31 March 2009

It's annoying that so little is open before 10am here. With Emily champing at the bit to go out by 8.30 most days, we are severely limited in places to go. Today I was thwarted on two fronts, when I found that both the toy shop and the jidokan I had in mind were not open when we arrived. We had to hang around in Starbucks until we had somewhere to go. After a foreshortened play session at Appy Azabu I rushed so we could meet Nick at 11 for a very early lunch, then hared back home to put Emily in bed for her nap. I could only allow her an hour though, as we then hurried off to Shinjuku Gyoen to meet Bettina and Tim.

The park was thronging with cherry blossom revellers. For a weekday I was amazed how busy it was, with groups of people on their picnic mats with alcohol often in evidence despite the big sign on the gate asking people not to bring it it. This is surprising in a nation that generally follows orders quite strictly. People here will rarely cross even a minor a road on a red light though it is clear that nothing is coming - admirable (and a good example for Emily), but must be frustrating when in a rush.

30 March 2009

Today I finally took the plunge and changed Emily's routine. It doesn't sound much, switching her nap and lunch around, but it is daunting to change something that works pretty well. However, lately her nap has been getting later and later so it was high time we tried to get her into line with most toddlers and keep her awake until after lunch. My only concern was that she would not eat as well because she would be too tired. This proved a valid worry: she fell asleep in her high chair mid-lunch and I had to carry her off to bed after an inadequate meal then top her up when she woke. That may have been because she woke so early though - 6.15. I think she is teething and I can see the pearly glimmer of a new tooth under her upper gum. I hope they come soon. Since her first four emerged at around 10 months she hasn't had any new ones. Some others her age have got nearly all their 20 milk teeth already, and I am sure that with molars I will be able to expand her food repertoire considerably.

29 March 2009

While I did some more cleaning, Nick took Emily to the local playground. There have been lanterns strung under the cherry blossom all week, and now some men were setting up tables and tents: it turned out that there was a matsuri (festival) there today to celebrate the arrival of the flowers.　We regretted that we had other plans and would not be able to go along when it was up and running.

Before returning home for Emily's nap we dropped in at the Israeli deli for a coffee and some take-away lunch (huge hummus pitas - mmm). I really like it there, and do so wish that they would make one of the two floors no-smoking, as when it is busy there is always someone fouling the air. Japan is gradually edging towards a public smoking ban and it can't come a day too soon for me. At the moment you see designated smoking spots, like outside the stations and at strategic points on the street. However, some inconsiderate so-and-sos do still light up while walking along, and I hate the fact that the smoke is usually down at buggy level. Of course, this is very hypocritical of me, since I used to smoke myself, though as far as I am concerned it was in a previous incarnation as it is so out of character for me as I am now. I worry about Emily smoking, and am going to stress to her that I did it because I was too weak to stand up to peer pressure.

After lunch we dashed off to Tokyo station to meet Kenji and his wife and daughter. Nick stayed with his family in Hokkaido the first time he was here, back in 1993, and has remained in touch ever since. He had been ill since I met him three years ago and his clothes were hanging from his tall frame. He reckoned he had lost about 10kg in a year. He seemed well enough, though he has been off work for months; he is finally due to return in April. We walked to the Imperial Plaza in the strong sunshine (predictably, Nick came home with a red face - thankfully Emily didn't), and sat near the moat for some time while Emily played happily with the gravel. They seemed genuinely taken with her and it made things easier to just watch her, as they can't really speak English. At any rate it was good for my recently-learned Japanese to try to converse a bit.

After a while we moved a way off and sat on the grass under the pines. I was mortified to notice that Nick's jeans had a hole near the crotch, and caught sight of something which ought not be seen. I hope our friends did not notice! Better get the needle and thread out quick. Emily spotted her raincoat under the stroller and wanted to put it on even though there was not a cloud to be seen.

She was very adventurous and went a long way off from me, which I was pleased about, though never out of sight. Busloads of Chinese and Korean tourists were taking snaps of her, and she did finally have enough of all that attention and get a little upset. It got cooler and we moved into a mall for coffee and cake. Emily grabbed my dessert fork and managed to help herself to some of my cheesecake. I really should give her more opportunities to feed herself at home.

Kenji had brought a copy of some old video footage from 1993, when Nick was a gawky, badly-dressed 19 year old (oh, that bumbag!). He is rightly proud of the mane of corkscrew red-blonde hair he sported back then though. I wonder if Emily's straight hair will frizz when she hits puberty as his did? Anyway, the film made for good viewing in the evening. I couldn't believe he could have spent so many weeks in remote Hokkaido with hardly a word of Japanese; even I can manage a lot more than he could back then. There is hope for me after all.

28 March 2009

Nick took Emily out in the morning to play, while I stayed at home to do some cleaning. Erna is away in the Phillipines for a few weeks and it makes me realise how lucky I am to have her to keep a lid on it. With hard flooring the dust builds up incredibly quickly, Emily's attempts at food art don't help, and I'm sure the ironing pile has a life of its own as it keeps multipling.

