn't been there before. They really liked the playplace, as do we. It has a very good range of toys and equipment and is fairly spacious. Emily spent most of the time chewing on balls from the ballpit and hugging the giant teddy bear. It is good for me as I can relax and sit while she crawls around and plays, safe in the knowledge that the room is childproof. At home there are too many hazards, and things that she could damage.

We went for a coffee afterwards and chatted while Emily fed and napped. We are very different on so many levels, and yet I find it quite easy to get on with Momo. We must have looked a very mismatched pair; her in her knitted red dress with black tights and 6 inch heeled bootees, and me in jeans, trainers and a hooded top.

30 October 08

Emily's first tooth has broken through the top gum, with more close behind. No doubt that is contributing to her continued fussiness about eating.

It was an unexpected quiet day, as Jo couldn't make our planned afternoon because she had a job interview. I know that she has to go back to work, but it will be a shame not to see her and Isy regularly. I hope that Bettina will still want to meet up.

We went to the local park for an hour or so, so that Emily could crawl on the grass and see dogs, cats and birds. We were also treated to the unusual sight of two young guys practising tightrope-walking with a rope set up between two trees.

I bought a new omlette pan and on the bottom I found a good example of Japlish:

29 October 08

Emily had another disturbed night, but at least had the decency to sleep in until 7.30. She refused her cereal again and had only a small pot of yogurt. Lunch was also a battle but she took just about enough, though her old favourite finger food, cucumber, is off the menu again.

As a result of the sleep-in and eating problems we were running late for our afternoon date with Geraldine, so we hotfooted it to her place in Komazawa Daigaku. She had also invited Stephanie with Roman, and Maya with Leo (a real Brits love-in) so we had a nice time playing for an hour or so with Gaby's toys before walking the short distance to Komazawa Park. This was the venue for the Tokyo Olympics in the Sixties, so it is a large park with a sporting theme. It would be a good place to go for a run as it has a dedicated lane for joggers. When Emily is older she will enjoy all the play equipment (and so will we!). The wide avenues there were lined with tall trees that will look superb in a few weeks' time.

Emily was hard to settle in bed again, so I had to stay with her for a while. My evenings are getting shorter all the time, though with Nick always being late these days we are not making it to bed as early as we used to.

28 October 08

Went to meet Nick for lunch on a glorious autumn day. It was very warm in the sunshine though cool in the shade, with a clear blue sky. For the first time in months we returned to the place we used to meet, having abandoned it during the humid summer. Emily climbed up the steps on the slide, and found a stick insect on the wall. The warmth was perhaps responsible for a resurgence of biting insects, to which I fell prey as always.

After we bade goodbye to Nick I walked for an hour to Shirokanedai, as I had arranged for a free trial session at a place called KSpace. They run classes for babies, toddlers and children and I'd heard good reports of it from mums at TMG. We were in the 'crawlers' group; the class is limited to 8 babies plus carers, with two staff, who are entertainers more than anything else. The two young men were very good - I could imagine them being on TV. Nick asked me if they were like Legs Akimbo, the spoof drama group from League of Gentlemen! We sat around a huge drum, which Emily enjoyed bashing, and sang several short songs with actions. After 10 minutes free time to play with the myriad toys, they set up a bubble machine for a few minutes. Emily was transfixed by the bubbles and tried in vain to catch one. We finished with some more songs, all accompanied by the bongo. I was glad that she had slept on the way there, as she would have been upset by all the noises if she was tired. As it happened she seemed to have a great time, so I signed us up for a 10-week course.

27 October 08

Nothing special today, but here's a video of Emily:

26 October 08

The worst day I've had in ages. Having gone to bed at midnight, Emily started making noises from about 2am, and as I am a light sleeper and tuned in to her frequency I could not rest. Eventually around 3.30, I went in and found that she was actually sound asleep though still babbling on and off. She was also really snuffly. At 4.30 she woke crying, and when I went to her I found that she was running a high temperature and very bunged up. I stripped off her sleeping bag to cool her down, and gave her some water, but she was very hard to placate so I had to give in and put her on the breast to calm her down - something I've not done during the night for a long time. She dropped off on my lap, but when I tried to put her back into the cot she got upset again. By now it was 5.30 and starting to get light, so I decided that I might as well get her up. Nick had still not returned home from his night out and I was getting a bit worried; when I called him he was just walking home! I was pleased that he'd had such a good time, though the timing was unfortunate as I could have done with some support. Oh well.

