31 December 08

After much prevarication we decided to make a second attempt at buying a new PC, so we took ourselves off to Shinjuku. First stop was Takashimaya for lunch; we plumped for an Indian meal and were not disappointed. Emily ate all of her lunch, and then happily munched on spicy poppadums and garlic nan. She was very patient at the electronics store, but after an hour of waiting while Nick talked over the options with the sales guy, she naturally got upset. At least the stress was not in vain, as we managed to make a decision and order one.

At a nearby department store we stopped for a drink, but found the cafe a bit above what we'd envisaged, as it offered English-style afternoon tea (ie. sandwiches, selection of cakes, and tea served in bone china). Luckily we could order just a cake and a drink, but the size of my gateau was the biggest I've had so far in Japan. No problem - Emily was on hand to 'help'.

Back at the apartment Nick had his usual bath with her, but yelled out when she unexpectedly did a poo in the water, luckily just after he'd got out. It is the first time she's ever done that. I saved that cleaning up task for later in the evening, with the fortification of a couple of glasses of bubbly - what a great way to usher in the new year! For the first time since Emily arrived, we sat down together and watched a whole film. It felt like a real treat, though I kept thinking about all the things I should be doing with two free hours.

28 December 08

Aidan and Nick were both feeling a bit delicate after a late night out, but went out for a jog (Aidan is recovering from knee surgery, so it was very gentle). They stayed out over an hour and went to the local park and used the open-air gym equipment. They arrived home covered in more dry grass, and brought back two huge mikan (a type of orange) picked from a tree there.


It was a nice bright day so I suggested that we take the boat to Odaiba because Aidan hadn't been there before. I popped into the mall while they walked on along the waterfront, and managed to blitz three shops in half an hour, rejoining them with a small haul of sale items for Emily and me. After our stroll along the side of the bay we found that our usual little cafe was closed, so we took the monorail back to Shibaura and had a quick coffee and snack at Peacock coffee shop.


A run in the evening was my first for a couple of weeks. Though cold I had my best outing in ages, running fast (for me) and coping well with Yuureizaka hill. I'm surprised my performance isn't deteriorating more, given how infrequent my runs are.

27 December 08

Emily had a bad night again, and I was up three or four times.

We had another sunny day, but it was still really cold. We went to the Imperial Plaza, where Emily crawled on the now yellow and dry grass and watched the crows and seagulls. Japan's winter is so much drier than the UK, so the lawns seem to die back each year. We go home covered in grass that turns up all over the apartment for days. We are trying to get her to walk with only one hand held, as that forces her to have a more upright posture; with both she leans forward a lot.

We carried on to BIC Camera electronics store, to research a new PC. We need one that Nick can type Japanese on. Also, Emily bashed the keyboard so hard that the letter E came off, making typing very difficult.

On our way back home we met Nick's American mate, Aidan, in Tamachi and he came back to ours as he was staying with us overnight while on a trip here from Berkeley. I bought a New Year door charm so that we could enter into the spirit of the season like all our neighbours, and was taken with the white crane (a symbol of longevity, and also the name of the kung fu club we used to belong to). Unlike the glitzy Christmas decorations, these are very traditional, and usually made of rice straw, bamboo and paper.

Aidan and Nick went out in Azabu Juban for the evening, and though I knew he'd stopped being a vegetarian recently it was still surprising to hear that he'd eaten raw beef. No doubt he was emboldened by the many beers they drank.

26 December 08

Emily was very hot at times, and somewhat dopey and clingy, clearly fighting off a bad cold. As it happened, we had a hospital appointment lined up for the one year check up. It was stressful trying to sort out vaccination details while she was getting very upset sitting there in her nappy. I got the doctor to take her temperature and it was about 38.5, so not feverish but definitely high. Mind you, it was baking in there, which didn't help. Coming in from a vicious strong wind direct from Siberia it was welcome at first, but soon overpowering. Her measurements were encouraging: over 80cm puts her at the 99.9th centile for a one year old girl, and her 10.4kg weight was also fine, despite her continued picky eating.