Though it was hard to fit in into Emily's routine, we had an invite to Soraya's 1st birthday party from 12-2. I woke her from her nap early and unceremoniously bundled her into the buggy, then hotfooted it to the venue, KSpace, arriving half an hour late. There were a dozen or so other babies with their parents. I hadn't encouraged Nick to come as I know he is not a great one for these kid's bashes, but most of the dads were there. No doubt he was sorry to have missed out on wearing a pink bunny hat like the other fathers! It was a lovely party, which must surely have cost a fair bit. Hadar and Simon were there to lead activities and there was plenty of food and drink. Emily showed a great liking for falafels and smoked salmon and spinach rolls, not to mention the fresh fruit and cream sponge cake. In essence it was an extended KSpace class with added refreshments. We went down to the gym and sang lots of familiar songs and played with the toys Emily knows well, so she was quite confident.


The gift bag and balloon Emily received kept her amused after we left, as we went on to Yoyogi park to hook up with Nick and attend a hanami (cherry blossom viewing) party held by one of his Japanese friends from Durham. Alighting at Harajuku station we found it even busier than usual with hordes of tourists and Japanese all pushing along the narrow corridors. The sunshine had also tempted out more freakily-dressed youths than usual, hanging out at their usual haunt on the bridge between the station and the path to Yoyogi park entrance. In the park, we found that lots of Japanese were braving the cold air to revel on mats beneath the pretty cherry trees that have suddenly put forth blossom this week.

There was much drinking going on, and itinerant minstrels aplenty. Nick's mate Eri and her friends had retired indoors as it was too cold for them, so we spent quite a while trying to meet up with them. They were good enough to come out to a little park for a quick chat; her boyfriend brought along some cans of booze and we stood for a while as Emily explored the nearby flowerbeds and sandpit.

27 March 2009

My first time helping with a TMG trip as a coordinator, and I fell at the first hurdle. We were supposed to be going to the Bornelund playcentre in Kawasaki, with me taking a second wave of mums in the afternoon. However, I heard in the morning that it was half term and that the usual daypass would not be available. As it was a fine day, and I only had two takers (one being Momo), I made an executive decision to go to a park instead. We met at Tamachi and went to Kyu Shiba Rikyu garden, next to Hamamatsucho station. The other mum had been in Tokyo for 6 months, but said this was only the third time she'd ventured out without her husband, so she needed a bit of hand-holding getting around.

The garden was looking lovely - I am fast thinking this is my favourite one in the city, and it is also little known so never all that busy. There were some early cherry trees that had just come out, and a bank of daffodils too.

Though it is small compared to some, the park is great for Emily to get around without the stroller, although I usually have to carry her a bit still. She and Mikele were trotting about happily on the grass (they actually had some green grass, which is a treat after the yellow lawns everywhere else), and playing with his ball. The other baby is not yet walking, and was very shy. Jill was on her way over with Sophia but got diverted by the slides and swings outside, so we only saw them briefly.

Unfortunately, after the earlier promise of fine weather it clouded over and got quite chilly, so we retired to the warmth of the jidokan, which is only a few minutes walk away. When I think about it, I will always be a country girl at heart, but there is so much to see and do in a city, and so much variety in playplaces for Emily.

26 March 2009

There were some very threatening clouds out in the bay, but Mita remained sunny though cold. Emily woke early (well, 6.30 - early for her, and me) so we were out the door and in the playground soon after eight, dodging the scurrying salarymen on their way to work.

After lunch we went to Pokke. All the staff know her name now and she responds with a big smile, which they always comment on. At the end, when the supervisor led the daily singalong using a teddy to show mums what to do with the babies, she strode straight over in front of everyone and snatched the bear from her hands. When it was replaced with another she took that one too. After she made off with teddy number three they smiled indulgently and gave up! When they played a song with actions, a girl of about four stood at the front with the two ladies and demonstrated. Emily decided she would go and show everyone else how to do it too, and she made a passable attempt at some of the actions. She loves dancing anyway, and is familiar with quite a few of the songs they play, from the Japanese electronic books we have.

As I've mentioned before, a large proportion of women here have gait problems, usually pigeon toes. I have come to accept that it is not an affectation now, but though I ought to feel sorry for them it still annoys me for some reason. Poor things - it's not as though they have any choice, as their hip sockets must be misshapen. I wonder how it came to pass that so many are afflicted with this. The most awkward sight so far has to be the girl with a severe turning in of the right foot, wearing 6 inch heels and riding a bicycle.

Goodness knows there are plenty of people at home who cannot master the correct use of apostrophes (and many would say 'who cares?'), but for me as a pedant there are so many painful trangressions here, like Motor Work's and Suntory Premium Malt's beer.

25 March 2009

A grey, drizzly day, so it was good that we had an indoor plan for the day. Steph had suggested a visit to a place called Skip Kids, in Musashi Koyama near Meguro. She'd invited Jill and Donna too, so it was a real Brits love-in. This is a fantastic place as it combines a cafe with a supervised play area. It was totally manic when we first went in (we found out afterwards that it was half term, which explains why there were so many bigger kids). The decibel level was high and the closely-packed tables all busy; however, by three it had calmed down considerably. Emily was very clingy so I could not make the most of it, but I will be a regular visitor, especially as it is less than half an hour door to door. Once she gets used to the layout she will hopefully leave me to eat and drink (they serve wine and beer too!) while she explores and goes down the huge chute into the big ballpit, as demonstrated by Sophia and Roman, who are only a few months older but very adventurous.

