Holy Cherry Blossom Frappuccino!

Sissy and I had the best day ever.  First- she got to miss school- and we took the train to Tokyo.  We were headed to her 2nd modeling job.  Before you think- hmm- why did she take her daughter out of school for MODELING?  Well let me tell you- everytime we go for an audition or what have you- we go to a new place in Tokyo.  There is so much to discover and so much to see and do.  Someone told me not to let school get in the way of your child's education.  That is so true! 
Anyway- we took the train to Yokohama (express train baby!) and transfered to the Tokyu Toyoda line and headed for Gakugeidaigaku station. 
I repeat- Gakugeidaigaku station.  Bit of a mouthful to say- I lovingly renamed it "googoo gaga" station- much easier to say.  Sissy thought that was the funniest thing she ever heard- I love 7 year olds- they are so easily amused. :-)
Back to my story.  We got off at googoogaga station and proceeded to find something delicious to eat.  There is a little shop right outside that had some lovely obentos- but they didn't have any seating (kind of more "take-out).  So we decided to proceed down the road.  We found Starbucks.  Tempting- but I reminded myself we always end up eating at Starbucks or Tullys or Krispie Kreme.  I wanted some good Japanese food.  We finally found what looked like some yummy gyoza.  So we stepped inside the little bitty restaurant and ordered the best lunch I have had in a while!  We had a large bowl of ramen, gyoza and chicken nuggets.  Don't think "McDonalds"- no these were lumpy real unprocessed chicken thigh meat.  The Japanese are spot on with chicken nuggets I tell you.  Sissy also ordered what looked like two balls of something coated with sesame seeds.  We had no idea what they were- but what the heck- the food was cheap so why not?  They turned out to be filled with mochi.  I actually liked it this time- the sesame seed coating/crust complimented to mochi's sweetness just right.  I was delightfully surprised at that.

After lunch we still had another hour to kill so we decided to do some exploring.  We found a shrine right in the middle of some apartments and houses.  I am trying to figure out the name.  Sissy hadn't been to one yet- so she was intrigued to see people going up to ring the bell and say a prayer.  I tried to get her to ring the bell but she was too scared.

The small shrine we found

Notice the fox on the right is nursing her pup? 

The photo shoot was long but fun.  The photography staff were just gaga over Sissy.  They kept saying "kawai!" which means "cute", in reference to her.  Today she modeled jewelry- a little different then last time.  I'll post pictures once it's safe to do so- don't want to get in trouble.

Oh geez- I forgot to tell you what happened before the photo shoot!  We made  it to Starbucks after all- all the walking made us want a little snack.  I was planning on getting something iced- but they had sakura flavored drinks and pastries.  Sakura means "cherry blossom".  I wasn't sure if it would be any good- but the frappuccino was so pink and pretty I had to give it a go.  Sissy picked out a little sort of bread that was sakura flavored (and pretty and pink as well.)  In fact- there was a real cherry blossom on top.

That sakura frappuccino was divine!  Sissy's desert was good- but not as good as my frap!  I can't exactly put my finger on the flavor- kind of tasted like cloves and maybe pumpkin?  I don't know- it was just good. 

My delicious cherry blossom frap

After the photo shoot we stopped at this lovely little park called Himonya Park.  We are planning a trip back as the petting zoo and the pony stalls were closed.  But we did find the little temple resting on a tiny island in the middle of the park's lake.  We walked to whole park and then I let Sissy blow off some steam and play in the playground for a just a bit (it was starting to get dark and hence rush hour on the train.)  As it turns out- it is a famous park and very old.  Who knew?

Front view of bridge to temple.

Sideview of the bridge.

I am not sure if this counts as a Torii gate?

We didn't avoid rush hour- but it wasn't too bad.  Let me to tell you -Sissy is a totally different child then the one that rode on the train with me when we first got here.  She no longer complains about having to stand when there are no seats and she WHISPERS!  That is a feat in itself.

