Fashion Forward

How could I visit Japan and not write about Fashion?

When we were in Kyoto we saw a ‘Maiko’ (young female artist) waiting outside a restaurant. As they are considered high end celebrities it was quite exciting to see the exquisite outfit she was wearing. Maiko and ‘Geisha’ (paid artists) still wear formal Kimono as their costume dress, paint their faces white, wear their hair up and walk on platform sandals. They use to represent the perfect beauty and be the leaders of women’s fashion.

Now, in this modern era, Kimonos are not a choice of daily attire as they are reserved for special occasions. As Japanese society gains disposable income people can afford to follow Western styles and trends. As I live in an expensive area code I see women with the income to shop for higher end brands and they are really well put together. Pearls are the jewellery of choice from what I can tell and I have seen really big ones in short necklaces and strings of small ones looped about. The women all wear high heel shoes or boots and can walk like it is the most comfortable thing in the world. I am a fast walker but some of them have me beat and I am in running shoes (yes, I get looks).

Every weekday the kids go to the kindergarten so I see a large number of local mothers and they are also well dressed. It can be 8:30 in the morning and their faces are made up, they are in skirts or dresses and high heels which make them appear taller (yes, it’s like being back in the 50’s). Most of them have shiny, flowing, long dark hair although some have shorter cuts. I covet the bags and purses I see but turn my head at all the fur. I have heard that one of the mothers is not impressed with some of the mothers who are arriving in more casual attire as she feels the private school has an image to uphold. I have a tiny feeling I may contribute to her dissatisfaction but I am a gaijin that favours comfort over fashion.

As we live at the University we also see student style every day. When we first arrived it was hot so we saw many young women wearing very short cut-off jean shorts with black tights and high heeled boots. These students’ style is influenced by a trend that came out of the subculture called Gyaru or Gal in English.

According to Wikipedia, the name Gyaru originated from a 1970s brand of jeans called "gals", that had an  advertising slogan stating, "I can't live without men", and was applied to fashion- and peer-conscious girls in their teens and early twenties. Shibuya 109 is the famous shopping mall in Tokyo for teenage girls who follow these trends. The term gradually drifted to apply to a younger group, whose seeming lack of interest in work or marriage gained the word a "childish" image. From my perspective the image is far from childish and is titillating for men. However, in Japan the term erotic has negative connotations where as anything remotely cute is very culturally acceptable. I think the lines are really crossed. These outfits are racy. The teens we see in the city often combine these outfits with a dark tan and extra long false eyelashes. They even have their own style of writing called Gyaru-Moji made popular by various teen magazines. I bet the men here are very happy with the visuals they get just going for a walk. I have seen Tim’s eyes pop out of his head more than once. Maybe the girls think it is liberating to dress this way but I wonder what their grandmothers are all thinking.

One fascinating aspect of Japanese fashion culture is Cosplay (costume play). Groups dress up and hang out with friends on Sundays in Harajuku or Akihabara (city districts).  As Japan has the largest publishing industry in the world it is easy to produce massive numbers of magazines specific to each group promoting the subculture. It has become a cultural phenomena loved by media and tourists as they love to get their photos taken. We have witness two of the many subcultures styles; 50’s greasers in black leather and Lolitas who look like Victorian porcelain dolls.

Anime has really helped spread the popularity of the Lolita style showing characters dressed this way because it is so kawaii (cute). The Lolita look consists primarily of a knee length skirt or dress, headdress, blouse, petticoat, knee high socks and high heel/platform shoes. It became really popular with female youth in Tokyo and today, Lolita fashion has grown so much in popularity that it can be found in department stores. We saw a lot of students wearing the generic frilly short skirts (they remind me of those bloomers you put over babies diapers in the 50’s) with tight tops, over- the- knee- stockings and high heels or short boots often with open toes. Now that it is fall, we see a lot of students in tights with long sweaters and over-the-knee high-heeled boots looking very sassy. These looks also really confuse the line between racy and cute.

The kids have been pointing out all the fur they see and in the beginning they were quite upset about it. I have explained that much of it is fake which makes them feel better but we see tails hanging from purses, fur collars, wraps, coats and little fur accessories on shoes and boots.

Eleanor also likes to point out women’s fingernails that she thinks are painted really fun. We see a lot of fake nails with patterns from leopard prints, to black and white dots. My friends have manicures to have jewels placed on their nails to look dazzling. The other things the kids take note of are the cell phone decorations. Some women have bobbles for decoration, some cell phones are covered with shiny gem patterns, and many have all sorts of little characters hanging from them. I was given a little pink bear to dangle from mine.

Like Shibuya 109, another famous fashion mall is called Hep5 Hankyu Entertainment Plaza in Osaka. We went to check it out as it is where a lot of teens and youths are influenced.  Our children liked the giant red ferris wheel outside connecting the upper floors.  We didn’t get inside as there was a famous Japanese woman being interviewed outside and masses of people were trying to get photos of her on their Keitai (cell phones). We caught a glimpse of her and I noted that she was wearing very ripped-up green army pants with really high heels and a white collared shirt with a massive brown and beige fur vest. Her hair was up in a messy bun-type do. She was a far cry from the traditional beauty of a Geisha but times have changed for better or worse.

Disney and Ghibli

On Sunday we took a ‘Shinkansen’ (very fast bullet train) to Tokyo. Why our government in Canada is not linking our country with several of these is beyond me. What a comfortable way to travel. Eleanor and Lucas were really excited to be on one at first but then they settled in for the two and a half hour journey.

Upon our arrival we went to the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park to see the Japanese artefacts which Tim and I enjoyed but the children had little interest. They wanted to go back outside to the market in the park where they saw masks of some of their favourite Japanese T.V. characters. As we couldn’t arrive at our accommodation until around seven we went through the museum park, purchasing two masks along the way. We saw a shrine and ended up at a big city intersection with megatrons and bright signs everywhere. The kids were in awe looking at the giant T.V.s advertising all kinds of products. This was the first place we saw homeless folks sitting on tarps at the edge of the park where they reside in makeshift tents. We passed them by as many do and walked across the street with thousands of others wandering along until we found an ‘Izekaya’, a restaurant that suited all our food desires. The kids were happy to eat fries and pizza for a change. Tim ordered a shrimp dish for all and weren’t we surprised when deep fried shrimp heads arrived at our table. Eleanor said she would try one and claimed they were good. Lucas was not so brave.

We caught a local train and arrived at a colleague of Tim’s house which was a ten minute walk away from Disneyland. She had a guest room with futons and a little ensuite bathroom with a shower stall and sink to freshen up.

Monday morning we arrived at Disneyland early to see a huge line up already in place. Eventually we were let in and we walked into a Christmas wonderland with a giant, decorated tree in the center of the world bazaar. Next we saw Cinderella’s castle where Eleanor gasped ‘it’s so beautiful’. We followed crowds to Fantasyland and headed straight for ‘Winnie the Pooh’s Hunney Hunt’. This is the only one in the world and it is famous because the honey pots you ride in are robots. They don’t run on any sort of track but move freestyle and harmoniously with each other. It was amazing to experience them manoeuvre through the Hundred Acre wood and then through a trippy dream where Pooh finally awakes to find himself in a tree full of honey. The kids loved it so we rode it again the second day.

By the end of the second day we went on almost all the rides available except Space Mountain. We all loved “It’s a Small World” which performed Christmas songs in all the languages while representing countries of the world. The children loved “Peter Pans’ Flight”, “Pirates of the Caribbean,” racing cars, and flying in the space ships. Tim took the children on “Alice in Wonderlands’ Spinning Tea Cups” twice.

My favourite rides were the two interactive ones. Monsters Inc. had a great ride where you and your partner had flashlights to shine on the M signs to make monsters pop out of their hiding spots. We also loved Buzz Lightyears’ Astro Blasters where you have to shoot your laser at Zorg’s Z’s to gain points. I am reluctant to share that I got the highest score in my family.

Tim left at one point to give a guest lecture at our host’s university so I took the kids into Toontown. I was pleasantly surprised and pleased that the children entertained themselves for an hour playing on a trolleycar and a tooncar put there for effect. As I sipped my coffee I was reminded that we don’t need places like Disneyland to entertain children. We need to give them a few props and let them be. I guess we were all glad to have a break from the rides.

