In the States we know her as Hello Kitty, but here in Japan she is Kitty-chan and she can be found at Sanrio Puroland (pronounced pyuroland, but I’m not sure what this means).  It’s an indoor little “theme park”  but there is really only one ride, which is similar to Disneyland’s Its a Small World. Puroland mostly has different shows. There are 3 or 4 different mini theaters in there with performances of about 20 – 30 minutes long. The most impressive one was a show with Kitty-chan performing as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. It was a collaboration with the Takarazuka Theater Group, which is famous in Japan as an all-women’s theater group and at each of their performances they do a very elaborate revue of Rockettes-style dancing and grandiose costumes – think feathers, sparkles and plenty of headgear. And yes, Kitty-chan was dressed in all this Vegas splendor. There is also a small parade twice a day and Kitty-chan’s house, where you can have a photo taken with her. The crowd is mostly parents (or mothers) with their young daughters, but Yuki and Keiji managed to enjoy themselves enough as well!

It goes to the tune of “Are You Sleeping?” and the words are something like this…

guu choki pare, guu choki pare ぐうちょき ぱあれ ぐうちょき ぱあれ (rock, scissor, paper. rock, scissor, paper) – while singing this part the kids do the appropriate hand signs for rock, scissors and paper

nani tsukuttaroo? nani tsukuttaroo? なに　つくったろう？　なに　つくったろう？ (What shall we make? What shall we make?) – while singing this they usually sway their head and open palms left to right

hidari te wa GU migi te wa PARE 　ひだりて　は　ぐう　みぎ (left hand is “rock.” right hand is “paper.”) – while singing this part, make the rock hand symbol with the left hand, and the paper with the right

herikoptaa herikoptaa ヘリコプター　ヘリコプター (helicopter) – while singing this, place right hand (paper) over left hand (rock) and turn hands to gesture a moving a helicopter

Then you can repeat the song, but changing the ending with either Gu, Choki or Pare with right and left hands. The other possible combination endings can go:

hidari te wa GU migi te wa GU…..yukidaruma  yukidaruma (snowman)

hidari te wa CHOKI migi te was GU….katatsumuri   katatsumuri  (snail)

hidari te wa GU  migi te wa CHOKI….usagi  usagi  (rabbit)

So I guess this is officially the first Japanese kids song I can sing in its entirety without messing up the words.  Or so I think…..

I’m very grateful that Auntie Jackie and Grandma insisted we take the kids to the 5th Avenue FAO Schwarz. The last time I went there was when the store was going through some financial difficulties so the store was scaled down and seemed sparse, from how I remember it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the store is still quite magical and things are so delightfully displayed.

Ever watch the movie Big? If you did, then I’m sure you can recall the scene where Tom Hanks and his friend play the giant piano on the floor inside FAO Schwarz. The piano is still there. And there are many newer things: apart from the blocks, trains, specialty stuffed animals like life-size dragons and dinosaurs, there are other novelties like a place where you can build your own Jim Hensons muppet of your own, a studio where you can choose from a selection of clay items to paint and have it glazed and baked in a kiln, a doll section of all makes and sizes and dream houses, a lovely princess section where bright and sparkly tulle and tiaras line the walls and areas dedicated to the long-loved brands like Barbie, Lego, Hot Wheels. The kids were literally all over the place for hours.

To get there by subway, take the N or R to the 5th Avenue station. If you have a stroller, you’ll need to be prepared to walk up quite a few steps.

Fifth Avenue is always appealing to shoppers visiting NYC since all the designer shops can be found on this long avenue that runs Uptown to Downtown. Fortunately for shoppers with children, there are lots of appealing places for the younger ones too. In the 57th street area you can find the Central Park Zoo, FAO Schwarz and the Apple store (fun for all ages!) a few blocks south, and the Disney Store a few more blocks south from there. Here’s Keiji in front of the Apple store, taking a little break from afternoon affairs.

We didn’t make it to Chidorigafuchi or Naka Meguro this year to see cherry blossoms there. From reports I heard, it was very beautiful but also crowded, as expected. We’ll try to make it there one year. We did make it to Yasukuni, but it was too early and the cherry blossoms weren’t in full bloom. So instead, the kids rode their bikes along the Tama River to view the cherry blossoms.

When I used to watch Japanese TV dramas that Yuki would rent back in NY, the dramas often had scenes of uniform-clad school kids walking home from school along a path that looked like it was on top of a long, grassy hill. Now I see where they were walking.  In every town in Tokyo a river is always nearby. Along the top of these river banks, or dote どて (for example Arakawa dote 荒川土手 means Arakwaa River banks) is a paved path for joggers, cyclists, or people going for a stroll. You could literally follow the path and go to every town that the river connects. The kids love to go walking along the river. You could kill lots of time there since also along the banks are playgrounds and grassy fields where you’ll find many people practicing sports, flying kites, skating, having picnics or fishing. Time always seem to go by more slowly along these peaceful river banks.

Jagabata じゃがバター Steamed potato with butter

Yaki ikaやきいか　Grilled squid

Okonomiyaki おこのみやきJapanese style pan-fried “pizza” with ingredients such as cabbage, pork, shrimp, octopus, squid (okonomi means “what you like” and yaki means “grilled”)

Takoyaki たこやきPan-fried balls with octopus pieces and veggies inside, usually topped with sauce, shaved bonito flakes and Japanese mayonnaise

Holding あんずあめ anzuame (apricot candy)

Jagabata じゃがバター Steamed potato with butter

Yaki ikaやきいか　Grilled squid

Okonomiyaki おこのみやきJapanese style pan-fried “pizza” with ingredients such as cabbage, pork, shrimp, octopus, squid (okonomi means “what you like” and yaki means “grilled”)

Choco Banana チョコバナナChocolate covered banana

Kakigori かきごり Shaved ice with fruit-flavored syrup (and sometimes condensed milk)

Yakidango やきだんご Grilled sweet, sticky rice (mochi) balls on a stick