She went to bed a happy little girl tonight.  She loved our mommy/daughter day she told me.  I think the icing on the cake was when I ordered a Happy Meal for myself- just like her.  She thought it was for Brother- when I said it was for me- she hugged me right there in the middle of McD's.
I have to say I will go to bed happy tonight as well!

Oh- we saw the cutest bulldog at the park.  He walked right up to the water spiggot and started to lick it- then his owner turned on the water for him and the bulldog proceeded to drink.  Too cute!  The picture is a little off kilter because I was trying to play it off like I was taking a picture of Sissy and not the dog.

Update:  It took me three days to finish this post (that is why it is so wordy)- plus I wanted to get the pictures up as well. 

After doing a little research- I realized that there are THOUSANDS of shrines in Japan.  The one we visited is very small so therefore it doesn't deem a mention in any of the websites I looked up.  But- I did find out that it is an Inari shrine- due to the foxes with the red bibs that guard the entrance.  I'll have to research some more so I can give a more educated description than that!

And lastly- I can now pronounce (after much practice)  Gakugeidaigaku.  That is my accomplishment for the week. :-)

Taking the kids to Tokyo

Ok, so I had experienced the trains and visited Tokyo already, so I am ready to take the kids, right?
I was really pumped about taking the kids to see Tokyo. While in Harajuku, I saw a toy store called Kiddyland. I looked up places to take kids in Tokyo and that was a suggestion. I also saw there was a Pokemon Center, but that looked it involved taking taking the Subway, not that brave!
So we walk to the front gate, at this point I do not have a driver's license yet. We could take a bus to the train station, but then I would need exact change and I am not altogether sure of that so we walk. It is hot and humid, and the walk seems very long with a little girl who is already complaining. I really should have just turned around and went back right there.
We get to the train station- and we are already hot and sweaty. At the trains you can either buy individual tickets or you can buy what is called a PASMO card. On the PASMO card you deposit money on it and then the train terminals deduct your fare. The children's fares are 1/2 price, so I have to get someone to help me with the PASMO machine so I can set them up with children's PASMO cards. There are several machines next to each other and not a lot of room to goof around. I wish the children understood that. Sister wants to see what I am doing, which would be fine but I can't reach the machine with her standing in my way and the poor Train Station employee is waiting on me. So that is the first argument and fit she throws.
When you are the only Americans around you really feel the pressure to represent your country. Plus you know they are all looking at you, no kidding.
We get the cards, find something to drink at the vending machine. Sister again holds up the line trying to make up her mind. Some poor lady gave up and had to leave to catch her train. Oh dear.
The train is crowded and Sister has to stand, she does not like that. And she has already started to fight with her brother. It is way too crowded to be fighting on the train. Once again we have made a spectacle of ourselves. Maybe the locals understand as their children can be unruly as well, but I am embarrassed nevertheless.
We finally are able to sit down and I am straining my ears to listen for our stop- Shinjuku Station. I know how it is spelled in Kanji so I am watching the sign in the train as well that announces the next stop. All of the trains are different. If there is a conductor on the train that speaks English, then they will announce the train station in English in addition to Japanese. And sometimes the sign will be in English too, but a lot of times they are not- like on this train. I hear Shinjuku somewhere in the announcement and get the kids up so we can get off. When we get off it does not look familiar- and I see no sign for the train line we need to switch too. The kids are both talking to me a mile a minute and not paying attention to all of the people coming from every direction. So not only am I trying to figure out where the heck I am- as I realized that I got off at the wrong stop, but I am trying to not lose my children and to keep them from getting run over and/or from blocking traffic.