Disneyland hosts parades four times a day. I got quite a kick out of how many people the park employs just to organize the crowds for each parade. And they take their work seriously, ensuring people sit in the right areas, that picnic sheets are not taking up too much space and that everyone participates in getting pumped up for the coming show. The parades reminded me of a mix of Gay Pride in Toronto, Vegas shows and Mardi Gras with Disney characters present just to keep it on theme. The costumes and dancing girls were impressive. The music was very dramatic and at one point they got the crowds to yell ‘let it snow’ over and over until fake snow came blasting out of the Christmas themed floats. Each of the parades has a corporate sponsor whose logo is brightly displayed for the captive audience.

The children were able to stay up to see the fireworks the first night. We took them back to Norie’s house, got them ready for bed and watched the amazing display of lights through the window in the warmth of her home.

Tim and I had a great time in the evenings visiting with Norie and in the mornings she made breakfast and coffee for us before we would head out for the day. It was so kind of her and her hospitality saved us a bundle.

At the end of the day I can say I am happy to have gone but I am not a fan of Disneyland. Even Eleanor and Lucas are not hooked. It is such an artificial place which leaves nothing to the imagination and I think is lacking in the magic it claims to provide. Watching the Japanese in all their enthusiasm did up the entertainment value though. 

We found the magic at the Ghibli Museum. On our fourth day we went to this museum created by the Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki to educate visitors on how hand drawn anime films are made. Our family is a big fan of several of his movies especially Our Neighbour Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service and Howl’s Moving Castle. They are great stories with strong female characters and the movies deal with working through emotions.

The museum is in the west of Tokyo and it is a beautiful, four story house that he designed with rooftop gardens and round, curving walls sitting on a large, treed property. We noticed a Totoro (tree spirit) hiding in the bushes on the way in and a robot from one of his films standing among the plants on the roof.  Inside is natural by design with archways of all sizes for any age to duck under, and doors that don’t lead anywhere. We saw drawings upon drawings of our favourite characters, Lucas found items in a treasure chest, we flipped papers to make our own little moving pictures and we watched a short film.

The children really enjoyed playing in the giant, stuffed “Neko Bus”, a cat from Totoro, and climbing the caged-in spiral staircases. They also found an old tap in one of the gardens where they loved pumping water into a bucket and finding faces in the ground. It was all very hands-on and was able to hold the children’s attention for hours. The food at their organic café was superb and left us feeling very impressed with the whole experience.

On our trip back across the city we were not impressed with being crammed onto the train like sardines in a can.  We were in rush hour in the largest city in the world, what were we thinking? I was afraid for the children when we were shoved closer and tighter together as more and more people got on. I can’t believe there is no limit to how many people can safely ride those trains. I was so glad to get off that train and find our comfortable seats on the ‘Shinkansen’ that I celebrated with a beer. Tim had a can of whiskey and water. ‘Kanpai’ to our Tokyo adventures!

Bikes, Bikes and more Bikes

It was the second day of December and it was nineteen degrees and sunny. What a perfect temperature to connect with the streets and have the wind blow through my hair as I enjoyed a bike ride.

According to David Byrne in Bicycle Diaries “a bike is the world’s most used form of transportation.”

That is definitely noticeable here. Bikes are a principal means of transportation for many because they are cheap, convenient and quick. The local climate and the geographical layout support the activity as well. The roads are kept in good condition so they provide a smooth ride. They are very narrow however and there are deep gutters along the edges which must be avoided. There are a lot of cars on the road too but the nice thing is that the drivers are so respectful and accommodating. At times passing requires some manoeuvring for everyone involved but as no one goes very fast it all feels safe.

Bikes are ridden by everyone from old ladies to children. Most are cruisers with a basket on the front. Many mothers at the kindergarten arrive on ‘Momacharis’ with a child seat on front and back to transport their kids around. My bike is a brand called Frackers, and it is orange with a basket that turns into a baby seat on the front. Unfortunately Lucas is too big to take anywhere in it safely. Bikes with small wheels and tall handlebars are the choice of twenty-something males and females supporting their cool image.

It is liberating and exhilarating to ride a bike in a foreign country. It provides exercise while being an efficient way to whip to the store to get items for dinner. It also offers a different view of the dense residential and urban landscape than travelling by foot or on the train. It makes me feel more connected to the street and the others who cruise around this way. I love biking around here as there is a harmonious flow that I haven’t experienced biking in Canada. The mentality of ‘every man for himself’ is not known here. Everyone watches out for each other. It can be difficult at times when cars, bikes and people are coming toward me and I have to remember to stay left (not to go out to the right) clinging to the edge of those gutters but avoiding the telephone poles. Once someone coming towards me went left confusing me and causing a narrow escape from a head-on-collision.

My ride along the Nigawa River passes houses of all sorts, some traditional and a lot of modern designs as houses have a life of about thirty-forty years here. All are surrounded by walls rather than fences and they have little property to speak of. Tucked between them here and there are places like a post office, cleaners, and a bike maintenance shop all leading to the more commercial area around the train station where there are grocery stores, a bakery, banks, restaurants and cafes.

The Japanese investment into bicycle infrastructure is a statement about what they feel is important for their society. They encourage this activity and it shows in how everything is organized. Around Nishinomiya and Osaka there are specified street crossing areas and ample parking spaces. Riders use electronic bike lock systems outside stores and there are even underground parking garages at the train stations dedicated to the thousands of bikes ridden every day. Even though these exist there are still bikes parked randomly as their riders go about their business.

The children were given bikes when we arrived and so every weekend we take them around the university campus were they are safe from traffic and can go as fast as they can peddle. Lucas always wants to be the leader so often they race by the zen gardens and wind catcher installations that decorate the campus as they jockey for positions. These bicycles have been a huge gift for them as they have come to love riding as much as Tim and I do and it has provided them with a different perspective to see their world as well.

Cruising along on two wheels is a fun way to get exercise and a great way to participate in life in Japan. I hope our children will always embrace that feeling of freedom that a bicycle can give.

Walking through Torii Gates

We took the train to Kyoto to visit the Fushimi-Inari Shrine, a fox shrine where you pray for good luck. Shrines are part of practicing the Shinto (Way of the Gods) religion which is the indigenous form of worship in Japan. Most life events, beginning at birth, are celebrated with a Shinto ritual accessing the essences and spirits in the natural forces in the world. Shinto is said to be a philosophical path which understands the interrelated complexity of humans and nature.

It was a gorgeous fall day and the leaves had turned. We were surrounded by oranges, yellows and reds.

The shrine sits on the south-east side of the city at the base of a mountain and includes a long trail up and around the mountain side. We entered through a large vermillion Torii gate which marks the transition point from the profane to the sacred. It was protected by two large foxes, one with a ball in its mouth the other with a key. It is said the key unlocks the door to the rice granary- rice being the traditional signifier of wealth in Japan. Lucas was afraid of their eyes which do tend to have a piercing affect. There were thousands of Japanese people who had come to pray and some were dressed in Kimono. This just added to the beauty of the place.

We began our ascent and noticed a mini shrine with a beautiful ornate horse inside and carrots resting on the edge as offerings. Eleanor liked being here and as we didn’t have carrots we left some acorns we found on the ground. We prayed that one day we might have our own horses to take care of.

We continued to follow the crowds and found ourselves inside the Torii gate tunnel on a meditative walk uphill. Successful companies have donated the gates and there are thousands upon thousands of them all lined up about a foot apart along the miles of mountain trails. We stopped about half way for an o-bento lunch and a break which allowed for some good people watching. The vermillion tunnel doesn’t allow for a view of the surrounding forest until it opens up at rest stops along the way and once higher up the view of Kyoto is fantastic. We counted fifty four foxes guarding various mini shrines along the way.

Needless to say we didn’t make it all the way around as the children gave up at the top. We had climbed a good distance and it was time for the descent. We took a route that led out of the gates and through the forest where stone pagodas offset the colour of the leaves. We hoped that all the praying for good luck that had surrounded us would ensure some of it came our way.   

The world of KidZania

On Saturday I took the children to an edutainment theme park that I had heard some of the mothers raving about.