24 March 2009

I woke feeling really ill. It was like a hangover without the pleasure of the booze first: headache and nausea. I found it hard to do Emily's breakfast and play with her, so felt it necessary to make an appointment at the doctors and get it sorted out quickly. Luckily they could fit me in straight away, so I whisked Emily off there (she was most peturbed not to be allowed to walk from the apartment down to the street as usual). The doctor checked me over thoroughly, because she said as I so rarely get a headache we had to be sure there was nothing serious wrong. The conclusion was that it may be stomach flu (is that a scientific term?!) and she prescribed me paracetamol and nausea tablets. After one dose of each I felt much improved and we were able to meet Nick for lunch as planned.

Afterwards we went to Therese's house for a meeting of the TMG co-ordinators. She is a real Japanophile, having been here more than 11 years, and their house was full of nice pieces of furniture and fabrics. I wish we had space (and budget) to collect a few decent mementos - perhaps when we are eventually leaving the country we can try to pick up a few items.

22 March 2009

Emily was up at 6.45 again, but we'd had a great night's sleep. We found that it was now raining steadily but it didn't dampen my enthusiasm for the place as it still looked so peaceful. The drops were strung on birch branches like beads on a necklace.

After another good breakfast we packed and checked out. Mr Yanagidaira could not give us a lift back to the station and we were expecting an hourlong bus ride. However, his wife then told us that her brother was coming over and going our way so could take us. They suggested that he drop us off at Lake Suwa, just a few minutes up the line from Chino, so that we could make the most of the day.

While we waited for him we popped back over to the cultural centre. Ever since he'd seen it the first day, Nick had been hankering after a large stag beetle toy. He claimed it would be an unusual and educational present for Emily but we both knew it was for him really. Personally I find it very sinister ,with its huge pincers, and will be embarrassed if any of my friends see it. It's given me the creeps at night, when I can't help imagining it coming to life. It's a mystery why they were selling it: the shopkeeper admitted that though they had lots of displays on the subject, and a large selection of souvenir beetles, they could not be found this high up, only in the valleys below.

Our ride was now ready to leave, so we set off for the half an hour drive to Suwa. It turned out he was also an interesting character, being a TV producer with a specialisation in rally sport. He had been to the UK several times, and mentioned Aberystwyth in particular as a place he liked (he could even pronounce it - more than a lot of Brits)! Emily had been awake a long time and got rather upset by the time we arrived at the side of the lake. I had to play her some of my mobile ringtones to amuse her. Lake Suwa is a few miles across, and ringed with ugly settlements. Of course the dreary weather didn't do it any favours, though the tattered wisps of cloud rising from the encircling hills was rather atmospheric.

We first went to the station to drop off our bags, and dropped into Tully's for quick coffee and to feed Emily an early lunch. They can't get many cute blonde babies there, and the girls behind the counter gave her a little wooden train, which she loved, accompanied by many a 'choochoo'. Once replete, Emily fell asleep very quickly in the baby carrier as we walked along, in a most awkward position with her face pressed on the hard clasp. She broke into tears frequently and only napped for half an hour. Nick and I were amused to see some swan boats on the water; it seems they are a fixture on every Japanese lake.

Nearby was a rather pathetic small shrine, juxtaposed with an old Coke sign. An unnatural pairing.

Along the water's edge we found a geyser centre, and a timetable of eruptions (presumably meaning that it is a controlled release). Along with a small crowd we waited for the next allotted geyser to perform. It was quite impressive, the water rising at its height to about 25 feet, the steam going even higher. Apparently it used to be even better but all the hot spring resorts have syphoned off so much it has been depleted.

The train journey home was hard work. As she had already napped, Emily remained awake and I spent three hours constantly grappling with her; it was like handling an eel with convulsions. She did very well really, being confined for so long, but I was running out of ways to distract her long before we got back to Shinjuku. Needless to say, she was dead to the world come bedtime.

21 March 2009

Emily was kind to us and slept until nearly 7am. I have yet to stay anywhere in Japan that has curtains which actually block the light. These were particularly thin, though luckily we were facing north: a good thing since it was a really bright morning. After a hearty western-style breakfast we quickly prepared to go out as our host had kindly offered to drive us somewhere for a walk. As we drove on the partly cross-country route in his 4x4, he regaled us with tales of acquaintances who are great adventurers, like the young Japanese woman who is the only surviving female to make the ascent of K2, or the old man who used a parachute as a brake while skiing on Everest. Mr Yanagidaira is himself quite a character, having hiked up a nearby 2,800 metre peak with a keyboard to give a solo performance on the top, and has also skiied down Fuji-san and other 3,000 metre peaks.

