Guests

Tomorrow our first over-seas guests will arrive from Finland and they'll stay here for two weeks. I think it's fantastic.

Finnish Bread

I just love Tokyo. You can buy real finnish rye bread here! What you can't find here that doesn't exist... which means that quite a many things I miss don't exist (like books in Finnish and in Swedish and Tupla chocolate). So, I take that back.

But the bread is really really good.

Blooming Trees

Sakura (cherry tree) blooming is coming closer and closer. Here's this year's forecast. We've been invited to a hanami (flower-watching) party next saturday. I am curious to see how people act under the trees.

Happy Pagan

One can easily forget all the christian celebrations here in Japan. I like that. Though now that part of world's population is having an easter holiday I wouldn't mind eating some Mignon Eggs.

Musashi Koyama

Musashi Koyama Shopping Area.

Today we made an excursion to this mall. It's reasonably close to us and it's not at all as expensive as downtown shopping centres are.

I bought diapers.

Phoning

I managed to make a hotel room reservation on the phone. Hurray. I don't know why it is always so difficult to start phoning in a new country. It was hell to phone in Sweden at first and I always felt that people treated me like I was a three year old, because I didn't speak the language well. Then after few years it become ordinary to phone anywhere. And I realised that tax-people and such treat everyone like they were idiots, no matter how elegant your language is.

Here everyone is very polite all the time - even on the phone. I don't speak the local language at all - if 'thank you' and 'no problem' doesn't count. Still I managed to make the hotel room reservation. Happy, happy!

She/He?

It seems to be difficult for people here to say if Vimme is a boy or a girl. I let him wear red quite often and his hair is not short. I think young kids like Vimme can enjoy their undefined gender as long as it is possible. Someday he'll be a man and carries the burdens men carry. And if he remains on the feminine side for the rest of his life, that is ok too. He'll walk his own path, what ever it will be.

Children's Hall

M is back. Yay!

I took the kid to Tokyo Metropolitan Children's Hall again today. It's a fantastic place. There is so much for a small kid to do and it's all free. On our way home Vimme asked me to take him there tomorrow again. He really really likes going there. We won't go there tomorrow though - we have something else on our agenda.

A Map & A Popular Boy

Today I finally bought 'Tokyo Metropolitan Atlas' - a good map book. How have I survived without it? Obviously quite well, but I am happy I have it now.

Vimme has learned to say 'konnichiwa'. He bows while saying that to ladies in trains. He is making himself very popular among japanese women.

Miso Soup

I wonder if you can get any more enthusiastic about miso soup than this guy.

Tool Shop

A tool shop (or some shop that has something to do with motorbikes and such - how could I know) around the corner has this lovely window. There are always fresh flowers in a vase or some other wonderful installation for occational viewers to watch. I wonder when Harley Davidson starts decorating their windows with such an elegant touch.


A window.

Last Night's Film

Dogville.

I saw Dogville last night and boy was it a depressing film. It was a good film, that can't be denied. One can only ask herself, does she really want to spend her time watching people being their mean miserable selves? Inhabitants of Dogville turned out to be monsters and they deserved what they got in the end.

Lars von Trier's film are no action comedies or "happy-ever-after"-films. Knowing that, I still say that Dogville is especially cruel and ugly story.

Plum Trees

Plum tree.


Another plum tree.


And another plum tree again.

What's the fuss about cherry trees. I think these plum trees are beautiful and they bloom longer.

Vimme's choice

Vimme's favourite.

Vimme got this book (in finnish though) for his birthday. We have read it about 1000 times by now already. Vimme still thinks that the story is worth another reading. I have sort of got all fed up with it. But what wouldn't I do to keep him happy. Let's read it again.

Single Parent

M left for Taiwan today. Me and the sneezing kid will have some quality time together for a week. Let's see if we'll leave the flat at all.

Smells Like.... What?

It is strange not to be able to smell what you are smelling. Everything smells the same. And everything tastes like card board. I am looking forward to those bright slimeless future days.

The poor kid is still sick too. He's been sneezing and coughing since his birthday. I hope he gets better immediately. We all start to be tired of being at home all the time.

Shopping with Beatles

The food store where I usually shop (yes - buying food is my kind of shopping) is always playing Beatles as their back ground music and real Beatles songs, not those terrible pan flute versions. It means that I can't decide anymore if I should buy this or that unless I hear "One After 909", or worse, "Long And Winding Road". The latter is number one on my "most unwanted Beatles songs"-list.

Natural Diet

Flu is a fantastic way to loose weight. Just wear thin clothes when you go out, stay in draft, shake hands with every sneezing person, don't wash your hands, stand in crowds, and get stressed. Soon you will find yourself having no appetite and you don't even notice if you are hungry, because you are feeling so ill otherwise. This method is 100% natural and no chemicals are needed.

Tiny print at the buttom: You might need pain killers.

Flu

Not well yet. I am up from the bed for a while thanks to M's pain killers he got when he had bad tooth ache last summer. Oh I wish I'd be feeling better already.

Black Out

I never noticed when I swallowed a cactus, but I obviously have one in my throat now.

Cough, cough

Cups of tea and taking it easy - wasn't that the trick to get rid of a cold?

Why Snow?

Here I am whining about the weather again. It's March and everything is covered by snow. Ok, it is melting away already and soon it will be a faint unwanted memory - but still! I have ordered spring and the celestial head waiter brings me snow flakes.


View from our window this morning.

Birthday Boy

Happy birthday Dear Vimme. This is a beginning of an era called "Terrible Two". I'm sure it's "Terrific Two" spelled wrong.


Birthday Boy is eating a banana.


Vimme is blowing his two candles.

Screaming Pink Head

The kid is trying to make me stop writing the blog - for good. He is screaming his head pink every time I make an attempt to write down something. I guess I should wait until he is sleeping. Or until he moves away from home. Let's see which comes first.