Of course, as we were both so weary we were quite ratty with each other. Nick went off to try to catch up on some rest, and I had to stay up with a lively Emily. Thank goodness she napped for an hour and a half later on. I was still not sure if she had a fast-developing cold or the symptoms related to teething. Whatever the problem was it certainly affected her appetite, as she kept spitting out her lunch. Eventually she had to make do with a cheese triangle, a pot of yogurt and two grapes.

The last thing we wanted was to go out and be sociable, but we had an invite to Roman's 1st birthday. Unfortunately it had rained lightly in the morning, so instead of a picnic in the park we had to go to an apartment for the party. As Stephanie lives right out ion the suburbs her friends had volunteered their place as a venue. It turned out that they were from South Wales! If I had known how good a turn out there would be I would have called and said we couldn't go, but I was worried that they would have gone to a lot of effort and not have many people attending. When we got there we found that there were at least 20 babies, with both parents; the apartment was heaving and it was hard to walk around without treading on a balloon (or a sprog). We didn't stay long, and Emily slept through half of that. She looked very hot, so we made our excuses and got off home.

25 October 08

We had an uneventful day, with as much relaxation as we could manage around Emily's routine, due to a heavy week at work for Nick.

Emily looks very fetching in her new leg warmers.

These are really popular here in Japan, and a good idea, since they protect her knees when crawling, and facilitate easy nappy changing compared to trousers or tights. After lunch we walked to Hamamatsucho, where we had coffee then went to the jidokan. Any trip out now has to include somewhere, indoor or out, for Emily to crawl and play. As it rained so heavily most of Friday, we had no choice but to take her for a play indoors.

In the evening I had a run. I managed 40 minutes and resolved to notch up a full hour by the end of the year, though that seems to be approaching a-pace. Nick went out for the night with the Embassy dads (James, Ryan and Michael). I wonder if they ended up talking babies all night like we did last week? I don't think the others are into football, so that's one avenue of conversation out. Emily woke crying at 10pm, and I'm pretty sure it was her teeth. The top one feels like it could come any moment now.

24 October 08

Emily is not eating well if I feed her out and about, so I may have to stop making plans that involve meals away from home. Today we had lunch with Nick at a restaurant in his building (it was pouring outside); she was very distracted and only ate half of it. Mind you, I'm pretty sure it is partly due to teething: there are a couple of teeth that look like they are about to break the surface and she is definitely a bit more fractious.


After lunch we went to Akachan Honpo baby store in Gotanda. I took the train part way, but had to walk the final 20 minutes in torrential rain at times. TMG had arranged a shopping expedition with a Japanese speaker attending; very useful as I don't like to ask Nick to use his valuable weekend time going shopping to read labels. I tried twice to get Emily to take a nap while we were there, but she resisted, so I had to cut the visit short and walk the 45 minutes home so that she would sleep in the pushchair. I have been getting progressively-worse aching in my left knee while walking lately (fine while running, strangely), and this time it was very painful after only 10 minutes. It wears off the next day but I suppose I will have to get it checked out as I need to be able to walk frequently for the sake of my sanity and fitness.


Emily's babbling is so entertaining right now. It is 'iggle diggle' most of the time, with 'goodoy' thrown in now and again, plus attempts at crow noises - more 'gore' than 'caw' accompanied by pointing at the sky.

23 October 08

Emily's latest babble has resolved itself into 'iggle diggle'. Very cute. If I say 'fish' she now looks up at, and sometimes points to, the fish mobile.


Today's outing was to the jidokan in Shibaura. It was really busy in there, with lots of babies around Emily's age. She towered over most of them, and I know I am biased but I think she was far more animated and smiled a lot more than the others too. I met quite a few mums who spoke English, including a nice girl from Malaysia who had only just arrived in Tokyo with her 8-month old daughter. She was really glad to hear about TMG, so it looks like I have added another mentoree to my list as I volunteered to escort her to the next meeting. It rained heavily on the way home, for what seemed the first time in ages.

22 October 08

Nick got to see Emily for once as she woke at 5.50. Nice for him, not quite so good for me!

We went to another TMG meeting at a nice jidokan in Hamamatsucho that we haven't been to before. It was not a good turnout, unfortunately. A shame, as it was a toy/clothes swap. I got rid of quite a few of Emily's old things and picked up some 'pre-loved' (an expression much used among the mums that makes me want to be sick) clothes. She has finally started clapping, after I had given up encouraging her to do weeks ago. Now she will do it with little prompting. Lately she has been saying 'de Gaulle' or something close to it.

