Hachiko the dog

I went into Shibuya today, to enjoy some fantastic, fresh Sushi at Mark City with a few girlfriends. While I was there, I made a little pit stop to take a photo of the statue of Hachiko, the dog, for a friend of mine in the U.S.

Hachiko was an Akita dog that has earned a place in the hearts of all Japanese people, and has kept that place for over sixty years!

Nestled amid hoards of harried commuters, a variety of shops and department stores, and a giant television screen that covers half a skyscraper, a life sized bronze statue of a dog can be found at Tokyo's busy Shibuya Train Station. Despite the diminutive size of the statue in comparison to the massive neon flash of the city, it isn't difficult to find. Millions of Tokyoites have been meeting at the landmark since 1934 and continue to do so today.

Chu-ken Hachiko (lit. the faithful dog Hachiko) was born in Akita in 1923 and was first brought to Tokyo in 1924. He and his owner, Mr. Eisaburo Uyeno, were inseparable friends right from the start. Each day "Hachi" would accompany Eisaburo, a professor at the Imperial University, to the train station when he left for work. Upon returning, the professor would find the dog patiently waiting, tail wagging.

This happy routine continued until one fateful day in 1925, when the professor was taken ill on the job and unfortunately died before he could return home.
Despite the fact that Hachiko was less than two years old at the time, the bond between dog and owner was strong. Hachiko continued to wait each day at Shibuya station for a friend who was never coming back. At times, he wouldn't return home for days at a stretch.

The Akita became a familiar sight to commuters as he kept his vigil for over ten years. On March 8, 1935, Hachiko finally went to meet his master. He died on the very same spot he last saw his friend alive.

Statue Erected
The people who passed the loyal dog each day were so touched by his story that they erected a statue in his honor in 1934. The famous artist Ando Teru was commissioned for the original bronzed sculpture, which was melted down during the war.

After the war, Hachiko was hardly forgotten. In 1948 The Society For Recreating The Hachiko Statue commissioned Ando Tekeshi, son of the original artist who has since passed away, to make a second statue.

Hanna with Glasses

Hanna is insisting her vision is blurry (I would worry, except that it is blurry one day, fine for a week...), so she borrowed glasses from her friend Ainsley. I am pretty sure that she just likes Ainsley's glasses and wants some for herself!

Grand Sumo January 2011 Tournament at the Ryogoku Kokugikan

Makuuchi group- coming out for the Ring Ceremony


Ring Ceremony


On Sunday, January 16th, we took the girls to see a Sumo Wrestling tournament at the Ryogoku Kokugikan. It was the 8th day of the tournament, and we bought seats way up high, which actually turned out to be a great place to watch- especially with two younger kids.

We did not know very much about Sumo, but were told from friends that we HAD to go because it was such a fun experience. Turns out, they were completely right. It was like no other sporting event we have ever been to...typically, people arrive at the beginning of a sporting event, and then the crowd gets smaller as the event goes on (especially if it is a blowout). However, with Sumo, it is just the opposite. The best Sumo Wrestling matches, the Makuuchi, go last...so as the day goes on, the arena fills up (part of the reason we had to switch seats 3 times! We didn't know this, so we just sat anywhere...got kicked out twice, and finally decided we should sit where our tickets told us to!). Matches start at 8:30ish in the morning, with Preliminary bouts between new Sumo trainees that are officially unranked. Around 9am, the Jonokuchi start- these are real Sumo matches of the lowest ranked sumo wrestlers.

At 2:30, the Juryo Wrestlers make their ceremonial entrance- decked out in ceremonial aprons (kesho-mawashi). This division is the intermediate division. Fighters at this rank and above are considered full-fledged, professional Sumo wrestlers.


Sumo's Stretching


Sumo Match

These matches go on for roughly an hour, and then the Makuuchi Wrestlers make their ceremonial entrance. These wrestlers are the "top" level wrestlers. They step into the ring, wearing their own Kesho-mawashi, turn to face the crowd and form a circle. After this, the Yokozuna Grand Champion makes his ring entrance. This it the top Sumo Wrestler, so he gets to make his own entrance and do his own ceremonial event. This years top Sumo wrestler is Hakuho- he was very large and in charge!


