Cardrona & Soleil

Yokohama Oktoberfest

2011-10-10T16:54:00.001-07:00

Japan celebrated its 150th year anniversary of relations with Germany this past weekend, and, the venue for the Oktoberfest recognized its own 100 year anniversary. Prost!

Big sisters

2011-10-05T00:39:00.000-07:00

Ericka took this photo of the girls yesterday.

Dormitory Girls

2011-10-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

We recently visited Vancouver Island to complete our Canadian citizenship process and our accommodation was the 16-room dormitory on the campus where I used to work. The girls loved it! Bunk beds, long hallways to run down and multiple rooms to explore.

Here a few photos from the top bunk and breakfast in the early morning sun.

"Oh, Canada..."

Wow, been a long time

2011-09-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

Hi. I apologize to all of you who were regularly following this blog. Ever since Ericka and I got iPhones and began uploading photos to facebook, I completely neglected this site. Well, this is just to say that I'm back. Starting this week I will get back into a routine of posting photos and news here.

On Tuesday of this coming week we are flying to British Columbia to complete the last stage of our application to become Canadian citizens. On the 29th of September Ericka and I are scheduled to participate in a swearing-in/oath ceremony that will finalize our lengthy (almost 2 years!) process to become dual citizens. I will be sure to take some photos and post them here, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, Ericka snapped these 2 shots this morning with her iPhone and a photo-editing app. That's me, tea in hand, reading books to the girls; the laundry can wait.

Mihoko -kampai!

2011-07-10T04:58:00.000-07:00

Arigatou. Thank you. Namaste. Che-che.

Glad you and Haruka are back, safe and sound.

Mata ne...

Montessori Natsu Matsuri

2011-07-09T17:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening there was a Summer Festival at Miki & Sami's school. The girls (including Ericka) had to wear a traditional summer ensemble called, "yukata". There was music, dancing demonstrations by students (and mothers!) and watermelon.

Summer Festivals in Japan are ubiquitous and this was the first of many we will attend. Stay tuned...

More photos from the actual event to come later.

Sam's first day of school!

2011-07-03T17:10:00.001-07:00

Sami started her first day at Montessori school this morning! She was very excited. She is in the "Pink Class" 2 days per/week, about 2.5-3 hours each time. Beginning in September she will increase to 3 days per/week.

And beginning next week both girls will be speaking Japanese far more fluently than mama & papa!

Zelvia Soccer Game

2011-07-03T07:13:00.000-07:00

We went to a soccer match yesterday afternoon. The team in question, Zelvia, is a local (Machida city) team sponsored by my school and Saturday's game was designated a "Tamagawa match". Recently, the founder's son of my school, Mr. Tetsuro Obara, passed away and the game was played in his memory. Needless to say, there were hundreds of Tamagawa staff and employees present (my colleagues!).

It was a great game, the weather cooperated and Zelvia won! Whoo hoo!

Ice pops

2011-06-29T00:07:00.000-07:00

This last week of June here in Tokyo has really started to heat up. I don't even want to imagine what the middle of August is going to be like. Ugghh. At least the ice pops are bringing the girls some temporary relief.

Blonde Monkeys

2011-06-24T00:23:00.000-07:00

Hanging around at the local park.

Father's Day

2011-06-20T00:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all the dads and papas we know out there.

Spent a fantastic day with my girls, had lunch at a Mexican restaurant, rode the trains, played and laughed. The fact that we were all in the same country again was the best thing I could (and did) wish for (many times).

iPhone photos

2011-06-20T00:45:00.001-07:00

Just playing around with the camera feature and some photo editing apps.

Run Sami, run

2011-06-17T05:08:00.001-07:00

Trying to prolong their jet-lag before dinner. The rain stopped, albeit briefly, for a quick play outside.

Weee'reee baaaack!

2011-06-14T05:50:00.000-07:00

My girls and lady returned to our life in Tokyo after 3 months of being apart. All is well in the world again...

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the grandparents for taking good care of these loved ones.

How do you eat an elephant?

2011-06-06T15:59:00.000-07:00

One bite at a time.

That was the mantra I kept repeating over and over again in my head last Sunday during my first-ever century ride. 105km. total in about 6 hours.

A colleague and I had been planning this for about a month and I was "training" for it, well, at least until rainy season here in Tokyo decided to arrive 3 weeks early. As the appointed day approached, and I was losing precious afternoons to get my legs and lungs ready due to downpours, I began to have a few doubts. However, rainy days are very good for reading. So I picked up a story (true) about a middle-aged father who decides to hike all 54 of the Colorado mountains over 14,000 feet. On one hike the author's hiking partner is a man from South Africa, where, according to the story, the above mentioned riddle about an elephant is a popular proverb often quoted when confronted with a challenge.

So, last Sunday, as I began the dreaded, long, 10km. uphill grunt, the pachyderm proverb popped into my head.

And I did it. Very good ride, traffic a bit annoying in places, but otherwise something I would happily consider doing again.

Thank you, Brad and Yamamoto-san, otsukaresamadeshita!

Alcide F. Cote

2011-05-22T02:43:00.000-07:00

My grandfather's name (on my father's side).