I feel quite besotted with her right now, though there are still some difficult times. When she smiles at me it feels really special, like we are sharing a private joke. It makes me realise how rarely I make eye contact with anyone, even Nick.

21 October 08

The weather is still holding good - rather too warm if anything. We went to Ueno Zoo with Jo and Bettina (not my idea as I dislike caging animals, but I didn't want to miss out on a 'date' with them as they are my primary social circle). We met by the statue of Saigo, who led the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877 and then committed ritual suicide when it failed.

It was very depressing to see large mammals in small enclosures eg. polar bear, gorilla, lion. They all looked very subdued and lackadaisical. Emily enjoyed the monkeys, but liked the crows and pigeons that abounded even more, with lots of pointing and babbling. She is saying 'idit' and 'wha-it' a lot, but I don't think it means anything. I'm pretty sure she was mimicking my 'cawcaw' impression of a crow though. It was a frustrating day for her as she was mainly confined to the buggy. I got her out for 5 minutes to commune with a bronze gorilla statue, but there were few other opportunities for crawling and climbing.

20 October 08

In the morning we walked up to the little park near us, so that Emily could crawl on some grass. There were several friendly mums, and some spoke a few bits and pieces of English. They always guess that Emily is about a year old and are amazed when I tell them her age.


Momo and Jean came round in the afternoon. I hadn't seen Valerie for three months and she was very advanced for her 13 months, walking well and with a good understanding of commands (in fact, just like a trained puppy, she even sat when asked to). Emily suddenly found that she was interested in her toys again, having to share them with Mikele and Valerie. She got upset when Mikele had a toy she wanted. Valerie was very polite and offered her another but she was ungracious and wouldn't take it.

19 October 08

It was the Credit Suisse Family Forum BBQ in Odaiba. Nick went on ahead as they'd appealed for help to set up, and we followed after Emily's nap. I was quite stiff from the run as I walked to Shibaura Yurikamome. There were lots of babies and small kids there, but Emily was popular as always, and playing the crowds with lots of smiles and pointing and waving. An old man in a wheelchair was very taken with her and motioned that he wanted her to sit on his lap. I was a bit reluctant, as I think he was also simple, but decided there was no harm in it and he seemed to get a lot of pleasure from it. When the event wrapped up there was a huge amount of food and drink left over, and everyone was invited to take what they wanted home, so it was a bit of a free for all.

We returned to Shibaura on the boat. Emily fell over and got a nasty-looking abrasion round her eye, when she took a tumble from a step during a brief second's inattention from Nick. It looked worse than it was as she stopped crying as soon as we pointed out a seagull to her.

Nick went out in the evening to Shinagawa to meet up with Alastair, who was in Japan on a business trip. I was really pleased that they were able to hook up, as he has been craving the company of a friend, though it was a shame it was so brief. A pity that Alastair's two colleagues went along too. No doubt they'd have spent the whole time talking about Arsenal if left to themselves though.

18 October 08

I took part in a charity event, Run for the Cure, round the palace with Bettina and her friend Aliona. It was really hard to locate the registration venue at Hibiya City, but eventually we found it with some help from a few other bemused participants. I had been deliberating over whether to do the 5km or 10km distance, but when I came to the head of the registration queue I took the plunge and went for the longer course, though I have only run half an hour at most since I was pregnant.

There was a long walk to the start, which was back at the Palace behind Gaisen Moat. It was predominantly men doing the longer distance, so I started too fast, but by Otemachi (1km) I had slowed down and found the right pace. There is only one hill, on the north-east side of the Palace. I felt that I did well on the first lap and came through strongly past the finish line where Nick and Steve were waiting, but I soon started to flag on the second lap. It was far too hot for me, and I found a water-soaked sweatcloth a godsend. Even so, I had to walk a few times, especially on the uphill, but I think I probably ran 9 of the 10 km, and managed to find energy for a semi-sprint for the last couple of hundred yards.

We chatted to the others for a while then headed back to Mita for a late but welcome lunch at David's Deli, followed by a nice relaxing afternoon at home.

I was out in the evening with the Embassy mums (and Bettina). We had some food at the Hard Rock Cafe, where the music was very loud, making conversation difficult. Two stiff cocktails soon loosened my aching legs. We moved on to Heartland, notorious among expats as a pickup joint. It was OK but hard to avoid smokers and I felt that we were under scrutiny the whole time. We only stayed for one drink then walked to Roppongi Crossing where we dived into a basement blues bar. It was very dimly-lit and we were the only customers, making me feel even more drowsy. I enjoyed the night, but had to throw in the towel around 12.30 and get a cab home from a still-buzzing Roppongi.

