Discovering a Tokyo for Young Kids
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.
It’s springtime. I’m glad winter is over but I also can’t believe I’ve gone this long without writing one post. Last week was so warm that everyone, including me, was already thinking about the cherry blossom viewing 花見 (はなみ hanami) parties, but the weather fooled us all and dropped to a chilly 11 degrees this entire week. This is usually an eventful time in Japan for kids in school because the graduation ceremonies 卒業式 (そつぎょうしき sotsugyoushiki) are held around the end of March and the new school year begins, opening with the entrance ceremony 入学式 (にゅうがくしき nyuugakushiki) around the first week of April. My kids are still in nursery school and this is the time of year they see off the 6 year olds who are moving onto elementary schools 小学校 (しょうがっこう shougakkou) , then move up to the next group. There was even a graduation ceremony for the kids at the nursery school. When I saw them preparing, all the teachers in their black suits typically worn during formal ceremonies or celebrations here, I must admit, it already made me rather emotional and all the more real to me how Keiji is getting close to elementary school age. But these new beginnings, it’s what spring symbolizes everywhere.
So, I must resume plans for the annual cherry viewing picnic. It’d be nice to go someplace different this year. Someone had mentioned Yasukuni Shrine 靖国神社 （やすくにじんじゃ）area has some nice spots. A lot of people mention Aoyama Cemetery 青山霊園（あおやまれいえん）as being a great cherry blossom viewing area as well, but I’ve also heard that that area has some negative vibes. This year, the top two places I have heard to be nice cherry blossom viewing, mentioned by various students, are Chidorigafuchi Park and the strip along NakaMeguro river. We’ll see what we can find….
Welcome the year of the cow! 2008 seemed to just fly by, not to say that it wasn’t eventful.
Celebrating New Year’s Eve in Tokyo is generally quieter compared to the New Year’s Eve celebrations I grew up with, which often consisted of loud cheers, noisemakers, champagne or some sort of inebriating liquid. Here, we eat soba for dinner (and I think everyone really does eat soba) and as the clock strikes midnight, many households watch the Kohaku Uta Gassen, a special New Year’s Eve program featuring popular singers performing live. Some families go to a temple after midnight to pray for good wishes for the new year.
It was a bit hard getting used to New Year’s Eve here at first, but this year I found that I actually appreciated this quieter, more somewhat introspective type of New Year celebration, not feeling any pressure to have to “do something” and just enjoying the peacefulness of relaxing with the family then having our own little countdown with an excited and wide-awake four year old.
In Japan, the days preceding New Year’s Eve are full of preparations. People spend the few days before December 31st cleaning their homes from top to bottom, inside and out, and preparing some food for the next few days (osechi – which I will try to learn one year) since many small mom and pop shops and supermarkets are closed for a few days. The idea is that you prepare everything before New Year’s Eve and the first three days of the new year are spent doing nothing but relaxing. I like this practice of thoroughly cleaning the house before the new year, but I must admit I am still not able to put it much into practice. I still save most of the cleaning for Spring.
Happy New Year! Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!
The Sky Court play area on the 5th floor of the Kawasaki Be department store is closed. They are renovating the building and have already opened the first 3 floors. I’m not sure if they will keep the sky court, but hopefully they will. It was a good place to let the kids run and play in nice weather.
Ota Festival, Heiwajima Park
This was a nice festival for the kids because there were various little attractions. There were food and shop stalls of course. In addition there was a small petting zoo area where the kids could see sheep, a young calf, goats, hamsters and guinea pigs. Another highlight were skateboard ramps set. Unfortunately, it was a chilly and rainy weekend during the time it was held, but there was still quite a good turnout of people. By the skate ramp area DJs spun some tunes, Bar Ain’t had a stall serving drinks and some food and many families with young kids were there too. A ramp was set up for the older skaters and one smaller version for the youngsters (which I heard are actually permanent fixtures of the park now but I need to find out more details). The little boys were so cute, and pretty good on their little decks!
Keiji was intrigued and insisted we put him up on the ramp, but seeing as he never really rode a skateboard apart from sitting on it and pushing himself across, we advised he not try the ramp just yet. Maybe next year? Hmmm
In Japan Halloween is sometimes called Day of the Ghosts or Obake no hi おばけの日
This year we went to the Harajuku Halloween event to try to watch the kids parade that goes along Omotesando. Some shops gave out some candies and treats and you could get a special sheet of paper stamped from each shop. After getting 10 different stamps you can get a prize. Although the website says the event is from 11 am – 6pm, by 2:30 pm almost all the shops had no more candies or treats to give out and if you start collecting stamps from different shops at that time there is no way to collect enough required for the prize. We were too late for the parade as well. So getting there around the start time is probably better. Anyhow the kids had fun going out in their costumes and seeing other kids dressed up. Can you guess who the kids are this year? You might need to live in Japan to know who Keiji is.
There is a Japanese national holiday on the second Monday of October known as Health and Sports Day, a day to promote health and physical and mental well-being. Many schools, including ours, hold a sports day during this time, which is like a mini-Olympics with games and some little choreographed performances by each grade. Since the kids are only in nursery school it was not too competitive like older grades, but it was so cute! Even Arisa’s class had a little mini obstacle course where they walk over a little bridge, crawl through a tunnel, then reach the goal. Then there was also a short race. Both were done with a parent. Keiji’s group did a pirate-themed number (isn’t that perfect Auntie Jackie?) for their performance. They had an obstacle course as well which involved jumping down from a stack of planks and tapping a tambourine while jumping off, then running over some rings on the ground, then a parent would give them a piggy back ride to their goal, where they’d get a gold medal from inside a treasure box. The parents have a game as well. We were separated into two teams. Each person wore a string around an ankle, with a balloon at then end. Then each team had to try to pop the other teams balloons. Whichever team had the most balloons left won. It was actually pretty tiring after all the activities were over. It was really fun though. The kids did so well! I can’t believe they can already follow choreographed routines. Another Japanese event I often heard about and have seen on TV dramas and finally got to experience for myself.
On the weekend of October 11th-13th was the O-eshiki Buddhist Festival. The festival commemorates the anniversary of the death of Nichiren Shonin, a Buddhist monk who is credited as founder of the Nichiren Sect, which teaches the chanting of Namu Myho Renge Kyo as an essential practice. In his later years, Nichiren traveled trying to reach the hot springs to find a cure for his illness but passed away at Ikegami. He founded Honmonji Temple just before his death. So every year at Honmonji Temple is a big celebration in his honor. We attended the the second night of the festival. It’s beautiful to see the parade of beautifully lit-up mando followed by a lively procession of followers beating drums, playing flutes and chanting as they make their way to Honmonji.
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.
If you live in Japan, you must’ve heard the Ponyo theme song at least once. Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea is the latest Studio Ghibli animated film (creators of Totoro, Princess Mononoke and others). Keiji and Arisa were singing it one day and I had no idea what it was, but next thing I knew I heard little kids singing this song everywhere I went, even before the film release. I found myself humming it against my will. If you feel so inclined to keep up with the little kids in Japan, check out this little video with the lyrics written in romaji so you can sing along!