Joy to the World!

Merry Christmas to our family and friends both far and farther! Though we are oceans away, you are not far from our thoughts and we hope you are enjoying these beautiful and special days with those dear to you. We had a delightful little Christmas together and did our best to fill in some of the missing-home empty spaces with new experiences.  

It's been a bit tricky health-wise these last couple of weeks because of our ongoing medley of maladies. Talk about your gifts that keep on giving! We truly limped across my Christmas Wish List finish line with a sick but sporting Chris rallying for our evening of Mass and dinner on Christmas Eve. He wouldn't have missed it...Patrick singing earnestly and beautifully in the small children's choir, Evelyn (still punky herself) dozing on my lap, her head heavy and sweet in the crook of my neck. We capped the evening with a very special and memorable dinner at the Imperial Hotel, our arrival at this Tokyo favorite enhanced by the beautiful sounds of two university choirs joining in Christmas carols.  I shall not forget!

Christmas dawned bright and record-breakingly early at 5:28 a.m.  My goodness, Chris and I had barely unplugged the Christmas lights from the night before and suddenly children were bounding from bunk beds to see if Santa had maneuvered his way into our chimney-less apartment! Sufficiently convinced by the sight of bulging Christmas stockings, they dutifully padded back to their room to patiently await a more civilized hour. Thank goodness they went back to sleep! We had great fun opening gifts and the children have literally played non-stop since then.

Christmas afternoon found me on a train bound for our Turkey-to-Go pick-up.  It was supposed to have been a family outing, but for reasons mentioned above I dashed out on this errand alone. It was quite ok.  We have been dodging bullets for the last two weeks (would Patrick make it to his Christmas pageant?  Would I? Would we be able to attend a holiday dinner party at the home of our new friends?  What about Mass and Patrick's part in the choir? Christmas Eve dinner?) and as far as being able to attend and experience things together, I really couldn't have asked for more.  So while I missed Chris and my little counterparts who might have made the excursion more fun (Evelyn cutely scrambling for her seat, catching the attention of uniformed school-girls giggling 'kawaii'! (cute!), or Patrick doing his comical Charlie Chaplin dance to a piped-in jingle at Ebisu Station), I can make no complaint.  For their part, they were happily at home, playing with the bounty of their stockings!  Meanwhile, I navigated three separate train lines to return victorious with a complete turkey dinner...not necessarily an easy task given its seemingly increasing weight with each station.  HEAVY!  It was worth the effort, though, and much tastier than anything I would have deigned to make on my own!

Our Christmas Eve homily was wisely and thoughtfully directed to a congregation of smiling yet wistful expats.  The priest spoke of Bethlehem, and its ability to unite us across time and distance and generations. There, too, I've been richly blessed, and short of demanding that God allow me to be in two places at once, it seems I should simply count my blessings.  To the miracle of Bethlehem!  Merry Christmas!

Magical moments of recent days...

In hopes that St. Nicholas....

Getting ready for Christmas Eve Mass

Pondering the reason for the season

Christmas Eve dinner...art on a plate!

Whirled Peas...literally.  The Christmas tree is
made of peas and the gift is cauliflower.

Christmas Day...do we look a little sleepy?!

I get by with a little help from my friends.

Silent Night, Holy Night

Littered across my desk, planner, and refrigerator are no less than a dozen notes that have come home in recent weeks with regard to the Christmas Pageant at the kindergarten. The teachers and mothers, embracing me under their collective wing, saw to it that for every communication that came from school, another found its way into my hands...a hand-written or typed explanation for my benefit.  The culmination of those letters, sticky notes, and translations came in the form of a Christmas performance I am unlikely to forget.

For the best several weeks, there were merely glimpses of what was to come at Wednesday's pageant.  Humming, singing, more humming, more singing, and an occasional proclamation of some kind, spoken in clear and confident Japanese. Pressed further, Patrick shared that he was an angel in the Christmas play and that his line meant "Name the baby 'Jesus'". Name the baby 'Jesus'?! A true Christmas play! I couldn't get enough of his one line, and he was quite proud to practice it for us.  Patrick was concerned that I wouldn't be able to understand what was going on.  Luckily,  it's a story quite familiar to me.

As familiar as the story may be, I have never seen the Nativity shared in this way.  It wasn't showy - the costumes were quite simple, more of a suggestion than a transformation.  It wasn't complicated - the children performed in small groups of angels, innkeepers, and shepherds in turn, and calmly took their seats when finished.  But the beauty of the pageant was found in its simple layers...it was all about those perfect little layers!  While the children changed into their costumes, the room of waiting mothers was taught a simple canon that we sang as the children transitioned from one scene to another later in the play.  Clever.  While one teacher lent background music and accompaniment on piano, the other, elegantly dressed and seated in a child-sized chair, narrated the story providing cues for the children. Simple.  And in a miracle of theatrical blocking, those six year olds moved easily about the stage, seamlessly and gracefully.  If you've ever tried to arrange even a small group of children for any purpose, you know how difficult this can be!