Shinjuku

I find a vacant spot to the side and stop to look at my train map. A nice Japanese sees me and asks me in English if he can help me. I ask him where are we, which station? It turns out we weren't even half way there! So back to the platform we just left. Sister freaks out and says we are at the wrong train platform. Seriously she won't believe me when I tell her we are ok. Ugg
We make it to Shinjuku and decide to look around the train station. It is attached to a big shopping mall of sorts, and the air conditioning is on at full blast. I tell you air conditioning is nectar from the gods. I want to go see Times Square, but Brother gets bent out of shape since that wasn't the original plan. I should know better- he doesn't like to deviate. So we find the line to take us to Harajuku. We head straight for Kiddyland. It is a very cool store. There are several floors, each being a different store. The first has Pokemon, Lego's and all kinds of cool girl toys. There are these really cute dolls- kind of like Barbies that I want to get Sister (I told them they could each spend 2500 Yen- roughly about $25). For a little doll that is smaller than a Barbie, it cost about 4200 Yen. Yikes! Sister picked out instead a little chihuahua that barks and walks. That is so Sister. My favorite floor was the Hello Kitty floor- they had other things besides Hello Kitty, but that is what you see when you first walk in. It is all so very cute, I am want to buy everything. I do find a very cute mug and cell phone charm for my Hello Kitty enthusiast friend back in the States.

Outside the store we find Monchichi! The kids do not know who the Monchichis are but I remember them from my childhood. So Sister gets her picture taken with Monchichi, the store employees actually take the picture for you with your camera. I suppose that is more efficient then having the parents stand there for days taking several poses.

Posing with Monchichi outside of Kiddyland in Harajuku

I really want to find some food, so we turn down a side street to see what we can find. I was told that the food on the side streets is good and usually less expensive than on the main drag. Well we didn't find any food but we did see some interesting stores and interesting signs. One sign hanging down from what looked like a club said "Home honey, I'm Hi!". My favorite store was called "Freak's Store".

So we head back towards the train station, still have not eaten anything. We find someone selling ice cream so we sit down to eat some. Here is it not customary to see people walking around with food or drink. Normally we would have gone walking with our ice cream cones, but not here.

Back on the train, we are heading home. When we get off in Shinjuku I cannot find the train line we need. By this time the kids are hot, tired and still hungry. Looking back I realize I should have just bought food at the first place we saw. I don't know what I was looking for? We find our train line and finally catch the correct train home. The kids are still fighting, I am so tired and frustrated at this point. I tell them I will never take them on the train by myself again, and I mean it. I know I was being childish, but it was seriously a very difficult task taking them on the train when they refused to behave.
Three trains later and we are at our final stop. Huh, problem is we got off on the wrong side of the train station. I cannot find a way around, so we go back through the gate to try and retrace our steps. We can see where we need to go, but how the heck do we get there?? We finally see the exit, but our PASMO cards will not let us through. Well it is because we went through without taking a train. So we have to go through the office next to the exit and I explain that we went through without taking a train.
We are out, on the right side! I think about getting some food now, but I want to go home more. I find a taxi and I know enough Japanese to tell him where we need to go. The Japanese taxis are cool that they have automatic doors, you don't have to open or close them. So we are off, we are not walking and the taxi feels nice and cool. It is the kids' first taxi ride too. I think they enjoyed the taxi more than anything else (except maybe the toys). 700 yen later we are at the front gate. I tell you, that is the best $7 I have ever spent!
I am now traumatized and am not sure if I will ever go anywhere with my children again. I am sure I will get over and the kids will be become more adjusted. But for now I will just wait until their dad gets back...