I was having a lovely mid-afternoon Spanish-style lunch yesterday afternoon with a wonderful Spanish-Japanese family we know, when my grandfather "entered" the conversation.

In between the olive oil-drenched tomatoes, green olives, sauted clams, prociutto & cream pasta and grilled prawns (did I mention the chilled white Spanish wine?), the conversation turned to finding a "foothold" in the world. One of the lunch guests, now stationed in Japan for the U.S. Navy, remarked that after his tour was finished his plan was to enroll in a culinary school. And that's when beloved Grampa sprang to mind. I told my hosts and other attendees, that my grandfather used to always say, "Everyone's gotta' eat and everyone needs to have a ditch dug, so you might as well learn to cook". I am paraphrasing, of course, but you get the idea. He would always imply, when given the opportunity, that the 1 constant in this world is the fact that everyone has to eat, and it sure as hell beats digging ditches! He and his wife, my grandmother, were die-hard, Vermont bakers for 50+ years.

Here's to your morning doughnut Grampa and Grammy Cote.

Wash yer' money

2011-05-06T03:12:00.000-07:00

A good friend (and colleague) lives in a beautiful, very historic part of Japan called, Kamakura. And for as long as either of us can remember, we've been promising to meet up in his home town to hang out. Well, since recently I have no family, no life, I decided to make good on our promises this Golden Week holiday.

Yesterday I took a very scenic train to Kamakura where I met Mr. Kat and Mr. Ryoji. We had a nice Italian lunch and then Mr. Kat toured us around some of the sights. The highlight was visiting a temple/shrine where tradition holds that you wash your money in a sacred spring, in a sacred cave no less and the reward being that once you spend it, it will be returned to you many times over. I'm all for that. Cheap investment.

Then we purused a small but beautiful pottery shop, checked out a bike store and even found a few minutes to toast Mr. Ryoji's birthday on a side street at a "stand-up bar".

Happy Birthday, and cheers gentleman!

80 clicks

2011-05-06T00:36:00.000-07:00

Logged my longest single-day ride today. 80 kilometers round-trip from my apartment to the ocean at Enoshima beach. I really wasn't actually planning on going the whole way. When I finally stopped for an onigiri and realized that I was really quite close, I figured why not. Fitting as today is Friday, Golden Week is coming to a close this weekend and I have to work tomorrow anyway.

sorry, no photos.

Tutor

2011-05-04T02:29:00.000-07:00

So the saying at Tower Records goes like this: "No music, no life." I, being newly single, have another: "No family, no life."

With this in mind I recently took a job as a private tutor. Turns out the guy I'm tutoring is the head coach of the Japanese National Soccer Team. I met him for the first time today, nice guy actually, and yes he's famous. As we were getting ready to leave our table at the Prince Hotel in Shin Yokohama (ooh la la), he donned a pair of dark shades and allergy face-mask, "my disguise", he said. And sure enough, the few other patrons in the cafe dropped their jaw and stared as we left.

Nonetheless, I would vastly prefer to have my family back...

Earthquake, Tsunami & Nuke Refugees

2011-04-19T04:58:00.000-07:00

Well, in a manner of speaking, yes. Of course, not even a smidgen of the pain, misery and upheaval that the poor souls of Tohoku have gone thru and are still going thru, but at least I've got your attention.

"Ganbare Nihon!"

Most of the "audience" for this blog is family and everyone in that category is pretty aware of our situation at the moment. However, there are lots of friends who may be wondering what the hell happened. So, I am here to update you.

On March 11th, at 2:45pm, Japan was hit by one of the largest earthquakes in history. The tsunami that resulted and the on-going nuke crisis has made enough headlines so that I doubt there's anyone in the dark about that. On that particular day, I was in my office at the jr. high school. Ericka and the girls were (luckily) outdoors at a park. Ericka had just picked Miki up from school and they were "having a play" when you know what rattled the globe.

Back in my office, it took a few seconds for me to realize that we were experiencing an earthquake. For those of you familiar with earthquakes, you hear them almost always before you feel them and the same was true for me on this day. When the various rattlings in the office didn't stop after 30 seconds or so (a loooong time when talking about earthquakes, believe me) I decided to stop what I was doing and reach for our standard-issue emergency hard-hats. By the time it took for me to make that decision and actually grab the helmet and put it on my head, the shaking intensified tremendously. By now, a bit more than a minute had passed and the large, concrete building in which I worked literally "groaned". I don't know how else to describe it. At that moment only one other colleague was in the office with me and we looked at each other and ran for the door.

The jr. high school where I used to work (I've since been promoted to a University position, but that's another story) is actually 2 buildings connected by an enclosed, steel & glass "sky bridge". The exit I came out of (my office was on the ground floor) was immediately beneath said sky bridge and I will never forget how it "convulsed" and rattled. I remember watching it for a few brief seconds and thinking, 'Wow, that thing is not the least bit flexible'. Unfortunately at that moment, passing beneath the rigid, clanking structure was the quickest path to safety, clear of the bricks, glass and any other debris that might decide to come down. I took a breath and bolted under it and beyond into our school courtyard. Not the brightest thing to have done in hindsight, but it's pretty amazing how fast you can run in certain situations. Even for someone like me who only runs if chased.