We came to a halt after a treacherous drive down an icy, rutted track with a fifty foot drop on one side. I was holding Emily in the back, unable to plug the seatbelt in and praying he kept his eyes on the road as he chattered away with Nick. From the frozen waterfall where we stopped we walked back down to the village, through straight-trunked trees rising from a carpet of dwarf variagated bamboo.

Most of the two hour stroll was on quiet roads that afforded an amazing panorama of the ring of Alps around us, many with snowy tops. Mountains always look more unattainable when frosted, but it was an awesome sight and had us yearning for some trekking, crampons and all.

On our way down we passed many attractive wooden lodges and again started thinking about a holiday home in this wonderful place; a bolthole from the concrete and crowds of Tokyo. I was surprised to hear the shrill song of a skylark as we passed through some fields, the little bird fluttering with its telltale jerky flight high above.

Emily had her nap in the baby carrier and woke up just as we arrived back at the visitor centre; perfect timing on her part as we were ready for lunch and some respite from the strong sun. The cool alpine air made it comfortable but we were all starting to exhibit red noses and cheeks. After all, we are on roughly the same latitude as Italy and the sun should therefore be treated with respect even in March.

From the restaurant we explored some of the other attractions at the centre: there was a small lake, a large grassy area, and some play equipment, including a big green slide.

Nick persuaded me that Emily should go down on her own, and I admit that she did enjoy it, though I was a bit scared for her the first time. Below there was a small death-slide which I rode several times, though Emily got upset watching me do it, for some reason.

As we walked away from the slide I saw an ominous yellow stain on her lower back; we laid her down in the warm sunshine on a bed of leaves, and found our suspicions were confirmed. It was an exceptionally full nappy and had spilled out on all sides so it needed a total clothing change as well. How nice to do it al fresco though! Her bodysuit was sadly beyond salvation by the time I was able to deal with it, however.

After all that activity Emily seemed happy to sit in the baby carrier as we walked for half an hour to the local onsen bath. As is often the case, the buildings and adjoining hotel were very ugly, but Nick assured me that the baths were decent enough (I decided not to bother this time as it was very busy there). The place was packed with working class Japanese and there were many elderly people. Nick said it was like a geriatric ward outing in the rotemburo bath. Back at Zigzag we relaxed while Emily went crazy; when she is most tired she seems very lively and laughs a lot. Again it took a while to settle her on the futon before I could join Nick for another delicious meal among the rampant greenery of the living room-cum-conservatory. Before we turned in we popped outside to look at the stars, as the sky was so clear and there was little light pollution. We didn't see any shooting stars but it was too cold to stay long and our necks soon began to ache.

20 March 2009

It was still mild in Tokyo but the blue skies had been replaced by rain clouds. We just managed to get to Tamachi station before rain set in. Being a national holiday (for spring equinox), the train from Shinjuku was very full, with quite a lot of people standing in the aisles (took me right back to bank holidays in the UK). Emily was very obliging: after the first hour she went off to sleep, allowing me to enjoy the journey just as we left the boring conurbation of greater Tokyo behind and entered the foothills of the Alps, the sun rejoining us as we travelled north west through glacial valleys dotted with orchards of plum trees in full bloom. There were some amazing magnolia trees too, almost shrouded in creamy-white flowers.

At Chino station our host was already waiting, so Emily had no chance to stagger more than a few steps before I lifted her into the back of their 4x4. There was no baby seat, so I hugged her close as we gradually climbed up to Haramura, at 1,200 metres. She went very quiet and listless, so I was afraid that she'd be sick like she was on the bus to Hakone before, but she survived the twenty minute drive to Pension Zigzag without puking up the lunch she'd eaten on the train. The gaily-painted wooden lodge was in a little hamlet of pensions and guesthouses surrounded by the peaks of both Southern and Northern Alps.

The whole area was wooded, with a predominance of white birch, the slender, skeletal white branches topped by a haze of purple twigs. Above loomed mountains dusted with late-season snow (apparently there would normally be plenty of snow in the village but it has been unseasonably warm).

We were informed that we were at the very centre of Japan here, and it certainly seemed a world away from the capital.

After relaxing in the comfy home-from-home lounge, heavily scented with woodsmoke from the stove in the corner and surrounded by a mass of indoor plants, we unpacked in our spacious family room then set off without further ado in search of lunch. Luckily there was a large restaurant very close by in a leisure complex of sorts. The eatery was round and the outer tables all had stunning panoramic views. The grub was better than expected and Emily happily sat in a high chair with a steady stream of tidbits to occupy her. Though cold at that altitude the sun was putting in a sterling effort, and we had a pleasant stroll along a woodland path for half a mile to one of the attractions, a working farm.

Unlike some examples this was a no-hold-barred mucky, slightly dangerous place, but all the better for being realistic. Emily liked the cows, sheep and ponies, though she just said 'baa' to all of them. Nick took her into a barn full of cows and got her to feed one with a handful of straw; she got a bit upset when the nearest one mooed very loudly.

I tried not to show my fear of large animals to her. Lastly we sampled some icecream from the on-site dairy, by which time the air was also becoming decidedly icy, as the sun dipped into a few clouds.