Hakuho- Grand Sumo Champion

There was actually quite a bit of difference in the speed and skill level of the Juryo level vs the Makuuchi level- it got pretty darn exciting- the wrestlers would consistently fall out of the ring and down to the floor, which I can't imagine feels too great! Each wrestler gets only one match per day, and then continues on to the next day. The winner is the one with the best record at the end of the tournament. One thing I found completely interesting was the fact that the ring ceremony lasts longer than the match does- so as a wrestler, you come out, wrestler for maybe 30-45 seconds, and that is it for the day!

Scott and I are planning on going to the May tournament, without kids, when it comes back to Tokyo in May. We would like to be able to stay for the entire set of Makuuchi matches, and get to really pay attention!

Donovan Frankenrieter and The John Butler Trio

Scott and I went to see Donovan Frankenreiter on January 7th- the music was AWESOME, the venue, Club Quattro, only held about 350 people, and we were taller than almost everyone there- so we could see perfectly! It was such a fun time!



Donovan Frankenrieter at Club Quattro in Shibuya

At the end, Donovan invited the winner of a contest they had on their website up to sing- he was an older Japanese man, dressed up as Donovan- shaggy hair, hat, bushy mustache...gave him his guitar, and let him sing! He also passed out beer to some of the crowd, and was super personal and engaging! Fabulous night!!

On January 13th we went to see the John Butler Trio at the Akasaka Blitz. This concert was supposed to be at the end of October originally, but was rescheduled. They were fantastic!


John Butler Trio at the Akasaka Blitz

Hanna's 5th Birthday

The Garrisons, January 8, 2011- Hanna's 5th Birthday

Hanna turned 5 on January 8th! She woke up and said "Mommy! Mommy! I am five now, but I don't think I am any taller!" Apparently she thought she would wake up a different person!! :) Last year, we arrived here in Tokyo 3 days before her birthday-we knew no one, the girls didn't have any friends, they were jet lagged and we were in a city that we didn't know our way around at all. What a difference a year makes!


At the 100Yen Park

For her birthday, I had ordered some gifts, to be sent via Expat Express. I ordered them in early December, but the didn't actually arrive until the day after her birthday! Poor Hanna! I did have two small things for her here, so I wrapped those, and between that and grandparent gifts, she did have some things to open on her birthday! On her actual Birthday, Hanna wanted to go to the 100Yen park, so we spent the afternoon playing, and then going out to eat at TGI Fridays- they take your picture, sing you Happy Birthday and give you a free ice cream dessert- all great reasons to choose to go there for dinner.


Blowing out the candles on cake #1

Because most of her friends were still on Winter Break, we didn't have her party until January 15th. She choose to invite most of the little girls in our building, as well as one additional friend from school. We went out together and picked out a Flower Pinata, and we ordered Pizza and cake and played a fun game of Bingo for prizes. It was a great, easy party, and all the kids seemed to have a really good time.


Hanna hitting the Pinata


Hanna and her friends

I personally can't believe my baby is 5 years old- I am going to try to soak in all the hugs and kisses I can, before they are both too old to want to give me them!

Christmas 2010

Building a Gingerbread House at TAC




This year, instead of packing and buying and running around saying good bye to everyone, we built Gingerbread houses and got to see Santa at TAC (Tokyo American Club). We bought most of our Christmas gifts over the summer and brought them back here, and so we had very little shopping/buying to do, which was very weird. We did bring most of our Christmas decorations, so we decorated our place just like we always have (minus the outdoor part, which I am sure Scott was THRILLED about!).



We had some friends over to make cookies, watched taped Christmas shows (thank you Slingbox and the Sobell's!), and packed for our trip to Bali.


Girls with Marley and Will Graham making cookies

We returned from Bali late night on the 23rd, and spent the 24th getting ready for Christmas- cookie baking, last minute present wrapping...and 4pm Christmas Vigil mass at The Franciscan Chapel Center (FCC), our Catholic Church here. We went to mass, and then out to dinner at the Outback steakhouse. Came home and got ready for bed...after which I started having some really bad stomach cramps. These continued throughout the night, and got very bad on Christmas, later in the day. I was fortunate though, that I was able to enjoy Christmas morning with the girls, watch everyone open gifts and open my own as well. We had plans with our friends and neighbors Nick and Pam Johnson, and their kiddos, Chris, Michael and Sam, and our friends the Graham's, Ken, Kim, Marley and Will. Everyone pitched in and brought part of the meal, and it was a fantastic night...we learned about a few English Christmas traditions- Figi pudding, as well as doing Crackers at the table (crackers are these things you pull and out pops candy!). I ended up having to leave, as I couldn't take the pain anymore and had to head home. I spent the next 5 days in the bathroom, with severe cramps and other issues, and when I wasn't there, I was laying on the couch sleeping or curled up in a ball. Poor Scott had to play Mr. Mom and caregiver for 1/2 of his holiday vacation, and even had to work from home 1 1/2 days because I couldn't get off the couch. I finally went to see Dr. Joe, where he concluded I ate or drank something bad in Bali, and had a bacterial infection in my intestines...put me on antibiotics, and two days later- Yahoo- felt much better.


