Where can you buy a mini dustpan and broom shaped like Mickey Mouse, or his and her ear swabs, anyway? Before moving to Japan I too spent sleepless nights pondering these very questions, and now I have the answer: the 100 yen store! Dollar stores in the U.S. tend to locate in somewhat dodgy neighborhoods and …
Continue reading Let’s Go Shopping: An Introduction to the 100 Yen Store
Here's my Monday morning, pretty much every week: I go to aikido at the kids' school, then stop by my favorite grocery store called Hiruma to pick up something for that night's dinner. My friend Karol also practices aikido, and I often bump into her at Hiruma right after class. Today as we headed out to …
Two weeks ago Mark and I had the honor of attending a Japanese wedding. The groom (also named Mark) and I play on a field hockey team together at our club, Yokohama Country & Athletic Club. When Groom Mark invited the team to his wedding I was honored and eager to attend, knowing that I probably …
Japan has so many o-hanami (cherry blossom viewing) opportunities! One great variation is nighttime o-hanami, which I dragged the family to this past weekend. We visited Sankeien Garden right here in Yokohama, a beautiful park filled with historic buildings brought it from all over Japan. The ponds and gardens exemplify the beauty of Japanese landscaping, and …
Continue reading ‘Tis the (Sakura) Season: Nighttime O-Hanami
My home town of Washington, DC is famous for its cherry blossoms, a gift from Japan in the early twentieth century. Living in Washington prepared me somewhat for the frenzy of sakura (cherry blossom) season, though here in Japan the excitement extends nationwide. There's even a word for viewing sakura: o-hanami. While jaded Washingtonians don't necessarily trek …
Continue reading ‘Tis the (Sakura) Season: Road (Rail?) Trip to Tokyo
Tessa's passport expires in April, so last week the family headed into Tokyo for an expat ritual: renewing the passport at the Embassy. It was my first time ever visiting a U.S. Embassy, so I looked forward to the experience in the Check In the Box sense. We headed into Tokyo knowing that rush hour …
The kids were on spring break this week, so on Wednesday we all headed out for a day trip. We chose Enoshima, a small island that sits just off the coast of the historic city of Kamakura. A causeway connects Enoshima to the mainland, and we all agreed that it looked very much like Mont …
The day has arrived: Japanese Culture Day! Unfortunately I'll miss the event at school because I'm home with a sick Cy. I was looking forward to seeing the kids' classmates in all their finery, but I'll have to wait for others' photos instead. I chaperoned Tessa's class trip yesterday, and I chatted up some of …
As I mentioned in an earlier post, last weekend we purchased Tessa a second-hand kimono at a local shop. The saleswoman showed us briefly how to dress Tessa in it, but on Friday I had the chance for an in-depth lesson from some real experts: a group of girls from Futaba, the Japanese-language school next door to the kids' …
Japanese Culture Day at the kids' school approaches, which means that the kids need the right wardrobe! New kimonos can cost crazy amounts of money, so the cool kids know to buy second-hand. Today we headed to to a popular resaikuru (recycle) chain called Book Off. Despite its name, Book Off sells all types of second-hand …
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