Hawaii Vacation

Road to Hana- Beautiful!


Girls at Hana beach

We stopped in Lahaina, (Maui) Hawaii on our way back to Michigan for the summer. As a family, we were in desperate need for some quality time together. The past 6 months have been unbelievably busy for us, and we haven't gotten the opportunity to see each other all together very often during it. Scott works a lot more than he did while we were in Michigan. Though in Michigan he routinely worked 10+ hour days, in Tokyo, he works more...going in by 7 (and often having 6am conference calls) and not getting home until 9ish most nights (and if he is home earlier, it is to say a quick goodnight to the girls and then back on the laptop or a conference call with Michigan). There are many days when he doesn't see the girls at all, which makes it very hard for all of us.



This week has been just what we needed as a family- fun quality time, with no agenda and no plans. It has been the most spectacular week- all three of us were so happy to spend time with Scott where he wasn't stressed out, exhausted or preoccupied- it was fantastic! When we first arrived, we had a list of things that we wanted to do- a luau, a helicopter tour, a ride on a submarine, snorkeling, the Road to Hana....but as we got here, and started to get used to being together again, we realized that what we really needed to do was just be together- laugh, swim, and just relax...so that is what we did. Out of our list, we did the Submarine, the Road to Hana and snorkeling and that is it...the rest of the time was filled with swimming, exploring beaches, making friends at the pool (it is amazing how little kids find each other and become "best" friends so fast!), and grilling out. It has been the best week for us this year, and by far, our best family vacation ever!

Let the Summer Fun Begin

Both girls finished with their first 6 months of school here in Japan last week. Maya's last week was filled with parties, including the Summer Birthday celebration, as well as the parties for the kids who are leaving Japan and moving on to their next "adventure". It was a fun time, yet a sad time for Maya. She absolutely LOVES ASIJ- she has had such a great experience with her teacher (Mrs. Olson), as well as the new friends she has made. When I picked her up from the bus on her last day, she started bawling the second she walked off the bus...and kept crying and crying off and on for the remainder of the night. She is really looking forward to next year and 2nd grade, and even has a few teachers in mind for who she wants to get!




Hanna's last week of school was equally as entertaining. I sent her to school Monday, only to get an email saying one of the children at school had a sibling who had lice. I didn't think much of it, or worry about it, until I went to pick her up, and found out that a. it was a sibling of a child in her class and b.they checked his hair after he had been there for an hour or so, and they found lice in his hair...so, Hanna had been around/playing with him for an hour...not wanting to get lice before our return home, I choose to keep her out of school for a day. Then, she ended up getting a bad cold and staying home the following day as well. Of her last week, she went 3 days! Her last day of school was a performance with all four classes, which included Hanna singing and dancing like a champ, as well as playing a few songs on the keyboard. It was a great performance (she literally danced and moved through the entire show!), that ended in a pizza and ice cream party- great way to finish the school year. That was Hanna's last day at Toyko Union Church preschool, as next year she will attend Yoyogi International...and unlike Maya, she was not one bit sad that school was over (in her words...now, I get to spend EVERY DAY with you Mommy!)...I am a lucky lady :)




This last week in Tokyo before we head back to the States has been super packed- full of lunches, good byes, play dates....I seem to have overbooked us, so we haven't been getting a whole lot of down time! Aside from regular play dates, we went to the Heiwa-no-Mori park on Tuesday, with our friends, Tamie, Alissa and Joey Matsanuga. This park was incredible- full of obstacles (40 I believe) that provided a ton of different physical challenges for the kids. It was a little bit to "big" for Hanna, but she was still able to do the majority of the obstacles, with a little help from me. It was actually quite dangerous, but the kids LOVED it, and we walked away without any major injuries (Maya fell and whacked her face on a log and Hanna fell off a log that was about 4 ft off the ground).