Scott reading The Night Before Christmas

The girls had a great Christmas, and were absolutely THRILLED with every single gift they received. Some highlights- they both got Taylor Swift tickets for her upcoming concert in February, as well as a very much wanted American Girl doll, iPod, iTouch, Dsi, Nerf guns....these were Santa gifts, as well as presents from grandparents and aunts and uncles! I will say they were spoiled rotten this year, but will also say that for the first time that I can remember, they were both completely appreciative, excited and happy with everything they received (and have used it all a ton since Christmas!)


Hanna with her new Dsi- she has been asking for one for a year!


Maya and her new iTouch- she was so excited!


Girls and their Taylor Swift tickets!

Luckily, Scott and the girls still had some time off, and we managed to take them to play at the 100Y park, to the Meiji Shrine for New Year's day (very traditional Japanese holiday- hundreds of thousands of people head out to pay their respects and make wishes for a safe and healthy new year at the shrines and temples throughout Japan), down to Roppongi Hills to see the Taiko drumming and Dragon dance, and to the Toy Kingdom in the Tokyo Dome.


Scott and the girls at the Meiji Shrine on New Year's Day


Check out the people!

I will say that despite my ridiculous sickness, this break has been fantastic. The girls have been such good kids, and so much fun to be around, and we have gotten to spend more time with Scott than we have since we have moved here to Japan. It is really nice to get to experience Japan as a family, and do some cool things around town together. Tomorrow, Maya starts school again, and Scott went back to work today (the 4th), so we are back to reality (except that I have Hanna home and off of school until Tuesday, January 11th). Happy New Year!

Bali Trip

Scott and the Girls in the Lobby of the Padma Resort

This year, we decided to take a week long vacation to Bali, Indonesia, leaving Dec 17th, returning the night of the 23rd. What we didn't realize was that it is the official "rainy" season in Bali...which doesn't necessarily mean it will rain. Last year, it was a "draught" year, and the weather was hot and beautiful the whole time...this year however, we went during the torrential downpour part of the season! Out of the 5 full days we were there, it rained non-stop for about 2 full days, and intermittently during part of the other. Scott and I both say we have NEVER seen rain like we did there- crazy, up to your calf water(of course, Bali has next to no infrastructure, so there is no where for the water to go!). The night we arrived, it was raining when we landed. Thanks to our friends Joell and Chris and their friends Greg and Atin (who have a home in Bali), we had a fella meet us, and get us through customs with zero wait (actually we went through the "Crew" exit!). By the time we got our luggage and walked outside it was a complete downpour, with HUGE thunder and lightening...crazy. We were booked to stay at the Padma Resort Bali and Legian (after much research on Trip Advisor), and were THRILLED with our resort- everything from the location of it, to the beautifully kept grounds, to the pools, to the staff and rooms- we couldn't have picked a better place to stay.


Christmas Tree at Padma

Day 1
The first full day, we woke up to a beautiful day- partly sunny and nice and warm. We headed to the pool, where we spent the entire day swimming, laying in the sun, playing with the girls, eating by the pool...what a magnificent day it was. Our friends, Greg and Atin, arranged for Atin's sister, Nurul, and their driver, Achok, to drive us around and help us with the kids for the next few days of our trip- it was fantastic to have help, and to have someone who knew the area and places to go. Nurul was really good with the girls (they both took to her and liked spending time with her!), and Achok was a great driver- it is nuts driving in Bali- reminded me of driving in Beijing, with less traffic lights and more motorcycles and scooters!



