No Major Damages

We visited M's sensei's house today. Hospitality was overwhelming, food was delicious and wine glass was full all the time no matter how hard I tried to empty it. And the best of all: the kid didn't manage to break more than one paper screen.

Too Windy

This morning I looked out the window and saw that it was a very windy day. I decided avoid Dorothy's destiny - though Japan itself is quite a magical land - and stayed home all day. I didn't even go to a food store, therefore I was forced to prepare a dish called 'what-ever-was-in-the-fridge'. It turned out to be quite delicious.

How ever glad I am about the fact that I didn't go out, I have to say: days indoors with a two & half years old are relatively long.

Ginger Bread House

I've done my chrismassy thing for this year: I made a ginger bread house. It looks like a ginger bread house from outlet store of outlet stores - all the same, I had fun making it. Oh yes, it is suppose to be a Moomin house.

Suspicious Alien

Our flat is on the second floor. I am grateful for that. I wouldn't like to live high above the ground here in Japan, though new buildings ought to be quake resistant. I have been right being suspicious about that fact. Who knows if this is the only case of fake resistance data.

About a Book

I am reading a book that won Runeberg prize 2005 in Finland. The author, Zinaida Lindén, is originally from Russia. She writes in Swedish and lives in Finland. I can't but admire someone who writes novels in another language than her mother tongue. And her Swedish is immaculate.

The story takes place in Russia and in Japan. The main character has some moments of fear while pondering upon the possibilty of a devastating earth quake in Tokyo. I found it easy to relate to that. I am not prepared at all to meet nature cathastrophies of any kind. But how well can you be prepared if a really strong quake hits the place you are right then. The best thing to have would be a communicator where to holler: "Beam me up Scotty".

Meccano House

This house is Fuji TV's headquarters. It's a good example of various sci-fi scenes in our new neighbourhood. I think it's great that we have a chance to live in such a strange envinronment as this one. A year in a peaceful village-like atmosphere of O-okayama area was a good too. Our stay in Tokyo will be a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Brrrr

We Finns don't like freezing. Our country is, as we all know, dark and cold in winter time. That's why our houses have a proper heating and our kids are wearing thick clothes while playing outdoors - as well as we adults are.

Here in Tokyo isn't cold enough, which means houses are cold indoors and kids run around in their shorts all year long - not to mention women in their short skirts and little shoes.

I am freezing. All the time. I am reliefed this is my last winter in Tokyo.

Free Earplugs Anyone?

Today I had a pleasure to go to City Ward Office to fill some papers. It could have been a fantastic opportunity to see good old smoothly working Japanese bureaucracy in all peace and quiet. But it wasn't. I had the red-faced howler-screamer with me and he aired his lungs in full power everytime I tried to talk to someone. After huge effort almost everything was clear. Almost everything. Only that I have to go there again tomorrow. I guess I better start handing out earplugs as I enter the office again.

A Howling Kid and Arnie

Vimme isn't happy about our move to this new flat. He spends lots of time screaming and howling, for any reason. None of us is enjoying the situation, but I am sure everything will be fine again once we all get used to living here.

A friend sent a link to this site. Watching the video didn't make me like Arnold even a bit more. I wonder who is it done for? Arnie's mother?

Don't we all want to move to Gothenburg?

I bought a t-shirt at Mentalwear in Finland ("Soon I will move to Gothenburg"). I know some people who would like to have a "Soon I will move from Gothenburg"-t-shirt instead of this one.

Back in Business

Yesterday I retuned to Tokyo with my two and half years old companion. On the plain I didn't sleep at all. I bet it will take some time before I am a functional individual again. Damn jetlag.

Our new home has new fantastic instruction signs. I wonder how I can use the toilet without actually flashing other than toilet paper.

Top Three

Nice things about being in Finland:

1. Friends.
2. Food - plenty of it at my parents' place. Actually too much of it. I wonder if I will fit into my jeans when I am back to Tokyo.
3. Finnish language - I can use sloppy language and it's still perfect and I understand what people say to me. I think I do. At least most of it.

Not so nice things about being in Finland:

1. Weather.
2. Skin gets really really dry - who wants that?
3. Time goes too fast. Next week we'll fly back to Tokyo.

Gray Days

Helsinki looks very gray this time of the year. Weather isn't good at all. I pity people who visit Helsinki for the first time in November. I am sure they'll never come back.


The merry-go-round is at a square that didn't exist when I was here last time. Helsinki has changed a lot since I lived here.


This picture is taken at my favourite book shop in Helsinki. It's a place to be when days are dark and wet snow is falling on depressed people. Another wonderful place for such days is Yrjönkatu's swmming hall: they have a fantastic sauna. I haven't been there yet on this visit, but I will before my return to Tokyo.

Cough, Cough, Cough...

It is really frustrating to have a flu while you are travelling. I have to say, this is a very good place to be ill: my parents have a huge storage of medicine to everything, so I have made my being less uncomfortable with painkillers and such.

My friends from Gothenburg came to see us this weekend. It was so nice to see them!!!

Back in Helsinki

Ok. Now I am done with my 'tour de Finlande' and I will stay in Helsinki for the rest of my visit. Jetlag is gone. Yay. Though, there is another pain keeping me awake more than I would choose to stay awake: Vimme has a cold and so do I. I do hope I will have some conscious days here in Helsinki before we'll fly back to Tokyo.

I Want to Sleep

Jetlag and company of a 2,5 years old is a match made in heaven... if you are trying to loose your mind.

This and That with the Kid

We had a fun day yesterday: first we went to Ghibli Museum with another family and in the evening was M's lab's 10 year anniversary party in a restaurant in Shibuya. The museum was a fun place though it isn't really a museum in the same meaning like British Museum is a museum. The restaurant was a restaurant like any other restaurant. Vimme behaved himself relatively well.

Now I am starting to get ready for packing and doing the mental preparations before wednesday's 10 hours flight to Helsinki - alone with a 2,5 years old.

Ants

Nothing to do on your long dark autumn evenings? You can have hours and hours of fun by browsing through the Japanese Ant Image Database's pictures.

And - yes, I found the link on Geisha Asobi's ever so fascinating site.

Cleaning

My alterego, cleaner lady, payed a visit to our house hold today. I have to say, she doesn't appear that often. The move and the trip to Finland is getting closer, so cleaner lady's sense of resposibility is waking up from its' usual deep sleep. I wonder how well one has to clean the place before moving here in Japan. Is clean enough or does it have to look like no one ever lived here?

Tea Time

I was at a tea ceremony on sunday. I have to say it was a fantastic experience, if you don't count the fact that I had to eat three small japanese cakes that day. I don't like cakes that much, not even western cakes.

I got invited to join the ceremony when I was at the shodo lesson. The ceremony was held in a tea house near Kichijoji. Though the whole happening was quite formal, the atmosphere was more relaxed during the ceremonies than what I expected. And everyone seemed to be happy that an alien wanted to learn this way about Japanese culture.

Every detail in the ceremony was well planned and had a story in it: cakes, dishes, flowers, calligraphies - all. Here's a picture of the first cake, which was reasonably easy to swallow, two that followed this one in other ceremonies were tough ones. The obento box they served for lunch was excellent. Hah hah, this sounds like went there to eat. I might go to another tea ceremony, if I have a chance - I just have to come up with a trick to make the cakes dissapear with out me eating them.