17 October 08

We went over to the Embassy for playdate with Lottie, as it had been quite a while since we saw her, and I thought it would be nice for her to have visitors. Also, their house is great for Emily to crawl around and cruise around their furniture and stairs. She really loved Lottie's maracas and would not let go of them the whole time we were there. Tracy popped back at lunchtime, but she could only stay long enough to express and eat a sandwich.

While we were gone, and as it was a bright, breezy day, I took the plunge and gave Emily's bedfellow Monkey his first wash. He had not been cleaned in 6 months and was starting to pong, after all that sucking. I had not got the courage to try before as I was afraid that she would not be able to sleep without him if he was not dry in time. As it happened, he was just about ready by the time she went to bed, so I didn't have to find out just how much she needs him to be able to sleep.

She has been babbling a lot, mainly saying 'wee-oo'. She doesn't understand 'no' yet, especially where electricity cables are concerned!

16 October 08

We met Nick for lunch at Izumi Garden Tower. As it was dry we ate in the courtyard outside Paul, so that Emily could crawl around and see the sparrows that frequent the area to get scraps where people eat their lunch.

Afterwards, we went to meet Bettina and Geraldine at Otemachi for our walking circuit of the Imperial Palace. We were not impressed by the number of steps that we had to carry the buggies up; that station is poorly equipped with lifts and escalators. It was a lot warmer than we'd expected and though we were only really strolling I got quite hot and sweaty. We broke off for a cool drink at Starbucks in Kudanshita, and Emily drank through a straw for the first time. She did it so easily that I wish I'd tried ages ago.

It was lovely to walk together and get exercise and chat at the same time. It felt quite a long way for 5km (I found out afterwards that we'd gone a bit further - perhaps 6km). The best part, we decided, was the north-west stretch between Yasukuni shrine and Hanzomon, the pleasant tree-lined walk which is a veritable riot of cherry blossom in spring, and lovely at all times of year.

Jo and Isy had been at another event and joined us afterwards, waiting for us at the Masushige statue near Hibiya. We let the babies have a crawl on the grass under pines, though Isy was very reluctant to do so, finally being brave and crawling a few feet with a lot of encouragement.

In the bath that night, Emily took three steps forward with me holding her hands.

15 October 08

We attended our first TMG meeting in a while, at the Metropolitan Childrens Hall in Shibuya. I said that I'd meet Baby, my 'mentoree', at Tamachi, but she turned up with someone else in tow anyway, who she'd sort of adopted. She really doesn't need my help, and I don't think that we are very well suited, to be honest, but I don't want any bad feedback about my inattention as her mentor. It's not my favourite playplace as it is old and shabby and there are not many toys at all in the Honobono babies and toddlers area. The rest of the building looks great fun for older kids though.

14 October 08

It was Emily's slightly belated 9 month check up at the hospital. Nick got held up at work and could not come, but I was OK apart from a language problem at the reception desk - had to ring Nick to get it sorted out. The doctor spoke enough English for me to understand her comments and be able to ask questions. Measurements were: length 76cm (99th centile) and weight 9.64kg (75th).


I asked about the haematoma and the doctor said that if it hadn't gone away in a couple of years we could consider seeing a plastic surgeon. I wouldn't want to subject her to anything like that unless it was causing her a lot of anxiety. We have also been slightly concerned that her two first toes (ie. next to big toe) look a bit out of alignment; sometimes the toe gets pushed above the others as though there wasn't enough space for it. No doubt that will right itself once she is walking and the toes get splayed out with her body weight; anyway, the doctor said we should see an orthopaedic consultant if we were worried about it, but she didn't think it seemed too problematic.

13 October 08

It was yet another public holiday and we'd arranged to meet Nick's old Nomura colleague, Wako, and her family for lunch and a visit to Baji Koen park. Her boys are Yuto (1.5) and Haruto (3). Both she and her husband had great English and were really nice, making for a pleasant lunch. We sat outside at an Italian restaurant. After having her lunch, Emily crawled around getting very dirty trousers and eating leaves, requiring much vigilance.

They gave us a lift to the park (wouldn't hear of us walking) and it was quite a squash with all of us in one car, albeit a large one. We couldn't do up our belts and there was no way of securing Emily other than clutching her tight, so we were glad it was only 5 minutes away. In the car park, Haruto was throwing stones, and one hit a Merc. They didn't notice and we just pretended not to have seen it.