Wednesday found us at KidZania, in Toyosu, with our friends, Miyuki, Maya and Micka Takahashi. Maya T is a good friend of Maya's from ASIJ, and they invited us to join them. For those unfamiliar to KidZania, it is a mini kid-city. There are about 70-80 jobs that kids can pick from to do- doctor, vet, burger flipper, fashion model, gas station attendant, ice cream maker, pizza maker, banker, book publisher, policeman, fireman....you name it, they had it there. The kids pick a "job" and then they actually learn about it and have to perform the job. I mean it too- they actually make their own pizza, ice cream, put out fires (fake ones)...it is actually quite educational, and quite a marketing tool. Each "company" is actually sponsored by the actual company it is. So for example, Coca Cola bottling sponsored the Coca Cola Bottling plant, where the kids go and bottle their own bottle of Coca-cola- actual bottles of real Coke that they get to drink. By doing this, they earn KidZania money, otherwise known as Kidzo's. How much they make is job dependent, just like in real life. And, some things cost money- my girls both went to Driver Training School to get their KidZania driver's license, so they had to pay to get their license. They then went to the Car Rental company and rented a car! They got to drive the car through a little course (driving on the left of course) that brought them through a Car Wash, to a gas station, where full service attendants- also little KidZania kids put "gas" in the car, wiped down the windows and mirrors (yes, they do that here- most gas stations in Tokyo are full service- they wipe down windows, mirrors, and give you a cloth to wipe down the inside of your car while they are filling it up!), and then back to park. At the end, they went to the Bank and opened up their own bank accounts (I tried to go in the bank, and was told that I was not allowed to come in (or, I think I was told..it was Japanese, so I don't know exactly what was said!). They got an ATM card with their name on it, that they can use to withdraw the money they deposited into their account at ATMs all around KidZania. (It was cute, because Hanna had to write her name down and fill in all the paperwork- for her account, for her license, etc., and they thought she wrote Hanma, so she is now Hanma Garrison on all her KidZania documentation!) We had a really great day with the Takahashi's, and are so glad we got to spend one of our last days in Tokyo until August with friends!

Today, the 18th, we had to make an unexpected visit to see Dr. Joe in Shimo Kitizawa. The girls and I were down in the workout room (I was working out, they were playing on the exercise balls and equipment), when I stupidly caved in to Hanna's begging to let her go on the treadmill. I was standing very near it, so I didn't think too much about it, and put the treadmill on 2km per hour. Maya was patting the moving belt, when Hanna decided she wasn't going fast enough and hit the up arrow to go quicker...it then sucked Maya's right hand in and underneath the belt....where it chewed the crap out of two of her fingers. Luckily, she was able to pull them out right away, but she had torn several layers of her skin off the fingers, and they were bleeding and raw...poor kid. I had to take her immediately to the doctor, where we found out that there was no permanent damage, and the layers of skin should start growing back within a few days, but she was in a lot of pain. I was proud of her, because she was really tough about it. I should have know better, for several reasons- Hanna has been having a tremendously tough time listening- in the past week, she got mad at me, wiggled out of my hand and almost got hit by a car, left the obstacle park we were at (literally left it- we were all changing our shoes and getting ready, and I turn around and she is gone. Panicking, I went looking all over, and finally though- hmmm, could she have gone out? And there she was, walking toward the road- and wouldn't stop when we called, so we had to RACE and grab her, and took off at the mall after leaving KidZania- to which, I again, had to find her. So, I should have a. not let them play on the treadmill in the first place, and b. known that Hanna on a treadmill was not a grand idea! Lesson learned, documented and filed away for future "pressure filled" situations!

End of the Year Kids stuff, and a few funny stories

This past two weeks have been incredibly busy for us here in the Garrison House. As anyone with kids knows, end of the year activities seem to eat up every waking moment of your last few weeks of school...here, it has been no exception- the only difference has been that Maya's school is a good 45 minutes away, and Hanna's is 15 minutes in the opposite direction, we are trying to pack for a 2 month "vacation" home, as well as a week trip to Hawaii! Lots to do, lots to do!!


Hanna with Ms. Jennifer, her teacher

Last week was full of play dates (all the kids are trying SO hard to see each other before everyone departs to their home countries for the summer!). Hanna had the chance to have her first play date with a friend from school, which THRILLED her. She loves the kids in her class, but her class is so small, and none of the kids live in our same area,so it has made after school playing a lot more difficult for her than it was in Michigan. She also discovered a new friend, Mei, who recently moved into our building. Mei is 5,and Hanna has declared her "my new best friend". Hanna also had a field trip to the Shinigawa Aquarium this past week. Since we had already been there, we didn't stay too long- but we did get to see the dolphin show, which was much better with an upfront seat than it was the last time we were there in the nosebleed section!