So now, I would guess about 2 - 2.5 minutes had passed and here I stood in the brick courtyard, trying to calm down and focus. It was only after I stopped running and came to a stop did I realize that the intensity had increased further so that it was actually hard to stand up. The ground and everything in my immediate line of sight undulated. A few cars were parked in the courtyard where I stood and the rear of the smaller ones bounced. With all the movement, shaking and noise, it was easy to visualize the "ripples" charging thru the earth I stood on. Absolutely surreal. I will never forget the sights nor the sensations.

Anyway, our school evacuation protocol taught us to gather on the large sports field for just such emergencies so that's where I and dozens of others started to run to. I should note that on March 11th there were, relative to a "normal" school day, very few students on campus. There were in fact no classes at the elementary school, the jr. high or the high school that day. Thank you for small favors. By the time I reached the sports ground and found groups of colleagues and friends wandering around in disbelief, a full 4 - 4.5 minutes had passed and only then did that initial quake beging to subside. Not only was it massively severe, but it had a frightening duration. All cellphone reception was down. It was quite chilly that day and for a while nobody knew what to do.

At any rate, about 2.5 hours after the earthquake hit, I told my supervisor I was riding my bike home to check on my family. ALL train lines in Tokyo and beyond that day came to a screeching halt and did not resume service until the next day. Chalk-up another benefit to living close to your place of employment.

When I got home I found Ericka and girls in their bicycle helmets locking the apartment door and heading downstairs. Nobody wanted to be inside that night. Thankfully, all of us were safe. We walked to the corner grocery store, got some food (and beer) and then returned to our apartment to check on friends. It was only later that night that we heard about the tsunami and the horrific video footage that accompanied it. As for the nuclear crisis, that didn't become apparent until the next morning. That night we all stayed dressed in our street clothes. I think Ericka and I got about 3 hours sleep.

So, the conclusion: As the nuclear nightmare began to grow and feed off the frenzy over the next couple of days, we bought plane tickets for San Francisco and flew out of Tokyo at midnight on March 17th. We spent about a week with relatives and friends in San Francisco, watching the situation from afar, waiting and pondering. When it didn't look like promising the decision was made to fly Ericka and the girls to Vermont to stay with the grandparents. I stayed behind in California for a few more days and mulled my options. As I mentioned above, I was recently promoted, and since my University was sticking to their original Spring Semester schedule, I had a tough choice to make. On March 30th I flew out of San Francisco back to Tokyo. I arrived on the afternoon of March 31st and began work the next day on April 1st.

And here I am now. The family are still in Vermont, all is well with them. My job is going great and the nuclear situation has not worsened for residents of Tokyo. It is lonely, to be sure, but Ericka and I both know that, for now, this is the best arrangement. I have the month of August off and I will fly back east to see them. At that time Ericka and I will reassess the situation and make another decision for the fall. I am obligated to serve out my academic year and if I must return alone in September, I am prepared to.

I can't thank my mom and dad, Mel and Greg, Uncle Junior and George, Liz and Jan enough for their support, love and gracious hospitality to my family and I at this time in our lives. It has been traumatic for all of us and without our families it would have been near impossible to come thru unscathed. Thank you all, we love you.

I will keep you posted...

Fleeing Tokyo

2011-04-19T04:56:00.000-07:00

As explained above ("Earthquake...Refugees" post), we fled Tokyo on March 17th at midnight. That previous posting explains the situation and events that led to these photos. Basically, a quick look at our 12 hours waiting for our flight in Haneda Airport.

Despite the laughs and cheery nature of the faces in the photos that follow this entry, for the adults in the group at least, this was a difficult time. Ericka and I had recently decided to flee Tokyo because of the nuclear situation in Fukushima and these photos are of that time, while staying with my Uncle Junior and Sir George in downtown San Francisco, California.

Van Ness Refuge

2011-04-19T04:27:00.001-07:00

Thank you Uncle Junior and Sir George for your hospitality. Hope you don't mind a few photos of your bedroom on the blog.

(Seriously, tell me if you do, I can remove them.)

Dinner with Rob

2011-04-19T04:24:00.000-07:00

We were invited to an amazing dinner in an amazing flat high above the streets of San Francisco one evening. Mr. Rob, thank you for everything. It was a pleasure to finally meet you after so many years. The only man who could convince a vegetarian to eat meatloaf! And I won't lie, it was delicious.

Exploratorium

2011-04-19T04:22:00.000-07:00

Yeah, like the name says. Explore + Museum. A San Francisco must-see if you have children. Fun for all, actually.

San Francisco City Hall Park

2011-04-19T04:20:00.000-07:00

A few blocks from where we stayed with Uncle Junior and Sir George. And the public library across the street to boot!

Pier 39

2011-04-19T04:19:00.000-07:00

A delicious stroll along Pier 39. Long live sourdough bread!

Cupcakes with Nana

2011-04-19T04:17:00.000-07:00

Ahh, where was I on this evening?

Pizza with Liz & Jan

2011-04-19T04:14:00.000-07:00

Liz, Jan, you have a beautiful flat. I'm jealous.

And THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING.

(Sam, were you tired?)

Girlfriends drawing

2011-04-19T04:13:00.001-07:00

Miki & Sam's friends drawing outside.

Birthday Ice Cream

2011-02-14T16:58:00.000-08:00

Here's a short video of Miki's friends singing Happy Birthday.

Happy 5th, Miki!

2011-02-14T16:43:00.000-08:00

On February 12th Miki celebrated her 5th birthday. We had a small party at home and opened Nana's and Grammy's presents. The girls loved the crafts and ribbons. Thank you very much for your thoughts and generosity.

Ericka whipped up a whacky cake and Miki blew out her 5 candles in one breath.

First Snow

2011-02-14T16:37:00.000-08:00

Although it didn't amount to much, the girls sure enjoyed the first snowfall of 2011. By the end of the day it had all melted but not before we managed to roll a small snowman.

Still here

2011-02-01T16:00:00.000-08:00

I can't believe a month has passed since my previous post/update. Jeesh...

Anyway, here are some recent photos of the girls. Miki celebrates her 5th birthday this month (12th of Feb.) and Sam is hot on her heels. All is well here, though I do wish we were getting some of that snowstorm currently raging across the U.S.

Kashima-Jinja

2011-01-04T02:17:00.000-08:00

In Japan, the first few days of the new year are an important time for families to visit a local, Shinto shrine to pay respects and also ask for kind benevolence throughout the coming year. This occasion is called "Hatsumode" (hot-tsu-moe-day) and 2 days ago we visited Kashima-Jinja in Machida with our good friends, the Koizumi's.

Following our commune with the various Gods that inhabit this particular shrine, we made our way to a restaurant for refreshments and food.

Kampaii kami-sama!! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-01T00:56:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is on January 1st, Happy New Year everyone!

And I am just getting around to posting our photos from Christmas morning.

Thank you to the grandparents for the many wonderful packages and gifts.

E's new Trek!

2011-01-01T00:54:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago we finally were able to purchase a bike for Ericka. And, as you can see from the photos, a child seat for either Sam or Miki.

Fun, fun, fun...

Yamanashi 2010

2010-12-30T06:58:00.000-08:00

Our wonderful friends, the Koizumi family, invited us to their hometown of Yamanashi Prefecture these past few holiday-days and we had an amazing time. Absolutely wonderful. Packed-full of new experiences, sights, tastes and soakings. We saw the Southern Alps of Japan, had a private tour of a 100-year old sake brewery, ate amazing Japanese food & made our own soba noodles, and to top it all off, an-out-of-this-world soak in a hot spring high on a bluff overlooking the southern alps and Mount Fuji!

Honestly, since coming here in March of last year, the past few days have been the most memorable...and the very reason we came back here in the first place!

A HUGE arigatou gozaimasu to the Koizumi and Osada family! We are looking forward to our next visit, hopefully soon.

Apple Strudel 2010

2010-12-30T00:37:00.000-08:00

As always, the Apple Strudle tradition marches on...

Waiting for Santa...

2010-12-30T00:31:00.000-08:00

Tadaki-san Xmas Party

2010-12-30T00:09:00.000-08:00

We were graciously invited to a Christmas Day party by our wonderful friends, the Tadaki family. The food was delicious, plenty of friends, great conversation and many laughs. Children were in abundance so Miki & Sam were very entertained and to cap it all off, a Christmas cake (complete with candles) was unveiled at the end of the night.

All-in-all, it was a fantastic evening and Sam is still talking about it.

Naoko-san, we would like the receipe for the Italian seafood dish. Amazing!

Yu-san & Kumi-chan, many, many thanks for the delicious food and your cozy hospitality! Kampaii and Happy New Year!

Xmas at Grandberry Mall

2010-12-30T00:05:00.000-08:00

A popular, western-style shopping plaza not far from here lights up their boulevards every year at Christmas time and we decided to take the girls one evening.

School Art Exhibition

2010-12-29T23:51:00.000-08:00

Every year on some Saturday in November, Miki's school holds an open house of sorts to display the students' artwork from throughout the year. It's a very proud moment, as you can imagine, and then in December, just before the winter vacation, the kids bring their artwork home.

I'd help you locate Miki's personal art in the following photos by her name, but unfortunately, her name is written in Japanese. Anyway, you get the idea.

Crazy Hair Day

2010-12-29T23:48:00.000-08:00

Bullseye Park

2010-12-29T22:52:00.000-08:00

There's a small park across the street, not really named "Bullseye", but you can see why it has acquired the name.

Miki in my closet

2010-12-29T22:32:00.000-08:00

We recently organized a closet and opened up enough space for... a nap! Here's Miki enjoying her new hole in the wall.

Mochitsuki 2010

2010-12-19T03:27:00.000-08:00

Once again, for our 2nd year-in-a-row, we were invited to a mochitsuki party by our good friends, the Koizumi's.

Mochitsuki, for the uninitiated, is basically a celebration of the arrival of winter and the gathering of a good harvest of rice. During said party, rice is steamed and dropped enmasse into a semi-hollowed stump of wood. Party attendants, two at a time, then take up the chore of pounding the rice into sticky submission until you get a taffy-like result. The now mochied-rice is then formed into cakes, divided and frozen for consumption at a later date.