Back at Zigzag Emily was excited by their husky dog, Ja-Ja, who was in an outhouse attached to the house, with a pane of glass between him and her (luckily, since he took exception to her attentions and bared his teeth). Our room had an old jacuzzi tub, which was set at 42C: just about OK for her to go in briefly with Nick, though she emerged lobster red. At first she was upset, but then liked the bubbles. It took ages to get her to sleep in the anteroom, on a makeshift bed of futon, quilt and pillows. She rolled around every inch of it babbling like mad before ending up on the carpet, so I had to hold her in the dark until she dropped off. Amazingly, especially for a holiday weekend, we were the only guests in the fantastic guesthouse, and enjoyed a private blow-out dinner. Only one raw fish dish featured, the rest being Western-inspired. The thermometer outside showed minus 2C, but we were toasty in the cozy fire-warmed room and with a bottle of red wine to heat us through. Our main discussion was how much we loved this place and could envisage buying a plot of land here, the prices being 1/100th of those in Tokyo (our host is also a real estate agent), though we concluded that we'd be crazy to do so when we could just come to the pension for the odd break and still enjoy the area without the hassle of being arms-length owners.

19 March 2009

It was even warmer again, hitting about 25C. In fact, I actually felt a little uncomfortable despite a strong breeze. Doesn't bode well for the summer heat and humidity ahead.

Emily added another word to her vocabulary: 'narna' for banana. I've been encouraging her to say it for ages and finally my efforts have borne fruit (pardon the pun).

We met Jo and Isy for a brief playdate at the playground that runs alongside the railway tracks at Tamachi, as they were flying off to Australia in the evening for 3 weeks. Emily got her fill of choochoos, with one passing every minute; after 10 minutes she stopped pointing at them and exclaiming. Some of the play equipment was in a massive sand pit, so the two of them could walk around safely while we chewed the fat. Emily wandered off with several buckets and spades owned by the other children playing there, and I thought it is about time she had her own set as we often play in sand now.

Afterwards I took Emily to nearby Pokke. She seemed a bit scared of some of the staff and I wondered if she remembered being there with them in daycare on Tuesday afternoon. Instead of the usual singsong at closing time there was a special event: enter four ladies dressed in floral dresses and with flowers in their loose, long hair. They did a few Hawaian dances, watched quietly by nearly all the round-eyed children. The Japanese love all things Hawaian, so it's not that surprising. One child was not at all in awe though: Emily wandered up to stand right in front of them on a flat cushion and tried to copy them, grinning toothily at 'her' audience, before making a racket with a toy truck.

18 March 2009

Having got her down very early as she was dog-tired from a very busy day, Emily woke crying around 8pm, and when I went in to see her I was greeted with a terrible stench and a scene worthy of The Exorcist. She had been copiously sick all over her bed and herself. It was in her hair and on her clothes and sleeping bag; her constant companion, monkey, was plastered with semi-digested bolognese and alphabet pasta; worst of all, it had gone through the thin sheet onto the mattress below (typically, the waterproof-backed sheet was in the laundry). I had to strip her then try to clean her up, then set up a futon on the floor in our room, all the while holding her as she was upset. Nick was unfortunately on a late night at work. It took ages for her to go off to sleep, and then it was punctuated with frequent wakings (wonder if it was because she didn't have monkey to lie on - she has not been parted from him for one sleep since she was about 4 months).

17 March 2009

Today was really warm; T-shirt weather at last. After spending some time outside in Arisugawa Park in the morning, Emily passed the afternoon at Pokke while I had 3 hours off. If anything, this second time I felt even worse as I walked away from her and heard her sobs all the way down the street. On collection the staff told me she had fared a bit better this time, largely helped by Thomas the Tank Engine, which they fortunately had in the playroom. They hypothesised that she finds it difficult because they are speaking Japanese. At her age I'm not sure that would be much of a problem, but as her understanding of English words and phrases increases it may make it more difficult to put her in daycare. On the other hand, it may result in her picking up the lingo much faster.

16 March 2009

Emily seems to be making leaps and bounds where communication is concerned. Her cognition is high, though her vocabulary of 'words', if you can call them that, is still fairly limited:

'nononono' with a wagging finger, when she's caught doing something she's not supposed to (very amusing!)
'mama' (not sure if she knows it's me)
'dada' (she does seem to know I am talking about Nick but has never addressed him directly)
'i-o' (tick-tock for clock)
'yumyum' (but only on prompting so far)
'choochoo' (for train - and also sometimes trucks and buses)
'gorgor' (meaning cawcaw, for crow)
'beebee' (when she hears a beeping noise or car horn)
'brabra' (an attempt at brrmm brrmm for cars and lorries)
'oohooh' (monkey)
'baby' (because there is a picture of a baby on her yogurt pot, she also says it whever she sees any pot of yogurt)
'neenah' (police car or siren)
'kokogo' (Kokomo, the character used at KSpace classes)
'gar' (tiger, and also lions and bears)
'oof' (dogs)
'deetdeet' (tweet tweet)
'pehpeh' (when she sees a bird pecking, and she sometimes prods herself in the chest to illustrate)

She is obsessed with helicopters and aeroplanes, which we see often here, but trains of all type are her favourite right now, so I'm hoping she'll love the steam train when we go to Yorkshire.