This past Wednesday, I had a chance to spend some time in Hanna's class, and even got to read some stories to them. Her class is so small, and the kids are from other countries- New Zealand, Australia, France, the UK....I don't know any of them well, and it was a real treat to get to spend some time with them and especially, with Hanna. The best part was when I was leaving,they all ran up and gave me a great big group hug!



Thursday was Maya's Sports Day at school. I was supposed to volunteer, but ended up getting there late, and therefore, got to just walk around and watch what Maya was doing. It was a GREAT day weather wise, and a really fun morning...Maya's gym teacher, Mrs. Seevers, did a great job setting the whole day up, and the kids had a blast. That being said, I myself, got a 15 minute lecture on the need for sunscreen from Mrs. Seevers, as well as a lecture on how I need to stop coddling Maya. I was standing talking to my friend Debbie, when Mrs. Seevers comes over and asks me if I am volunteering (mind you, I had been trying to avoid her the whole day, as I didn't want to have to!). I told her I could if she needs me to do something. She proceeds to pull out sunscreen from her bag, when I apparently stupidly ask "you want me to walk around and give sunscreen to the kids?" and she says "no, I want you to put sunscreen on" and proceeds to explain the importance of it..she also tried to make me wear a very large, quite ugly straw hat, which I had to refuse!! So I start asking her about Maya and swim class- how is she doing, etc. Here at ASIJ each grade has 3+ months of Red Cross swim lessons as their PE- which I think is great! Maya was doing very well in swimming, so I wanted to get an update on how she was doing here. She asked me which Maya was mine (there are 3 Maya's in the first grade here), and I pointed to Maya, who was standing all alone, looking for her buddy. Mrs. Seevers proceeds to Scream at her from across the field - asking where her partner is, etc., to which Maya starts BAWLING. The lady scared me, so I can imagine what she must have sounded like to a 7 year old!! So, she turns to me and says "I yell at her all the time like that and she has NEVER cried..that reaction is all your fault- you coddle her too much"...blah,blah,blah....for 15 minutes!! I will say, that she is right to a degree, and there are some things that I need to work on, especially where Maya is concerned. Maya is a softy by nature, and to add to it, a complete drama queen. She plays it up when I am around, and at times, though I try not to, I get completely sucked into it. However, it baffles me how she can give me a lecture on how I am with my child, based on one interaction between us. I have been warned she routinely calls parents in for consultations on their parenting skills, and have been told that if she hasn't called me in for one, than things are ok. Ahhh...good times!

Overall, aside from the lecture, the day was a great day - I had the chance to have lunch with Maya afterward (ramen...yummy!), and got a nice start to my suntan for the summer!!



Funny Stories

Pizza Anyone?
I have to share a story that came to me from my friend Karen. Karen's Japanese sensei told her of a particular student that she taught Japanese to. This man's family would order Pizza Hut every Friday for dinner, but it seemed that there was always issues, and a lot of confusion. He didn't speak Japanese well, so he had no idea what that confusion was. So, one Friday after his Japanese lesson, he asked her if she would call and pre-order the pizza, to be delivered later that day. So, she proceeds to call the number he had given her...and finds out it is a PHOTO HUT!! He had been calling a Photo Hut for over a year to order pizza! And the craziest thing is that they would take his order and then call the Pizza Hut for him and place it with them!! I am sure that at some point during this year long event, they tried, unsuccessfully in Japanese, to tell him he was not calling the right place, and then, because they are so polite and indirect as a culture, just gave up and waited for that Friday phone call!

Haircutting adventure


Srgt. Garrison
Scott has found this 1000 Yen haircutting place (similar to a Master Cuts or Great Cuts- cheap and fast- no appointment necessary), a short bike ride from our place, He has gone there and had success, so when he went to get his haircut today, felt very good about it. He gets there and waits his turn, only to end up with a barber he had never had before. He tells the guy, in Japanese (we looked up the words, and they have always worked in the past!) how to cut it. The guys proceeds to pretty much butcher his hair...Scott tells the story, which is a lot funnier than I could ever write it- about the guys chasing his head around as Scott tries to dodge the scissors/clippers- he pretty much shaved one side of his head nearly bald, took the clippers (without the guard) and did like an oval around the outside of his head, cutting the hair in front SUPER short, and then leaving the top and back super poofy! Scott said he was waving his hands, trying to tell him to use the clippers and describe as quickly as he can what he wants/doesn't want as the guy is attacking him with the clippers! Scott had to get up mid-cut and run away from him!! I am laughing as I write this, because his new title is Sargent Garrison, and he will be inducted into the military at 0800 hours!! He had to have another person fix it, but he seriously looks like he could join the Marines!! I told him to tell people he wanted to go REAAALLY short because of the heat...believable, right?