KidZania was founded in Mexico and has locations in the U.S, Dubai and Japan. One of the locations is in our area so it was easy to get to. Its objective is to provide fun, on-the-job training geared for children. The role-playing takes place in a realistic city setting where the fire trucks and paramedic vehicles actually drive around. The setting includes actual corporate names not make believe companies. This led to my uncertainties about the whole concept. I was interested in seeing what corporations are marketing their brands through the kids to the parents. The big names included Coca Cola, Sony and Epson and the rest were Japanese representations for everything from Pizza-La to SMBC bank. I wonder how much they payed to be in the mini city.

We arrived and were processed as if we were at an airport boarding a flight. We walked through the tunnel into a new, indoor world. The city was two stories with bridges linking places like the hospital and the theatre. I couldn’t believe how exciting it was and I hoped that the children would be able to do activities that interested them and maybe influenced them on a direction they might choose for their future.

They both chose to become fire fighters first. After training (which was all in Japanese) the call came in that a building was on fire so down the stairs they went, put on their fire suits and departed in the fire truck with sirens wailing. They pulled up to a building that did look like it was burning (very well staged), hooked up the hoses and used real water to spray out the fire. The looks on their faces was intense.

Parents do not participate nor are they allowed near their children while the activity takes place. The kids are under the care of the adults who work for KidZania. That means that parents take a lot of photos or just hangout and eat at the coffee shops that are incorporated in the city offering chairs for waiting parents. The whole park is a captured audience and no outside food or drink is allowed so we are almost forced to consume.

For his next activity Lucas chose to do construction. Eleanor went off to be an Emergency room Doctor. She wanted to work with the newborn babies but the wait was going to be one hour so she was flexible. It was so heart warming to watch her in her hospital greens performing CPR and using a defibrillator on the patient. But it also taught her a life lesson that I am not sure a six year old needs, that of the anxiety of trying to save a dying person. She had been nervous enough about the fire and now her heart was racing again as she followed the Japanese instructions on how to keep a heart beating.  She chose a more benign activity next, that of a parcel delivery girl. She had to go to other companies and pick-up parcels and then shelve them. She loved that one.

Lucas loved construction as he was able to connect items that made Christmas lights go on as well as build an arch bridge which he then walked over to learn about its strength. He decided to work on a wall mural as his next activity and then it was time for Pizza-La for lunch. They have a little shop on the side of the activity room to sell food made by professionals so we ate pizza and waffles to keep us going. Eleanor was hooked. She wanted to make pizza so she lined up for that next. Lucas went to work in the Design Studio to draw.

It all went really smooth as the place is very well organized and in the end Eleanor had a pizza to bring home for dinner.  They were exhausted from fitting into the very structured role-play and I had enough hanging around as my excitement had waned. The teaching here was very much about thinking inside the box. We left the building and took in as much fresh air as we could before freezing. It was good to be back in the real world where the kids could be irresponsible and creative once again.

The Ancient Capital of Nara

We travelled by three different trains for an hour to get to the center of Nara. As it was the original capital and the birthplace of Japanese Buddhism it is well preserved. A major street that is full of shops from Kimonos to expensive statues took us to the treed park where ancient buildings are preserved.

We made our way with the crowds into the park and saw deer everywhere. Nara promotes the city by encouraging the tourists to see and feed the almost tame deer. It was like a giant petting zoo. Tim took Lucas closer to take photos and Eleanor and I watched from a distance. We saw a woman get butted in the behind and another with her child be swarmed and bumped as their food offerings disappeared. Eleanor and I looked at each other and remembered why we don’t feed the wildlife. The deer were very bold and Eleanor decided she was quite afraid of them. We made our way through the poop, which gave the park a dirty feel, to the museum only to see huge line ups. We kept encountering more and more deer as we went.  

We walked along the path to the towering gate of the Todaiji Temple (Great Eastern Temple) one of Japan’s most famous temples. The pillars were enormous and so were the wood carvings of the gatekeepers, usually meant to represent thunder and lightning. Then we walked toward the strong scent of incense calling us to the entrance. After paying to enter we wandered through the gardens happy to be free of the deer to the cleansing spring where we washed away our impurities.  

The Temple towered above us with its golden horns pointing to the sky. Todaiji Temple was built in the period 710-794AD for Emperor Shomu. The current building, which is the largest wooden structure in the world, is actually a third generation of the structure built in the Edo period as it burnt down several times. It serves both as a place where one prays for peace and affluence on earth as well as being a center of the Kegon school of Buddhism. It contains the very large Vairocana Buddha which has the meaning ‘Buddha that shines throughout the world like the sun’. The statue is made of gold plated cast bronze and instantly calms you just by beholding it. On either side are golden Bodhisattvas, one of whom was Kannon, the merciful female. We followed the massive crowd around clockwise getting views of the craftsmanship from all angles. We saw a guardian statue which depicted the saying ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’. Lucas has questioned why this is the case ever since. He is pleased to know that his drawings have power but he still likes playing with his swords.

The pillars are massive and are said to be ‘healing pillars’ so if one can crawl through the open space at the base then they are given a place in heaven. The line to do this was so long that we decided to take our chances to reach heaven by other means.

We exited the temple and made our way to shrine that wasn’t so crowded and only had one deer which, we were please to see, was eating grass. Then we wandered through the forest finding very old trees with bases so big that four of us couldn’t wrap our hands around. We informed the children that these would have been cut down to make the massive pillars in the temple and Eleanor said she liked them better in the forest.

We walked a loop back out past the Five-tiered Pagoda and the Three tiered Pagoda along an old stone wall to the main street which took us back to the train station. It was almost dark (4:30) so all the signs were lit up and the smells of food cooking in the restaurants encouraged us to get home for dinner.   

Lost and Found in Translation

No one said it would be easy bringing such young children to another culture with a different language. But they are quite resilient. Although I am doing my best to remain flexible there are challenges, especially when it comes to figuring out the kindergarten.

It has been good for our children to attend this Montessori school where it is play-based and not too structured. Eleanor and Lucas are enjoying it and Lucas is learning a little bit of the language. He comes home singing a new song almost every day but I have no idea what he is saying. He thinks it is great that he teaches his mommy.  Eleanor is pleased that she aids the teacher when they read English books but as her class is more advanced she gets frustrated with not knowing the language. As neither of them get to talk a lot while they are at school I am besieged by two chatty little ones for the rest of the day.

It is helpful that Tim speaks the language but most days I take them to school and pick them up so communication is limited as I can only say formal greetings and basic comments. This leaves room for all kinds of mixed communications. I tried to learn as much as I could about the culture before arriving but some things you just learn as you go.

The children started school on the fourth day after our arrival. Their first day was a short day so I picked them up at 10:30am which is their usual snack time. I brought some raisins to avoid a meltdown on the twenty minute walk home in thirty-nine degree heat. They were hungry so they each grabbed a handful and began to eat as we made our way to the exit. I received some strange looks until my neighbour came over and told me what I was doing was not acceptable. In that moment I learned a valuable lesson about feeding children in Japan. These parents do not give kids food on the go. Food is a ritual where you sit at a table to eat, unless it is a picnic. In two months of being here I have never seen a mother give her child food unless we were at a restaurant or a picnic. (I have seen one baby get a bottle and no breastfeeding). The children who attend this kindergarten are able to stay and play after school without needing to eat. My children are always so hungry they don’t want to stay and play. How can they be so different? Is it because of what they eat for breakfast? The Japanese do have fish and rice and miso soup as a normal way to start the day. Maybe this provides more lasting energy than cereal and yogurt.

The school, like most, sends home a lot of notices. They need to be translated and even Tim isn’t always able to figure out what they say. Some are really important and contain information about upcoming field trips and all the items the children need to pack. Others are focused on building a community among the mothers. I am lucky to have mothers in both Eleanor and Lucas’ classes who lived in the U.S. for a short time so they speak English well enough to ensure I get the basic details. There is still always a lot of discussing back and forth and some confusion that needs to be cleared up. None of it is easy.