We were told after the performance that this was the first time all the children were present since the start of rehearsals, and that some of the children didn't know what part they would be playing until their arrival that morning. You wouldn't have known it.  They did beautifully.  And surely it was not my imagination the flutter of shared pride among the mothers for the new boy at school who spoke his line so well!

As if my heart weren't full enough!  The play was followed by a Christmas party in the school, heavy on holiday spirit and light on chaos.  I know my teacher friends can appreciate this masterful accomplishment! There was Santa, there was singing.  Silent Night (in Japanese) was beautifully illuminated in the darkened hall by the sharing of a flame from kindergartner to kindergartner, mother to mother. There were gifts and gift exchanges. And somewhere amidst this glorious gathering was another presentation by the children: Christmas carols played on hand chimes. Working and playing together is a big part of Japanese kindergarten!

The pageant and party marked the beginning of the Winter Holidays, and Patrick is thrilled with his three-week respite from the rigors of school.  After all...all that working and playing together can be quite taxing!  

I am thrilled for Patrick, but my joy will be complete when dear Evelyn fully recovers from her cold, stomach flu, and pink eye - a pesky and unhappy brew of malaise hovering over her for the past week or so.  I hope it's not asking too much of Santa to bring an extra wish for this little girl's stocking...

Bridging The Gap

The casual observer at Torii Gate might surmise that the children and I have all the fun while our salaryman toils long hours at his job an hour's train ride away.  That is probably true most days, but perhaps not entirely true on these days:

Akashi Kaikyo Bridge is the world's longest suspension bridge and was a focal point of Chris's recent US-Japan Bridge Engineering Workshop. The bridge was not yet complete at the time of the 1995 Kobe earthquake and had to be extended to accommodate the new distance between the supports. Pretty impressive structure!

Chris enjoys a rare view from the top of the tower of the bridge.
(98 floors...yikes!)

Why I can't feel too sorry for my salaryman. :-)

Giving Thanks

A good Thanksgiving dinner in Tokyo can be as hard to come by as an empty seat on the Yamanote line. - www.metropolis.co.jp November 2013 

That may be true, but given that it is my favorite meal of the year I wasn't willing to give it up without an exhaustive effort. Considering the limitations of our kitchen (two burners and a toaster oven), I determined it would take approximately 1.2 years to bring together all the necessary and familiar dishes I craved, so I quickly dismissed any ambitions of making the meal myself and set about finding the elusive Thanksgiving dinner in Tokyo.  I was pleasantly surprised to find it was actually easier than finding a seat on the Yamanote line!* 

An internet search led us to a hotel in mid-town Tokyo where we enjoyed a delicious and memorable Thanksgiving feast. What a special evening...blessings aplenty, and grateful for all of them!  

A few of those blessings are featured below...please forgive the poor quality of the dinner pictures.  We call that 'ambiance'. :-)

Don't Walk: Chris & Evelyn follow the
rules on our way to sightseeing and dinner.

                   Patrick and Evelyn survey the magical hotel lobby

 

When life hands you a toaster oven, make....reservations. 


(Side note)

*The Yamanote is notoriously crowded, and just when you think one more person can't possibly squeeze onto the train, you realize the flaw of your amateur prediction:  While it is true that ONE more person CAN'T possibly squeeze onto the train, FOUR more people CAN!  Yes, difficult to find a seat, indeed. Just ask Patrick and Evelyn, who are ruthless in their efforts at securing a spot during rush hour.  For Patrick, at least, it's the thrill of the hunt, because he inevitably gives up his seat to a less successful and teary-eyed Evelyn or an elderly woman hunched over her shopping cart.  Dozo, he gestures, receiving a grateful arigato in return - much to his delight.

Boxed In

 

In recent days, I've received some light-hearted ribbing from my salaryman that my posts have been a bit heavy on pictures and light on stories.  Yes, I know. I'm falling behind. But I have two words in my defense: bento boxes.  

After just three days in Japanese kindergarten, Patrick shunned his American-style lunches and declared a preference for the bento boxes his peers enjoyed.  While it was great fun shopping for the cute tins and clever containers for these portable little lunches, figuring out what to put in them has been a challenge. Well, Patrick, what do the other kids bring?  What do the other moms pack? He couldn't elaborate, leaving me to demystify the bento lunch on my own.

My attempt at solving this mystery found me back at the depato yet again, this time scouring the lunch section for clues.  There I found curious-looking prep tools, among them a Hello Kitty die-cut punch for nori (seaweed) strips, used to decorate rice balls.  

Kit in hand, I wavered just a minute before a nagging self-awareness jolted me to a sad realization:  Did I really see myself tweezer-ing tiny nori cutouts onto rice balls on a daily basis?   I sure love Patrick, but, gosh, that seemed like work to me.  And who has time for this anyway, right?

I lamented this challenge to my Mommy group back in Corvallis and, along with their condolences, received this video:

How to Make Hello Kitty Bento Lunch

Hmmm.  Evidently, some people have time for this.  