Washer and Dryer update...

STILL.....NOTHING......DONE......or DECIDED UPON!!! 4 months since the request was put in, and they still are "trying to figure out" the best option. Pretty sure they are stalling, hoping we will forget about it or move before they have to decide!

Ueno Park, Feeding the homeless

The Mass of homeless waiting for food


On Saturday, we participated in a project that ASIJ does, in coordination with Second Harvest, to help feed the homeless population in Tokyo at Ueno Park. Each class has the option of picking a Saturday to participate. The parents donate a small amount of Yen, and the kids, with the help of the teacher and parents, spend the Friday afternoon before it in school making Onigiri (Onigiri are rice balls, with something in the middle (tuna, cucumber, fish, plums, etc), wrapped in Nori (seaweed). They made nearly 400 Onigiri as a class on Friday. So, the four of us trekked up to Ueno park to help out. First, I will say there were only 5 kids from her class and their families who volunteered- FIVE out of TWENTY! I was so disappointed with the turnout- I know it is the end of the year, and everyone is busy, but I personally viewed this as a chance for my kids to see that our world (especially the one we are living in right now) is not the norm. Most don't have what we have, and a lot don't even have food to eat, a place to live, and clothes to pick from. It really struck a cord with both kids, but especially Maya. She asked a lot of really intelligent questions, and was really unsettled about their situation. There were SO many homeless there, that it made me incredibly sad (to sum it up, the Onigiri didn't last for even half of the people there..and there were 400 onigiri).
I am thinking I will volunteer with Second Harvest next year when we come back...first hand is a lot different than reading about it in the newspaper!!

A week and a half of Firsts!

The past 12 days have been a period of firsts for us(me)- we had our first visitor, took our first trip to Tokyo Disney, the girls tried Sushi for the first time (and kind of liked it!), went to Kamakura for the first time, I drove for the first time alone to the airport (about a 90 min drive), was told I was as "fresh as a stick of pineapple, baby", and got lost for the first time....crazy, fun 12 days, and now, I am completely exhausted!

On Saturday, May 15, our longtime babysitter from Michigan came for a 12 day visit. She was our first visitor, and had a list of things she wanted to see/do while we were here. First off, I want to say that I wasn't sure how it would be- having someone in our place for 12 days (I am pretty sure we have never experienced that before). It was wonderful! The girls LOVE Karen- she is as close as family to them, and they enjoyed every minute they got to spend with her. I enjoyed having her here- we got to tour around Tokyo during the day, and relax and chill out at night. Scott has, again, been exceptionally busy with work, and hasn't been getting home until 8 or 9 every night. It was nice to have another mediator on hand, someone to play Super Mario with the girls, help with dinner, etc. And, someone to talk to and laugh with after the kids went to bed. Overall, the visit was fantastic, and very, very tiring!!

Sunday, May 16
The girls and I took Karen to the Tokyo Tower (they couldn't wait- Maya has been talking about going to the Tokyo Tower since we moved here). The Tokyo Tower is higher than the Eiffel tower, but red and white, and not nearly as beautiful. It is kind of an eyesore, but is quite incredible when you are up close to it. At night, it is always lit up, and not always lit up the same way- it is actually prettier at night than during the day. After going up to the observation deck (which freaked me out), the elevator deposited us on top of the building under the tower, which was filled with a mini-kids carnival- a clown, silly little pointless rides, carnival games...it sucked us in for a solid 45 minutes, and the girls loved EVERY minute of it. From there, we had to go down past a few floors of shopping. I had no intentions of buying the girls anything, but then Maya made a compelling argument: "How are we supposed to have and keep our re-memories of the Tokyo Tower, if you don't buy us something to remember it by?"..ugghhh. So, I have two miniature Tokyo Towers in my hutch right now, for re-memory purposes. :) We also took her to Harajuku to see the Harajuku kids dressed up in their weird costumes (I told Karen she should take this tradition back to WMU- see if she can get any of her friends to go out and dress like cartoon characters on the weekends..she didn't think it would go over very well!), and then on to Yoyogi Park to see the Rockabilies (there were 4 "gangs" there that day- lots of 1950's people, dancing and playing the roles).



