A list of chores

As I prepare for a trip to the states, I had a list of chores to complete today.  Do the laundry.  Plant the tomatillos.  Pick up a crate from the hardware store.  Water the plants at the garden.  Pack the bags.  I also had a meeting with my son's teacher at his school (meet and greet, as well as discuss expectations of the school year). 

I worked through my list, pausing to chat with my husband who was working from home and later to FaceTime a friend.  I've always liked getting through a task list.  It makes me feel accomplished.

As I biked through the city on my couple of errands, I noted how there isn't space between the buildings.  Everything is just crammed together.  Even if there are spaces between, they are filled with things.  Everything has purpose, it isn't just there.  Utilization is everywhere. 

I rely on the spaces of life.  It gives me more direction.  When checking off my tasks, it is important to take a moment to enjoy the accomplishment.  For me, without space, you cannot appreciate the structure.

I weaved around the park and down the streets, suddenly I stopped.  There, hanging in front of me was blooming wisteria.  It was a simple piece of natural beauty.  It made me smile and reflect on how I need to look beyond the grey and white buildings into the beauty.  The locals do not see the same crammed bookshelf.  They see the quality of the titles and the adventures to be discovered in the pages.  I often have this same view, but only when I am able to rejuvenate by getting away from it all for a bit.

I'm looking forward to a trip to see family and friends.  And while I am there, I will be thinking of the wisteria waiting for me back in Japan.  That's the funny thing about being an expat.  Over time, your heart holds a special love for every place you call home.


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I will be taking a break from writing while I am away.  I'll be back at the computer as soon as I return to Japan.  Until then... Matane (maw-ta-neigh) or See you later.

All the tiny things

Miniature versions of things are very popular in Japan.  I am surprised by the delight people take in the tiny things arena.  My husband and son enjoy collecting and playing with tiny food, but that is just the cusp of the fascination here.

When my husband saw there was going to be an art exhibit featuring miniatures, he was excited to go.  We ventured out to the 5th floor gallery in Asakusa.  Inside there were several tiny displays of the tiniest tiny things I've ever seen.  Many were displayed as little stores or rooms.

There were also photos of tiny things and videos showing how some of them were made. 

I don't know if this experience was very "Japanese", but I've never seen anything like it in the US.  Also, I doubt most people would stand in line for over a half an hour (like we did) to see the exhibit of tiny things.  However, Tokyoites love their lines and are always willing to stand in one.  Finally, the tiny things were an amazing representation of Japanese life - from the stores, to traditional crafts and goods, as well as commonly found items. 

It was interesting to see all the tiny things.  The most memorable thing for me was the tiny scissors that actually open and closed, as well as fit on the tip of a finger.  It was pretty incredible.

Although the wait was long to get in the door, it was a pretty fun activity.  My son wanted to buy several things.  But the only thing that wasn't tiny in that gallery were the prices.

An international education

When talking to a new person about my life in Japan, including my child, I am often asked if my son attends an international school.  International schools teach kids around the world using a uniform model of the International Bachelorette curriculum or similar structure.  Classes are typically taught in English and are aimed at helping students gain a more global outlook as well as entry into English speaking universities.  A large portion of the student body is biracial or foreign born.  Many expat families in Japan choose to send their children to international schools so when they return to their home country, the move is more seamless for their children.  Of course, there are many other factors, too. 

International schools are highly respected private schools and many parents tell me they wish they could send their kids to these prestigious schools.

My husband and I intentionally sent our son to the local kindergarten.  We want him to experience as much of Japan as he can, and that includes the educational system.  We also felt that putting him into an English speaking school would not support his Japanese language skills and help him to learn more about his Japanese heritage.  We are constantly juggling to make sure he is learning in both English and Japanese.  Since I spend the most time with our son, he is surrounded by English a lot.  So, sending him to a Japanese school allows him to also be immersed in Japanese.

Another factor for us was money.  International schools are expensive.  The international school located in our town runs about ¥2,650,000 ($24,000 without English as a Second Language support, which costs an additional ¥482,000/$4,300) for new kindergarten students or ¥2,000,000 ($18,000) for returning kindergarten students per year.  Of course, rates go up with the higher grades.  Around Tokyo there are many international schools that are both more and less expensive.  It just depends on what a person is looking for.  I've heard many moms work solely to pay for their child's school fees. 

I applaud families that make the decision to send their kids to international schools.  It just isn't the right choice for our family.  Our son is very happy in his Japanese school and we like the play-based approach (which is not standard in Japan).

Although we have little to no interest in sending our son to an international school, we decided to check out the Aoba (ah-oh-ba) Spring Matsuri.  They put on the event each year and invite the community to come have a day of fun at the school.

