Them bones, them bones

Ueno Park holds many treasures within it's boundaries.  I have explored many of these, including the zoo, Toshogu Shrine, and International Library of Children's Literature. 

Even though we are in the midst of cherry blossom season, it is pretty cool and we wanted to do something indoors.  When my husband suggested we go to the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno Park, my son started jumping up and down.  We knew the park would be packed with people viewing the cherry blossoms, but decided to go anyway.

The Ueno Station exit and the park entrance were so packed, I ended up picking up my son and carrying him to get through the crowd.  The "what were we thinking" thought crossed my mind, but then the crowd thinned and I wasn't so stressed by it.  The moment my son saw the life-sized blue whale out front, I knew the crowds were worth it.

After paying for admission for my husband and myself (our son was free, but we were ¥620 each), we grabbed the English museum guide.  As we opened it up, I was so surprised to see how huge it was.  There are 12 galleries with all sorts of history and science exhibits.  We showed the map to our son and let him pick where we would go.  There was no way we could see everything!

First we headed to the Japanese People and Nature exhibit.  There were all sorts of interesting things from historical Japan on display, like figures of people in various time periods.  The most interesting thing was a mummified woman that was discovered in a huge clay pot.  They had a video playing above the display that gave more information, but unfortunately I didn't understand it. 

The reason we focused on this exhibit was Hachiko, the famous Japanese dog that waited for his owner for years after his death.  They have the actual taxidermied dog.  My son knows the story as Hachiko, as do most Japanese kids, and he was very excited to see the big cream colored dog.  We didn't realize they also had another very famous Japanese dog, Jiro, who was left in Antartica during a trek that went awry but survived for years.

After fawning over the dogs for a bit, we wandered down several floors and over to the other building to find the dinosaurs.  My son had his heart set on seeing those huge reptiles.  The gallery was packed full of skeletons.  I don't think I have ever seen so many dinosaurs in one place.  Despite being a bit on the crowded side, it was a sight to be seen.  There was even an elevated walkway to get a different view of the bones. 

For the final gallery of our day, my son chose to see the Animals of the Earth display.  It is a glass room filled with taxidermy.  It took me a moment to understand what I was seeing, but once I did it was very interesting.  There were animals from all over the world, standing (some posed kind of strangely) together.  Some of the animals were from the Ueno Zoo, including the pandas.  Honestly, that creeped me out quite a bit. 

When we were done, I was quite tired.  So, we headed up to the roof to sit a bit in their herb garden.  The sun was shining and the breeze was just right. 

As we headed out of the building, we noticed one more exhibit that we couldn't pass up.  There was a room filled with biological research completed by the Emperor.  It was really neat to see the bugs and butterflies captured on the grounds of the Imperial Palace.  I didn't know he was so interested in science, but there were all kinds of awards of recognition for his work. 

The museum was incredible, but we barely chipped the surface.  There is a lot of things to see in there.  I guess that means we'll have to go again another day to see another little piece.

Interesting things at the grocery store

I try to be careful before labeling things as "weird," although it is very tempting to do so at times.  Just because it is weird to me, doesn't actually make it weird. 

Although I try to make that word taboo in my vocabulary, it seems to pop into my head often when I'm shopping.  So, instead of calling something weird, I label it as "interesting" or "unique."  Sometimes I try these new-to-me things.  Other times I pass right on by.

Even after a year and a half here, I can still get confused in a grocery store.  I have given up on trying to find many things after searching shelves, going to multiple stores, or asking someone and receiving blank stares.  My personal favorite is when you ask for something and they simply respond with "no."  If I press for more, like "where can I find xyz," they just stare at me.  This even happens when I ask where a bathroom is sometimes!

It can be really disheartening to know exactly what I want but not be able to get it.  I have relied on Amazon a lot more in Tokyo to get certain items (like white vinegar) than I ever did in the US.  Many things I have just realized that it just wasn't meant to be and gave set the desire aside, and sometimes put on the "buy in the US next time I'm there" list.

Here is a short list of interesting things I saw at the grocery store recently.  I hope you find them as interesting as I do.

The cocotte cup is an ice cream cone that people put salads into.  The photo on the box shows potato salad, ham, and vegetables.  I have been served one of these cones at a restaurant filled with steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes. 

Aloe flavored yogurt is pretty popular here.  It typically includes little chunks of jelly-like textured cubes of aloe.