In between the steaming the pounding of course is good conversation, good food and copious amounts of "lubrication".

Like I said, this is the 2nd year in a row that we've attended this particular family's celebration and as before, it was fantastic. The weather was nice, we were in the mountains - 2 hours from Tokyo - the girls had a great time playing and picking lemons & mikans.

Can't wait for next year! This time, I promise, we will show up earlier. It seemed that the day went too quickly.

Arigatou gozaimashita!

Play hard, sleep hard

2010-12-12T19:13:00.000-08:00

I took the girls to Children's Country Park on Sunday so Ericka could have a few hours uninhibited to get a few things done.

The weather this past weekend was unseasonably warm and sunny. At any rate, the girls played hard and on the way home were so tired I put them both in the Chariot stroller. It wasn't long before they both fell asleep.

Matching rain ensemble

2010-11-09T04:20:00.000-08:00

Our good friends, the Kurita's, gave Sami a matching rain poncho and umbrella for her birthday. Here she is on the runway for you.

Arigatou gozaimashita. Bring on the typhoons!

Cycle Mode International 2010

2010-11-07T04:22:00.001-08:00

On Saturday Miki and I went to Makuhari Messe for the 2010 International Cycling Exhibition. It was basically a trade-show for all things bike and bike-related and it was incredible. I was completely blown away by the varieties of 2-wheeled (some 3-wheeled) transportation and the never-ending creativity behind bicycle designs, shapes, colors, uses and materials.

Some highlights were the $18,000.00 Eddie Merckx professional road bike, a plethora of high-end folding bikes, and the hand-built-in-California frame made entirely from bamboo and carbon fiber. Yes, bamboo, as in the tree (picture included above).

Oh, and I saw at least 7 bikes that I want for Christmas this year. Anyone with a fat wallet listening? Hello?

Happy Halloween

2010-10-29T23:18:00.000-07:00

Every year the apartment complex holds a little Halloween party outside in a central courtyard for the kids. It's usually a few days before the 31st and of course always at night. The biggest highlights, of course, are the costumes.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Sami!

2010-10-29T23:02:00.000-07:00

On October 14th Sam turned 2 and a few friends from our area came over for the celebration.

I was in Vancouver (citizenship fingerprints request) for the actual party but Ericka took plenty of photos.

Sports Festival

2010-10-29T23:00:00.000-07:00

Like all schools in Japan, both public and private, late fall is time for the annual Sports Festival event. Basically a chance for the students to participate in mass games, dances and other "performing sports" displays.

This is a picture of Sam at the sporting event held at my school about 2 weeks ago.

Samwich

2010-10-27T05:46:00.000-07:00

Not sure I'll ever be strong enough in my life (or theirs!) to do this again.

Sports Festival 2010

2010-10-27T05:42:00.000-07:00

Miki's school held its annual Sports Festival back in early October.

Little Dutch Girl

2010-10-27T05:34:00.000-07:00

Remember those paint (or was it furniture?) commercials for Little Dutch Boy? Well, Sam got her hair cut a few weeks back and we can't shake the similarity. All in all, it looks cute and she loved the whole process; still talks about it in fact.

Ikebana

2010-10-27T04:55:00.000-07:00

A woman who we know thru Miki's school (her son also goes to Montessori) teaches Ikebana: the Japanese art of flower arranging. Since Miki is absolutely infatuated with the botanical world, we figured why not?

Sami haircut

2010-10-03T22:57:00.001-07:00

She's the one on the right.

Kokonotsuido

2010-09-26T01:50:00.000-07:00

The name of the restaurant. Anyway, long story behind it.

What should interest you is that it was the type of restaurant and cuisine and ambience that Ericka and I fell in love with many, many years ago when we first came to Japan. Absolutely beautiful, down to the soy sauce plates and tiny, hand-blown glass sake cups.

Our good friends of numerous years invited our family to join theirs for a soba dinner and needless to say we had a grand time. Tremendous food, sublime sake, great conversation, wonderful company, amazing custom-made pottery and lasting memories.

Thank you so very much, Kurita family. We are extremely lucky to call you and your extended family friends. Kampaii!!

Until we dine again...

Toy Story 2

2010-09-26T01:39:00.000-07:00

Still waiting for #3 to come out on iTunes, but in the meantime we yanked out the sofa and had a family movie night watching Toy Story 2.

Miki's crafts craft

2010-09-26T01:31:00.000-07:00

So every week at school Miki produces untold amounts of various paper crafts and, rather than trying to keep every single one, Ericka had the brilliant idea of fixing the majority to a massive piece of paper and taking a photo (and short video). Here's the photo.

Cranberry Lemon Muffins

2010-09-26T01:28:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Miki and Ericka made a dozen muffins. Don' t laugh, our oven is quite small; if this were our Canadian kitchen it would have been 2 dozen at a time! Anyway, Miki truly enjoyed it and was oh so proud of them. And of course they were delicious.

Hippie Dippie

2010-09-26T01:27:00.000-07:00

Not sure what to say...

