A crowded park

Today was a gorgeous day with sunny skies.  I could not bear to stay inside.  As my son and I escaped to the park, I was thinking about everyone in northern Italy that cannot leave their homes right now.  I felt grateful that I could get out.

The park was very crowded with kids that aren't able to attend school right now.  Many of the kids were playing - throwing balls, playing soccer, and so much more.  But there were also a lots of kids playing instruments.  I think many of them were from the same junior high or high school, as there was a chorus of the same song being played over and over.  It was very pleasant to hear a French horn being played from one direction, and a clarinet from another.

In fact, hearing music in the park isn't uncommon.  Many people cannot practice their instruments at home (no sound proofing in tiny apartments), so they do it in the park.  I've been blessed with random concerts by trumpets, saxophones, flutes, and even a bag pipe on more than one occasion.

We spent five wonderful hours in the park.  My son ran around, kicked a ball, and even climbed a couple trees, even though it is technically against the rules.  But no one came and made him get down and I turned a blind eye.  I guess my kid is a delinquent.  I read a book, talked with friends, and held a baby.

It was a lovely day.

On a roll

Just like kindergarten, kids are required to have multiple bags for elementary school.  At my son's school, they don't just need a randoseru.  They also need a music bag, art bag, and indoor shoe (known as uwabaki, oo-wah-baa-key) bag.

We bought the fabric on Saturday in Nippori and today, I got busy sewing.

My son, for some random reason, requested a reversible bag for his music bag and art bag.  I never feel like a seamstress, but somehow, I am able to make up patterns and create something out of nothing.  It must be genetic.  My mom can sew anything.

In fact, I think my mother would have been laughing to see me sewing today.  I was featuring crazy hair (it was raining and all my cowlicks were standing at full attention) and rocking out to John Denver.  Well, laughing in a "that's my daughter" kind of way.

I'm amazed every time I hear schools "strongly recommending" mothers to sew these bags, and how few actually do.  Typically the chore is pawned off on grandma, a seamstress, or simply purchased instead.  It isn't that I think all moms should know how to sew or even that they need to make these bags.  It is more that I view it as an honor to sew these things for my son and do everything I can to make it happen.  In the end, it doesn't matter where a kid's bag comes from.  I do think the schools should leave moms to make the decision and not pressure them into making something they really don't want to.

I finished one bag today and have 2 more to do.  I should get the second one done tonight, as I'm almost finished with that one.  I absolutely think my son will love them.  I can't wait to see his face when he sees the finished product!

Signs of stress

I'm trying not to get too stressed out about Covid-19.  The phrase "keep calm and wash often" is sage advice.  However, it is hard not to get worked up with the constant news feed.

We learned today that someone in Nerima has been diagnosed with Covid-19.  I've been well aware that over 75 people have been diagnosed in Tokyo prefecture, but this is even closer.

I'm also staying up to date with the outbreak in Seattle, which is very worrisome.  As my loved ones enter the stressful stage that has been going on for over a month in Tokyo, my heart is going out to them.

I have developed a very upset stomach that I fully attribute to stress.  I need to focus on doing yoga and finding relaxation techniques.  I need to focus on health right now.

Fancy dango

We put it off as long as we could, but if I was going to sew bags as part of my son's school supplies, I needed to get to a fabric store.  Unfortunately, my local CraftPark closed a while ago.  It was the only fabric store in town except a tiny shop inside a department store a short bike ride away.  However, that shop has a very limited supply and didn't have what I wanted.

So, we headed out to Nippori, Tokyo's famed fabric town.  Since most people are sticking close to home, it wasn't too crowded.  I have a love/hate relationship with fabric stores.  Fabric shopping is never particularly relaxing for me.  It can be very stimulating and fun, with a dose of being overwhelmed at the same time.  I love to see all the fabrics as my brain fills with possibilities.  But, I hate the crowds and the cramped aisles.

After finding what we were looking for, my family needed a little break before braving the trains back home (which is also very stressful these days).  We spotted a dango café and decided that would be a lovely place to re-energize.

Habutae Dango has been treating people to the "taste of Japan" since 1819 with their confections made from rice flour.  They primarily serve dango sets with matcha.

There was something so welcoming about the atmosphere in the café.  It was a tight fit between the two communal seating areas (a large table in the middle of the room, and a counter that went along the street side window), but it was warm and inviting.  We were seated looking out the window and handed a fairly thick menu.  I was surprised to see how many choices they offered.

We ordered our son a mini dango set with just two balls of dango, two balls of ann dango (dango covered with a sweet red bean paste), and matcha.  Typically, I wouldn't order matcha for a kid, but my son loves it!

My husband ordered strawberry zenzai.  Zenzai (zen-za-ee) is a dessert soup with red beans and mochi.

I couldn't resist their most stylish plate with three types of dessert, plus matcha.  I had two strawberry petit monaka, sweetened red bean paste wrapped around a tiny ball of mochi, topped with a strawberry and sandwiched between two crisp rice flour wafers.  There was also a small ann dango rolled in kinako (roasted soybean powder that tastes a bit like peanuts).  Finally there was also a mini yaki dango, or grilled dango, wrapped in a dried sheet of nori, or seaweed.

Everyone was super pleased with their treats.  It was also a nice little break from the chaos of fabric shopping.

Playing together

Back in December, Santa came to my son's school.  It is quite a fun day for the kids.  The choir of moms, including me, sang for the kids during an assembly.  Santa came to visit and presented each kid with a present.  The reindeer even left chunks of ice as they took off from the playground (more evidence of the sled and reindeer were the sled tracks though the yard).

Each of the second year students received a card game from Santa.  My son brought it home and eagerly opened it.  The game, Karuta, helps kids practice their listening skills as well as learn their hiragana characters.  Versions of Karuta have been played in Japan since the 16th century.  We promptly put the game on the shelf and forgot about it.

This morning, I was practicing my hiragana characters with my son and he mentioned the game.  As soon as my husband came downstairs, we pulled it out and asked him to help us play.

There are two sets of cards - grabbing cards and reading cards.  We spread all the grabbing cards out on the floor.  On each card, there is a picture with a character up in the corner.  One person is chosen to be the reader.  For us this will be the best Japanese reader in our house - my husband.  The reader reads the sentences printed on each of the reading cards.  The players - my son and I - listen to the first character in the sentence and race to find the matching card.  Whoever slaps the correct card first gets to keep the card.  Whoever has the most cards when all of the cards are grabbed, wins.

We had so much fun playing again and again.  On the one hand, it is a shame that it has taken this long for us to play.  But on the other hand, I have a perfect match for my hiragana skills!  So, I'm glad we waited for an even playing field.