It was abuzz with food, fun, and entertainment.  It was fun seeing all the kids hanging out with their friends, playing games and enjoying the sunshine.  We bought tickets for our son to enjoy some of the activities, like the dunk tank and picking up bouncy balls using a rice paper wand.

It was a bit discombobulating to hear many of the attendees speaking English (and a couple other languages as well), but the festive atmosphere was invigorating.  It reminded me of other school festivals I have attended over the years, but with better food options (including Italian, Israeli, American, Korean, and more).  I heard there was a big rummage sale, but I didn't even look because there was a long line to get into the gym to buy things. 

It was interesting for me to see inside the school, as I've heard such wonderful things about it.  The older students were giving presentations on research topics which gave me flashbacks to the science fairs of my day.  They even had the large cardboard displays that we used.  I guess some things really are international.

I do think international schools are an amazing option for many young people around the world.  Just because we choose not to attend one, doesn't mean it isn't a great option for those not wanting to attend local schools.

A gentle reminder

I was talking with a friend the other day about how I am struggling with living a temporary existence.  There are many things I would be doing "if I was in Seattle" or "if I was going to be here longer" and so forth.  For me, living in Japan has always been something temporary.  I do not plan to live here for the rest of my life.  When I agreed to move to Japan, I agreed that we would come for 2 years and then we would discuss what our next steps would be.  At some point over the past 19 months, I realized that putting a temporary sticker on everything is making me feel unsettled.  I'm constantly looking forward or backwards and not at the present. 

She looked at me and said "You need to live in the moment.  You are here.  Make this your home.  When you are no longer here, you will make that place your home.  Don't live as if you will leave tomorrow because you don't know what tomorrow will bring.  Find joy in the today."

I think most people assume I already live for today because of how much I see and do and explore.  But when I am at my house late at night, I don't have that sense of permanence that allows me to feel at home.  On a daily basis, I feel like I am an outsider and it is not okay.

Her words have really resonated with me.  I have not been able to stop thinking about them. 

I haven't figured out how to settle into my present and enjoy the place I currently am just yet.  But since it is on the forefront of my mind, I will begin to chip away at it.

For example, last year, I didn't buy plants for my little rock garden.  I didn't want to invest in a whole bunch of pots that I would have to get rid of in just 2 short years.  This year I have gone ahead and bought the flowers and pots because I know that being surrounded by growing things makes me happy.  It is a bit mishmash, but it gives me some comfort and it is something I do to make my house my home. 

Now I'm looking for next steps.

Street art

While wandering through Ueno Park, we saw the most interesting street artist doing his craft.  He had an umbrella with a sponge attached to the tip.  He was making fantastic little doodles based on the requests of the crowd.  It was pretty fun and very temporary because he was just doodling with water.

This is the only street artist I've seen in Tokyo.  Maybe it is because there are so many people walking around that there isn't room to doodle on sidewalks.

In fact, there is very little graffiti or anything like that.  People seem to respect the rules and other people's property.  Of course, there are exceptions, but they really are uncommon.  People often comment on just how clean Japan is, and it really is true.  Groups of volunteers from school children to senior citizens are often seen picking up garbage and cleaning the city streets.  They are easy to spot in their neon vests. 

It is strange the things that one misses, but I actually miss the graffiti.  Not the silly tagging or defacement of property, I miss the interesting artwork found all over Seattle and other cities.  The work of street artists isn't necessarily conventional, but it is fun and spices up boring facades.  Maybe I need to do some research and find some around Tokyo.  In the meantime, I will just enjoy the water doodles.

Follow the leader

I decided to host my first Hike it Baby hike on a weekday afternoon because my son gets out of school early on Wednesdays.  On the previous Hike it Baby hikes I talked to other parents about this great park that I lived near.  So, I wanted to share a bit of my neck of the woods. 

I had two families come to my hike today.  We met at the library and followed the path around the perimeter of the park.  I don't normally walk on this path, so it felt a little like we were in a different park.  I encouraged the kids to leave the path a bit to explore and find interesting things.

I loved stopping to look at the flowers.  My son was interested in seeing all the bugs, especially the ladybugs that hung out on his head and shoulder for over an hour.

I've been needing a break from Japan more and more recently.  I'm bogged down and I just need a break.  Today's hike felt like a break for me.  It isn't that I don't love Japan, I just need to hit the pause button from it sometimes.

This morning, while walking to school, we passed a mom and her daughter walking to the same school.  We've seen them several times, so my son and I stopped our conversation (in English) and said hello to the mother and daughter (in Japanese).  The mom proceeded to talk to my son.  She complimented his language skills, telling him he spoke both "very well."  Something inside me snapped.  I wanted to scream so loudly.  Why would you compliment someone's ability to do something as natural as speaking the language they have spoken their entire life?   