Nana & Pop Visit Tokyo!

2010-09-16T05:21:00.000-07:00

Well they came, they saw, they walked and they sweated profusely thru the first week of September. Here are the photos to prove it.

Thank you for coming all this way to re-unite with Miki and Sam and to catch a glimpse of our life here in Japan.

Sami goes to Harvard

2010-09-11T01:03:00.000-07:00

No, not really. This is Sam trying on Nana's glasses.

Lake Sagami

2010-08-07T21:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, I promise; this is the last update I will make for the rest of the year regarding anything to do with summer festivals or fireworks-related. They've all been wonderful experiences and events to take the girls to but we're pretty burnt out on them. No pun intended.

The last one we attended, about 2 weekends ago was at Lake Sagami. A large lake in the mountains about 1.5 hours north west of us, we went with some friends to see how the "country folk" celebrated. And it was nice to get out of the hot city and into some cool mountains.

Met some new people, tried a local micro-brew and Miki & Sam held their first sparkler.

Thank you very much, Koizumi-san for inviting us. Tanoshikata desu.

Hanabi in Nakanoshima

2010-07-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

We were invited (for the 2nd year in a row) to a friend's flat along the Tama River to watch the annual fireworks display from their rooftop patio. Last year Ericka and the girls were in the States so I went alone. Fun, but not the same without them.

This year we were all able to attend. Great fun and since it was Miki & Sam's first experience with a major fireworks show, very memorable.

Thank you very much Saito-san and family! Tanoshikata desu. Rainen tanoshimi ni. Arigatou gozaimashita!

Serigaya Koen

2010-07-29T03:49:00.001-07:00

Not far from here is a rather large park and water sculpture, also home to the Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts.

I stumbled upon the park one afternoon riding my bike. I had always ridden the road that cuts thru the park but never stopped to explore.

Anyway, it's been extremely hot here and we took the girls there to check it out and cool off.

That's Sam and I in the lower right corner. Those 2 large "I" beams on top rotate in all directions and tip at random whenever they fill up with water. Pretty exciting.

Swimmy Tubes

2010-07-29T00:28:00.000-07:00

Miki and Sam got their first pool-friendly inner tubes last week and oh what joy they bring. According to Ericka they played with them in the apartment for at least an hour, far from any major water source. Go figure.

Later that same morning we rented the apartment complex's communal kiddie pool and the girls splashed around for 2 hours.

Some July moments...

2010-07-27T21:49:00.000-07:00

Miki and Mama made chia seed pudding. A friend told us about this seed and then gave us some to experiment with. Other than pudding the girls "planted" some and they are now growing a thick carpet of green, edible sprouts.

Sami got her second haircut by Mama. Really just trying to keep her bangs out of her eyes!

And on the 24th we were invited to a friend's flat to watch the yearly fireworks display from their rooftop patio. Great food, good friends (and older, ex-students!) and the girls were in awe of their first, major hanabi celebration Japanese-style.

Water Play at K no K

2010-07-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we met a couple of other friends and families at Children's Land Park for a big water play. It was an extremely hot weekend so the cool splashing was the ideal remedy. That evening we all re-convened at a local noodle shop for cold soba and tempura.

Tour de Sami

2010-07-10T23:57:00.001-07:00

Sam and Papa watching stage 7 of the Tour de France lastnight.

Kamakura

2010-07-03T04:35:00.000-07:00

Our second visit to this quaint little town on the coast. Historically, it once served as the capital of Japan, albeit for a brief period of time.

Anyway, if you are curious, Google it.

We went last weekend because now is the time to view the hydrangea flowers that bloom prolifically. It rained briefly, on-and-off, but otherwise very nice weather. Huge crowds, however.

In between the various temples and sights, we "drank in" the local beverages as there are at least 2 micro-breweries peddling their products in town (why not? I don't have to drive the trains home). We had a great lunch at a side-street "bistro" and even scored a patio table to watch the afternoon meander by.

It was a great time and decided that this would be a great place to take Nana & Pop when they visit at the end of August. Bring your walking shoes, folks!

Oh yeah, sweet potato-green tea ice cream. Need I say more?

Papa says "don't run"

2010-06-30T04:24:00.000-07:00

I have been telling both the girls as of late not to run in the house. Way too small for that and way too many hard surfaces to smack into.

The other night, while reading a book and getting them ready for bed, Sam decides to discuss the topic yet again.

And she also decides to see if Miki's nose really is firmly attached to her face...

Dinner on a balmy night...

2010-06-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

As E was getting an awesome udon noodle dinner together one night, I sat on the back deck with the 2 monkeys taking photos of their silly antics. We are in the middle of the rainy season here and although it's not actually that hot, believe me, because of the humidity it feels like a sauna. When it rains it feels like warm soup is dripping from the clouds. Anyway...

The dinner, in case you are wondering: udon noodles, Scotch egg and tempura-fried eggplant and prawn. A bit of a mish-mash, yes, but oh so tasty.

Ice Cream & Paper Airplanes

2010-06-29T06:04:00.001-07:00

One afternoon last week, after Ericka & Sam picked Miki up from school, they spent a few hours at a nearby park.