Having cancelled our dinner reservation due to her illness, we then decided to go out as planned as we had no way of getting hold of Erna to postpone babysitting, and just hoped that Emily didn't wake up repeatedly like the previous evening. We didn't go far, trying the eel restaurant a few hundred feet from the apartment. It was good, if not plentiful, food, and the hot sake warmed our bones. The meal was all over within an hour, so we carried on up the road to try a tiny bar that Nick had spotted. It only had a few bar stools and couple of tables. Two customers were just leaving, so we were the only ones there. The lighting was very dim, but we made out the bar counter lined with many different bottles of beer: it was mainly lager beer, so we plumped for a can of Guinness each. A large TV in the corner was showing Premiership football, and the music was a good selection of UK Sixties (eg. Kinks). The bar owner told Nick he was a graphic designer who ran the bar as a hobby and didn't make a profit from it. Surprising, since the bill for two beers each and a handful of snacks we didn't even ask for was nearly 4,000 yen (£25). The guy seemed of indeterminate age - he was dressed straight out of Carnaby Street in a button-down shirt, cardigan and pork-pie hat, but had a young face. He and Nick chatted away, mainly about bands and football, while I sat more or less mute but perfectly happy to try to follow the gist with the few words I know. Anyway, we enjoyed our night out, and it won't break the bank if we don't repeat too regularly. We arrived home to find Erna zonked out on the sofa, having done the washing up and ironing first. She seemed a bit spaced out and reeled out into the freezing cold night with barely a word.

25 December 08

After an early Skype call to Adlington we had a mammoth present-opening session, with Emily predictably interested in the boxes and wrapping, not the contents.

Afterwards we headed over to Bettina's for our Christmas lunch with her, Steve and Tim, the Lutz family, and a Brazilian friend of hers who has a Japanese husband. It was a convivial affair, with everyone contributing to the festive feast. My part was a vegetarian tart and Christmas pud with rum sauce. Having eaten her boring chicken casserole Emily happily tucked into a smoked salmon tartlet and also liked sprouts and the pudding (without the boozy sauce, I hasten to add). Us parents took it in turns to supervise the three babies.

The funniest moment was when we caught Emily kissing Tim. We are not sure who instigated the snog, but everyone cracked up.

She looked very innocent afterwards, as if to say 'what are you all laughing at?'. We also got a laugh when we picked secret Santa gifts. Mine was an intriguing shape, and turned out to be a banana case, though of course there was much tittering.

We were home by 5.30, travelling back through rush hour and feeling odd that for most of the population it was just a fairly normal day. We made some Skype calls back home then had a late dinner, while watching Blackadder.

Emily had a terrible end to her Christmas Day, as she woke around 9.30 and thereafter every few minutes; she could not breath properly and felt hot. Eventually, I took her into bed with us, where she tossed and turned and cried out until 2.30. Then she suddenly seemed a lot happier and was pointing and babbling, so I took her back to her room where she slept until 6.

23 December 08

As we had the morning free before our train home, Nick arranged to go and visit the Tateyama family, who are friends of his friend Alison, who introduced him to them when they were in Kyoto last month. He is an architect, and designed their lovely home, which is in a quiet street opposite a porn cinema. I was surprised by how raunchy the posters outside were, and could imagine difficult questions from inquisitive children, although with communal bathing the norm, perhaps they are a lot less self conscious about the naked body.

They have a five year old son, Eito, who at first seemed shy but soon opened up. He was very good with Emily, and didn't seem jealous of all the attention she got. He even played with her and gave her one of his old musical books.

We made our excuses and set off for Sanjo, where Starbucks seemed the best bet for a comfortable place to give Emily her lunch and a much-needed nap. We struck lucky and got a large squishy sofa, from which we could watch a fun run along the riverside outside with the participants drssed as Santa.

Running short of time, we walked back to the hotel via some pleasant streets around Gion, the old geisha district. Our load was too heavy to also walk to the station, so we took a taxi and arrived in good time for the service back to Tokyo. On board, Emily would not sleep again, and after a while she got very upset. We had to tak it in turns to play with her in the area between carriages. Again, we were blessed with excellent views of Fuji-san at sunset. It looks so alluring from the shinkansen that I am desperate to make the ascent, preferably in winter, though I am sure I am not physically capable (yet).

22 December 08

Emily's birthday dawned at last, and we put up a birthday banner and sang 'Happy Birthday' to mark the occasion. I thought about her birth a few times, but was surprised not to feel more emotional.

It was a colder day, so she got to wear the cute and cosy all-in-one from Mum as we set off for a trip to Arashiyama, set in the hills a short train ride out of town. From the station there we walked towards the wide, shallow river spanned by a long, low bridge. On the shore there had been some kind of winter festival that was being cleared away, with some attractive paper lanterns still standing.

First stop was a visit to some monkeys that live on a wooded hill overlooking the town. It was a short but steep walk up to a viewing area where about 100 of the grey monkeys hang around to get treats from visitors to the park. We could mingle freely with them, and they came to within touching distance, though we were too nervous to buy a bag of snacks to feed them. There were several groups of them picking parasites from each other, and we saw a couple of tiny babies clinging to their mothers' bellies. If only Emily would hold onto me like that, instead of the other way around, my arms wouldn't get so tired!