First Trip to Tokyo

There seems to be so much to write about and the same time so little. I have been trying to think of what to write next the last couple of days since I posted the last bit about our arrival here in Japan. I will try to recap I suppose...
Our second week here I took a week long class title "Area Orientation Brief/Intercultural Relations Class", or AOB/ICR for short. The first day was the AOB class. Basically someone from every department on base came to talk to us about various things we need to know, or at least some of us need to know. I believe the class was originally only offered to service members. But a commander decided that the spouses also should participate in the class as well. It is also a requirement before you can get a driver's license. :) So some of the material applied to service members- such as what uniforms are authorized- blah blah blah. We did have one very lively fellow talk to us that is from hazardous materials. He reminded me of Fire Marshall Bill from In Living Color- just without the burns.
the rest of the week we had the ICR class. This was taught by Japanese locals. It was very interesting. We learned how to pronounce Japanese words, how to read the writing and the different kind of writing used. I even learned how to write my name in Kanji, very cool. Part of the class is a required field trip- an unaccompanied field trip. Basically they take you to the train station, explain how to buy tickets and how the train stations work. Then you go off on your own to whatever destination you choose. Of course we went in groups. In my group was the new dentist on base and a civilian DOD employee. We chose to go to Harajuku and Shibuya. We took three different trains to get to Harajuku, it took about 45 minutes I believe. The train stations are crazy! There is not just one rail line, there are several different companies that run their own trains. So when you change trains, you have to find the new rail line. At the bigger trains stations that can be very confusing! Sometimes you will come out of one rail line- see the sign for the rail line you need, but will go right past it because you literally needed to go around the corner, a full 360.
So we arrived at Harajuku. Let me say that it was hot, and very humid. The merchants are out on the sidewalk handing out fans with advertising printed on them. I must say that is a very clever idea because everyone uses them. I always thought that fans were something only the Geishas used, but they are actually a necessity! I thought maybe only us Americans were sweating in this heat. I felt better when I saw several Japanese with sweat soaked shirts.
So my group mates were famished so we stopped at the first restaurant that looked appetizing. I was a little disappointed as I wanted to go to a sushi-go-round. The restaurant we stopped at was very nice. The waiter that greeted us spoke English and was very friendly. the best part of course is that the AC was on and it was nice and cool. I ordered chicken and potatoes, thinking that it would be chicken stir fried with potatoes. What I received was a chicken breast on top of french fries. It was garnished with a roasted cherry tomato on top and arugula leaves on the side. I was a little disappointed at the french fries, but it was surprisingly good! There was a sort of Worcestershire sauce that went great with the fries. All of us ordered beer as well. Cheers! My first beer in Japan!
After eating we walked down the street and looked at the sights. We saw two guys, one with a giraffe head and the other with a zebra head- being filmed for what I don't know. I am bummed I couldn't find my camera in time for that one.
I did get my camera out to take pictures of the stores and signs. Th best one was for The French Connection- I'll post the picture. Condomania made me do a double take. It is condo-mania or condom-mania? It is the latter when I realize that that little smiling guy is a condom. And then there's the picture of the elephant... enough of that.


ummm- excuse me?


Crazy about condoms











The Mejii Shrine is on the other side of the train station and it is hard to believe that it is the same town. The shrine is a huge park lined with trees, very beautiful and serene. It is the perfect place to get away from the sounds of the streets and city- and one doesn't have to go far. At the gift shop I picked up a handkerchief and a fan. The handkerchief is a must have. As much as the weather makes you sweat, it is handy to have something thicker than a Kleenex to mop your brown. Also, a lot of the restaurants do not supply napkins- so it is handy to carry your own.

A Torii Gate at the entrance to the Mejii Shrine

lots and lots of Sake! Sake was considered a sacred drink, you will see sake drums like these at the different shrines.

We originally planned to go to Shibuya as well, but walking the grounds of the Mejii Shrine took more time than we thought it would. So we headed back. We got off at the wrong train station and ended up taking a very long walk back to base. I was quite hot by the time we got back.
So the trains were not as scary as I thought they would be. I had heard they shove you onto trains and imagined myself falling under the tracks. They do shove you onto the trains during rush hour on the more crowded trains, but that wasn't the case where I was at. It was actually a nice little adventure despite the heat and the walking.
So the class was a success overall. I learned a lot about the culture here as well as well as the etiquette used. Learning how to read Kanji is also quite helpful. In now way can I read anything, but I can recognize certain signs and such. I am excited to do more exploring.

Ok well I guess I do have more to write about. Next I will describe taking the kids on the train for the first time, it is a scary tale...