Before the park, we found that there was a festival going on outside, so we went for a wander along the stalls first. There were some pigs, and chicks for children to pet. I was scared they'd be crushed by eager little hands. The fete had a slow food theme - the holiday is dedicated to sports and healthy living.

The park is small but nice. There's a sandy horse training track round the outside; inside is fairly untamed with a play area and a little lake with fountains and swans.

There was also a mini-Fuji pile of earth, about 10 feet high, that was very popular. I would have loved to join in, and made a mental note for about two years' time when Emily can play there and Mummy can join in.

We thought we would have to leave without sight of a horse, but on our way out we found that there were some horseback acrobats practising on the track. They were pretty good too. It was Emily's first sight of a horse and she enjoyed it.

12 October 08

We all went to the TMG picnic in Shinjuku Gyoen, on a sunny but cool day - perfect conditions. It was good to finally meet the dads as well, and there were lots of new members. Emily was not keen to eat her lunch - she just wanted to crawl on the huge expanse of grass (and eat leaves). There was lots of pointing going on, especially at birds.

I was glad that my samosas went down well; I had never tried the recipe before and had a bit of a nightmare making them, exacerabated by men arriving to clean the aircon and cooker hood filters just when I was assembling them for the oven. Probably best to stick to a tried and tested recipe when under pressure, though actually it all turned out well in the end, after a bit of tension.

11 October 08

I had my first haircut in 7 months, the last time being in Abergavenny. I was a bit nervous, as indeed I would be if I was trying a new hairdresser at home, though with the added uncertainty about explaining my requirements. Actually we managed fine - she had just enough English words so we could communicate, and I got to try out a few bits and pieces of Japanese.

Emily is making lots of new sounds and it is so sweet.

Though we were running very late, we continued with our planned outing to Odaiba. Emily was making up to two little boys on the boat over.

There was no time for a walk as we were ravenous, so we went straight to the picnic shelter. We looked out over the water as we ate and noticed fish jumping right out several feet. Nick and Emily went to investigate.

After an abortive attempt to get Emily to sleep, we went to the jidokan in the Aqua City mall; I left Nick there with her while I did a quick bit of shopping (for Emily, not me). Finally, I got her to feed/nap in the cafe afterwards.

We took the Yurikamome light railway back, as is our custom. It was now very overcast but luckily it didn't rain as we walked home from the station.

9 October 08

We had a fairly early start to Narita, to escort Mum on her way home, having to travel through rush hour to Shinagawa. It must have been bewildering for Mum as I even found it a bit daunting, like a human tidal wave; Abergavenny market day is the busiest she experiences regularly!

We were there in plenty of time, so we killed time in Starbucks and the souvenir shops, then suddenly it was time for her to go through to Departures. It was hard seeing her lonely figure disappear behind the screen and it sank in that it would be another seven months before we saw her again. However, the last seven since we arrived here have flown by, so it will soon come around. I wish she wouldn't have to miss so much of Emily's development though.

I spent a while browsing the shops, and should have checked the return train times first as I missed the Shinagawa train by a few minutes - the next one was an hour later. I whiled away the time in another cafe, then realised Emily had done a huge stinky poo. Having had too much time on my hands, I now had to rush to get train after taking care of her.

8 October 08

Mum, Emily and I went for lunch at Paul with Nick. Emily made her usual mess of the table, crumpling up the placemat and liberally scattering crumbs and babyfood around the floor. We've been going quite regularly while the weather was too hot and humid, so they should be used to it by now.


Afterwards we went up to the 24th floor with Nick to look at the view. It had become overcast, but it was still possible to see several miles out over the city.

Continuing up the Namboku line, we went to see Rikugien garden. As we came above ground the heavens opened, so we dived into the nearest cafe for shelter and a nap for Emily. By the time we emerged it had petered out into light drizzle, which continued for the rest of the afternoon. I'd left the stroller at home and had Emily in the backpack carrier so that we could walk all paths. As always, the garden was enchanting. Every time I take someone new there I see it as though for the first time, through their eyes. We stopped for a while in the shelter by the natural pool, and Mum noticed that it was populated with crayfish, whether by accident or design I don't know. There were quite a few in there, some as long as 6 inches.

After all that rain it had become slippery, and unfortunately Mum lost her footing and went over on the mud, despite her walking pole. Typically, she was wearing a cream linen jacket, which was thankfully the only casualty.