15 March 2009

A very bright day, and warm in the sunshine. Before her nap we took Emily up the hill to the park and playground. She din't go anywhere near the toilet block this time!

As soon as she'd napped we whisked her off to Shibaura to catch the boat across to Odaiba. She had a finger food lunch in her buggy while we waited to leave the pier. The plan had been for Nick to go and try out the onsen resort there while I played with Emily, but as it was such a glorious day we decided that would be a waste, and also he wouldn't get to see much of her, so instead we strolled along the waterfront park as far as the pirate playboat.

I gritted my teeth and sent Emily down the long, steep slide to Nick's waiting hands. She loved it, of course. I can't wait until we can climb around on things together; hopefully she will appreciate having a tomboy for a mother! At the cafe afterwards we tried her out in her new take-along seat harness, which seemed very good. There are so few eateries in Japan with secure seats for children.

14 March 2009

In Japan, today is called White Day, and men give women chocolates (women give them to men on Valentine's Day).

It was raining a bit, so we togged Emily up in her new Miffy raincoat and bright yellow wellies. She seemed very pleased with her new outfit.

Nick took her to the childrens playhall at the end of our road while I was at class, where she picked up a 6-year old stalker who kept touching her. It was the last class in the current course and I got my certificate, though all that really proves is that I attended enough times. The last hour was a 'party' with Japanese buffet food and bottles of cold Oolong tea.

After lunch we went to the Imperial Palace. I left the stroller at home, which I regretted when Emily decided she didn't want to walk much and I had to carry her, resulting in very aching arms and shoulders that night and next day. Meanwhile Nick went off to the musical instruments quarter nearby to check out guitars, as he has been harbouring a desire for a new one for ages. I am perfectly happy with that (goodness knows he has worked hard enough for it) as long as he agrees to get rid of one of his old ones at the same time.

13 March 2009

I've lost track of my periods a bit lately, but I had become fairly sure that I was late. All week Nick and I have been talking about 'what if...' and it was driving me crazy. You see, for a long time my head has been totally against considering another child, but in my heart I just wasn't sure. There are so many reasons why another would be a bad idea: the economic situation and Nick's lack of job security, the size of our apartment, my complete neuroticism during Emily's first year of life, my age and the risk of a defective pregnancy, the fear of giving birth in another country to name the most important. I also feel that I am gradually getting some semblance of a life back again. But, nonetheless, although I couldn't figure out how it could have happened when I thought we were being careful, I found myself becoming almost excited about the possibility that I could be (can't say the P word).


Anyway, to cut a long story short I bit the bullet and bought a testing kit today. As last time, I couldn't pluck up the courage to do it on my own, so had to wait for Nick to come home in the evening. I peed on the stick as instructed and then looked elsewhere while the chemicals developed for a minute. Also as before I made Nick look at the result first. I hadn't had any 'symptoms' but my gut feeling was that it would be positive, while he had a feeling it would be negative. The window was clear of any hint of blue, meaning that I was not expecting. I felt a palpable sense of disappointment. This led to an evening of soul-searching, but the ultimate conclusion is that I will never fully make up my mind. So where does that leave us? Nick has admitted that he would like one more, but agrees that conditions are hardly favourable. In my usual manner I will probably blow hot and cold on the issue.



All this is being noted with the aid of half a bottle of wine, so I will commit myself and hit 'publish' before I lose my Dutch courage.

12 March 2009

A beautiful day, though with a cold wind. We walked to Hamamatsucho with Jo, and Isy and Emily had a grand time wandering round the grassy hillocks and stepping stones in Kyu Shiba Rikyu park. Emily was fascinated with the carp and liked dropping pebbles on them from the elevated path over the lake.

I noticed that as well as cultivated shrubs and flowers, there are lots of wildflowers already out including speedwell, deadnettle and vetch.

Emily was charming today, with lots of smiles and laughs. She was saying 'choochoo' every time she saw a train (frequent, given that the park is alongside the main line), 'deedee' for birds (ie. tweet tweet), and I'm sure she said 'kee' a couple of times when she saw planes (hikoki is the Japanese).

11 March 2009

My lovely shrub on the balcony is really living up its Latin name 'daphne odorata'; the scent is so intoxicating that it is almost overwhelming if sniffed at close quarters. Emily wrinkles up her nose and pretends to sniff whenever I say 'flower' or show her a picture of one. Daphnes are everywhere at the moment; every park has them and some shops have one in a tub outside. They fill the gap between plum blossom and cherry nicely, along with camellias of every hue. In such an urban environment it is amazing how many trees, shrubs and flowers can be fitted in to provide a year-round show.