Down in the town we searched for an ideal lunch venue, ending up in a place that specialised in Buddhist (ie. vegetarian) fare. I've never seen tofu prepared and cooked in so many different ways. It was really tasty, and even Nick was satisfied, though he had been lusting after meat. We carried on up the touristy street lined with decent giftshops and eateries, to a bamboo wood that was eerie but pleasing to the eye. At the end was a shrine where we said a joint prayer for eternal togetherness (mumbo-jumbo, but Nick seems to genuinely believe some of it and always makes an offering and prays at shrines).

After a nap for Emily in the warmth of the tourist centre

we thought we'd better turn back for the city; daylight was already seeping from the sky. Back in Kyoto we walked back to the hotel down the riverside path, stopping to watch a huge flock of seagulls pass overhead. We picked up a little cake on the way, and put a candle on it for Emily's tea.

She seemed really keen to have a go at using the spoon, so we let her have a go at extracting some yogurt from the pot, with limited success. Despite her afternoon nap she got really upset again when we tried to bath her, getting so worked up I thought she'd be sick. Her poor face was blotchy and her eyes bright red. Having calmed her down, when it came time to put her down on the futon she was wide awake. I had to stay with her for more than half an hour and settle her to sleep, while Nick went on down for dinner. Our last meal was massive,with lots more crab, and a whole bream each. Nick regretted having pre-ordered extra beef. I ate most of my dinner, but couldn't say I particularly enjoyed it. I don't mind Japanese food, but three days of nothing but is too much for me.

21 December 08

Emily woke at 6am, so we saw the dawn, and there were lots of crows and black kites for her to get excited about. I've been meaning to mention toilet slippers for ages, and we had a prime example in our hotel room. I really don't like the idea of wearing footwear that someone else has used. This footwear is purely for slipping on as you enter the loo and should not pass the threshold of the toilet. There are other slippers provided for wearing in the room itself, though we never do. The idea is to keep the tatami mats pristine.

After a decent breakfast we walked north along the riverbank about a mile. We were not alone: joggers, cyclists and dog-walkers abounded. There was plenty of bird life to see - ducks, seagulls, cormorants, wagtails, egrets and herons.

Kyoto has its share of homeless, some of whom live under the bridges in very neat huts of plywood and thick plastic. One even had a padlock on the door. First stop was Starbucks, which occupies a prime position on the banks of the river. It was surprisingly quiet in there, so we were able to take soft seats facing the water. I was glad of the comfort and view, as Emily had a long nap on me.

From there we took a train to Kurama, passing up a valley on a service that stopped almost every minute for the few miles to our destination. We thought we'd better get some lunch first. There wasn't much choice on offer in the little village, so we plumped for noodles. The restaurant was a bit dingey and the owner almost malevolent. The noodles were not very plentiful for the price but the cured herring served in the noodle broth was quite nice, almost sweet. Thankfully, Emily ate all her packet meal without resistance. Back outside we found that it was raining lightly, and it had become quite gloomy. Across the road and up the hill was the Kurama Temple complex: a series of shrines, torii and buildings scattered over the hillside. It was rather steep, and we were both out of puff; Nick more so, as he was carrying Emily. The Honden (Main Hall) was attractive, with two stylised tigers guarding the steps. We were running out of time, so had to turn back at this point.

Back down on the road we continued up the valley half a mile to the onsen resort, the rain coming on harder now. Here there are both indoor and outdoor baths. Nick wanted me to try the latter (rotemburo) so he volunteered to look after Emily. The bath was quite busy, with lots of walkers soaking their tired legs. It was partly under cover, but I chose to sit out in the now torrential rain. I was on my own, with about ten ladies huddled at the other end under the shelter. The water was the perfect temperature for me, and I sat happily catching fat raindrops in my cupped hands for a while before dragging myself back out. It seemed that there would not be time for Nick to go in as well, but he had been several times before. He'd been having fun with Emily as she repeatedly climbed the stairs indoors.

We took advantage of the free minibus back to the station. The train carriage was very steamy and I wrote Emily's name on the window, which she tried to copy. Her fine motor skills seem to be really coming on, as she managed to place the cap back on the water bottle several times. Back at the hotel she ate well again, but got upset when we put her in the bath. Again, she went to sleep straight away, enabling us to get down to dinner in good time. Tonight's meal was not as challenging for me and I ate most of it. The greeney-grey crab-brain tofu got the better of me though. We tried a glass of rose umesh (plum liqueur) which was very tasty. Not so much to our taste, however, was the endlessly repeated jazz version of 'Let It Snow' that had, indeed, been played on a loop the night before as well.