A paper airplane enthusiast (not sure how else to describe him) gave Miki one of his airplanes and she entertained herself trying to fly the rubberband-powered contraption.

Apparently the girls also had ice cream.

Pancake Sam

2010-06-21T04:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Ericka and Sam made us all pancakes for Father's Day.

Thank you, they were delicious!

Sam in Boots

2010-06-21T04:03:00.000-07:00

Back in B.C., when Miki was almost 2, she received her first pair of rain boots. There are some photos of the occasion on this blog under the Archive section. Anyway, she posed for the camera clad only in her rain boots and a diaper.

Oddly enough, Sam just got her first pair of rain-season boots last weekend and repeated the same textile ensemble as her older sister.

What is it with toddlers, diapers and gum boots?

Jibiki ami

2010-05-29T05:48:00.000-07:00

The literal translation is something like "pulling the net by yourself", but that really doesn't help much does it?

Every year around this time a unique event is held on the beaches of Enoshima and certain departments at my school get involved. Last year we were invited to this event as well. One of the main sponsors is the construction/architectural firm responsible for the buildings on my campus. Let me try to explain in a few sentences:

Starting around 6 or 7am a group of "for-hire" net-fisherman motor away from the beach in a large boat for a couple hundred yards and drop a massive net overboard. The net strings are anchored to the beach via a rusty, make-shift, gas-powered pulley. Once the fisherman have returned they begin to very slowly wind the net in, inches at a time, pausing every now and again to snare more fish. Around 8am another group arrives and proceeds to set up large tarps and a beach-front kitchen/BBQ. By 9:30 food is being cooked, folks start arriving and beer is being consumed. Parents eat (and drink), kids run around and frolic in the waves and this pattern continues until about 1pm: the main event.

The mechanical winch is shut down and everyone is called down to the water's edge to help haul in the day's catch. Basically a game of tug-a-war with the net, fish & ocean. When the "belly" of the net is finally dragged onto the beach everyone gathers around to see what the ocean has provided. Last year the highlight was a small shark (eventually released). This year, in addition to hundreds of small & medium-sized sardines and mackerel, were 2 squids, a long salt water eel and 2 poisonous blowfish. Not released.

Guests of course are allowed to take home whatever they wish but we didn't bother. No time to clean them and honestly, I don't want to carry a smelly bag full of cold, dead fish home on the train with me.

Anyway, last year it was too hot (in my opinion) and this year it was too cold. Threatening rain all day but lucky for us nothing until we started to pack up and make our way to the train station.

It was great fun, Miki and Sam loved it. Looking forward to next year.

Sun-Block Sam

2010-05-22T23:32:00.000-07:00

Next weekend we are going to the ocean for a company-sponsored BBQ on the beach. In preparation we thought we'd make sure that Sam's sun-blocking beach wear fits.

Tozan Firing

2010-05-22T23:20:00.000-07:00

I was in Nanaimo at the beginning of May with some students and lucky for us the on-campus Tozan pottery kiln was being fired. This kiln is like no other; 3 chambers for pottery and 1 front "fire box" chamber for the heat. Powered entirely from wood, the kiln is kept alive for 3-4 days, 24 hours non-stop. It takes at least as many days to cool before the potters are able to unload the contents.

Nightgowns from Hayley

2010-05-22T23:13:00.000-07:00

Our dear friend and former "neighbor" in Nanaimo, Hayley, made these amazing matching gowns for the girls.

Thank you, Hayley!

Field Trip Day

2010-05-22T23:03:00.000-07:00

Miki's class held a field-trip last Friday to Children's Land Park. Ericka & Sam dropped her off in the morning and because the park is so huge and the weather was nice, decided to stay and visit another area of the park.

Suberidai

2010-05-08T04:38:00.000-07:00

Which means "slide" in Japanese.

I like this photo of Miki because every so often I see a picture of her where it's possible to "see" her 10 or maybe 20 years from now. I think this photo betrays her true age, if you know what I mean.

Fenced In

2010-05-08T03:48:00.000-07:00

Ericka took the girls to Children's Land about a month ago to see the cherry blossoms and she took these shots of Sam playing around (and chewing on!) a fence.

Kids in a box

2010-05-08T03:45:00.000-07:00

Not sure what was going on here.

Cool Baby

2010-05-08T03:39:00.000-07:00

Well, no longer a baby anymore but still cool.

Tea Time

2010-05-08T03:28:00.000-07:00

These photos are a few months old now, but I thought I should share them anyway.

We stopped one afternoon at a cafe for a quick snack and a cup of tea (the cafe, by the way, no longer exists, unfortunate...) and Ericka took these photos of Miki goofing around.

Peek-A-Boo

2010-05-08T03:24:00.000-07:00

Just a few photos of Sam being silly.

E.T.

2010-04-23T16:21:00.000-07:00

Sam goofin' around.

Big Bike

2010-04-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

My future cyclist.

Hanami

2010-04-17T22:47:00.000-07:00

Hanami, which rather succinctly means, "cherry blossom viewing", is over. However, a few weekends ago we were all invited to join our friend's family hanami outing and lunch date in the foothills east of here. Unfortunately Sam was not feeling well on the appointed day and we almost cancelled completely, except for the fact that Miki was fine and so loves anything related to flowers, we decided at the very least that she and I should attend. So we did.