Monday, May 17
With both girls in school, Karen, my friend Pam and I headed down to Ginza, to the Tsukiji Fish market. This market is the largest fish market in the world. I will say, it is something I am glad that I have seen, but not something I really want to go back to!! It is crazy- fish, dead fish, guts, blood....got all of that in one visit! We saw more fish, and types of fish than I have ever seen in my entire life. They also have a really cool street market outside, with restaurants, shops, etc. It was a good place to visit, and a great place to take Karen (who, by the way, HATES fish!)


Tuesday, May 18


We spent the day on Tuesday at Tokyo Disneyland. I pulled both girls out of school, and the four of us headed out early in the morning. I drove, which I was quite nervous about- it was the farthest I have ever driven in Tokyo, but in actuality, it was a very simple drive, and only took about 30 minutes (YAHOO- we have a Disneyland only 30 minutes away!!) Tokyo also has a Disney by the Sea, which we didn't get to this time. Disneyland is very similar to the original Disneyland in California, and because we went on a Tuesday, it was not super crowded. The longest we had to wait was 45 min, but most rides were only about a 30 minute wait. We got on everything we wanted to, ate dinner and were home and getting ready for bed by 7pm! The weirdest thing about this Disney, is that the language of the rides and characters/songs is split- some English, come Japanese! So, for example, we went on the Buzz Lightyear ride, and Buzz spoke all Japanese...but the song on the Pirates of the Caribbean went from English to Japanese, depending on what part of the ride you were on!! The funniest part of our Disney adventure was the fact that they were celebrating an "Easter Wonderland"...at the end of May....Maya kept saying- Easter, in May?? It was very odd- the whole park was decorated in Easter (think pastels, Easter eggs, etc)-- they even had an Easter Parade!! On the Tokyo Disney website, it explains Easter as "a time where people wear bonnets, color Easter eggs, and do egg hunts"....hmmm..I am pretty sure that those are the "extra" things about Easter, and that the main point was missed somewhere in that whole explanation...seeing as most people here in Japan are not Christians, I don't think they would get the real meaning anyway!

Wednesday, May 19
I took Karen up to Asakusa to visit the Senso-ji Temple, as well as to the Meiji Shrine, near Yoyogi park. It was a great day- I actually got to enjoy the Senso-ji Temple this time (as opposed to when we took the girls there and they cried through the entire day!). I found that there were more parts to the shrine area than just that one shrine- a tomb or two, some praying stations...quite interesting! At the Meiji Shrine, we met an older college professor from the University of Texas, who was spending three weeks touring all over Japan. He was completely amazing- spoke no Japanese, was all alone and had more energy than my 4 year old...he also talked like mad, and kept finding us to "chat" us up (I am sure, happy to have a few native English speakers to talk to!). He told me some things I needed to make sure I did before I left Japan!! :)

Thursday, May 20
Thursday we had Maya's Portfolio day out at ASIJ. Instead of doing an end of the year program, they invite the parents out to actually see what the kids did through out the entire year. The kids keep portfolios of their work- including all areas- science, math, art, reading, writing, and they get to walk us through all the stuff they have learned. Maya's teacher, Mrs. Marty Olson, also put together a photo album of each child, doing special things throughout the year. Finally, the kids put on a little music program for the parents, while the teacher explained all that they have learned in Music (which, I will say, is a LOT more in depth than I ever learned in music in grade school). Maya was so very proud of all her accomplishments. It has been such a joy to see her blossom here in her Japan environment. She truly loves the school and the friends she has made, which helps so much with life in general here in Japan. I am so proud of her, and how far she has come in gaining independence, learning new things and adapting to her very strange, new environment.

Friday, May 21
I experienced a "first" that I never wanted to experience while living here in Tokyo...I got LOST. I didn't just get lost by taking a wrong turn and then figuring it out....I got lost for an hour and a half, driving around Tokyo, listening to my Navi tell me to "turn right now" as I pass the street, over and over again. Thank god I had Karen in the car, or I might still be lost!! It was an incredibly frustrating experience, but I think I got to know the city of Tokyo a bit better, so all isn't bad! To add to that experience, I had to bring Maya and a friend to a birthday party in another part of Tokyo, so I had to buck up, get back in the car and drive again, not soon after I got home from my previous adventure. I had our front desk put the address of her friend into my navigation system (phone numbers don't always work, and addresses have to be entered in in Kanji), as well as the address for National Azabu, one of the international grocery stores that I go to on occasion. Lucky for me, I had a conversation with the birthday girl's mom and for some reason, the directions to their home from the grocery store stuck in my head..because, the Navi DIDN"T work!! I was driving (with no idea where I was in relation to anything else), and it randomly says "you have arrived at your destination"!! I knew we were not even close....so I punched in the grocery store and had to figure it out from there! They were 30 min late, but they made it, right???