After eating I tried the second bath. This one was brightly-lit and all done out in white tiles, with a large mural on one wall to comtemplate as I sat in the hot water. It was a spa bath, and had two big balls of herbs floating in it, though I couldn't really smell them. I decided that sitting in onsen baths on my own is no fun - better to sit and chat with a good friend. Perhaps I am just not comfortable enough with my own thoughts for long. In the room, we tiptoed past Emily to eat a naughty cake in the dark anteroom, by the light shining in from outside. We were happy to be on our futons by 10.45.

20 December 08

Emily was up early, which was good because we needed to finish packing for our Kyoto trip and get to Shinagawa. I really did my best not to flap, which stresses Nick out. The train journey wasn't bad; again, we were on the wrong side of the train for Fuji but saw the snow-capped peak through the opposite window, with a blue sky background. Emily obligingly napped, but only for half an hour, so after a while she got restless being confined to the seats despite the generosity of space on the shinkansen. Nick took her off to the passageway for a crawl and yet again I wished she could toddle as it would make such situations much easier (and reduce the number of times I have to wash her trousers and socks into the bargain).

We arrived in a Kyoto basking in warm sunshine; I'd forgotten that it is surrounded by hills, and it seemed so provincial compared to Tokyo (in a good way). We walked with our heavy load for about 20 minutes to our hotel. It was in a great location, close to the river and midway up the grid of streets. Central Kyoto is laid out on two main north-south roads cut with ten east-west streets, and the plan was based on X'ian (then Chang'an) in China. We were really pleased with Hotel Shuhoukaku, which is more a ryokan as it has communal baths and the cuisine is kaiseki-ryori (Japanese haute-cuisine). As it was too early to check in we fed Emily then left our bags. Nick had planned an afternoon visit to the Fushimi district, which was a short train ride south-east out of the city centre. I was amused and a little concerned to see some sort of religious icon mounted on the wall of the carriage.


From the station we strolled through a covered market. Emily attracted plenty of attention as we were off the beaten tourist track and the only foreigners. We ate at a restaurant with tatami, so that Emily could crawl on the mats; she was also climbing up onto the low tables to try to get the pots of toothpicks. At the end of the alley was the quaint teashop (by which I mean a shop that sells dry tea) run by the parents of Nick's friend Masahiko.


It was founded in 1872, just after Japan opened its doors to the rest of the world with the start of the Meiji period. It was very atmospheric, with old wooden drawers full of tea and artefacts related to the enjoyment and ritual of tea. They gave us a free cup of bitter, somehow smooth green tea, then we bought a small cone of green tea ice cream each. Emily indicated that she wanted some so I offered her a slurp; she made the funniest face, but despite grimacing she soon decided that she liked it and demanded more. Meanwhile, they had tracked down Masahiko on the phone (though a Saturday, like a lot of Japanese he was at work). Nick felt terrible for not mentioning that we'd be in Kyoto, but he lives quite a long way from the city, and we'd have had to change our plans in order to meet him and his family.


We carried on through the attractive narrow streets, past a famous sake brewery with its symbolic ball of cedar hanging outside. Nearby was an old inn, Teradaya, where there was a gunfight in 1867 that resulted in the death of Sakamoto, a politicial figure who helped shape the Meiji Restoration of the following year. We walked beside a small canal running through a residential area that Nick used to cycle along as a student

and came to a little temple, Chokenji, which is 300 years old.

An old chap sprang out of the bushes and addressed us in very good English, telling us all about the place then railroading us into buying a lucky amulet associated with the resident goddess, Benzaiten. The amulet has an image 'modelled after the female anatomy' (or, more innocently, a cowrie shell) on one side, and if you keep it with you it is supposed to give birth to good fortune!


We got a bit lost trying to find our way to the station, so the sun was already a fiery orange ball low in the sky as the train neared the centre of the city. As darkness fell we settled into our very nice Japanese room and admired the vibrant sky behind Kyoto Tower, which is apparently resembles a candle though I think it's more like a lighthouse. Emily hadn't slept for 7 hours but at first was very jolly. We'd worried that she would not get any walking practice while away, but she solved that problem by starting to push a legless chair around on the tatami.

