Moving

I am in Finland at my parent's place. Jetlag is gone. I am working on moving to our new home, which seems to take more time than what I expected, and trying to keep the kid entertained at the same time (he spends lots of time watching videos).

The kid doesn't accept anyone else's company than mine, which is understandable in a stressfull situation like this and which makes it quite difficult for me to do anything. Everyone is very helpful and hospitable. I can't tell yet how I feel about being back "home": too much to do and no time for myself. I will let you know as soon as I can.

Tokyo Housewife's Leaving

Tomorrow my career as Tokyo Housewife is finally over. A weekend full of goodbyes has gone (god, it's sad to say goodbye) and the last bit of packing is left to be done.

I think I am one of the luckiest people on this planet what comes to the people I've met. I must have met all the most wonderful people in Tokyo and I have a feeling we'll meet again don't know when, don't know where... (at his point I am singing out loud). Why can't everybody move to Finland with me?

I won't abandon you my dear readers. I will go on reporting about my ever so exciting life once I have an internet access in Finland. Until then - Sayonara.

Karaoke Is Always A Good Choice

Our last guest will leave early tomorrow morning. She will take some Vimme's toys with her (about 10 kg) in an ancient plastic suitcase, which propably won't travel anywhere after this journey, if not to a garbage container. Toys, of course, will be removed before that.

I have packed another small suitcase full with Vimme's clothes. There is a cardboard box to fill with stuff and send it to us in Finland. And I haven't even started to think about packing my own stuff.

Oh dear.

But I don't think about all that today. I go to Karaoke instead.

Loosing My Touch

I have always been good at finding my way and in Tokyo, finding the right train and taking it to the right direction. Not anymore. I am flipping out.

Yesterday I took us first to a wrong platform, then to a wrong train and got us where we've never been before (we did end up having a nice evening walk and a dinner at a restaurant on our way to a station we should gone to).

Today I first didn't find my way to a metro station (elevator was lost) and then I took a train to the wrong direction. I wonder what is wrong with me. Time to leave Tokyo I guess.

How To Handle A Jetlagged Guest

Our last guest from Finland arrived today. I know I thought our previous guest was the last one, but someone needed to come to Tokyo before we leave. I think it's fun and keeps me from freaking out before the big move. And - our guest is special. She is a female and the kid likes her. That rarely happens.

Everytime a jetlagged person comes to our humble home, we try to keep the person up until Vimme goes to bed around eight. The jatlagged will be so tired at that point that s/he will sleep until the next morning and won't be too tired when the kid wakes up at 6:30.

Keeping awake strategies are: taking a tour through Venus Fort (shock effect) and other malls, hanging on the Odaiba beach and having a dinner (read: buying a sushi box and a sixpack). Seems to work well.

Art And A Small Room

Last night I went to an opening of an exhibition at a gallery in Aoyama. The weather was as bad as it was earlier, but going somewhere didn't feel impossible because I was able to leave the kid home.

The exhibition was good. I don't think art that I would define good had to be done with skill and good technique, but every time I see en exhibition that "talks to me" and one can see the the artist is really skillfull, it gets number of extra points from me. This was the case last night.

I was there with my Japanese friend and we went to have sushi when we left the gallery. I am panic-eating sushi. I eat it like the end of the world would be knocking on my door - and a way it is. The end of my housewifing period in Tokyo is definitely ending and also my access to Japanese sushi. All the same, sushi was good, like it always is.

Then we went to Shibuya for a drink. Since another Japanese friend told me about this tiny area next to Yamanote Line (X marks the spot), where you can drink in a tiny, little, closet sized bar - as soon as you've been able to decide which one you enter, I have wanted to go there and sit in one of those claustrophobic interiors. We did that.

The bar we picked up wasn't the most crowded (that's why we went there). The only beer they sold was white beer from Belgium, we had that. The most unexpected thing happened: a Japanese man started to talk to me!!! And in English!!! Now I've seen it all and I can leave Tokyo with no regrets.