For dinner I managed to rustle up some Japanese dishes for her final meal here; nothing too challenging though, as we'd had our fair share of (for us) exotic food in Hokkaido!

7 October 08

I took Mum to Muji in Yurakucho, planning to have lunch there, but there was already a queue so we left. We took seats on the decking outside the Italian restaurant next door and began to feed Emily. In the end we were there at least 20 minutes and no-one came to serve us - all the other diners were inside; at the time I was cross, but in retrospect, the food there is not particularly nice, or good value, and we achieved the first objective in getting Emily fed anyway.


We decided to take a picnic to Hibiya Park instead. It took ages to find a kombini, trudging up and down the nearby streets for at least quarter of an hour. Usually there are more SevenElevens and Lawsons than you can shake a stick at. While searching, we came across several of the sculptures making up the Marunouchi Cow Parade that is held every year.

In the park we took it in turns to eat while supervising Emily, who was crawling around and getting thoroughly filthy. It seems mean to confine her to the pushchair for long now that she is mobile.

Taking a turn around the gardens we saw some people foraging for something under the trees. It turned out to be fruit from the ginkgo, which is extremely foul smelling. I checked it out later on the net, and people really do eat them, even though they contain the same acid that is found in vomit! We crossed the road and had a quick decko at the picturesque Nijubashi corner of the Imperial Palace: the bridge close to the pines on the Plaza lawns. Emily finally got a chance to crawl on the grass (and try to eat the leaves) near the statue of Masushige,we set off for home.

6 October 08

With regret, it was time to return to Tokyo. The flight was after lunch, so we had time to kill after checking out. We drove anti-clockwise around the lake towards Eniwa-san.

The road goes behind the mountain and you can turn off to go and look at Lake Okotapu. It is inaccessible and there was only one place from which you could see it, but it looked very attractive, a lovely milky-blue colour and surrounded by densely-wooded slopes.

The road continues but suddenly runs out. We'd been warned, but on maps it appears to complete the circuit of Lake Shikotsuko, linking up to the highway at Bifu. There was even a new-looking sign saying it goes to Bifu, but 200 metres further on it petered out into a cart-track.

Emily got upset on the way to Chitose airport. Nick was struggling with finding Toyota Rentals round complicated criss-crossing roads, and had to contend with her bawling (drowning out the satnav) and me getting distressed too. After checking in we had a blow-out lunch; a huge omlette, delicious jacket potato and chunky chips. We had a great vantage point for watching planes landing and taking off, which Emily liked. On the plane she was very hard to amuse and kept getting upset. We arrived home as dusk fell, all feeling very weary.

5 October 08

Emily woke at 12 and 2, and again at 5am, the final time seeming too wakeful to get her back to sleep. The three of us got dressed and went for a walk down the path to the lake. There were quite a few people around even at 6am, perhaps not surprisingly for Japan. Emily kicked her legs and was shouting when she saw two dogs. We let her climb the wooden steps again, though she got her socks and trousers absolutely filthy. I can see that we will be going through a fair amount of legwear until she learns to walk! Across the red bridge we looked at the view from the vantage point of a small jetty; nearby were lots of swan and duck pedalos in a shabby state of repair.

Back at QKamura we had another big buffet breakfast. Emily crawled over to visit the other small children present, and Nick says that one little girl bowed to her! We got ourselves ready quickly afterwards and set off south-west. It was another bright day of blue sky and light clouds with a cool breeze. Our route took us clockwise around Lake Shikotsuko. Unfortunately there were too many trees between road and shore for us to get a clear view, but we got glimpses of Eniwa-san from time to time. Leaving the lake we turned down a valley with steep sides covered in deciduous trees. There were lots of rust and bronze leaves, rather than the flame-red of maple trees. The stony river bed we were following looked ideal habitat for bears. Near our destination we passed some apple orchards laden with scrumptious-looking red apples, and there were some grape vines too.

Sooner than expected we saw Use-san looming ahead. Beside it was its parasitic mini-volcano Showa-Shinzan, which suddenly rose up 400m in 1943-5 from flat fields.

Both had steaming fumeroles, indicating the huge power beneath the surface. Showa is very red in colour, Use-san has a crown of jagged rocks torn by forces beyond comprehension. It last blew in 1978, reshaping the top with a new crater.

We found our way to the cable car station and hopped aboard the next one bound for the upper station. The 5 minute trip whisked us 1300m up to a flat area below the serrated cone. Nick was disappointed that visitors can't scramble up the loose stones to the top. Instead we took the path going left, to a viewing platform with fine 180 degree views back to Shikotsuko and across to the coast. At first we thought that we were looking at the northernmost coast of Honshu, but realised after a while that it must be further down Hokkaido. There was plenty of high ground there; we hadn't realised there was much in the way of mountains in the south part of the island.