We met our friends in Hachioji and proceeded to a large, private acreage owned by an international chapter/society, of which my friend's father is a member. We toured the grounds and orchards before walking to a local University campus also bursting with cherry blossoms. It wasn't long before the little ones in the group started to ask about lunch so we hailed a taxi and drove about 20 min. to the base of Mount Takao.

Our lunch reservation was at a beautiful, traditional-styled restaurant and we had a large, private room waiting for us. The food was fantastic and after a few sips of beer the sake came out. My friend and I have a weakness for good, "micro-brewed" sake and it wasn't long before... well, you know how it goes. I'll leave it at that.

Miki had a grand time entertaining us all with her dances and Japanese nursery rhyme songs. We exited the restaurant to a warm, late afternoon sun and strolled for a few minutes along the river and back to the train station.

Here are some photos from that day, in no particular order.

Arrrrrr, maties!

2010-04-04T21:08:00.000-07:00

I rented Disney's Peter Pan last week and this is the girls' impersonation of Captain Hook's hook.

Shiver me timbers.

Aquarium

2010-04-04T20:18:00.000-07:00

A number of weeks ago, on a rainy weekday (I was on spring holiday), we paid a visit to the Enoshima Aquarium.

It was fun. The girls loved pressing their faces against the glass and Sam loved all the bubbles.

The only pictures we took were towards the end of our tour when we caught the dolphin show. Miki giggled loudly everytime a dolphin leapt out of the water and Sam is still "talking" about the jumps and splashes.

That's the girls and I (in Dundee hat) in front of the pool.

Shinjuku Koen

2010-03-26T01:00:00.001-07:00

We are approaching a very famous time during the Spring season here in Japan and that's when the cherry blossoms start to bloom.

It's a much anticipated and much celebrated time for the Japanese; a chance to escape to a local park or lounge beside a tree-lined river, eating, drinking and taking in the beautiful brevity that the cheery blossom flowers provide.

Like you'd really need much of an excuse to throw down a blanket under a cherry tree and picnic all day while sipping a lovely cold sake, but there you go...

The cherry blossom season has always been an apt metaphor for life: short, sweet and always fleeting.

Anyway, enough with the philosophy and soliloquy.

2 weekends ago we went to Shinjuku Koen (park) for a picnic and a premature look at the cheery blossoms - another week or so and they'll be peaking. The weather was warm, although a bit windy, and the girls loved running amok.

Happy Birthday, Ericka!

2010-03-16T17:59:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the 15th of March we decided to venture to Yokohama Chinatown. Ericka wanted Peking duck and since the weather was cooperating we figured, why not?

Sumo Baby!

2010-03-05T22:30:00.001-08:00

Do I need to say anything?

Family Tanjoubi

2010-02-16T03:23:00.000-08:00

Which means, "birthday" in Japanese. (pronounced: TAHN-JOE-BEE)

Anyway...

On the 12th of February we had a small family celebration for Miki's 4th birthday. I can't believe 4 years have passed already. However, like my mom noted during one recent Skype call, 4 sounds incredibly young for a little girl who has enriched our families' lives so much already.

Ericka found princess-shaped pasta for the special dinner that night and the girls loved it; especially the "glass" slipper. Miki even claimed she could tell which ones were Belle and which ones were Jasmine!

And then of course we had a small, but delicious cake (thank you, Kumika!), complete with 4 candles.

After dinner Miki opened her 2 packages from the Grandparents. The princess book was extremely well-received (big surprise) and Sam loves her little princess shirt, because, I'm assuming, her big sister has one just like it and now they can be twins.

Thank you Nana, Pop, Grammy & Gramps for the generous gifts.

Happy Birthday, Miki!

2010-02-16T02:44:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Miki's 4th birthday last weekend with a party for 10 of the students from her pre-school class. Ericka organized the whole thing, I made invites on the computer and, as per our suggestion, her friends brought gifts of flowers. Our apartment is now an assortment of white and pink roses and tulips. Miki absolutely loves the flowers and has begun to collect the various petals as they fall off.

It should note that we did not hold the party in our apartment, but rather rented a large, common (tatami) area on the 1st floor. As for decorations, the tables were covered in newsprint paper and crayons and stickers were provided for artistic impulses. Ericka said that she couldn't have decorated better; the kids made it look very festive indeed!

As for the cakes, there were 4 Milky Cake cream rolls, courtesy of a local pastry shop. We added blueberries, strawberries, a few raspberries and 1 chocolate swirl per child. Of course Miki loved it and wanted more.

We sang happy birthday in English and then Ericka broke into a spontaneous "head, shoulders, knees and toes" song and then read from a new book called, "My Heart Is Like A Zoo". Even after the aforementioned sugar injection, the kids were very keen on the book and listened intently to every word.

As our 2 hour party was winding down it began to snow. The kids and moms left in very high spirits and by 6pm that evening Ericka and I were exhausted. Needless to say, Miki was excited long into the evening but slept happily.

I have a feeling that she will remember this birthday bash for a very long time.