Saturday, May 22
Maya had another birthday party to go to at the 100 Yen park in Meiji Jingumae. The girls love this park, and it was OK if Hanna went as well. The weather was beautiful, and after, we took Karen to the Hard Rock Cafe so she could get a tshirt!

Monday, May 24
So, this was the day we had planned to go to Ueno and check out the National Museum. We got our umbrellas, trained all the way up there (30+ min), walked through the park to the museum, only to see that it was CLOSED!! UUGGHH. Because I had not done the museum type touristy stuff here in Tokyo, I did not know that all museums are closed on Mondays. We were not the only ones left to figure out what the heck to do- there were quite a few foreigners left scrambling with no agenda! So, we went to Ueno's market street, and enjoyed perusing the markets...it was here that a young, Japanese man, trying to get me to buy his wares, told me that his pineapple on a stick was "as fresh as you, baby"! I think Karen and I laughed most of the day on that one!! So, if any of you think differently, there is a young Japanese man here who thinks I am pretty darn fresh... (or his pineapples were really pretty darn stale..hmmm..I think I will go with the first option!)

We also cruised through Harajuku, as well as went Kimono shopping in Omotesando! Fun times!!

Tuesday, May 25


We went to Kamakura, home of many temples and shrines, as well as the second largest Bronze Buddha in Japan. The seated Buddha, known as Kamakura Daibutsu, was constructed in 1252, and took 10 years to complete. It is 13.4m high and weighs 121 tons. It is unbelievable and completely amazing. Maya is starting to get very interested in temples, shrines and all things uniquely Japanese. We also took them down to what is probably the worst beach I have ever been to (they didn't care- took off their shoes and went running through the water!), and concluded the day with a trip to Baskin Robbins!

Wednesday, May 26
I took Karen into Shimokitizawa, a little neighborhood right near ours, that is quite unique- lots of shops and restaurants, and we are told, a good nightlife! We had lunch at a great little Italian place, La Verde, and then headed off to Shinjuku, which is, I believe, the largest train station in the world. I have never attempted to go to Shinjuku alone, as I am a bit intimidated by it. However, we had some gift cards that I needed to trade in for cash, and that was the place I was told I had to go to do it. My front desk (once again, thank you, Mr. Ishyzaki) printed out a map of where I had to go (not a very good one, just a rough map of the train station), wrote down on the bottom in Japanese what I wanted to do with the gift certificates and the exit at the station I needed to find and sent me on my merry way. So, Karen and I get to the exit (there were levels of this exit- so we had no idea which one we were supposed to go out of), and start comparing our map to the map outside of the station. We must have looked very confused, because this elderly Japanese man, who spoke very little English, came up to me and said "help"?..I shook my head enthusiatically (at this point, I had to idea he didn't know english- the word Help sounded pretty good!), and handed him my map. He proceeded to look at the map for a solid 7 or 8 minutes, and turns to me and points and says "you, follow me, you, follow me" and proceeds to WALK us to the place!! I am telling you, the place was not right outside the station, and this man, who couldn't even communicate with us, took the time out of his day to walk us there! What an uplifting and happy experience. One thing about Japan- the people here are so very helpful- I could not picture that happening anywhere else that we have lived. What a great experience and a good feeling!

I took Karen to the airport on Thursday- another driving first for me. This experience went perfectly well, and I am happy that I did it (as hopefully, if anyone else comes to visit, I will be doing it again!)

We are getting ready to wrap up the school year here, and thus, our first 1/4 of our stay here in Tokyo. I want to say that it has been simply an AMAZING first 6 months. I think Scott, the girls and I have experienced so many different feelings and emotions, both good and bad, than we have ever had to deal with as a family before. The one thing this experience has proven to me is that we are a pretty great family unit- we have helped each other, encouraged each other, and supported each other like never before- it has defintely made our family a lot closer and stronger. Sounds cheesy, but when you are in a foreign country,especially one whose language and culture is so vastly different from your own, it is sink or swim- be flexible or be miserable (and a lot of you who know us well know how flexible by nature both Scott and I are!!). We are still working through things, and getting used to this new life we are temporarily living, but things here in Japan are good!

