Hamarikyu Garden

We did some tourist exploring again yesterday and visited Hamarikyu Garden. It wasn't the best time of the year to go there, but it was nice to see the place anyway. We are going there for a picknic once weather gets warmer.

It was a strange feeling to be in that relatively old garden and see all those shiny new and high buildings around it. Tokyo is full of such contradictional views.


Hamarikyu Garden.

Everything Works

I am constantly impressed by the effectivity and neatness of this country. I wonder when these hard working people have time to clean their homes and tiny yards, but it's very rare to see a house with an untented garden here. Though I have to add that most gardes are the size of a stamp.

In this clean environment (I am not going into air pollution now) I meet an odor of a sewer. And not just a faint passing smell, but - you know - it stinks. Even in the shop where I often buy my food, there is a spot close to candy shelfs where it always smells bad - really really bad. I wondered about that, until I realised how much crap this city must produce. It must be a lot. I don't even want to think further how much. It's wonder everything works even this well.

Saturday Amusement

I have never lived in a flat with a wall-to-wall carpet before - they are not that big hit in Scandinavia - and I find it quite unpractical.

I am used to wiping the dirt off the floor once it gets there, and in our case it does get there all the time. How you wipe a carpet?

For some reason we have colourful stripes on the dull gray-beige carpet. I must have mentioned the stripes before. Anyway, I am doing my best at the moment to get those stripes off. My weapon is a chemical product, which I am using now when the kid is out with M. Let's see how I get after breathing these fumes for couple of hours. Happy?

Sport Comparison

Yesterday I finally put on my new running shoes and went for a run around the campus. It was nice to run and shoes fitted well. I'm pleased.

You see some joggers on the streets here. Not as many as in Gothenburg though. And people smoke cigarettes more than in Northern Europe. But I have never seen so many old guys streching in parks (and every where) than here.

Vimme Can

Today Vimme made the sand cake in the picture all by himself. Mama's damn proud.


A Sand Cake.

80's

Aren't we all gratefull that 80's is long gone. Look at these guys. Especially the second one from the left would scare the poo poo out of me if I saw him live - even in a full day light.

They are a finnish band called Bogart co from 80's. The band doesn't exist anymore. You don't really miss anything though you haven't ever heard of them before.


Bogart co.

Vimme and the boys

Today Vimme played on the yard with four older boys - they were between 3 and 10 years old - for a half an hour without remembering my existence. What he did was that he ran with the boys and minded his own business close to them.

The boys were very good with Vimme. Maybe partly because all 3 mothers were watching all the time. Should I start preparing myself to those days when Vimme stays away over night? Or moves away from home?

Appliance

Dish Washers.

I have a fantastic double effect dish washer.

Musicals

Chicago.

Yesterday we watched 'Chicago' on dvd. It was a well done film with visually rich scenes and good actors.

But...

It was dead boring and all the songs (and let me tell you, they were numerous) sounded the same.

Every now and then I want to give a chance to musicals. I liked 'Moulin Rogue' (it is not a real stage musical) so, I thought I might as well give a chance to Chicago too.

It'll take time before I watch another musical. I don't like musicals and I can't name a single musical song I would like. And Chicago wasn't any better than the rest of them.

Touristic Actions

We went up to Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building today to see the view. We managed to see how sun went down behind Fuji.

In a park next to the building were home made tents of homeless people. There was laundry hanging in a good order beside tents and bed clothes were out to have some air. Even people living in parks are tidy here in Japan. I like it.


Vimme and Tokyo.

Blackblack

Blackblack.

You simply have to buy chewing gum with "Hi-Technical Excellent Taste And Flavour" when you see it.

My Home Is Where My Laptop Is

When I years ago moved to Sweden, I found it very hard to live there in the beginning. I didn't know the language well enough to be able to communicate with a cashier or a mailman - or anyone. The local accent was incomprehensible. And I constantly missed all my friends back in Helsinki. It took me about a half year to get over the worst misery. Then I started to like living in Sweden and now that we moved away from there, I feel like I left my home behind.

I miss Gothenburg and my friends there. I still miss my friends in Finland too.

To start a new life here in Japan is another story. I am so busy with the kid that I have no time to feel myself lonely or unhappy. Not that I would have any reason to feel like that either. The language barrier between me and the rest of the society is higher than ever before, but I don't suffer because of it. People are so extreamly friendly here.

I guess if you have once survived being an alien somewhere, you will be at home anywhere.

I'm Confused.... Well, What's the News?

Threes are blooming and it's mid January. I am constantly freezing. Even trees are tougher here than what they are where I come from. Local kids who are still running out half naked no matter what the weather is.

Maybe I too become tougher if I stay here long enough.


Is it January now?

Where Do You Draw the Line?