Maybe I just grew up around a lot more bilingual people.  Although it is an enviable skill, I wouldn't think to comment on it.  The whole thing may not seem like a big deal to some, but when it happens again and again, it is annoying.  I compare it to complimenting a child on how well they walk, when they are 5 years old.

I didn't say anything to her.  I just sped up and left her in my dust.  When people say things like this to you on a daily basis, what is there to say?  I could lecture each person.  I could make a sign explaining the rudeness.  I could make a t-shirt.  But I don't do any of these things.  I just internalize it.  And eventually, I need a break from this and things just like it.

For me, Hike it Baby has been that respite.  Hanging out with the two moms, walking around, and watching our kids play together today gave me a bit of a reset.  It was a breath of fresh air when I felt like I was being crushed just a little too much.

I enjoyed hosting the hike.  It wasn't very much pressure at all.  I look forward to hosting more in the future.  But next time, I'm going to go a bit further and explore someplace new.  And, hopefully, next time I won't start out so burdened with headaches.

Clean your ears

When my husband and I first moved in together after getting married, I helped him to unpack his things.  He didn't bring much because he was moving from Japan to the US.  Most things were easy to put away - clothes and personal effects.  Even grooming supplies didn't phase me, except one thing.  In his personal grooming kit, he had a thin stick with a curved tip.  I had no idea what it was for. 

When I questioned the stick, my husband was surprised at my inquiry.  He explained it was to remove his ear wax.  I squirmed at his explanation. 

Years later, I came to learn that there are 2 types of ear wax.  Some people have wet earwax (me).  It is sticky and yellowish to brown.  Those that have wet earwax typically use Q-Tips or just water to relieve the wax buildup (which I know a person should never do, but... it occurs on a regular basis).  Other people have dry ear wax.  The wax is crumbly and greyish.  In order to remove this type of earwax, a stick with a hook on the end is utilized.

According to scientific research, people of Asian decent are much more likely to have dry earwax.  It is linked to a gene, which is recessive in European and African ancestry and rarely found in those populations.  In fact, dry earwax is the norm in China, Korea, and Japan.

Fast forward to today, and when I need to purchase Q-Tips in Japan, they are difficult to find.  When looking for ear cleaning tools, there is a selection of tools and not cotton tipped sticks. 

To me, some of these tools look more like torture devices than something I would ever stick in my ear.

The cherries keep blooming

Just when you think the sakura are done for the season, the next round of the beautiful blooms come out. 

The first round of blooms are single-flowering varieties (consisting of just 5 petals).  They are usually pale pink, almost white in appearance.  They are named Somei Yoshino, and are the most common cherry trees in Japan. As the last of these blooms flutter away in the wind, my son and I enjoy the view of "sakura snow".  As the petals dance in the breeze, they float to the ground in a beautiful display of joy.

As the single-flowering varieties disappear, there is another variety that makes you wonder if they are still hanging on.  Ichiyou has the same very light color as the Somei Yoshino, but they have 20-40 petals and the flowers appear along with leaves.  The other major identifier of this blossom is the single pistil, a little single pollen receptive tip, instead of the normal hair-like centers.

One of my favorite trees is Shidarezakura, or the weeping cherry trees.  I went all over during my son's spring break to see these trees at various parks around the city.  They are absolutely breathtaking for me.  I could sit and watch these trees for hours especially when they are near water.

Now the double blossom sakura are catching my eye.  Their cotton candy-like friendliness makes me smile, even on rainy days.  The blooms of the Kanzan are dark pink and have up to 50 petals in each flower.  They are bright and fun and joyful.

At this time of year, I am so grateful to be in the land of the cherry blossoms.  The transformation in this country from winter to spring is through a beautiful unveiling.  They really know how to appreciate the season and welcome it in with gusto and the cherry blossoms participate with gusto.

Symbol of strength

While walking from Nezu Jinja (Nezu Shrine) to Ueno Park, just a 15 minute walk, my family happened upon Yanesen Gyokurin Temple (also known as Gyokurinji).  Temples are so common in Japan, we don't always stop and wander around.  Depending on our agenda, we tend to walk right past.  On our walk, we were stopping in a lot of really neat shops selling traditional Japanese crafts, rice crackers, and even a bath stop selling wooden baths and bath supplies.  After a while, my husband got tired of my shopping spirit.  He wanted to get to our destination. 

Despite being ready to get a move on, we halted when we saw the entrance to Yanesen Gyokurin Temple.  Something told us we should go inside. 

