12 July 2009

We spent the day in Edogawa ward: the 'downtown' area of Tokyo in the Edo period. It was only half an hour from Mita, so we ought to have explored it before, but we only just read about it in the guide book. It was really hot, though luckily a strong breeze was blowing along the river corridor. There is a high manmade embankment along the river, set up as a cycling route, with many sports grounds sandwiched between. Waterskiers and jetskiers were tearing up and down the river, providing further entertainment.

A little walk along the path brought us to an iris garden, which apparently has around 50,000 plants, but it was very hot there and I was too worried about us burning to enjoy those blooms which were still out. As it was past her mealtime we sat Emily on a bench under a shelter to eat. She refused the jar of food I'd brought for her and was generally a bit out of sorts, not even wanting to walk much after an hour of travel. We sought sanctuary in a restaurant nearby; it was busy and all heads turned as we entered. I don't think there are many foreigners to be seen in this part of the city as it is off the beaten tourist track. We had some very acceptable cold noodles, though the tempura with noodles looked better. Emily was happy to join in now, and was eating quite well with a fork.

We got back onto the path and walked northwards as Emily napped. Again I fretted, as she had a very red face because no wind was reaching her in the enclosed buggy. On the sport fields between us and the river some interesting sports were being played; we saw an all-women team frisbee game, played a bit like netball but with a disc. Next along was a lacrosse game in full swing. I thought that was just a game for English public schools.

Emily woke after only half an hour, as we paused for cold drinks while watching a ferry with about 30 on board being punted across to the other bank. We left the river and tried to find a park for her to play in. All we could come up with was the small garden of an old merchant's house where she loved the water feature and bamboo ('babboo') fence. Up the road we happened across a fine temple, Taishakuten, with beautiful wood carvings on the gates and interior buildings, and a pine whose incredibly long branches spread right across the front of the temple.

A large bronze urn with water gently splashing to the ground was naturally Emily's favourite. In one corner of the courtyard we were treated to a puppet show with dolls in old fashioned costume. The puppeteer used incredibly complicated moves with the strings to create a very life-like and comical effect.

My run in the evening was OK, considering the heat, which was tempered only by a light breeze. I wish there was scope for more than one a week as I really feel my lack of fitness more these days (especially when pushing a heavy stroller and Emily up some of the steep hills around here).

11 July 2009

My final Japanese class was harder than ever. I really felt that I was struggling, but then, I did miss five weeks. The other students' vocabulary seems much more extensive than mine, but the main difference is that they are not self-conscious about speaking in class. I don't want to say anything unless I am absolutely sure I have got it right. I think it is quite a British trait. We finished up with a small party, which was rather awkward at first. One of the students had brought a bottle of amazake (sweet, unfiltered sake), which was not at all nice, and is traditionally drunk in the winter not high summer, but perhaps the alcohol helped to break the ice a bit. I felt I should make small talk in Japanese with the teachers, but struggled to think of anything worth saying.

In the afternoon the three of us went to Tamagawadai. We let Emily have free rein in the large playground first

then carried on down the other side of the ridge to the banks of river Tama. There we found a wide grassy path next to the water, though there was no easy access to the river. Lots of sports were being practised in riverside fields, especially baseball. Emily was happy picking clover and pointing at trains crossing on a nearby bridge.

10 July 2009

For our morning playdate with Victoria and Soraya we decided to go back to the Nature Studies Centre again. The forecast had been for 31C, but it was somewhat cooler, with good cloud cover and a very vigorous wind. So strong indeed, that Victoria reported that their paddling pool had blown off their balcony overnight, giving me pause for thought about ours.

Although not as muddy there as the week before, we soon found that the mosquitos had moved in. We were all attacked repeatedly by the horrible bloodsuckers, and we cut our visit short as a result. The little park next door was a better option, and especially when we discovered that the water feature was now full, having been dry all year. Emily and Soraya wasted no time in getting soaked, but having lots of fun with a couple of Japanese boys who were there with their grandmothers.

After lunch nap I took Emily to the hospital for her 18 month check up. She came in at 12.3kg (75th centile) and 87cm (98th centile). The doctor had enough English for us to be able to talk through their questionnaire and be satified with Emily's progress. We spent an hour afterwards around Shiba Koen park, then on the way to the supermarket I came across a playground I hadn't seen before, down a side street. This one had lovely lush grass, swings and a sand pit, and a great piece of play equipment with several slides and chutes and a climbing wall. It's great to still be discovering new places after so long here.

9 July 2009

Emily woke at 4.45. Eventually I gave up trying to settle her and took her to bed with me. She was about to drop off at last when Nick's alarm went off at 5.40. After he went she did calm down and I managed to doze on and off until 7.45, but I felt terrible when I got up.

It was a very hot morning but I felt I ought to leave the sanctuary of the aircon behind and take Emily out. We went to the local playground but the sun was really strong and I was worried about her burning even with cream and a hat. We moved on to a second small playground behind the supermarket, which was shadier but had a higher mozzie count, then shopped and dashed home.