Lucas’ teacher translates and writes down what she wants to say to me. I also get extra help from an overly kind mother who lived in Australia for a brief time and although she has five children I think she has taken me on as a project. She has arrived at my door with notes both translating information and explaining some of the politics among the mothers to help me know what is going on (which is unnecessary). She often causes more confusion though as her English isn’t fluent and misunderstandings occur. One day, after digging up a lot of sweet potatoes from the school’s garden, I asked her for her recipe for sweet potato pie (they were not the nicest potatoes we were to taking home).  The next day she brought a pie for our family. That was just what I needed. I was trying to figure out what to do with them all and she added to the abundance. She does mean well and is trying to ensure we have a wonderful time while we are here, so she has also baked us a delicious chocolate cake and brought the children toys.

A terrible misunderstanding occurred when Lucas was given a snack that contained peanuts by mistake (he is allergic to all nuts). They didn’t know that he was having a reaction but when I went to pick him up he didn’t look well and said his stomach felt really sore. He said he was going to be sick. I stood up and tried to take him out of the class but it was not allowed. The teacher had a mom translate that it was probably heat stroke as I had forgotten his hat that morning. They took his temperature and it was fine. I waited through end of daily announcements as I had been made to feel like I was overreacting so I didn’t feel comfortable running him out of there. I felt trapped and I really didn’t like it. A friend drove us home and Lucas threw-up just as I got him out of the car. He said it was the snack and I knew what had happened.  I gave him some medicine and he sat on the couch for two hours before he returned to normal. It seemed that no one takes a woman seriously so I brought Tim with me the next morning to explain that Lucas had an allergic reaction. The teacher got out the snack and went over the ingredients and sure enough it contained peanuts. She had made a huge mistake and I felt really bad for her as she got really upset. Then the administrators became involved and there was a lot of apologising. To ensure it never happened again we were given a list of all the snack ingredients and we had to cross off all the ones Lucas couldn’t eat. I tried to explain that I would rather always provide his snack but they wanted me to trust them. They wanted Lucas to trust them again. It was hard to agree because I didn’t trust them anymore but they really wanted to save face. I talked about it with Lucas and assured him he was safe. He laughed and said they only give him two little crackers for snack anyway and that caught me by surprise. I asked Eleanor about snack time and she also complained that they get the smallest bit of food and that is the reason she is always so hungry when I pick them up. On the days they stay for lunch they are not given a snack at all. Well, it was good for me to know this but it took a month for me to find out. I am sure it was written in the information booklet we were given at our initial meeting but Tim and I never took the time to do a detailed translation of it.

Another story about Lucas was when his class was going on a field trip to the insect museum and they were travelling by bus. I was asked if he gets car sick and I answered ‘yes’. He does if the journey is over an hour. Before I could ask how long of a drive it would be everyone was getting involved and translating what I needed to know about procedures to follow to allow his teacher to give him medicine for the trip.  His teacher ran off to photocopy papers and the kind mother went on about the medicine I needed and where it could be purchased. She ended up bringing some to school the next day as she wanted to be sure I used the correct one. I thanked her over and over as is customary. Tim looked up the place and informed me how long of a drive it would be. It was only a half an hour drive but I gave Lucas some medicine in the morning just in case. I didn’t want it to be a problem for the school.  I brought a note to Lucas’s teacher the morning of the trip stating that Lucas had taken some medicine and that he should sit in the front of the bus just to be sure. His teacher looked relieved and it all turned out fine.

One day Lucas was running around at recess with a pylon on his head pretending to be a wizard when he ran into a boy on a scooter. They both fell down and Lucas bit his tongue so it was bleeding a lot. They called Tim on his cell and he had to go to the school. He told them Lucas would be fine but they wanted the Vice Principal to go with him to take Lucas to the Children’s Clinic. There was a lot of discussion and in the end they went to see the doctor. The doctor laughed and said Lucas was fine. The amount of bureaucracy we had to deal with around medical insurance was not. 

I am really flying by the seat of my pants here and I wonder about the children. I hope that they are drinking water when they are thirsty and that Lucas tells them when he has to do his business. He recently informed me there are only urinals in the bathroom and I assured him that couldn’t be true as there are girls in his class. I am told a mother’s job is to learn to let them go and this trip is really testing me on my ability to do that. I know in the end it will have been a good education for all of us.

Halloween

The act of re-connecting with ones ancestors seems to cross several cultures. Halloween originated in Ireland and Scotland with roots in Celtic tradition and spread to Canada and the United States. Mexico celebrates the Day of the Dead and the Japanese have a Buddhist event in the summer called o-bon. Their event is a period of praying for the repose of the souls of one’s ancestors. During this festival ghost story-telling and kimo-dameshi (traditional bravery tests) where people walk through creepy places occur, and walks through haunted houses (obake yashiki) are popular.

Halloween has not been celebrated in Japan until very recently but it is becoming more popular especially in regards to costume play (cosplay) among youth. As the Japanese are amenable at taking things from outside cultures and filtering them through their culture the youth have really embraced it. However it is still not accepted by the population as a whole.

We saw a few items that reminded us it was Halloween time. A booth in the central train station was selling ‘pumpkin’ pies which were actually made with Kabocha squash. The dollar store had witches hats, plastic pumpkins for collecting treats and other tacky stuff and our grocery store carried little cakes with ghosts on them and had a small display of candy for treats. Lucas brought a book home from kindergarten about it that included how to make a ghost costume and to carve a pumpkin.

The kindergarten classes ended early all week due to parent-teacher interviews so on Wednesday Lucas’ class got together at the nearby campus grounds to have a mini party. I would have liked to have taken the opportunity to provide my comments on the commercialization of Halloween in our country to prevent it becoming soulless here but the politics between some of the mothers prevented my being in charge of the event. It was kept basic to achieve harmony which these people are known for.

All the mothers brought O-bento lunches and picnic blankets and we ate under the trees which had not yet turned. After lunch the kids put on witches hats of all colours, cute pink capes, ghost costumes and Eleanor wore her Venetian princess mask and Lucas put on his Pikachu hat. They all ran around while we got the treat bags organized. Then we pulled them together for photos and Eleanor gave them a lesson on how to say ‘trick or treat’ in English. Then I was in the honourable position of sitting on a bench with Eleanor and they had to say those words to us in order to get their little bag of sweet snacks.

Lucas and Eleanor were able to make those sweets last until the day of our Halloween celebration.

We started the day with a typhoon in the forecast so the daytime sky was dark and the wind was really blowing. We had chosen to have a party at our house because we have a lot of privacy in our property here. We have a lot of yard surrounded by a big hedge on a dead end street which provided the perfect spot for a bunch of children to play outside in the dark.  

According to its Celtic roots this night was a fire festival so we used a lot of orange and yellow material (which we borrowed) for our decorating. We stuffed orange gauze with paper to make Martha Stewart-like pumpkins and sat a bunch of them on green chiffon as a pumpkin patch. We strung white and orange ribbons in the trees everywhere for affect. We had collected glass jars over the two months which we turned into tea light lanterns which we set about on the path to our house. Because we did not have pumpkins to carve we cut faces into brown paper bags (held down with rocks) and used tea lights for illumination. We sat them on dirt in our garden in case they went up in flames. We bunched up yellow chiffon to make the spirits of our ancestors which hung from our carport. The way they moved in the wind was perfectly ghostlike.

The Celtic tradition calls this night Samhain and the belief is that on this night the veil between the worlds is thin so spirits can visit with us. It is a time to ask ancestors for guidance and to dress up to trick the walking spirits so they don’t know who is who.

The concept of ghosts and spirits seems to be universal and they are not always fearful. The famous Japanese Director Miyazaki made our favourite film ‘My Neighbour Totoro’. It is about friendly wood spirits that live in a giant Camphor tree who help two little girls that are dealing with a lot of emotions while their mother is ill. We have a Camphor tree in our backyard which the children believe holds a Totoro that keeps them safe here. Lucas brought a book home from school about how ghosts make nice music and can be your friends in the dark. It taught him that you can enjoy their company if you chose not to be afraid of them. It only made sense that we made spirits be our theme for the night.

Indoors we decorated the mantle with lots of candles and Eleanor and Lucas each had a wall that displayed all their art they made just for the occasion. The French doors were covered with orange crepe paper and were backlit with a sign above the door that read, ‘Madam Joejoe’s Fortune-telling parlour’.