The kid is drawing colourful lines on a newspaper. There begins to be some coloured spots on the carpet too. I guess I have to take him out, which I might as well do at once - it's a sunny day.

Artistic Activities

We missed the concert yesterday, but there were lots of other activities at Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Hall to keep the kid happy and pre-occupied. He did his first water colour painting there. And played drums - as you can see - and a vibraphone. It's a fun place to go with a kid.


A Drummer.

Rainy Sunday

There is a very funny and extreamly well written blog about parenting a toddler son. Finslippy is its' name. I myself found it through a friend (nodding thanks to Pustervik's direction).

It's a gray and rainy day in Tokyo. We are supposed to go to Shibuya. There's another children's concert today. The weather makes me wish they gave the concert here at our place.

The Right Order

I am grateful that we first went to a sushi bar and then
to The Meguro Parasitological Museum.


Sushi on the run.

Effectivity

This is where I go when life gets boring at home and I take Vimme in his pram with me. Fun, fun, fun and close contacts to other people.


Japanese subway.

Granny

Markus and I were asked by an older chap, if we are grandparents to Vimme. I didn't know I had lately lost that much of my youthfull appearance! Or I suspected it, but no one had dared to tell me. Oh well. What are the options? Take it as it comes or try to become a cher-look-alike.

No Paking

I promise I will never ever pak my bicycle here.


No Paking.

The Kid

The kid likes letters. Of course, here in Japan you have quite a many alphabets to choose from, but we concentrate on Scandinavian version of them. Vimme can name most letters and he knows Anna starts with 'a'. You can't imagine how proud I am. And - he can count to three.

I'm sure all the kids can as much as Vimme does. But Vimme is the kid.

No Meat My A**

Today I asked a guy at a counter, "Is there any meat in it?" and pointed at a rice triangle package. He said no. I trusted him just to find out that there was chicken in it. This is why I am not that keen to eat out or try new things. I can't get any relevant information of ingredients most of the cases and I don't want to eat meat. At all.

Thank God there is sushi and tempura!!!

Well Equipped

Now I have no excuse to avoid exercising - I got myself a new yoga mat and new running shoes.

I was a bit out of balance for couples of days and started to get old feelings of misery (who wants that?) - until I happened to read an article in Yoga Journal about something I already knew, but had forgotten: to have no expectations and to be here and now all the time. It's strange how one gets lost in her mind sometimes though the map is there with her all the time. All the same - the balance is here again - as much as it can be.

Finglish or Finglish?

How little I've known. There is a language called Finglish for real. The one I use isn't really a language at all - it's just english written with Finnish touch.

A Film about A Mother

I finally saw Kill Bill films. They weren't that bad as I expected. All the reviews I had read gave two-out-of-five or even less. I'd give two and half.

Scenes were well done and story showed what happens if you start irritating a mother. Things get ugly.

Now that I have a kid on my own - I become teary if I see any touching scenes with mothers and children (dying, meeting again after a long time, separation etc.). I am glad I didn't go to see the film at a movie theater. It would have lessen my street credibility (if there was any left) a lot crying out loud and sneezing when I'd come out of the theater.


An Angry Mama.

Registrated Alien

We missed The New Year’s Parade of Firemen this year. It was so cold and rainy that no reason in the world would have gotten out. Oh well, I actually took a train to Kamata to get my Certificate of Alien Registration. And later I went to get some ice cream (I wanted to serve it with panncakes). It's so nice to know that next year I have another chance to see the parade - no need to get panic attacs about lost actions and happenings.

Congratulations to Cape Town

Welcome to the world you little boy in South Africa. May your life be happy and long and may your parents survive the lack of sleep.

Our little boy made his first poo-poo into a potty. Yay! (Sorry, no picture included). One step closer to those days when I don't need to change his diapers anymore. (And one day closer to those when he has to change mine - but I don't really want to think about that at all).

Blah blah blah

I started to write about something very "deep and profound", but realized soon enough that it would take hours and hours with my language skills and my vocabularity. So, I decided to skip the subject.

You thank me for that.

We went to Shibuya today again. It's easy to reach from where we live. That must a reason why we seem to end up there quite often.

In the front of a fashion shop was a huge crowd of young girls who were (my guess) trying to swap the clothes they had in their bags or sell them. They all looked like dedicated followers of fashion (yes, you caught me - I listened Kinks a lot as a teen). They were many and they all screamed (my guess) their offers. It was hard to get through that crowd without getting a serious injuries in hearing. Now I know better and I will always avoid that particular street corner.

Hatsu-moode - New Year's Shrine Visiting

I know this photo is the same quality as a regular "look-I've-seen-an-ufo"-picture. All the same, it shows that on a clear day we can see Fuji from our balcony.


Fuji-san.

We visited Meiji-jinguu today with millions of other citizens. Now our new year is blessed. May yours be too.