Emily picked at her lunch, perhapos becasue she was now very tired after her early stirring. I got her down in bed and ate mine, then showered and went off to bed myself. I woke after an hour and a half but felt so bad I wondered if I should have, a rare headache nagging at my temples.

Skip Kids seemed the last place to go with a bad head, but after a while I felt a lot better, despite the squeals of a handful of excitable kids. Emily was really lively and beaming her best grin a lot. I had a good chat with Jo and Bettina, which eventually turned to the usual subject on my mind these days. The discussion continued later over dinner, when Nick came home early (8pm!). I am really 50/50 on having another child, and we concluded that we will never be absolutely sure either way. But that is exactly the way we felt before we had Emily! I used to worry about material issues such as the stability of Nick's job and the size of our apartment, but my main concern has changed now: what if I had twins, or there was an abnormality? Entirely possible as the incidence of both increases with maternal age. And of course the idea of two children with no family around as support is scary too. So where does that leave us...?

8 July 2009

Emily woke even earlier today, at 5.45. She was babbling away in her room and I thought I heard her say 'Emily poo'. She never does one at that time of day but surprise, surprise, this time she had. It's the first time she seems to have been aware she has done one. I'm not about to start toilet training her yet, though. Not until at least 2 years old. I haven't even got a potty or trainer seat yet, though all my friends have.

I was glad to find that it was a dull day again, though it was nonetheless very warm and sticky. During the morning there was the odd shower, but we went to meet Jill and Sophia at Kyu Shiba Riyku anyway. The girls had a whale of a time running around on the grass and playing with the water fountain.

They also discovered a female turtle laying eggs in a hole she had scraped on a grassy bank. The eggs were very large for such a small creature - almost the size of a hen's egg - and there were several in the bottom of the hole. In fact, they weren't much smaller than the eggs we watched a metre-long sea turtle laying in Borneo, though she lay nearly 70. I hoped our children's squealing and proximity hadn't put the poor creature off, as she began to fill in the muddy hole.

7 July 2009

Emily woke early again, at 6.20, and when I took her into our room she was wide awake straight away and would not let me rest, so I reluctantly got up.


We ventured out into the searing heat for a trial of a Music Together class, held at a Lutheran church in Roppongi. Emily didn't enjoy it, perhaps because it was a small room with about a dozen adults and as many children, and we spent 45 minutes singing and moving around. She only perked up a bit from her sullen state when props and musical instruments were brought out. The rest of the time she was looking out of the window and trying to open the door.


We played briefly in Robot Park next door afterwards, as I felt too guilty to take Emily straight home without much chance to play. There is a series of ever longer and higher slides all accessed via a walkway and stairs. She went straight past the others to the highest, a helter skelter, but chickened out of using it.


Emily had her first afternoon in daycare since we got back. I was worried that she would have forgotten Pokke and be as upset as she was the first few times she went, but when we got there she walked straight in and started playing. I don't think she even cried when I disappeared. On picking up, she wasn't looking out for me as before, and had to be pulled away from the toys to come to me. She then said 'Emily shoe' and was ready to leave.


Apparently Tokyo is now the most expensive place to live, or rather, for a company to send an expat to. That's somewhat different, since they use a 'basket of goods' comparison, and probably include a lot of goods that I don't buy. In any case, as Nick is paid in yen there is no issue with exchange rates, which is what has mainly been the cause of the increase in the cost of sending an expat here.

5 July 2009

We had arranged to go to the Embassy to see Tracey, James and Lottie, as it had been several months since we were there. An Aussie couple, Megan and Hugh, and their two daughters were there as well. All the children played nicely inside and out in the garden. Before eating we went across to the pool. Nick took Emily in but she got very upset, probably because she had already been up for 5 hours, and was very hungry, but also because the water was actually quite cold.

As Emily scoffed her food, Tracey kindly knocked up lunch for us adults - a good thing too as we hadn't given thought to where we'd eat. We finally left at 2.30 so that we could get Emily asleep in the buggy, but we saw Ryan, Sharon and Taylor in the pool so stopped for 10 minutes to chat to them. We made our excuses and were about to leave when we realised Emily had done a poo.

In the end she only napped for half an hour, but that was enough for us to get the tube to Kiyosumi. It was the first time I had risked Emily napping on a train, but she was oblivious to the noise, although after nearly 7 hours and lots of play she must have been exhausted.
We were pleased with our discovery of yet another great garden, and this one right next to a park and only a few hundred yards from the Sumida river. Kiyosumi is really lovely; it has similar features to Rikugien, Korakuen and Kyu Shiba Rikyu (lake, trained pine trees, maples and cherries), but they are all subtly different and have their own charm. Inside there was a big arrangement of bamboo branches festooned with colourful wishes, for Tanabata festival. I added one to the collection.

Emily was raring to go though we had to restrain her while we traversed the many stepping stones around the lake edge. She loved the huge koi and turtles.

My evening run was a lot better than last week's, though it was very humid so I as glad I had taken a wet flannel to cool myself off with.