Lucas and Eleanor and their friends from next door played for a while as dusk settled in and the bats began to appear. The weather had turned in our favour and it was warm (18 degrees) and calm. I lit all the lanterns and then we went inside to receive a Morse code from our friend Suki and her family who live ½ km across from us on the other side of the river. They sent us a ‘happy Halloween’, so we sent back, ‘to you too’. We knew they were on their way to our house.

There were nine children and the costumes included witches, devils, brave knights, a confused professor, an Indian brave, Pikachu from Pokemon and a cow.

Our feast consisted of pumpkin soup from a caldron, spaghetti and baguettes with a Caesar salad, toffee apples on branches and an apple tart with whip cream to top it off.

After dinner anyone who had a silver coin could go into the parlour to have their fortunes read. Madam Joejoe the gypsy sat in candlelight and called the spirits to help her read special acorns. Some of the kids, including Eleanor, loved it so much they went in twice for her advice.

In keeping with spirits and the dead the next activity took us on a walk up our dark, treed road to the base of the mountain to see an ancient tomb that is preserved there. It was from the Kofun era in the seventh century and would have been the burial mound of a local chief. The tomb was made of large rocks forming a deep rectangle. It was a bit spooky to see right into its depths with our flashlights so we didn’t linger.

There were no homes close by to do any ‘trick or treating’ so we came back to our property and the children were given the first clue to a treat hunt. In order for it to be fun and not frightening we had stuffed animals in trees and tucked into the roots of trees holding bowls of treats. The only thing they had to watch out for were the real spider webs holding rather large spiders that are everywhere. They worked together really well and eventually found lots of yummy treats which they went inside to eat. The big treat for Tim and I was that we had found such good friends to share our celebration on this festive night.

Riverside BBQ

It was the weekend before Halloween and it was so gorgeous out that we had an impromptu barbeque lunch in the mountain on the edge of the Nigawa River. Suki’s family organized it and brought all the food. She has three children, two of who are older than ten, and they brought friends.

The Nigawa river was cool and as deep as my knees. It flowed over sand and rocks some which were big enough to sit on. Eleanor climbed on one and basked in the sun pretending to be a mermaid.

The kids went off to find and collect little crabs in their container. Tim helped get the fire going in a pit made in a dried up stream bed and Suki and I set up necessary items on the plank bridge across the banks. It made a perfect serving table.

After wading upstream towards the waterfall while playing brave knights and princesses and getting good and wet, the children were hungry. Our neighbours arrived with their children and everyone was ready for lunch.

We had strips of steak marinated in Coke, molasses and sugar that we wrapped in Shiso leaf (like a giant mint but less sharp in flavour) to hold and eat. We also enjoyed chicken wings, mashed potato salad, pasta salad full of broccoli and a real pumpkin pie (purchased at Costco). Cold tea and beer quenched our thirst.

Then the kids went on an adventure down river and ended up playing capture the flag on the field down the way from the little rapids. They were having so much fun we could hear a lot of laughter above the murmurs of the river. It was so nice to have the older kids be in charge of the little ones so we adults could just relax and chat. It was really something to have such a comfortable outdoor lunch in the end of October. It felt like a cool summer day and we had smiles on our faces.

Festival of the Ages

On Friday we let the kids play hookie to see a parade called the ‘Jidai Matsuri’ which means festival of the ages. It ran along major streets and across an old wooden bridge in the center of downtown Kyoto. This grand parade commemorates the history of Kyoto as the capital city for over 1000 years prior to it being moved to Tokyo in 1868.

We arrived in Kyoto early so Tim took us to an amazing little restaurant near Kyoto University for lunch. It was an artsy place with earthy décor on heavy wooden tables. The wooden chairs had all sorts of great pillows on them and there were painted canvases on the walls. It had a French influence. We had the most delicious salad and their specialty, garlic chicken, was so good. The restaurant was full and Eleanor pointed out that the only females in there were she and I and the waitress. All the others were men and she wanted to know if women were allowed to be eating there. She is very observant and full of questions.

After lunch and a stroll through the campus, our taxi dropped us off near the Sanjo Bridge and we landed a spot curb-side. The parade arrived sooner than we thought so our wait wasn’t too long. It began with the costumes from the Meiji Era (1868-1912) when the emperor was restored to power. This period also saw Japan change from being a feudal society to having a capitalist economy and left the Japanese with a lingering Western influence. The term Meiji means ‘enlightened rule’. In the parade the important men wore golden colored robes with head wear that resembled a black oven mitt with a white wrap to keep it on. The leading Samurai warrior class had wrapped flowing pleated pants with a black wrap-around top showing some needle work and swords. Their hair was pulled back and in the traditional top-not of their status. The retainers wore armor (leather and stitching) and grass outerwear for camouflage we guessed, as well as black under blue wrap-around robes with padded pointed shoulders. Several women walked in golden kimono-like robe with a flowing red sash with really long hair pulled down into pony tails carrying round, woven basket-like things on their front side. The sound of flutes and drums filled the air.
Periodically and conveniently timed to break up the various eras, buses came zooming along the street and turned at the corner reminding us we were still in the modern era. I guess the police couldn’t close off the intersection for a full hour so they managed the traffic in between eras.

Next was the Edo Era (1603-1868) which was ruled by the Tokugawa Shogunate who brought 250 years of stability to Japan. We saw members of the Samurai class in their fine garments riding decorated horses or being carried in palanquin.  Those who served them walked wearing plain black or neutral colours. The goods were carried in large trunks or carts that were pulled over land by servants or oxen.

The buses went by again and unfortunately it broke the flow too much for Eleanor and Lucas and they began to lose interest.  We captured Lucas for a few extra minutes by teasing him that his favourite character Anpanman just walked by.  He looked for him for a bit, but then he wanted to draw so we gave him some paper and he drew pictures of Anpanman as a Samurai with a great horned helmet.

Heian (which means ‘peace and tranquility’) Era was from 794 to 1185 when Kyoto became the capital (Heian-kyo). At this time the arts, culture and Zen flourished due to major Chinese influence. In the parade, the fabrics of the elite class were so rich and gorgeous with robes and kimonos that were layers of material and hats with emblems of gold. The black shoes resembled Dutch wooden clogs (even though the Dutch did not have influence until the 1600). The soldiers wore a type of helmet that George Lucas likely copied for Darth Vader in Star Wars. The sound of a horn was followed by a bass drum calling all of us to pay attention. Eleanor looked up and finally saw what she had been hoping for, a warrior princess. The lady would have been of royal caste but she was wearing armour and carrying a sword along with bow and arrows. She had on a golden tiara and rode a grey horse.  That sighting made Eleanor happy but again she commented that the parade was full of men and we only got to see a few girls and women in costume. She stood up and entertained us with a little dance and then proclaimed that when she grew up she was going to be a warrior princess.

 After the parade we sat down beside a waterfall of the Kamo river and the children had melonpan (a special bun) and ran around. Then we walked along a famous narrow street called Pontocho full of tastefully designed old-style restaurants. As if we hadn’t seen enough costumes we were treated to the view of a Maiko waiting outside one.  Maiko are young working women who are still training to become Geisha (professionally trained female artist). A Maiko in full costume is said to approximate the Japanese ideal of feminine beauty.  According to the book I am currently reading, ‘Geisha of Gion’, she has the classic look of a Heian princess, as though she might have stepped out of an eleventh-century scroll painting. Her face is a perfect oval, her skin white and flawless and her hair is as black as a raven’s wing. Her brows are half moons and her mouth a delicate rosebud. Her neck is long and sensuous and her figure is gently rounded.

Then another Maiko walked up the street to the same location and Eleanor and I both gasped at her beauty and her exquisite fall Kimono. What luck! Usually the only people to see Maiko are the ones who have paid to have her entertain them at a formal banquet. We were able to see two in a matter of minutes. We all hugged Tim thanking him for his suggestion to wander down this wonderful street on our way to the train station and Eleanor and I agreed that the Maiko sighting made up for the lack of women in the parade.  