We changed our plans so that we could continue on the path around the crater rim. This involved descending 600 steps first: hard on the knees if not the lungs. There were lots of wild flowers softening the harsh blighted landscape, with its dead trees and steaming vents. There were also loads of dragonflies, though we couldn't see any water to attract them. We stopped at a shelter to change and feed Emily, then Mum turned back. We carried on so that we could get a better view of the new crater, and sight of the near-perfect cone of Yotei-san (Ezo-Fuji).

It was great to walk with hardly anyone else around, and on a high ridge with no tree cover to hide the views. I felt the happiest I've been in ages.

It was one hell of a slog back up the steps, but a nice way to get tired, if you know what I mean. We let Emily have a welcome break from the carrier to crawl on the grass (removing leaves, sticks and grass from her grasp, of course).

Back at the bottom of the ropeway we had a passable late lunch then set off home.

We'd ordered the more expensive 'push-the-boat-out' kaiseki (high cuisine) dinner for our last night. I'd been worrying about what delicacies we'd be served, but apart from some chicken, I got off lightly. The extra cost seemed to have gone into the presentation, with lots of effort going into the sculpting and decorating of individual ingredients.

I managed a whole prawn, and more sashimi. The savoury egg custard (chawan mushi) was very good. Nick and I tried some haskap, which seems to be some kind of plum liqueur, then sake, liberally poured into a wooden box until it overflows.

Back in Mum's room we compared haiku that we'd each composed:

Mine:

Hokkaido autumn

Bright sparks from Hell's anvil fly

Rowan leaves a-fire

Nick's:

Great mountains aflame

Fire burns within and without

Emotions erupt

Mum's:

Flaming bushes burn

High rocks heated by earth's fire

Reflect each other

4 October 08

Emily woke at 2am; I had to feed her but I fell asleep before she did as I was lying on the futon next to her. We were up at 6.15, to a blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds. The leaves in the grounds outside were rustling in the breeze. Breakfast was good, as it was a buffet. I was impressed to see a label for each item with its fat and calorific content given. I ate loads, both Japanese and Western, and also managed to filch enough food for Emily to have for tea later, so that she wouldn't have to have a jar. Just outside the dining room window were some bird tables, and we watched the blue tits flutter to and fro, interspersed with a pair of shrikes. There was also a grey-coloured woodpecker at the base of a tree stump.

We drove for about an hour and a half to Noboribetsu Onsen, via a woodland road and then a road that hugs the flat coast, sometimes only a couple of hundred metres from the ocean. It reminded us of the Pacific Highway somewhat. There was no way of escaping if there should be a tsunami, so we wondered what drove so many people to live right by the sea - poverty, I suppose. There were magnificent views back to the dramatic volcanic scenery of the Shikotsuko-Toya Park, with Eniwa-san and Tarumae-san dominating.

The onsen resort was not as hideous as I was expecting from the guide book description. There were certainly lots of hotels, but they weren't as ugly as I'd been led to believe. The main objective for the day was Jigokudani (Hell Valley). It's impossible to adequately describe this natural amphitheatre of sulphurous steam, red rock walls and a perfect combination of green and autumnal trees. We were visiting at the optimum time for the display of vivid red, orange and gold hues. It was amazing how quiet it was there, for a Saturday in this season, and most of the few coachloads went only as far as the viewing platform for the obligatory photos.

We walked along a short path to view an intermittent geyser called the Iron Spring. It was surrounded by deposits of dark grey. As we peered in it sprang into life and bubbled ferociously.

We had to assume that since we were allowed so close to it, it never got more than a foot or two high. After a little woodland walk we went in search of lunch. On the way, Nick posed as a devil outside a shrine; there was a strong devil theme in the whole resort.

There weren't many eateries to choose from, and our choice proved poor. It's the first place I've been where the service has been less than desirable, and the cleanliness was questionable. Run by a middle-aged couple, the woman was close to being surly, and even Emily's antics failed to raise a smile.

Afterwards we drove on up the road a mile or so to view a small steaming peak (Mount Hiyori) with a small lake at its foot wreathed in vapour.

Again, it was surrounded by jewel-like leaf colour. We walked along a path through the trees, beside a hot stream that issues from another geyser. There was a place where you could sit with your feet in the bath-warm water flowing down the valley, which was very relaxing.