Nabe is a very, very popular winter food.  If you don't want to make your own broth, there is a slew of choices at the grocery store.  If you don't know what ingredients to add to your nabe, just look at the photo on the front of the package. 

While a rack of marinated meats doesn't seem that strange, the fact that it is self service always gives me pause.  These pork chops are marinated in: miso, koji (a type of enzyme used to make sake and more), garlic and basil, kimchee, and one more that I forgot!

Right next to the marinated pork chops was a selection of other meat products.  The one that really threw me was the hamburger patty with cheese. 

For the most part, I'm pretty used to the unique drinks in Japan.  I don't bat an eye at many of the new-to-me concoctions.  The berry au latte doesn't sound too bad, but you'll never see me drink a banana au latte.

Every grocery store has an impressive rice selection.  This store dedicates an entire aisle to rice, and that is not uncommon.

My husband's favorite find was the ramen labeled "American favorite taste."  It is bacon flavored and comes with a small packet of maple syrup.  My husband did buy this ramen, because it made him laugh.  I think he is having second thoughts though since he hasn't eaten it yet.

Going to the grocery store is certainly never boring.  There is always something interesting to see.

Hike it Baby

A friend of mine told me one day that there was a Hike it Baby group in Tokyo.  I was intrigued, in part because the organization was started by a mom from the Pacific Northwest (Portland, Oregon to be specific) to encourage families to enjoy nature.  I know several moms that hike frequently with Hike it Baby in Seattle.  It is a family friendly way to get outdoors and typically travels the trails at a toddler's pace.  While they try to explore nature as much as possible, Hike it Baby also encourages people to get outdoors by having meetups in parks and go on walks in the city.  It is a great way to meet other families with young children.

Since my son is in yochien (kindergarten) during the week and our family stays pretty busy with all our gallivanting on the weekends, I have not prioritized joining a Hike it Baby event.  However, when I saw a hike through Kawagoe to see the cherry blossoms during my son's spring break, I jumped at the chance.  I love the town of Kawagoe.  The historical themed town is so interesting to me.  Any chance I get, I head over there to explore and shop. 

We met up at Kawagoe Station and set off on an adventure.  Our first destination was Kitain Playground, a park behind Kitain Temple.  For this leg, we took the bus for a short time to get us over to the park in a timely manner.  As soon as we got to the park, my son climbed anything and everything he could ascend.  He was so excited about meeting new friends, he was full of energy. 

There was a lot of playground equipment,

but my son preferred climbing the trees.

Some of the families drove to Kawagoe, so they met us at the park.  I was surprised when more and more kept coming.  Soon we were a group of 13 families!  Through our conversations, I learned that there were several families from the US, but also from other countries, and over half of the families were military (Yokata Air Force Base).  I didn't even realize there was an American Air Force Base in the area. 

After some playing, and a bit of eating, we wandered over to the temple.  This was the first place we could see blooming cherry trees.  The temple was a welcome sight, since I love viewing sakura.  The trees were just a bit more charming in the Buddhist setting especially with pagodas in the background.

We took our time walking to the famed Kawagoe Tower.  I kind of chuckled to myself as we wandered along the street.  There were stops for snacks and diaper changes.  It was like we were herding cats through crowds of people.  It didn't bother me one bit, because it really gave me the chance to look around at the details of the city.  Also, I was really enjoying talking to the other parents.

After a while, we decided to break into two smaller groups because we all had different agendas and priorities.  Also keeping a group that big together on city streets is a bit hectic.  When our group reached the tower, we walked to the tiny shrine in it's shadow.  On all my trips to Kawagoe, I've never stopped at the tower and I didn't realize there was a little shrine there.

Coffee was next on the agenda.  The Kawagoe Starbucks is well known because it is decorated in an Edo style.  It is another place I've never been to.  It is lovely, with a little seating area overlooking a rock garden.  However, it was pretty difficult to keep all the kids out of the rocks.  In an effort to distract the kids, our host pulled out a book and read a fun story. 

It took a while to get back on the road.  It takes a while to get six adults and eight kids fed, hydrated, and pottied.  Once everyone was ready to go, we walked over to Penny Candy Lane.  My son loves this street, as there are tons of snacks to look at and we always seem to buy him an ice cream cone there.  He loves the bright purple sweet potato ice cream that can be found all over town.  Although it is called Penny Candy Lane, there are tons of sweet potato treats and rice crackers in addition to various types of candy.  Many of these are made right in Kawagoe.