Birding around Nishinomiya

There are a lot of birds around the area I live (just outside Osaka) as we are nestled into the side of a well-treed mountain where several rivers flow. I came across a birding station and wetland walk similar to our Waterfowl Park in Sackville and was overjoyed at my find. There were a lot of elderly folk with gigantic telephoto-lens cameras around taking photos of the species that were present that day. I am glad to say that they were not quiet amongst themselves so I didn’t feel guilty that the kids were running around making noise. To amuse them we took a trail that led away from the birders and into the forest only to find ourselves on a tiny path through low-branches of trees and treacherous up-hill climbs. I began to wonder if this trail was meant for humans and eventually decided, after seeing some animal scat, that it was actually a path for Inoshishi (wild boar). We turned around and took some scary, steep slides down the slopes at the edge of the cliffs of the river. I prayed none of us would lose our foothold and go beyond. We are not as agile as a mountainous wild boar.
I was able to locate a birding book that is also in English called “A Field Guide to the Birds of Japan”. It has been a great help for identifying species I was observing in my neighbourhood so I have shared my list below.
Black Kite (raptor), White-rumped swifts, White, Grey and Japanese wagtails, Grey Herons, Little Egrets, Little Grebe (river habitat), Japanese Robins, Asian brown flycatchers, Pale thrush, Willow Tit, Varied Tit, Japanese White-eye, Short-tailed Bush Warbler, Siberian Meadow Bunting, Gray Starling, Azure-winged Magpie (forested areas). We have also seen a lot of Large-billed crows which are huge and look more like Ravens.
One bird which I have learned I will not see in the wild is the Japanese Crested Ibis. It has been in the news lately due to its near extinction and recent reintroduction.
At one time, the Crested Ibis was widespread in Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan and Russia. It has now disappeared from most of its former range. The last wild Japanese Crested Ibis died in October 2003, while the remaining wild population can be found only in Shaanxi province of China.
Traditional watershed habitats have been replaced by irrigated rice farming and dry wheat production so the birds have experienced massive habitat loss. The Crested Ibis managed to find some food in the rice paddies eating frogs, small fishes and small animals but starvation was said to be the cause of mortality of 80% of wild birds found dead. Agrochemicals at feeding-sites is also said to be a factor. It is good to find that extensive captive breeding programs have been developed by Japan and China to conserve the species. On September 25, 2008, the Sado Japanese Crested Ibis Preservation Center released 10 of the birds as part of its Crested Ibis restoration program, which aims to introduce 60 ibises into the wild by 2015. This marks the first time the rare bird has returned to the Japanese wild since 1981. I hope this is a success story.

Undoukai (sports day)

Monday was another national holiday. This time it was for a festival of movement. The children did have school but not in the regular sense. The morning was dedicated to activities and performances for them and their families.

According to an article in the Japan Times this holiday was established during the Meiji Era when schools switched to a European education system. During a visit to Japan, Adm. A.L. Douglas of Britain’s Royal Navy proposed the sports day whereby participants could compete in various races. It was accepted as part of military training and the first session saw 230 Navy students do pole vault, a three-legged race, a blindfolded race, a race where buckets of water must be carried on athletes' heads, and a pig-chasing race. Then it spread among colleges, and junior schools to the elementary schools. In the beginning these events were held in a nearby field or shrine but in 1904 the government ordered elementary schools to set up gymnastics fields so they began to host undokai on their own.

Corporations also host undokai and they are now favoured as a way to improve communications among employees.

As for our childrens’ undokai, Tim and I arrived at the kindergarten sports grounds and concluded that we were not prepared for our morning. Everyone else was set up with their mats down holding their places, bags of necessities and sun umbrellas were already open. (It reminded me of the Vancouver Folk Festival). Tim and I were going to have to stand for the next three hours in the blazing sun.  We didn’t pack our picnic tarp, my fan, a bottle of water or sun protection. Talk about needing to improve communications. Luckily my friend Yasuyo loaned us a small tarp to sit on. Tim did get quite burnt and I kept sneaking up to where Lucas’ class was seated to ask him for a sip of water from his thermos.   

Looking around I could tell the school had put a lot of work into this day. The surrounding fences were decorated with all sorts of colourful cardboard creations including Lucas’ rocket. On the grounds sat adult- sized cardboard and wood trees, rabbits, a duck and a frog. The principal and the members of the Board were sitting under tents and a DJ was sending music through big speakers including a brief snippet of Frank Zappa’s ‘Peaches en Regalia’!?

All the kids paraded out. There were two classes of each; the 4 year olds, 5 yr. olds and three classes of 6 year olds. The parents had to join in on the field with the children for a morning prayer and stretches. Then the 4 year olds took their places at some pylons for their races. Four kids ran at a time and had to go across the field to hit one of the tambourines held by some of the older kids. This was so cute to watch and when it came time for Lucas to go he ran at great speed and really gave the tambourine a bang.

The next activity included one family member so Tim participated. Four nets on stands (similar to basket ball) were brought out and set up in the four corners of the playing field. Then quite a number of red, blue, white, and yellow bean bag balls were spread about. The music began and the adults began throwing the balls into the baskets. It was great fun to watch and to play as these balls were flying all over the place and everyone was laughing. The numbers for each team were tallied by the teachers throwing two at a time into the air as the Principal counted over the loudspeaker.  Tim’s team came in second. Then it was the children’s turn and the teachers made it a bit easier for them by lowering the baskets and walking around with each classes box decorated for the occasion.

Garbage collection came next. Eleanor’s year competed against each other to see which team could work together to haul tires, hard hats, mats, and other strange objects from a central pile back to their spot. I am proud to say that Eleanor’s group won in part because she spent so much of her time collecting small objects that gave them the highest number of tallied points.

The next game included a family member again and as Tim could understand the directions he went. The cardboard trees and animals were set about and Lucas and Tim had to gather things to feed (oranges, nuts etc.) into the mouths of the animals by following the musical sounds and acting the part for each. There was a lot of hopping going on. Eleanor’s class was helping so Eleanor was inside a rabbit holding it up and collecting the food.

Rope Pull or as we say Tug of War was next. The little kids went first and then Eleanor’s grade. In order to promote harmony the Principal had members of the Board come out and help the team that lost in a second round so that each side would win once and no one would be disappointed.

There was a break where all the kids left the area for snack and to freshen up or cool down, so the adults did the same. When they returned they all carried decorated shakers or flags and other things in their hands as props for a big performance.

This event was an amazingly choreographed performance. Eleanor danced with ribbons along with other girls to represent the butterflies, there was flag movement and boys and girls rocking out on cardboard guitars while others drummed. It was quite a spectacle. Again I was so proud of Eleanor as she danced beautifully and gracefully to Japanese music in front of the huge crowd. I got choked-up and had to hold back tears of happiness.

For the penultimate event Eleanor’s age group did their relay races. The oval course was well marked as the Vice-Principal was really on top of re-chalking the lines. (Tim got quite a kick out of his diligence of keeping a well marked course). The teams were sent out to prepare and they put on their coloured mesh tops. Eleanor’s colour was red and her team began well but fell behind the others. When Eleanor got the ring her team was way behind but she ran her fastest and passed one then the other to get her team caught up. People were cheering about how fast she was (“hayai, hayai”) and I did my typical ‘whooo hooo’ with arms in the air. I was so proud of her. A couple of other kids also stood out for their relatively quick pace so it was quite exciting to watch.

The last activity of the day was for families and children so Tim danced with Eleanor and I danced with Lucas in the Coconut Dance. What a hoot! The dance music was going and two teachers were leading us with directions over the microphone. I didn’t understand a thing but once we got going we followed along and had great fun. It was so nice to see so many adults out having such a good time with their children that I didn’t want that magic to end.  But it was really hot and tummies were growling. It was time to go home for a celebratory lunch.

A Kyoto Temple Tour

As I have mentioned before I have a friend here named Suki. She is just a wonderful woman and she has a five year old son, Xavier, who is Lucas’ best friend. Today she treated the kids and me to a drive into Kyoto as she had a pass for a world renowned UNESCO site.

We drove about an hour through tunnels and along highways to get into Kyoto. Once we navigated the city we arrived at Nanzenji Temple. The area was estate-sized with forest, a huge wooden entrance gate and several smaller ones and many smaller shrines and gardens within. The kids ran around a lot and Xavier received many looks as he was wearing a vampire cape. We hoped people knew that it was just the whim of a child and nothing disrespectful in a Buddhist temple site. We wandered through Tenjuan with its 14^th century style landscaping. Two central islands were in the two ponds and we all loved the stepping stones by the waterfall. There were carp in the pond and Suki gave the children a bit of bread to feed them (I didn’t comment although I don’t agree with that) and just as people were coming along Lucas threw in the whole piece so it was really noticeable what we had been up to. The carp had a little feeding frenzy and took the Zen right out of the place. 