We followed the road on uphill a short distance and came to a viewing place looking out on Lake Kutarra.

This picturesque crater lake is ringed by steep, wooded cliffs several hundred feet high; it seems very tranquil and inaccessible, though we found a small jetty and visitor centre on its shores as we continued down the road. We took the faster and blissfully quiet expressway back to the hotel, arriving just as darkness fell.

Dinner was more challenging, but I managed to eat a crab leg, holding it by its claw, and a scallop, after I'd removed all the ucky-looking attachments. Though I do eat the odd bit of sashimi, I'm afraid I swirled my tuna and salmon briefly in my hotpot (making it delicious, rather than a chore!).

3 October 08

Not so bad: Emily was up at 5.30, just after dawn. The mountain appeared intermittently through layers of cloud, so we were grateful that we'd had a better day for our visit. Breakfast was good for me - omlette (fully-cooked through, thankfully) and grilled salmon. There was a serving of gigantic, winey grapes as well, that Emily partook of with relish. After eating, she entertained us with a stint on the bongo drums and guitar. It's a great place to be on a snow-bound day in winter, I bet, with all sorts of pastimes including Scrabble available, and the rotemburo to luxuriate in.

Emily also had her first experience of climbing stairs, and did very well, getting up to the fifth one on her initial attempt and further on subsequent goes. A pity that we don't have any at home for her to practise on. I shall have to seek out venues with steps that she can use wherever possible.

We set out as soon as possible for our 250km drive to Shikotsoko, and were soon down on the flat plain on the expressway. Behind, the long range of Daisetsuzan's spiky mountains were streaked with snow and made me wistful for another visit soon. We had to stop after Emily woke up and got irritable, then again within the hour so we could give her lunch. She was cross, and preferred to crawl rather than eat her jar of tasteless MSG-laden slop. Who can blame her? She got extremely grubby legs going up and down the floor of the Services, and seemed happy standing in the window waving at people coming and going in the car park.

Shikotsuko Onsen is very close to Chitose airport (the main one on Hokkaido), and our hotel, QKamura, nicely located in a lovely wooded area just above the lake. It felt luxurious after the lodge, with lots of obsequious young staff. Mum had a large twin room to herself and we had a tatami room again. We settled in then set straight out to explore. Close to the hotel, a steep path through the trees brought us down to the lake shore.

It was a really pleasant area with splendid views all around the vast lake. There was an old red cast-iron railway bridge across the river to the village, for pedestrians only these days. As we neared it we saw a plaque that said 'Wednesbury 1899'. Apparently the parts were made in the UK for a small railway.

There was the usual collection of shops selling tourist tat, and a few restaurants. We wondered into the large new visitor centre and found it to be a fantastic facility, with some displays in English too. Emily was glad to crawl around on the floor and try some more steps, and got excited about some fish in a tank. She was upset when we went outside as I unfortunately pinched her neck with the carrier fastening, but cheered up when a murder of crows flew over. Back across the bridge, in the gathering gloom of dusk, we stood on a little beach of pebbles to watch the wavelets lapping. Emily got to climb a wide, long set of wooden steps, stopping frequently to pick up leaves and twigs.

In the hotel, she succumbed quickly as she was exhausted. We'd been informed that the dining room had to be cleared by 8pm, so that dictated the time we could start eating, and I'd been anxious that I'd miss out if she didn't go down to sleep straight away. It was quite a good meal for me as it was mainly fish.

When Nick wasn't looking I cooked my raw scallop on my mini-stove, but managed to eat the slices of tuna sashimi with the aid of plenty of wasabi. At the end, fresh pineapple and apple was welcome. We also had some Japanese sweets: green tea jellies and sweet rice balls filled with red bean paste, and some that were probably made of sweet potato.

On our way out through the lobby we were waylaid. There was an evening activity for guests; this time it was paper-cutting. We had to cut out the shape of a blue-tit then stick it together to make it 3D. The mainly elderly participants enjoyed talking to Nick, and were impressed with my cutting speed and accuracy. A party of them had come by boat from Nagoya: 38 hours!

Later I went along to the communal baths. It was the first time I'd had to share with other women, and there were several in there. The shampoo and body wash were made of horse oil, according to Nick, and we wondered how exactly it was made. I felt a little self-conscious washing publically. When we returned to our room Emily startled us by sitting up suddenly but thankfully settled back down fairly quickly. It was pouring as we lay down on our futons, and carried on most of the night.