After she'd eaten she had a small bump and was suddenly inconsolable; we put her in the tiny but deep bath but she was beside herself, so we quickly gave her the bottle and laid her down on the futon where she went out like the proverbial light. That enabled us to go down to the dining room in good time for our meal (as with most Japanese hotels and ryokan, latest serving time being 7pm). Crab featured very heavily, being integrated into most courses. The sashimi was cut too think for me, so I surreptitiously cooked it briefly on my miniature stove. There were all sorts of odd little seasonal delicacies, some unidentifiable - one looked for all the world like rabbit droppings on a stick.

After eating we had time to kill, so went down to the bar. For some reason it only opened at 10pm, though they said we were welcome to sit in there. Unfortunately the heating wasn't on yet and it was freezing. Later we tried out the baths. This was the best I've tried so far, the whole room lined with cypress wood and the bath also made of hinoki. The lighting was dim and the music (plinky-plonk shamizen) restful. There were even a pair of shallow mini-baths where you could lie down on a wooden bed, immersed, and what with the food, drink and warm water I found it very soporific. We were back to the room later than planned, but on our futons by 11pm.

19 December 08

I'd invited Bettina and Jo round for mince pies and mulled wine, and they had told me that they wanted to use the occasion to help celebrate Emily's birthday. I was not prepared for balloons, cake (decorated by Jo like Hello Kitty) and a joint gift of a big set of giant Lego. Of course, the babies kept squabbling over who got to push the baby walker; Emily is fiercely protective of her things when someone else is around, though often disinterested when alone. The Lego was a zoo set, with lots of animals as well as bricks. It has certainly come on a lot since my childhood.

She seemed very interested in the lit candle , though obviously unable to blow it out. It was very tasty, though rich.

We are very lucky to have such nice friends (both Emily and me) who go to so much trouble. Having Isy around was perhaps inspirational, as Emily took about 6 small steps. I was so amazed to see it, and got straight on the phone to tell Nick.

18 December 08

We are running out of space for all the lovely birthday/ Christmas parcels that have arrived for Emily.

After yesterday's poor weather it was bright again. We met Nick for lunch, where Emily spent most of the time chasing a pigeon that was pecking up lunch scraps in the little playground. For a change, I took Emily in the baby carrier. This week is the first time I have carried her since the start of the summer, as it was far too hot to have her pressed against me. It's fair to say that she is quite a heavy load these days.

Today she seems to be really trying to copy sounds I make, especially animal sounds like tiger(gar) and monkey (ooh ooh).

17 December 08

It was apparently the coldest day in Tokyo this year at just under 10C. It certainly felt chilly, and was also wet.


Silvia had invited us to go with her to Pokke - a newly-opened playplace only 10 minutes walk from home. I was very impressed with the bright, open-plan room. On the way in there was a little fish tank full of colourful tiny fish that Emily loved. It is better than other jidokan as there are comfy sofas for mums to watch their babies from, whereas we usually sit on the floor. A separate room for eating and drinking means we can take lunch there or grab a coffee to chat over. Emily loved it, and the staff were very good with her.

I told Jo am really jealous of Isy walking; she is 7 weeks younger than Emily and now walking unaided. But Emily did take another couple of tiny steps while we were there, though she spent most of the time pushing a little wooden chair around the floor. At the end of the afternoon they had a 10 minute sing-song in Japanese.

16 December 08

Emily woke in the night, and again at 6. I could not get her to go back to sleep, so gave up hope of returning to bed and got her up. I'm not sure what is making her more wakeful these days. I don't think it's hunger, as she isn't exactly enthusiastic when I give her breakfast. The new morning regime is still not producing better results. I will try reducing her bedtime bottle a bit to see if it makes her appetite for breakfast improve.


In the chilly but sunny afternoon we went a short way to the home of a mum I don't know well. She was at the night out last month, and I've bumped into her a few times at KSpace, where she invited us to join a playdate at her place. She's British, and seems pleasant; her little girl, Charlize, is a month or so older than Emily. There were quite a few mums I knew from TMG, so I didn't feel at all awkward. Their apartment was huge, with lots of nice antique Asian furniture. Charlize had so many lovely toys, and no fewer than three baby walkers, so Emily got plenty of exercise. In the baby's bedroom she had a little playground with a slide and swing!

15 December 08

Emily stood unsupported lots of times today, and when we got home after KSpace she amazed me by taking two little steps on her own. Of course I know it's likely she may not do it again for days, but it was really exciting as I wasn't expecting it for some time.

14 December 08

We got the weekend the wrong way round. As it was cold and wet in the morning it would have been better to shop today and be outside yesterday.