There were cherry trees lining the walkway.  As the breeze gently blew, we experienced what we like to call "sakura snow" or cherry blossoms falling from the trees in graceful, snow-like patterns.  It is really beautiful (but really hard to capture in a photo).

Once we made it inside, we were greeted by something that we wouldn't normally expect to see in a temple - a life-sized statue of one of the great sumo champions. 

Chiyonofuji rose to the rank of yokozuna (the highest rank in sumo) in 1981.  He was the 58th person to earn this ranking.  He was a very slim sumo wrestler, standing 6 feet tall and only weighing 270 pounds.  But his "small size" did not inhibit him.  He was a winner.  Chiyonofuji is remembered for having 1045 total wins in his career, including 53 consecutive wins between May and November in 1988. 

People thought so highly of Chiyonofuji, they awarded him the Japanese National Honor Award.  The statue was erected in 2011 in honor of the award.

Chiyonofuji passed away in 2016 after battling pancreatic cancer.  He was 61 years old.

My son was super excited to see the statue of Chiyonofuji.  Since moving to Japan, he has become a sumo fan.  We had no idea the statue was located there, so it was fun to discover something unexpected. 

At the end of the day, we had seen a lot and had a great day.  When I asked my son what his favorite thing of the day was, he sincerely said "seeing the sumo statue."

Toriis and blooms

Ever since the cherry blossoms began to bloom, I've been in the mood for flowers.  I just want to see them and walk around in the sunshine.  It represents a new season and a new beginning to me. 

As we get further into April, there are more options around town to see flowers.  A quick search told us that there were 3 main flower festivals very close to us this weekend - wisteria, peonies, and azaleas.  My husband called around and learned that the cold snap and rain we had last week deterred the wisteria and peonies from blooming, but the early blooming azaleas had made an appearance.  This determined that we would be spending our Saturday at Nezu Jinja (Nezu Shrine).

So, in typical fashion, we headed out the door before some of my friends are even out bed on a Saturday morning.  The website said the crowds usually thickened by noon.  Our plan was to get there by 11, to miss the rush. 

When we emerged from Todaimae Station, there were signs directing us to the festival.  It only took 5 minutes to walk from the station to Nezu Shrine, where the azaleas were in bloom. 

Walking through the entrance of the shrine, there is a winding koi and turtle pond that extends for almost the entire length of the shrine.  My son was super excited to see the turtles sunbathing and taking it easy. 

Nezu Jinja is home to a fantastic torii gate path, reminiscent of those we visited in Kyoto.  Although I was excited to see the vibrant toriis, I was preoccupied with getting to the flowers.  I wandered through the red gates pretty fast, not giving it as much attention as it deserved.

After enjoying the shrine for a bit, we found the entrance to the azalea garden.  During the festival it costs ¥200/$1.80 for each adult (children are free) to enter.  It was worth every yen.  Despite the fact that only the early azaleas were blooming, they were incredible.  There were bushes that I couldn't even see a speck of green because the flowers were so dense.  They did a good job grouping the bushes together to create gorgeous views of bloom after bloom.

Pacific rhododendron is the official flower of Washington State.  Since azaleas and rhododendrons are part of the same plant family, the garden made me think of home and a wonderful trip with friends where we visited a huge rhododendron garden in what seemed like the middle of nowhere Washington. 

The colors were stunning.  I took my time wandering through the paths.  My son and I couldn't pick favorites, although a few were a bit more memorable than others.

While the festival is 'only' celebrating their 50th anniversary, the shrine continually celebrates being one of the oldest shrines in Japan.  In fact, the main shrine building is dated back to 1705, but the history of the place of worship is even older.  There are even 3 structures that have been named "National Important Cultural Properties " - two of the toriis and a really beautiful lattice wall.  Designations like this are really important in Japan.

We made sure to explore the shrine.  As we walked around, my husband heard an announcement that the shrine was allowing people to go into the main shrine to view historical artwork rarely available to the public.  If he wasn't with us, I totally would have missed this announcement.  My husband purchased us tickets for ¥300 each.  As soon as we entered we were informed that no photography was allowed.  So, I tucked away my phone, enjoyed the short blessing by the Shinto priest, and then slowly wandered through the two rooms displaying ancient poetry and paintings.  My son and I picked our favorites based on the colors and designs of the fabric worn by the people in the paintings.

I'm so happy we went to Nezu Jinja's azalea festival today.  It was a beautiful sunny day, made even better by a fluffy bed of bright flowers, seeing an interesting historical property, and spending time with wonderful company (my husband and son).  Oh, and the shrine wasn't crowded at all!!!  It felt like a perfect spring day.