Hi, It's Tanaka Nanba

Weather is really horrible. We were supposed to leave to meet a Finnish mother-kid-unit this morning, but I decided to cancel the meeting. The kid is in a screamy mood. Combine that to wet clothes and trains running late, you'd figure out in no time why I am staying home today.

Your Japanese Name Is...

Tanaka Nanba

What's your Japanese Name?

Friends and Cities

Vimme has spent time with the new friend every day now. The only difference in their characters I've noticed so far is, that Vimme is more into taking physical risks, thus getting more cuts and bruises.

Such a pity there isn't a Star Trek type of a transporter room service between Tokyo and Espoo (where we'll move). For those people who have never heard of Espoo: it's the same for Helsinki as Yokohama is for Tokyo - a big city right next to a gigantic one... except that Helsinki isn't gigantic at all and Espoo isn't big. But you know what I mean. And if you don't - what can I do? Give finglish lessons?

Anyway, one of the only things I've been secretly wishing for Vimme (one shouldn't have any expectations what comes to one's kids) is that he would have friends and he would know how to be a good friend to his friends. I might get lucky with this one. Happy happy, joy joy!

A New Friend

Here's another picture from our Odaiba.

Vimme has a new friend in our building: a boy who is about two weeks older than he is. They look alike, they are exactly the same size, and they are both into learning (numbers, letters, hiraganas, flags, countrie's names, train station's names, etc). A perfect match in other words. Only things they don't have in common is a language. All the same, they had fun playing together for hours today.

Too bad we learned to know them so late - soon we have to wave bye-bye to all our friends in Japan and that's sad.

Getting Ready to Go

I had a list of things I thought I would buy before leaving Japan, like shoes with separate big toe, baggy workman trousers, 'Hello Kitty' pocket watch, all kinds of kitchen stuff, T-shirts with Japanese text etc. Today at shops I looked at various objects and while watching them came to a conclusion that I don't need any of those. I didn't buy anything I had planned to buy. Let's see how much I will regret that when I'm back in Europe.

It looks like we are going to have a flat ready to move in when we arrive to Helsinki in the middle of this month. It's a huge relief. Now I can focus on hunting a day care place for the kid + packing, moving and unpacking. Any volunteers to help me?

Doesn't "A day care place for the kid" sound just fantastic!

At Disney's

A friend of mine took me and Vimme to Tokyo Disneyland today. The weather was nice and sunny and the kid wasn't on his worst mood.

Keiyo Line had suspended the operation, thanks to a small fire at Tokyo Station early the same morning and that's why we decided to walk to Disney Resort from Shin-Kiba - which is at least an hour's walk. Vimme took a nap while we walked, which I thank-god-or-anything for.

Three hours at the park went fine, but after that both I and the kid got tired and then we headed back home. When I asked Vimme what had been the best, he said 'The Dancing', by which he ment the Parade. My kid is into parades! I wonder where that gene comes from.

Vimme/Benny/Daikon

Vimme is pretending to speak English. Of course it is his own personal version of the language and fully incomprehensible. That doesn't have any effect on the fact that it sounds terribly cute. When he speaks his English, his name is Benny.

His other recent alterego is the God of Daikon raddish from Miyazaki's film 'Spirited away'. While being the Daikon god, he doesn't speak at all.

I have started to buy things to bring home, like extra tubes of Wasabi and packages of Origami papers from 100 Yen shop and such. There are still some other things I will buy before leaving, but not a lot and nothing heavy.

Talking About a Product Without Mentioning What It Is - And All That For No Particular Reason

The kid got caught by the Ultraman today.

I should concider become supporter of this product - or I should have done that a long ago already: another friend of mine has praised the object and said that every woman should use it. But it seems I have to hear more than one recommendation before I believe thigs are the way they say things are.

I Said No

A guy in our yard wanted to interview me for a Japanese TV. I said politely no and told him I am shy - I am! - and he went to hunt for another gaijin for his needs. So, now I missed my 15 minutes of fame.

