Hanging out, eating pizza

As we were getting ready to go to Jidokan (the community center), my phone rang.  It was another mom I had met recently at Jidokan.  She was calling to invite us to her house for an impromptu party to celebrate Halloween.  This very nice woman befriended me and has been so nice to introduce me to other moms in her group of friends.  All of our kids are about the same age.  Some have 2 kids, others 3.  I'm the only one with a single child.  All 5 mothers have already given me great tips on life in Hikarigaoka and several have told me about events to attend with my son.

After quickly conferring with my son, we decided to skip going to Jidokan and go to her house for the party instead.  I plugged her address into my phone and we hopped on my bike.  I'm not quite talented enough to ride single handed with a kid on the back just yet, so I tried to balance my phone in the basket.  It was not very secure and I had to stop several times to readjust it so I could see the screen.  Only a couple missed turns, like overshooting the exit from the park, and we made it.  By the time we got there, my son was overcome with excitement.  He knew all the kids that would be there and there would be toys.  Could he ask for anything more?  Oh, candy.  We had that covered, too.

We were the last family to arrive, as we had come the furthest.  The kids were already playing in the other room and my son quickly ran to play with them.  The apartment was warm and welcoming, but very small - typical for a Japanese apartment.  It consisted of a dining room with a table pushed against a wall and 6 chairs squeezed around it; a tiny galley kitchen with less than 3 feet of usable counter space; 1 bedroom: 1 family room with a small couch and a TV; and a tatami room that was being used as a play room.  I would guess it was less than 600 square feet for the family of 4. 

The kids were very focused on playing, and the moms were very focused on talking.  It was so great just sitting around and chatting about a variety of things.  I probably only understood about 1/3 of what was being discussed, but I didn't care.  After a short while, we called the kids to have a little snack - rice and seaweed.  They all quickly gobbled it up and then resumed their playing.  The moms then played a quick game of jan ken pon (rock paper scissors).  The loser had to go buy lunch for everyone (we were splitting the cost, but they had to run the errand).  Luckily I was a winner.  The mom popped out and purchased 2 pizzas and a large tray of karrage (fried chicken pieces). 

I haven't had "authentic Japanese pizza" in years.  Japanese pizza is known for epic toppings like squid, corn, seaweed, mayonnaise, and more very unique toppings.  Today I got to try a new one - teriyaki mochi meat!  Mochi is rice that is pounded into a paste and shaped into a desired shape.  It is sticky and tastes like, well, rice!  I like it toasted, so I thought it was pretty tasty on the pizza.  I do rather enjoy Japanese pizza, even if every time I eat it I think a child was allowed to pick the toppings and decided to play a joke on everyone.  But it all turns out in the form of this interesting, unique experience that I'd never consider ever creating by myself.

Photo curtesy of Pizza-La.co.jp

The kids joined us once again for lunch.  They ate super quick once again, as playing was top priority.  After a bit more talking it was time to wrap things up.  We all stood up and started cleaning up.  One person gathered all the garbage, 2 moms helped the kids put away toys (which they all helped with), 2 moms washed dishes, and the other mom got all the kids through bathroom duties (so they would be ready for the ride home). 

And just like that, our little Halloween party was over.  The kids all exchanged little goody bags and waved goodbye.  It was such a fun time.  I can't wait to do it again.