I popped out to the local hairdresser for a hair cut while Nick fed and played with Emily. There are small but noticeable differences to a saloon visit at home. When your hair is washed they cover your face with a cloth. Not sure if it is to protect your make-up from splashes or should I be worried that I have bad breath? After being seated a blanket was laid on my knees, though goodness knows it was hot as Hades in there. At home, conversation usually tails off when the hairdresser asks me if I've seen the latest Pop Idol/X Factor/Strictly and I say that I only really watch current affairs and documentaries. Still, not being able to communicate at all is very frustrating and being tended to in silence for an hour is uncomfortable. After the cut I was given a brief but vigorous shoulder massage by a young man.

We went to Midtown afterwards - first time there for me, though it is not much further than Roppongi Hills. It is a skyscraper, with shops and restaurants on the first few floors. We had a decent curry lunch, and Emily was very cheerful, playing with spoons and straws and drinking copious amounts of mango juice. There is no children's play area, unfortunately, but we let her crawl around the spacious hallways, and there is a large marble carving with a hollow in one side which she liked sitting in.

We were a bit taken aback when a little English boy of three gave her a kiss after his mother urged him to be gentle with her! After a quick coffee we walked to Roppongi Hills so Emily could get out and play for a while in the family room there. Leaving for home, the blue and white lights on the trees in Keyakizaka suddenly came on just as we were walking down, giving rise to lots of oohs and aahs from the many people strolling there.

13 December 08

I don't like to ask Nick to spend his weekends shopping, but really wanted to get a Christmas tree, so we headed over to Shinjuku where I'd seen lots in Tokyu Hands. There were hordes of people in Times Square, just like at home in the lead up to the big day. I found it extremely stressful, even though we'd wisely brought Emily in the carrier to avoid long waits for the lifts. The long queues put us off buying some of the other things I'd hoped to sort out while we were there. We took Emily to the children's floor so she could play with the sample toys; there's nowhere else for her to get out of the baby carrier and stretch her legs. The babycare lounge was manic and full of screaming babies, so not surprisingly she didn't feel like taking a nap.

However, we did manage to get a nice tree before we left; artificial but very realistic. We got some flashing lights for it, for Emily's amusement, as she loves to see them twinkle. Their Christmas stock was running down and being replaced by New Year decorations, so all I could get otherwise was a few baubles and a piece of tinsel. Of course, I put the tree up as soon as we got home. Emily was not as interested as I'd hoped, but I like it! It has to stay out on the balcony, away from probing fingers.

12 December 08

As it was sunny again, we popped out for lunch with Nick. It has been some time since I gave Emily her lunch out, and it proved to be a bad idea as she hardly ate any of it, being distracted by other children playing and wanting to crawl around. Feeling fed up, I changed my plan to walk over to Roppongi Hills and set off for home. On the way I dropped in at Sharon's as I had a birthday gift for Taylor, but unfortunately she was out and he was asleep so we couldn't stay (I had been hoping she could play there for a while, to break the walk home). I was about to go home when I decided to call in to check out the jidokan at end of our road. It is not very good in terms of quality of toys and general condition, but at least it's somewhere close at hand to take Emily for a change of scene now and again, and the staff were really effusive with her.

11 December 08

With trepidation, I instigated a change to Emily's routine. She normally has a breast feed as soon as she wakes, and then breakfast an hour later. However, I have been worried at how little she eats (half a Weetabix and a few slices of banana), so I decided to give her solids first and then top up with milk. Eventually I have to get her to take her milk from a beaker, but though this is recommended by one year old I can't see it happening for some time yet. I also thought I would start using the high chair tray as she likes to help herself to finger food. Well, Plan B wasn't very successful as she hardly ate any more food than usual, and the subsequent milk feed was definitely less than before. That left me worried about her calcium intake - never particularly high as it was. I resolved to keep up the new regime for a while though, before re-thinking. She quite liked using the tray though. It seems that banana makes excellent hair gel.

Later I took her to the Hamamatsucho jidokan, where she spent most of the time tearing up and down swapping from one walker to another, or playing in the ball pit.

10 December 08

Emily threw most of her breakfast and lunch on the floor. I had resolved to keep my cool, but could not stop myself from swearing at her. In the end, I got her out of the highchair and turned my back on her while I finished my breakfast. I couldn't trust myself to speak to her for some time.


It was supposed to rain, but was very sunny all day and warmed up considerably to about 18C. I was in short sleeves while walking as I had broken into a sweat in my coat. Jo, Bettina and I made an impromptu decision to go over to Odaiba. Jo went ahead and Bettina and I were to follow on the boat. However, after waiting at an empty quay for a while we were told that it wasn't running due to maintenance. There was no notice up about it at all, annoyingly. We had to take the Yurikamome monorail instead.