I am starting to wonder if I am fit to be a parent. In the morning I took Emily up the hill to the local park. She wandered around happily and then made a beeline for the toilet block. Lately she has been playing with the sliding doors at home a lot, so she immediately pulled the door across. 'OK', I thought, I'll have to knock and pretend to be shut out. Then with a spine-chilling click I heard her turn the lock, and I didn't need to look to know that it now showed red for locked. At first she thought it was fun, but after a minute or so she realised something was wrong and began to cry. I attracted the attention of a passing man who went to the adjacent police hut for help. In the meantime I broke my nails and bloodied my hand trying to turn the lock slot from the outside, all the while calling out to Emily to reassure her that I was still there. While waiting for the policeman to come up with assistance of some kind, one of the council gardeners came by to use the loo. He saw me on my knees crying and pulling at the door, and was about to turn away when I gave him an imploring look and he came over. To my relief, he had a gardening tool that enabled him to turn the lock and rescue my poor baby. She clung to me for a minute or two but then seemed quite herself again. A visit to the sandpit took her mind off the trauma completely, though I took somewhat longer to get over it.

After lunch we went to Jill's place for a TMG co-ordinators meeting/playdate. I hadn't been there before, so was unprepared for the swishness of their building. They are on the 47th floor, and their living room has amazing views east out over the bay, with Hamarikyu Garden just below. Emily particularly enjoyed seeing passing helicopters and aircraft coming in to land at Haneda airport. No wonder Jill had been upset when she thought they would have to leave Tokyo and that panorama.

10 March 2009

I realised that I have hardly mentioned the 'global downturn' ie. huge depression that is a massive concern for just about every country in the world. Reading this back in future years, it will not be a true picture without some reference to it. Japan is supposedly suffering more than anyone else because their main exports - cars and electronics - are the items that people cut back on when in dire straits, or even just when they get the jitters. The exchange rate isn't helping matters either. I know from the BBC that the economy is the only topic of conversation in the UK these days, but here you don't get a sense of how much people are affected if you can't understand the conversations you overhear on the street.

I took Emily out for a morning stroll again, just around our local streets and in a little playground. As it had rained heavily overnight the ground was really wet, and she managed to fall backwards into a dirty puddle, so went home happy but with sopping and filthy trousers.

9 March 2009

I took Emily outside for a walk before her nap to stop her going stir crazy. She doesn't seem interested in any of her toys now, and even the books are losing their allure. On the way, she got her hand caught in the lift door as it slid back. I only took my eye off her for a second, I swear.

She is eating and sleeping much better this week, but having tantrums galore: going rigid, arching her body backwards, lying on the floor crying. The biggest trigger is brushing (or rather, attempting to brush) her teeth - all four of them. Since she sticks her tongue out it is impossible for me to get at the bottom ones. I can't see how to improve the situation, so will have to wait until she is old enough to reason with, though of course I will keep trying in case she relents and accepts it as inevitable.

She also caught her chin as she fell off a step, banged her temple on the supermarket trolley as she tried to escape the baby seat (never again am I putting her in that after a performance worthy of Houdini) and slipped on the wet bathroom floor and hit her head on the door sill. RoSPA would have a field day with this inattentive parent.

8 March 2009

So much for the springlike weather - back to overcast and cold today, though thankfully the rain held off. While Emily napped I went to the local hairdressers for a much-overdue cut. The stylist there speaks a handful of English words, but this time I chatted a little with my newly-acquired Japanese. Going there gave me more practice in one hour than I can manage to clock up in any week between classes. I offered comments on Japanese food, hangover symptoms and gift-giving customs for Valentine's Day. Of course, I didn't understand much of her responses, but it did give me more confidence to try my Japanese out.

Though we've now been here a year, we still manage to find the odd new place to visit within easy reach of home. This time we took a train to Shinagawa then walked to Tennoz Island. The walk took us past the head of an inlet with some old houseboats moored up behind old-style wooden houses, looking slightly incongruous against the glass and steel skyscraper background.

In looking for our destination we happened across a playground with a really long metal slide - maybe 20 feet. Emily absolutely loved riding down it on my lap, though at first I was a bit hesitant as I sat looking down the long sweep before me. As it happened it was great fun and we repeated a couple of times before carrying on to the smarter part of the island with a wooden promenade that we were trying to find. First we had to stop off for a coffee and cake, as Emily was playing up, and I suspected that she was hungry. She polished off a good half of a slice of cake; I wish she would approach her savoury meals with the same gusto, but let's face it, I am a glutton for anything sweet myself so can't really criticise. Near the cafe we found a great harbourside restaurant-cum-brewery with a scrummy menu, and resolved to return again soon for brunch.

The island is served by a monorail and we decided to return using that, though it took us to Hamamatsucho and we then had to make our way back from there. It is quite elevated, sitting at about the 7th floor of passing buildings, so it provides great views of the bayside area and also down onto passing trains as it hugs the main line tracks.

7 March 2009

After breakfast we hurried Emily off to the hospital yet again, this time for her Hib booster vaccination. As always, I could not watch as the doctor administered the jab, so was glad that Nick was there to hold her. She cried for about a minute then was all smiles again.

I left Nick to take Emily home and rushed off to my penultimate Japanese class. I was really pleased that one topic I had a mental block on last time was crystal clear to me now. That seems to happen a lot: going from feeling that I will never master something, to enlightenment suddenly dawning without any real effort. Perhaps my brain works on it 'offline' while I am sleeping.

