20 August 2009

Jill and I took the girls to the Science Museum in Kudanshita, an idea I had from another mum at TMG whose two and a half year old apparently likes it there. Emily was quite grouchy and inclined to tears all day, and didn't like most of the exhibits. Admittedly they are aimed at older kids, but on a good day I'm sure she would have found more to enjoy. She liked a big tunnel-like structure made of metal (tunnels being one of her current fads), and was excited to see a display of model diggers, but then got upset when she realised that they were behind glass. There was a dinosaur robot which she took a dislike to (her favourite phrase, repeated many times a day, is 'don't like it'), and she was positively frightened when I stood her on a raised platform around which I pulled a ring that formed a massive soap bubble all around her as it rose.

After an hour and a half we gave up and went down to the restaurant in the basement. It had rather a school canteen feel, and there wasn't all that much on the menu that I thought Emily would like, but I got a bowl of cold noodles with shredded cucumber and fish paste strips. Added to the beans and sweetcorn that I'd taken it was enough to satisfy her, though I drew the line at the almost raw poached egg on top, which looked like a horrid gelatinous eyeball.

We had planned to stroll around the Imperial Palace gardens while they napped, but as it was well over 30C we decided instead to jump on a train to Shibuya and go to the Children's Hall there. Both of them dropped off to sleep as we left the station, and they completed their naps inside the Hall. Emily managed 40 minutes, despite the constant background of squealing and shouting from the hordes of children there. I knew there was a good reason why I don't go there much: the playroom has a section where shoes must be taken off, with the remainder requiring them. It is very tedious, constantly taking Emily's shoes off and putting them back on depending on which part of the room her whim takes her to. The best part is a large wooden structure of many levels, with a suspended 'bridge' and a slide. Emily really liked it, but there were loads of older kids who kept bowling past her roughly and making her nervous on the quivering bridge. In the end I gave up and decided to take her home, as I felt quite worn out.

On the way back I was seized with a fit of conscience and thought I would take her to Hon Shiba first. Before that I badly needed a boost, so we stopped off at Starbucks (I am fast becoming bored with going there!) for a coffee and snack. Fortified, we carried on down the road to the playground, with Emily getting very animated as the shinkansen trains went by. She eagerly got into the fountain pool to play, and I was very happy to paddle and cool my feet. At 4pm the sun seemed just about weak enough for me to stop worrying about putting suncream on her. After all, it is now dark before seven.