Saihoji Temple, otherwise known as the Moss temple, is a UNESCO Heritage Site located on the west side of Kyoto. It began as a site of the villa of Prince Shotoku and then it became a temple ground by wish of Emperor Shomu. It was erected in the 800’s to enshrine three images representing the Amitabha Divinities (who are said to provide limitless light and life in Buddhism).  In the late 1400’s Muso Kokushi, a Zen priest and skilled landscape gardener reconstructed the garden and restored the temple.

The garden is two levels with the lower area’s paths and ponds forming the Chinese character for SHIN (heart) and the upper level contains six moss rocks. Supposedly there are 120 kinds of moss present.

We arrived just in time to join a large group of people who were inside a wooden building kneeling in front of tiny tables writing a Heart Sutra. I told Eleanor and Lucas to draw me a picture so they would keep quiet as I wrote. The monks and priest treated us to a spiritual chanting and drumming recital of this sutra. I felt it in my heart and was sent into a meditative state. When it was over I was still a little zoned out so I wasn’t aware of a monk in front of me until he jumped into the air in a moment of shock. I looked to see why and realized he had noticed Lucas’s drawings of cartoon characters. Oops! We finished up, delivered our wish at the altar, knelt for a prayer and carried on.

The moss garden was exquisite. It all looked so soft and velvety and the light was making wonderful shadows from the trees. I felt like curling up on the moss and having a nap. Then the sound of the joyful kids brought me back to the present. The boys were playing, as any child would in a shadowy forest, and Xavier fell onto the sacred moss. We reprimanded the boys a bit and a man behind us overheard. He and his wife approached us and he said that he understood as he wouldn’t have been interested in a temple garden when he was a four year old. I quietly replied that it was the mothers who were interested and in this day and age if a mother wanted to be out of the house having such wonderful experiences she had to visit places like this with her children in tow. Besides what is better for young children than being outside walking in a forest? His wife smiled.

Eleanor found what she called ‘necklaces’ on a rock and two trees. They were made of rope and had dangling tufts. We learned that they are considered very sacred when they are decorated that way. Eleanor suggested we do that for one of our trees back in Sackville when we got home. Then Lucas yelled out that he had to go pee so off he and I went as fast as his little legs could carry him uphill and around to the garden exit so he could use the toilet. I laughed as I realized there is something so Zen about children as they just ‘are’ without thinking about their actions. They are so pure and full of light. What magic it was to have them with us in the very spot that is meant to teach us adults to let go of our stuff.

Cooking Japanese Food

We are eating well when we go out. The Sushi and sashimi are so fresh and delicious they melt in our mouthes. The bowls of Udon and Soba noodles just hit the spot. I have tried Takoyaki or octopus balls which are an egg and flour mix with the octopus and devil’s tongue in the middle cooked in egg carton-like iron and eaten with sauce. They are really good. We have also had the best Gyoza (taken from a Chinese dumpling) I have ever had so far in my life.

As we cannot eat out all the time it is a good thing I brought a cookbook along with me or I would never have known what to do with all the items in the grocery stores.

The cookbook is called ‘The Japanese Kitchen’ by Hiroko Shimbo and it has been such a handy resource. The first part of the book is a reference guide to the Japanese names, uses of all the different foods and the history of vegetables, herbs, seaweeds and soy products in Japan. 

According to the book, most of the vegetables and fruits used in Japanese cooking were imported from other countries. Over time they were adapted to the soil and climate and to the tastes of Japanese people. Renkon or lotus root was introduced to Japan from India by way of China almost two thousand years ago. Sweet potatoes were introduced by Spanish conquistadores to the Philippines and to China before reaching Japan. The Japanese have improved the quality and the reddish purple outside contains a very sweet and creamy yellow inside when cooked. (stay tuned as I will be digging up a bunch of these from the kindergarten garden on Thurs.) Noodle dishes such as Ramen also were perfected from a Chinese dish.

As so much of the food is foreign this cookbook has really helped me obtain what I need on my shopping list when I ask for it in the stores. The book also covers implements such as different graters and techniques such as how to make a floral-cut carrot which Tim does with perfection.

The recipes are exciting to read and I have attempted to make several of them. However Japanese kitchens are basic. They don’t have ovens but they do have microwaves with an oven function.  I don’t like cooking with them though so I am not taking the time to figure it out. I have been learning to cook with a two-burner stovetop, a small grill drawer and a rice cooker. It is a challenge especially when it takes half the evening just to plan what gets cooked in what order so it will all be ready to serve at the same time.

I am sure these recipes would be a lot easier for those of us with our massive western kitchens having four burners and an oven at our disposal but women have cooked, as I am learning, in these little basic kitchens for many years without complaining. At least we haven’t heard about it if and when they did. It really is a trade off though as the Japanese women get ingredients we only dream of having.

So, I am persevering and have turned out some great tasting dinners.

A staple is Miso soup with various ingredients; shitake mushrooms, daikon (Japanese radish), little potatoes, carrots and wakame seaweed.

Our favourite vegetable dishes are Kinpira-gobo  (burdock and carrot stir fry with sesame) and Gomae (cooked spinach with sesame  dressing).

For Tim’s birthday I made the festive Sekihan- red bean rice. Azuki beans don’t need to be pre-soaked but they need to be boiled with several water changes one that you keep to add to the rice when you cook it with the beans. This was a delicious pink rice dish and Eleanor ate a lot of it. She even requested it be made into Onigiri (see below) for her lunch the next day.

Chikin-katsu is loved by all of us. These chicken cutlets require a special bread crumb called Panko to make them really crispy. They are served with tonkatsu sauce, shredded cabbage and rice.

Stir fries that include the delicious Gingko nut and grilled fish from salmon steaks to mackerel are also on our house menu as are Soba noodles in hot broth.

Three days a week I make lunch for the kids to take to school. Obento refers to a box of food items in little compartments. I have been making Onigiri as it is their favourite. These rice balls contain sesame and nori (seaweed) and Ella likes smoked salmon in the middle. For the first month I was using a small cup and my hands to form the balls.  This is messy and sticky even though I used salted warm water to try and keep the rice from sticking. Then Eleanor’s favourite cooking show for kids taught us how to drop the rice onto a sheet of saran wrap so it is less messy. Now the kids make their own balls and they love it. They also help make grilled cheese fingers, edamame (soy beans) and cucumber bits.

A popular dish in the fall is called Oden. There is a whole section of the supermarket dedicated to providing all the necessary ingredients. I didn’t recognize one type of food in the packages provided. (When I got home Tim told me they were all chikuwa- processed fish cake). My friend said I had to try making it for the family as it is a delicious warm soup. So she encouraged me to choose some packages and go for it.  I chose some pink, yellow and brown balls, some white stars, a few triangular fish cakes and kombu seaweed. At home I made the broth and the hard boiled eggs and added the rest. The Japanese seem to love experiencing textures in the food they eat. After not loving the bouncy texture of the Mochi (see Equinox blog) I wasn’t sure about the contents of the Oden. We tried it and the broth was good but the balls and stars had a bouncy texture that made it a bit like trying to chew rubber balls. That was too much for our western mouths to handle (except for Tim who is better trained). Oden was not to be had again.

Kanno-ji Temple

My new friend Suki (a British lass married to a Japanese professor) took me to our local Temple. It was located on Mount Kabutoyama the mountain in our backyard. The mountain is believed to be ‘a mountain of god’ by Buddhist worshipers. Until the modern era it was a mix of Shinto belief and Buddhist worship. The main object of worship is a statue of Nyoiri which depicts Buddha after he retired into religious service so he is sitting on a lotus petal in robes with a halo around his head.

There were various little local shrines along the road leading up to it and a beautiful wooden, ornately carved gateway at the bottom of the staircase. I looked up. There were a lot of stairs to climb to get to the main temple.