It was a beautiful day: bright, and warm in the sunshine, so we went to Rikugien after lunch. The sudden improvement in the weather had drawn out the visitors and it was the busiest I've seen it, in about six or seven trips. Emily walked a lot, though she dropped to her knees frequently as it was a little uneven. Halfway round she started getting very irritable, and we eventually pinned it down to being hungry, so had to cut short the visit and hightail it to a nearby cafe for cake. With her sharp little teeth she managed to pierce a cream jigger and suck out the contents!





Nick had a four-way Skype conference call with some of his Durham MBA pals in the evening. Not quite as good as a chat down the boozer but the banter was flowing well and I knew he was feeling the lack of mates to go out with.

6 March 2009

What a grotty day! Heavy rain all day, with unremittingly leaden skies. Despite the conditions I took Emily to Yurakucho as I needed to do a spot of shopping. She was frustrated sitting in the stroller, so I let her loose in a shop for the first time. Big mistake. She made a beeline for a colourful display of sweets in tubes and with one swipe she wrecked it. I hurriedly put things back as near as possible to how they were and hoped no-one had seen and thought me stupid for letting her walk unfettered in a store. Luckily Muji sells kids clothes and toys, and they had a small playarea for children to handle sample toys, so she was happy with that for five minutes, before she began delving in a basket of shoes. They also had a very nice restaurant, and we took a short break in there. Short is the operative word: as soon as Emily had scoffed her snacks (and half my cheesecake) she made it clear that she didn't want to sit there anymore. So much for a relaxing rest with a coffee. Those days are over for the time being. It was easier when she was small and I could get her to nap on the breast while I rested.

4 March 2009

Poor Emily had a bad night (therefore, so did we), waking at least once every hour. Finally, she went into a deeper sleep after Nick left for work, and in the end I had to wake her at 8.30. She seemed alright, though still not that hungry considering a 15 hour gap between tea and breakfast. After her morning nap though, she was hot again, and the only things she would consider eating for lunch was a packet of pseudo-crabsticks (actually fish paste) and a satsuma.

Despite that I decided to take her to the TMG meeting rather than miss out, especially as it was being held only 10 minutes walk away from home. She spent an hour and a half sitting on my lap gnawing on a toy train, so it was not very worthwhile for her, but at least it got us out of the apartment, and I got to talk to a few other mums. After wet snow overnight, it turned to steady rain all afternoon, and yet again I rued my short legs, as all my trousers drag on the ground and get soaked. Nick complains about the difficulty of getting trousers long enough, and I know it causes him great consternation, but I think I'd prefer his problem to mine!

Back at home Emily rejected everything I offered her for tea. If she won't touch her current favourites of roasted pumpkin, beans or chestnuts I know something is up with her. Eventually I had to bath her without having any tea, and she was soon in the land of Nod, with me wondering what kind of a night lay ahead.

3 March 2009

In Japan, the third of March is called Hina Matsuri, or Girls' Day. On this day, people put out displays of dolls in traditional Heian court dress, like this...

Emily and I had lunch with Nick then went to Julia's to play with Charlize. She had a lovely doll set that looked to be antique, and I resolved to make sure Emily has one for next year's festival. I'm not sure if it was the eel that disagreed with her, but Emily was not herself at teatime, and was very lacklustre. I put her to bed a full hour early and thought I detected a bit of a high temperature. We'll see what the morning brings.

2 March 2009

The end of an era: Emily has been showing less and less enthusiasm for the once a day breastfeed after breakfast, and these last few days has barely stayed on a minute. So I have decided that it is time to call it a day. I don't feel too sad as it hasn't felt quite right for the last couple of months, though I can't put my finger on why. After such a shaky start I am pleased to have got this far, albeit with the aid of formula topups most of the way. At least I can throw away all the now-grey nursing bras!

1 March 2009

I woke with an awful hangover, Nick having virtually carried me to bed the night before because I was prostrate on the floor and crying. It's been a long time since I was that drunk, but we were a bit mystified as I don't think I really drank all that much. We thought it might be because I hardly ate anything during dinner. It took until gone 2pm for me to even be able to stand up properly and I felt nauseous all day. Emily perhaps picked up on the general feeling of malady as she was very inclined to tears and incredibly clingy. We did manage an hour in the local park, stopping off to look in at a couple of the local shrines on the way.

28 February 2009

An early promise of sunshine failed to materialise, but we went to the Nature Studies park anyway, where Emily walked a fair amount of the paths and got very tired. She insisted on clutching two muddy rocks most of the way, though luckily she was easily dissuaded from eating them.

In the evening Nick and I went out to Shibuya, where we had a 'blind date' with an English couple introduced to us via a good friend of Pam's. By coincidence they are also called Robinson; Rachel and James were easy to find, even in the seething mass of Saturday night revellers, as she had advised that he is 6' 3" and she only 4'11". They are both teachers at the British School, and we found them good company as they liked the same music and enjoy travel. They took us to their favourite restaurant, where we drank sake and ate some good fish dishes, though we felt the amount of food was far too little (which had disastrous results for me later...).

27 February 2009

Finally, I got to see some snow in Tokyo. It came down most of the morning, but was very wet and didn't stick at all. It was lovely to see it falling though.