Wilco Concert- Zepp Tokyo, Mother's Day, Yoyogi Park with Friends

So, I am not sure how I forgot to put this in a previous blog, but Scott and I enjoyed our first concert in Tokyo this month! We went to see Wilco, an American band, and one of Scott's favorites. They were playing at Zepp Tokyo, which is a really nice, newer, intimate setting in ODaiba (no idea if that is the way it is spelled or not, but darn it, that is what it sounds like!!). Being our first concert in Tokyo, we didn't know what to expect- several friends had told us that concerts here just aren't the same- they follow the "typical" Japanese culture- polite clapping after songs- no craziness (our friend Karen told a story of how she and her husband Bill went to an AC/DC concert when they first moved here, and when they announced the band as they were coming on stage, Karen and Bill started going nuts- screaming, clapping....and NOT ONE other person did!! The quickly put their hands down, stopped making noise and just watched..BORING!). However, our experience was a bit different- people were excited to see this band, clapping, whistling...I am not sure if it was that there were so many foreigners there, or because the Japanese crowd was younger, but it was a really fun concert. Things I found quite funny though- even though I couldn't speak to most of the people there, they knew ALL the English words to ALL the Wilco songs!! I think if I learned to speak Wilco, I could get something done around here! Second, the lead singer kept picking on all the Americans there- it was funny, but the Japanese thought it was REALLY funny! Overall it was a really good night!


Last Saturday we met some friends, Ken and Kim Graham, and their kids Marley (who is in Maya's class as ASIJ) and Will (who will be in Hanna's preschool class next year at Yoyogi International Preschool)at Yoyogi Park for the Reggae Festival. The weather was fantastic, and everyone had a great day...mostly! Marley and Maya went down to the pond to "play" and Maya FELL IN! It was a typical pond- dirty and gross...she was wet and completely covered in dirt..and, you would have thought someone had hurt her, the way she was screaming her little head off. In case I haven't mentioned this before, people here are pretty reserved and do not make a lot of noise...so I think she scared the pants off of half the people around her. It took quite awhile to calm her down, and convince her that we should stay at the park, but she did manage to get over it and be able to enjoy the rest of the day. On our way to check out the fare at the Reggae festival, Hanna and Will ended up making friends with a Japanese guy who was playing a Diggery Do (again, no idea on the spelling!)- it is an Australian instrument that makes a very deep sound. The fella LOVED the kids, and soon, all four were playing his Diggery Do (that does not sound good, does it??), and beating on his drums (again..what?)! They had a blast, and it was equally nice, as Scott and I really got along well with both Kim and Ken!


Mother's day was also a very good day. Scott and I had gone down to IKEA during the Golden Week Holiday to get some things for our apartment (SO HAPPY!! Our place finally looks organized and homey). We went to the Hard Rock Cafe (again, more about going somewhere the girls will eat)for lunch, and then home to put together all of our furniture. Scott and the girls also came home with some FANTASTICALLY beautiful Lily's, and a little bunch of miniature roses and purchased a gift card to Amazon.com for me as well (I have a great Husband!). For Christmas, I got a Kindle as a gift (for those of you who don't know me well, I read almost as much as I exercise, and have joined a book group here in Tokyo)- however, it is difficult to get English books here for a decent price, so now, I have $$ to just download them onto my Kindle- yahoo!

Tonight, Karen, our college aged babysitter from Portage, is flying in to stay with us for 12 days. We are really excited, as she is our first visitor from home to come here and see us (Maya says this morning- I can't believe Karen is coming to see us before any of our family!! Hint, hint...!) :). We have 12 days of fun and excitement planned- we are going to Tokyo Disneyland on Tuesday (pulling the girls out of school for the day- we are told NOT to go on the weekends or any Japanese school days off, or you will not get on any rides), as well as Kamakura (home of the big Buddha!) Asakusa (Senso-ji temple), Tsukiji (largest fish market in the world- they do a daily turnover of $3 million USD in fish sales for over 5 million lbs of fish! Crazy!), as well as a few things school related for the girls- both girls are REALLY excited for Karen to see their respective schools.

I will update next week with a tale of our adventures!