I started asking my new friends about their kids' lunches.  Were their lunches fairly elaborate?  Did they take the time to make cute decorations and snip tiny details with eyebrow scissors?  Shy smiles. Some moms do, they replied. One mom shared a few of her own creations:

     
Yes, evidently some people have time for this.  

It would be convenient and sadly self-serving to dismiss these lunches as the output of someone with too much time on her hands, because it seems the bento box is just one small representation of a culture that somehow manages to have time for this, and for a multitude of other things! This attention to detail is evidenced in infinite ways...  

It's the swish-swishing of an old broom as one of our apartment caretakers painstakingly gathers the day's confetti of ginkgo leaves, only to swish-swish and gather tomorrow's.  

Or the miracle of quick and confident paper-folds that results in a cleverly-wrapped gift at the check-out of a department store. 

It's the professional-quality choral and puppet production that the kindergarten mothers just happened to have put on for the students last week.  

These women belong to one of several clubs available to the mothers at the Kindergarten.  
Their beautiful choral performance was followed by a darling puppet show, written by one of the moms in that club.  The sets and puppets were all hand-made by the moms...of course!

Oh, I could go on and on!  There are endless examples, impressive and admirable, and more than I could possibly mention here.  My goal is to learn all their secrets in the short time we're here, but in the meantime, I've got a lunch to make. ;-)

Alpha-WHAT?

This past week I heard singing coming from the kids' room:

A-B-C-D-E-F-G

(Pause)

A-B-C-D-E-F-G

(Pause)

A-B-C-D-E-F-G

"Mommy?"

"Yes, Patrick?"

"What comes after G?"

Oh, dear!  I think someone's little mind is on overload!

Between Japanese Kindergarten and American homework, I try to temper our schedule with some mid-week sightseeing on Patrick's early-release day. The kids, having spotted it from our recent excursion to Asakusa Temple, have been asking to go to Tokyo Skytree, the tallest free-standing tower in the world. (What is it with my kids and heights?!) Japan is justifiably proud of this achievement, completed post 2011 disaster, and we weren't the only people thinking a visit to the Skytree would be an interesting idea that day. After approximately two hours zig-zagging through  seemingly endless lines, we finally made our way to our final destination: Tokyo at 450m.  Particularly memorable was the sight of Mt Fuji, blanketed in layers of pink and orange by the sun as it slipped away for the night. Not a bad first introduction for Patrick and Evelyn!

Patrick and Evelyn enjoy the view at 350m
before insisting we go all the way to the top!

Quirky fun at the Skytree

Sleep tight, Fuji-san!

Parting Gifts

I had been wondering when it would seem like fall in Tokyo.  I believe I received my answer this past weekend.

Tokyo Makeover

Of Temples and Rock Walls

Our weekend included some sightseeing at the Asakusa Kannon Temple.  Completed in 645, it is Tokyo's oldest temple.

One of the guardians of the temple

 The Shichi-Go-San Festival
(7-5-3)
This November festival celebrates girls who are seven, boys who are five, and girls and boys who are three. This girl has come to pray and make an offering at the temple with her family.

Patrick (6) celebrates being old enough to climb 

the rock wall set up near the temple.

A Smile and a Wave: No Translation Required

Starbucks was crowded that day.  Evelyn and I were rewarding ourselves with lattes and hot chocolate and a few lunchtime treats after a busy morning of trains and school shopping.  We stood with our loaded tray looking awkwardly around for an empty space in the bustling cafe.  We had already made the mistake of moving toward a seemingly empty table, only to discover its future customers were holding the coveted spot with their smartphones.  (Isn't it cool that you can do that?) "Well, this is embarrassing," commented Evelyn.  

And then.  

A wave.  

From across the room.  

A mom with a young son was clearly smiling and beckoning us to their table, wasn't she?  We jostled our way through the maze of smartly-dressed 20-somethings on their lunch breaks.  "We'll be leaving soon," she explained.  Thinking it polite to wait, we stepped aside.  "No, please join us at our table."  So we did.  And that was that.  I have a new friend! She is eager to work on her English, and I am eager to work on just about everything. It's a win-win.  :-)

That was Tuesday.  By Friday we had our first play-date - a trip to a play park where the kids ran and played until their faces were pink.  As you can see, Evelyn had a ball!

Our First Month Of Sundays

Celebrating our 23rd anniversary at Mercer Brunch,
right around the corner from our church.

Evelyn eagerly awaits her worth-the-wait French Toast!

Hachiko!

The kids begged Chris to take them for a spin around the pond at a nearby park this past Sunday. The pond is full of ginormous fish who like to stalk your boat, eagerly awaiting any bit of food you might throw their way, even though you're not supposed to throw food their way.  If you're patient, you'll also spot some turtles...all the way from the Mississippi River! Forgive Evelyn's outfit.  When your dryer is the sun, your options are sometimes limited!

Danger Park*

*Not its real name

Who doesn't want to try their hand (and foot) at 40 different obstacles in the fun and exciting (and not just a little terrifying!) Heiwa no Mori Koen Field Athletic Course?