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.
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