We met Jo and Isy and went up to a big play area upstairs in the mall that I didn't know about. There was plenty of space for the babies to crawl around, though few toys. They did have some hula hoops, and we adults all had a go without success. We must have looked quite a sight wiggling around with arms waving aloft and cracking up. Emily did some more walking, but she is still lagging behind Isy, who took a few small steps on her own. She is only just 10 months. Emily didn't take a nap again, but amazingly ate all of her tea and played happily in bath with no tears at all.

9 December 08

We went to meet Nick for our now regular Tuesday lunch date. The food at the macrobiotic cafe was fabulous but very pricey. We sat outside, though it was chilly, and Emily crawled around the chairs. Nick got her to walk about 15 steps holdinghis hands, and later she walked a couple of times with me at home. She was also pushing the baby walker all around the apartment, having now learned how to change direction. She has no patience at all though - if it gets stuck she gets upset straight away and sits down.


Jill and Geraldine came round with their babies (both 4 months older than Emily) for a seasonal British gathering over mince pies and mulled wine. We had a nice couple of hours, though Emily and Sophia were fighting over the walker half of the time, leading to a few tears. Geraldine's year in Japan will soon be over: they fly home for good in only 10 weeks' time. I have been getting to know her quite well lately, so it's a shame to lose one of my inner social circle.

8 December 08

Emily was awake at 5.45 and sobbed for more than an hour, leaving copious snail-trails all over her face and hair and my clothes. I'm not quite sure what it was, though she started recovering after a little burp. She was absolutely fine for the rest of the day.

At KSpace the class was much reduced; presumably some people have already gone home for Christmas holidays. It was much better with a smaller number anyway. Emily was the most actively-involved baby, clapping and shaking maracas when prompted, and smiling at the teachers a lot.

Before tea, she managed to get hold of a satsuma and ripped it apart, then ate most of it, including the skin.

Perhaps she was just telling me she was hungry? Lately she has been quite naughty, throwing most of her finger food on the floor while looking at me and smiling, or nonchalantly dropping it over the side of the chair when she thinks I'm not looking. She also drops her toys (or socks!) when we are out with the buggy. Let's hope it's a short-lived phase.

7 December 08

Emily woke a few times in night, and was up for good at 5.50, so I got to see the dawn for the first time in ages. We could see lots of crows out of the window, and it was a very bright and clear day again, though extremely chilly. From the front of their apartment they can see Mount Ontake on a clear day like this.


When Yukiji-san put out plates of sausages for breakfast I had to come clean, so we shared my snags around and I filled up on egg and toast. As always, with Emily, it took a lot longer to get out than we expected, but by noon we were emerging from the subway outside Nagoya town hall.



We strolled along a path lined with flame-coloured maples to the gates of Nagoya castle. This is a reconstruction, but very attractive, the curving roof topped with a pair of lucky golden grampus (fish-like mythical creatures). This reminded us that Arsene Wenger used to manage the local football team, Grampus 8, and Gary Lineker also played for them at one point.


The grounds were nice, most trees now bare except the vibrant maples, interspersed with some shapely pines. We were surprised to see a few deer grazing in the bottom of the empty moat. We walked around to the back of the castle then took Emily out of the back-carrier to stretch her legs. She seemed quite happy to sit on the grass and pick up leaves and lumps of soil, now and again pointing heavenwards as a crow or aeroplane passed overhead. Nick managed to get her to take about 8 small steps holding his hands, which is more than she'll do for me.


As our train departure time neared, we set off across town to track down a recommended restaurant the Andos had looked up. Nagoya is famed for its eels, so we all had hitsumabushi, which is eel in a savoury marinade, served on a wooden bowl of rice. The traditional way to eat it was to put some in another bowl, add spring onion and wasabi, then pour on hot green tea to make a sort of soup of it. Very tasty it was too. Eel is extremely fatty but delicious.

Now we made our way to the main railway station, where we made our goodbyes over a quick coffee. They genuinely seemed to enjoy Emily's company; she had certainly been very smiley and jolly all day. We're not sure if they wanted kids and couldn't have them, or had made a conscious decision not to. They are mid-40s, so probably no chance of it now. Fukuchan gets plenty of affection instead.

For once we found that we were on the correct side of the shinkansen to see Mount Fuji, and as it was such a crystal clear day we were not disappointed. Almost straight away after leaving Nagoya we spotted it in the distance, and saw it on and off for well over an hour. It looked sublime lit by the setting sun - true alpenglow.