The  flowers around town were beautiful.

We then headed off toward our last stop - Hikawa Shrine.  We walked through the streets and found our way to the Shingashi River, which leads to the back side of the shrine.  It is lined with cherry trees and is a highlight of the area this time of year.  As soon as we approached the river, an old woman told us where we could take a ride down the river in a boat.  The cherry blossom festival in Kawagoe starts tomorrow and they were practicing taking people up and down the waterway.  As soon as I saw it, I wanted to go so badly.  It would be such a special experience. 

Our hike host inquired, and they happily invited us to go.  Some of the families decided not to ride on the river.  But four adults and six kids decided to brave it and piled into the tiny boat.  My son and I were nervous.  The boat set deeply in the water with all our weight.  Each time it tipped one way or another, we tensed with not wanting to go for a swim.  Each time someone moved too much we would gasp, fearful of overturning the boat.  I did some deep yoga breaths which helped me to not be so reactive to each movement of the boat.  I loved seeing a different view of the blooms and it felt so special.  The whole experience was exciting and fun.

When we disembarked, I found that my muscles were tight from the anxiety of the ride.  I was relived we didn't go for a swim and were just able to enjoy the unique trip. 

The shrine was just a short walk away.  By the time we reached the final destination, all the other families had gone their separate ways.  Since the host and I had both already been to Hikawa Shrine on other days, we decided to make a quick bathroom stop and take the bus back to the train station.  I really enjoyed talking with the host and our two boys were playing non-stop.  They were full of giggles and fun despite walking so much.

We hopped on the train together and they got off a few stops down the line.  My son and I still had several more stops to go.  I sat back on the train bench and smiled.  I had such a lovely time meeting new people, talking, and wandering around a city that I adore.  It was a great day for both my son and me.  I felt as though my tank had been refilled.  I was both exhausted and energized at the same time.

By the time we reached home, we had walked 10.7 kilometers* (6.6 miles).  That's really far for a 5 year old!  But, boy was it worth it.  I am looking forward to joining Hike it Baby again for another adventure. 


*Note: Hike it Baby hikes are not this long!  The 10.7 km includes the walk between our home and the train station and a bit of an extra wander.

Back to Ueno

As we were wandering around Ueno Park last year, I remember thinking to myself that it would be great to go back during cherry blossom season.  There is a lovely section of the park that is lined with cherry trees that would be gorgeous in the very early spring.  After that day though, I completely forgot about it.

When it came time to figure out activities to do with my son during spring break, Ueno Zoo came to mind.  It isn't very far from us and the entrance fee is really cheap (¥600 for adults and free for my 5 year old).  I asked some friends to come along, and they were keen to join us.  It wasn't until we were on the train that I realized that the park would be full of blooms.  As soon as it hit me, my anticipation began to rise.

As soon as we walked up to the park, the trees took our breath away.  Cherry trees in full bloom are so beautiful.  They look like fluffy clouds decorating trees.

The path from our train station (Ueno-Okachimachi Station) to the zoo was lined with the trees, and was full of people admiring those trees.  It was a bit difficult to keep track of all 6 of us at times, but we managed by putting the kids in bright colors and relying on the blonde hair on the teenagers and adults.  Although there are lots of tourists in Ueno Park, most of them do not have light colored hair.

As we neared the zoo, we began to notice that the sides of the wide walkway was cordoned off.  We soon realized it was for hanami, picnicking under the blooming cherry tree.  It seemed as if the areas were reserved, but we were not sure.  When we left the zoo several hours later, most of these sitting areas were filled with groups eating and drinking, as they admired the trees above.

The zoo was fun, as usual.  I'm still a bit depressed by the concrete cages that some of the animals live in, but it is what it is.  I see them building new enclosures that will give the animals space to roam and things to interact with (like climbing structures and lots of greenery for the pandas) that gives me hope that this zoo is working to build a better, more animal centric zoo.

After the zoo, we hit the Starbucks for some caffeine and then we wandered back through the blossom lined path toward the train headed home.  It was even more crowded in the afternoon, as everyone wants to enjoy the blooming trees.  I really can't blame them.  It is a really beautiful sight.

Even though I forgot how much I wanted to go here, I'm so glad serendipity brought me back in time to see the sakura.