Day 2
The second day, we choose to go to Waterbom, a water park in Bali that we were told was a "BLAST". Well....for a family with a little more adventurous and actually probably a little bit older kids, I think it would definitely have been. We have two that are intimidated a bit by water, and mostly nervous about "new" things. I had taken both girls to the Kalahari water parks last summer, and they had a complete ball, so I thought they would feel the same thing at this one. A few things went wrong with this theory:
1. Though it was "warm" outside, when it rains, it gets chilly- especially if you are in a swimsuit. It drizzled, then rained, the down poured, etc., the entire time we were there, so we were all freezing (my girls said my they have never seen my lips so purple!)!

2. The slides/rides were either for quite little kids, or pretty adventurous kids- not a lot in between to let my girls get comfortable.

The pools there were a little too deep to swim in (Maya couldn't touch at all, which makes doing flips, etc. pretty tough). So, there was some crying and complaining, which was completely frustrating to Scott and I, as we figured (incorrectly, obviously), that this choice of ours was a complete "slam dunk"! Turns out it didn't matter, as by about noon, the rain and wind became so terrible and intense, that they shut the water park down and we were forced to leave anyway. We did get to play one fun game of water balloon toss with a bucket launcher, and I will tell you this- you ask Hanna what her best time in Bali was, and she will say going to the Water park!! Our kids are going to be the death of us! :)

We ended up going back to the hotel, where the girls went to the kids club, and of course, the rain cleared up and Scott and I spent the afternoon having some drinks by the pool and recovering from our unsuccessful attempt at family fun!

Day 3
We went to Ubud, to go to the Monkey Forest, to the markets, and for lunch. This day was overcast, which was perfect, as it was a day we were wandering and not wanting to swim. The Monkey forest literally has hundreds of free roaming monkeys, and we had heard some creepy things about them and how aggressive they are. We walk in, and the first monkey in the darn place comes right for us, walks behinds us and grabs onto Hanna's pants and would not let go. Thank god Hanna seemed to think this was funny! It eventually let go when it realized she didn't have any bananas....the girls loved the Monkey park, so at least this choice of ours turned out to be a good one! From there we headed to lunch at Bebek Bengil, dirty duck diner, which was right on a rice field. The lunch was very tasty (though if you ask Hanna, she would say NO food there was tasty unless she could eat a hotdog...ugh). From there we went to the Ubud Markets and shopped around a bit. Ubud is known as the "artsy" area of Bali, and there are a lot of stores and shoppes that sell crafty things. After that, we headed home to swim and play at the resort!


Nurul, Girls and I with a few baby monkeys


At the Monkey Forest


Day 4
DOWNPOUR. Torrential DOWNPOUR. It was crazy how much, how fast and how long it rained on this particular day. Lucky for us, Nurul and Achok knew of a place where there was Barong and Kris Dancing under cover, so that was the first thing we did. The Barong Play represents an eternal fight between good and evil. Barong (mythological animal) represent a good spirit, and Rangda (mythological Monster) represents and evil spirit. It was interesting, and though the girls had zero idea what was going on, it kept them entertained the entire time.


With a Barong Dancer

After that, we headed to Jenggala, which was a Pottery shop selling gorgeous pottery. It also had a place where the kids could paint pottery- which is why we went. The girls each picked out a piece of pre-made pottery and had a blast painting it. From there, we headed to Jimbaran beach for a fresh seafood lunch. Unfortunately, it was not how we hoped to have our seafood lunch- inside the restaurant, watching it POUR outside, but non the less, the food was delicious and it was a definite feast! This was the only day in Bali that it rained the entire day- start to finish, and was a bit of a downer.


Jenggala- Pottery Painting

Day 5
The girls favorite part of our vacation!




The girls headed to the Kids' club for a few hours in the morning, and Scott and I headed out to Legian to do some "bargain" market shopping. We ended up spending more than we had planned, but found a lot of deals on fake goods! The rest of the day, we were fortunate enough to be able to spend at the Resort Pools. The one thing both of our girls LOVE to do is swim- we could be anywhere as far as they are concerned, as long as there is a fun pool for them to play in. They had made friends with two sisters that were the same age as they were during the morning fish feeding (our resort was FULL of Koi ponds), and time spent at that Kids' club. We ended up next to them all day at the pool, and the girls swam for 6 hours straight. It was a great way to end our vacation!


Feeding the Fish

We are so glad we went to Bali- the weather wasn't fantastic, but we made the most of it, and had a great time together as a family! The experiences and things we are getting to see and do while living over here in Tokyo are phenomenal- we are so lucky to have these opportunities, and will definitely miss them when we move back to "real" life in 2012!