I yearn to climb it, and would relish the chance to make a winter ascent with crampons, though I'm sure I am not fit enough right now.

Emily was being very cute on the train. Nick's camera phone is fuzzy, but you can make out her gappy teeth.

6 December 08

We went to Nagoya to visit the Andos, old friends from Nick's days at Mitsubishi in London. We were on the wrong side of train, but it was very clear so we had good glimpses of Fuji through the opposite window. Emily had been up at 6.15, so was very tired and slept most of the hour and a half Shinkansen journey. There was a bitterly cold wind on arrival, much colder than Tokyo. We made our way to the Ando's apartment on the packed, stultifyingly hot subway.


Emily was soon chasing Fukuchan, their pretty, long-haired cat - a very timorous beastie at the best of times. She retreated, hissing and growling. Instead, Emily decided to play with the cat's toys. After a while we went out locally to a little cafe for lunch. Having told them how good she was, Emily was playing up and dropping her finger food onto the floor, so she had to have some of my omu-rice (omlette stuffed with rice) and chocolate cake, otherwise there would not have been enough food for her.


We spent the rest of the afternoon at their place. There was lots of stuff around for Emily to systematically destroy! Not at all childproof. After Emily had obligingly gone to sleep on the futon in the spare room we had dinner. Nick had forgotten to mention I don't eat meat, so Yukiji-san had prepared a big nabe (stew) with chicken and pork, and a platter of chicken wings. I managed to avoid eating any, and there was just about enough sushi to fill me up. We were both very weary and turned in at 10.30. We found that Emily was taking up a whole futon so we had to share the other one.

5 December 08

We were experiencing withdrawal effects from our favourite playplace in Hamamatsucho, so I took Emily there in the afternoon. Momo and Mikele joined us there too, and Jill was there with Sophia as well. Emily was a lot more confident with walking this time and took a shine to the steam train baby walker that choo-choos as it moves.

She spent a lot of time throwing herself into the ball pit as well.

While we were there I was surprised to hear the low growl of thunder, though I knew it was forecast to rain a bit.

4 December 08

As we hadn't seen Lottie for weeks I'd arranged to go to the Embassy, and Bettina and Tim came along too. Tracy's cat wasn't quite as pleased to see us, and spent most of the time dodging Emily as she crawled after it babbling delightedly. She gave a demonstration of stair-climbing to her young friends, whizzing up the steep steps in double-quick time.

3 December 08

After a brief pause the sunny weather is back. Nick and I got lunch from an amazing wholefood cafe near his office: no meat, dairy, eggs. It was extremely tasty and very filling fare. Emily played at the playground, in the shadow of a fantastic ginkgo tree fully 60+ feet high and ablaze with pure gold leaves (didn't have the camera with me, regrettably).

After returning home for lunch , play and a nap, we went to KSpace for the second time this week. This was a 'make-up' class for the one we missed last week, and was for smaller babies ('wrigglers', as the class name calls them). Emily was by far the oldest and most mobile; most of the others were under 6 months, and one was only 9 weeks old. She was lording it over them, taking up position on top of the big drum in the middle. When we go to the crawlers class she is a lot less bold; must be the 'big fish in a small pond' effect.

At home before tea she surprised me by standing up behind her baby walker and pushing it across the room. This is the first time she's done it at home, and completely unprompted.

2 December 08

I felt a bit tired as yet again Emily woke in the night with her teeth; this time it took from about 1.45 to 2.30 to settle her. She woke at 6 as Nick left, but somehow it got to 7.15 before I had to get up, so she must have drifted off again.


TMG held a Christmas party at the jidokan in Hamamatsucho; a bit early, but a lot of people are returning home soon for the festive season, lucky things. Emily was on good form, with rosy cheeks, lots of smiling, and crawling around after the toddlers. She even ate her lunch, albeit a selection of finger foods. I had to follow her round the room spooning yogurt into her mouth, as she would not sit any longer. There was a short book reading, some songs adapted for Christmas, and even making Christmas cards. Emily just chewed the crayons and sucked the stick-on paper cutouts.


After we'd cleared the room I took her downstairs to the main play area where we go regularly. Though she was tired by now she perked up straight away, crawling straight over to cuddle up to the giant teddy. I was really pleased that while we were there she walked behind the baby walker toys several times, some without my instigation.



I was about to go to bed when Emily started crying again. She seemed to be in pain though she wasn't running a temperature, and I was considering whether to administer a little Calpol. However, as soon as we came out into the light of the hallway she stopped crying and began pointing at things, so it was clearly not as bad as all that. This time she settled back into bed fairly easily.