At the first tier there was a lotus pond with amazingly large leaves and seed pods reaching for the bright orange archway above. To the right was a section with about 50 small Buddha statues intermixed with some larger depictions. All the small statues were wearing faded red bibs. As I understand it, the bibs are to protect Buddha from getting soiled by the offerings that people leave for him.

My eyes were drawn to a black, giant statue of a bodhisattva named Kannon holding a baby looking over them all. The temple is supposedly named after her. Kannon (which is her Japanese name) is more commonly known as GuanYin the Chinese Goddess of Mercy and Compassion. She is the mother-goddess, patron of mothers and children and a fertility goddess with the power to grant children and relieve suffering. I was told that many of the offerings are from mothers who have either lost babies and are asking for mercy or are requesting to get pregnant.  The flower and water offerings around Kannon were many and it pulled at my heart-strings. I couldn’t believe that this powerful female was represented at my local temple. What a coincidence that she was a different incarnation of Bridget the merciful who I was feeling more and more of a spiritual pull towards lately.

After finishing the climb our view over Osaka was incredible. There was a small roofed area with water and cups for the ritual cleansing of hands and mouth, a small pagoda that contained a large bell that vibrated such a base tone as to shift one completely and then the main pagoda for worshiping the deity.

At the main pagoda’s entrance were two Komainu or Korea Dogs as the Japanese call them. These lion-dogs with magical powers are guards acting as talismans, usually depicted as one opened mouth for the sound Ah the beginning, and one with mouth closed for the sound Mmm for the end. These are based on their Sanscrit (Indian) beginnings. The ones at this temple showed female Yin with her paw on her pup and male Yang with a ball and both have their mouths open. I will have to find out what the significance of that is. Beyond them was a beautiful, large, carved wooden bowl for accepting monetary donations. Inside the pagoda was Nyoiri surrounded by gold and offerings of fruit, one pyramid of apples and one of oranges. The smell of incense was intoxicating.

On the edge of the cliff with the amazing view sat a little house where people could kneel and pray to a Buddha statue.

There are trails leading further up the mountain that I will have to go back and explore one day although it is already a good hike just to get to the temple. It will all be even more gorgeous when it cools down and the leaves change colour.

Hanshin Race Course

Today was a rainy Sunday and we spent the morning at the track. Yes, we went to the races. The entrance to a tunnel to the track is down the street by the train station and we figured Miss Eleanor should see the horses. We walked a good 10 minutes out of the elements in the special walkways and concourses designed to take us to the track. It all looked very new and modern and we had to purchase our entrance tickets from a machine. (I shouldn’t have been surprised as we buy train tickets this way, ramen at the restaurant, etc.).

We entered the massive pavilion and it was a spectacle. The open roof and other design elements were impressive and the first area presented was the parade track where the race horses walked when on display. Everything was so clean and people were sitting on the steps watching. The big screen T.V.s showed the betting information and past races.  The area was so huge it didn’t seem busy although thousands and thousands of people were around. It had four floors for general spectators and box seats for the owners and other rich spectators. Most of the people we saw were middle-aged men, then anyone from families to young couples checking it all out.

We watched the horses parading for the next race and each picked the ones we hoped would win. Tim decided eight was his number, Eleanor chose a black horse and Lucas went for horses or jockeys wearing red (his favourite colour). I watched each horse and tried to remember things I had learned as a young rider. The first horse I chose was a chestnut that seemed composed but strong. It was a lot less jumpy than the others and I took that as a good sign.

We went to the second floor to watch the race as the kids would have a good view of the goings on. The horses went out to the grass track to warm up and I began to think my horse was drugged it was so mellow. Perhaps it had a sore muscle and the trainers were trying to help it out.

They entered the starting gate and were off.....running....none of our horses won and in fact mine came in last place. It was a good thing we weren’t betting.

The races were scheduled for every half an hour so we went back to watch the winner and the next parade. These horses looked good and it was hard to choose. We observed them and again Tim chose number eight, Lucas number two and Eleanor thought number three was a winner. I looked closely and eventually settled on number six. Again a Chestnut but really built. I used the bathroom and left Tim and the kids waiting at our spot. I came out to find Tim hopping around in excitement stating that this race might be a Steeplechase. A Steeplechase is a race on grass where horses also jump large hedges. They are pretty dangerous and accidents often happen. We noticed six ambulances positioned around the track and agreed that this must be what was going on.

 As I am not well versed in track offerings I didn’t know these were part of a day at the races. Well, in Japan they are. It began to pour rain and the horses and field became soaking wet. I found this so exciting and watching my horse I knew I had picked a winner as it looked like a good jumper. The horses entered the starting gate and were off...running...jumping in the big rain...over a total of ten jumps and what an endurance race it was.

And guess what. I had picked the winner! It was such an exciting finish and I wasn’t the only one yelling support for my horse. This time I wished we had placed bets.

We watched one more race as the rain was really falling and we didn’t want to get soaked getting home. This race was a training race for two year olds and it was 1200 meters on the grass. It wasn’t as exciting after experiencing a Steeplechase but we had fun guessing winners all the same. As we left the track we learned it was the end of the racing season at Hanshin. That was good news as Eleanor and I had begun to think we would like to spend more time around those horses than was probably healthy. Eleanor galloped the whole way home.

Arashiyama, Kyoto

We arrived by train and immediately felt the cool air of the Katsura river flowing out of the mountains. We found a shady spot along side and had a quick lunch of onigiri (rice balls) and bananas and watched men fishing, egrets and herons wading, hawks flying overhead and people in river boats avoiding the waterfall as they pulled up to the docks to let tourists out.

Refreshed we began to climb the nearest mountain and what a steep hike it was. We were on our way to the monkey park where researchers and a bunch of tourists respectively observe and feed macaque monkeys. We could hear the monkeys better than see them on the climb but we did have two garter snakes (we hoped that they were not poisonous) cross our path. Eleanor became nervous and clung to me for the rest of the hike and the whole time we were with the ‘wild’ monkeys.

We arrived at the top sweaty and out of breath (we carried the kids the last bit) and so we went straight into the feeding hut for a seat to cool down. This place had chain-link fencing for windows and female monkeys were hanging around being fed apples or peanuts which could be purchased for our entertainment. Tim bought some apple and began to feed a mother with a new babe clinging to her. Others fought for some of the food and it wasn’t a pretty sight.

The view of Kyoto was incredible as it was a clear day. We walked to the pond and saw monkeys having a drink. It wasn’t long before I had enough of this place. The monkeys usually live in groups of 30 or so but here the troop was almost 200 strong. Their behaviour was so altered by human control and feeding that although it was not a zoo it was not seeing ‘wild’ monkeys in their natural habitat. Maybe I am lucky to have experienced that in Central America so this just didn’t feel right.

There was a playground there for children so we let the kids enjoy the zip line and slide a few times before hiking down. Monkeys followed and we noticed their keepers below using sling-shots to ensure they didn’t go out of the park and disturb the world of humans below.   

At the bottom we crossed the famous Togetsukyao or ‘Moon crossing’ bridge across the river to the town on the other side. It was bustling with excitement. Very fancy ‘rickshaws’ pulled ladies around and people ate in various restaurants. Stores sold packages of sweets to bring as gifts for those who couldn’t visit with you, and such beautiful wares. Ella and I got silk fans so we could feel beautiful and keep cool.

We followed a cobble-stone street to a famous temple called Tenryuji- ‘heavenly dragon’ which had an incredible zen garden. We wandered around hoping Lucas wouldn’t dare run across the purposefully raked pebbles although we could understand how that space would seem inviting to a four year old. We tried to sit quietly and enjoy the peacefulness the gardens were supposed to induce but the kids began to melt down after the bamboo forest and we had to carry them out. They were hungry of course, and so were we.  

Tim had a favourite Ramen place downtown so we took the train into Kyoto for a 4pm Ramen dinner. Ramen originated in China but the Japanese have made it their own. Ramen is a hot noodle dish with shaved roasted pork, garlic, onions in a thick soup and yes, it was good especially washed down with Kirin beer. We ate in the tiniest booth I have ever tried to sit in and listened to the eaters around us slurp with gusto.

Tim won some pens that we brought home only to discover they have an LED light projector that shines an image of a ramen dish on your wall in the dark. Tim suggested we have lazer ramen fights and I laughed at how amazingly entertaining Japanese advertising is.