My Little Agneta

The kid spent all day watching and listening to ABBA. He danced and sang along when Agneta and Frida did their wonderful performances.

At some point he told me that: "You are her", pointing at Frida, " and I am her", pointing at Agneta. Well, hair colours do match. And who said that gender mattered anyway.

One Of These

Here is another one of these things. These are fun to do, godknows if anyone has patience to read them. But who cares - here we go!

Things that scare me.
1. all kinds of fundamentalism
2. religious fanatics
3. seeing my morning-face in a mirror

People who make me laugh.
1. my kid
2. my friends
3. anybody in a right situation

Things I hate most.
1. religious fanatics
2. racism
3. elbowing old ladies (an international phenomena)

Things I don't understand.
1. child abusers
2. wars
3. why can't I be Katharine Hebburn

Things I'm doing right now
1. house-wifing
2. getting ready for the big move back to Europe
3. letting my hair to have a life on its own

Things I want to do before I die.
1. finish my studies - should be easy
2. see my kid grown up
3. have a work I love, without being a workaholic... but I don't see that kind of -holism happening to me

Things I can do.
1. draw and paint
2. knit
3. leave my dignity home when I go to karaoke

Ways to describe my personality.
1. hysterical - in a "running from wall to wall and screaming" way
2. uptight - no patience at all
3. do I have a personality?

Things I can't do.
1. advanced yoga asanas
2. recognize expensive handbags - other than ugly LVs
3. drink a lot two days in row

Things I think you should listen to.
1. people who talk to me
2. my instincts
3. I beg your pardon?

Things you should never listen to.
1. people who think they know what is good for me
2. gossips
3. cheesy country music first thing in the morning

Things I'd like to learn.
1. to fly an airplane
2. japanese
3. to take it easy

Favorite foods.
1. sushi
2. sushi
3. sushi

Beverages I drink regularly.
1. coffee
2. water
3. beer

Shows I watched as a kid.
1. Charlie's Angels
2. Star Trek
3. Finnish stuff you wouldn't know anyway

Sumo Rocks!

Oh god. I have been born again: I love sumo!

Today we went to see sumo wrestling at Ryogoku Kokugikan (Tokyo's Sumo Stadium... or what ever it would be called in english - or in finglish... hmm, but finglish I can define myself, so let's say it's a stadium).

I already enjoyed watching sumo on TV - when we still had a TV long ago in Europe. Now I saw the whole spectacle live and I can say that if I had a chance I would be there watching the game every helluva day of the tournament.

Today I was there with M and the kid and our Japanese friends - a family with two small kids. Of course it's not as relaxing to watch the game with children as it would be without them, but kids aren't an obstacle either - nobody seemed to give another thought to kids being kids, which means, not sitting still and jumping on everything.

So, if you are living in Tokyo and you haven't seen sumo yet, then you better get your bones to Ryogoku at once and see it yourself. It's extreamly enjoyable.

Knock, Knock, Knock...

My friend left for Finland this morning. It's a cold and rainy day. I haven't gone out else than to get food from the closest convenience store. But none of that really matters or makes me sad or anything, because (happy, happy, joy, joy) - the kid hasn't got a tantrum today... yet.

Yes, I am frantically knocking on wood at the moment.

Stitch Report

Stitches have been removed from kid's head. I wish he won't get another stitch on his head ever again.

My friend went to Kamakura today and I stayed back home with the kid. When she came back, she told about a place I have missed on my visits there: a Fox God's Shrine on a forest hill. That's where I go on my next visit to Kamakura.

Foggy Nikko

Yesterday we went to Nikko. The kid stayed home with M and that way I had a chance to focus on enjoying what I saw.

Nikko's temples were beautiful and area's atmosphere was nice and peaceful, though the place was quite crowded. The air was good to breath and foggy weather didn't bother us at all. It was a nice trip.

On friday we went to Karaoke again. Boy, I love it. Now I can say: if I go to Karaoke I have to sing Ramone's Blitzkrieg Bop. I've done it every time so far.