My new site is up

I have moved to hiromistone.com.  Here you can find my blog, cooking classes and translation info all in one place.  I  would love your feedback.  Come visit me and leave me comments. 

Recharging batteries

Every year, my family meets up in Hawaii.  We have been getting together like this probably for the better part of 20 years.  My kids have gotten to know their cousins even though we have never lived close by.  My parents get to see all the grand kids at the same time and I get to spend time in a place I love.  I have also had the pleasure of seeing my nephews grow up into thoughtful, funny people who are also great athletes. 

When I was younger and the kids were little, the entire vacation was spent "doing".  We'd have activities for the kids, pool, beach, museum, something to keep them occupied as well as the futile attempts to get them to nap.  My parents were younger too so came with us on a lot of the outings.  Then everyone got a little older and the pace slowed, there was less activity, kids wanted to sleep all the time and my parents wanted to sit more.

I think this year, we may have entered a new phase.  The kids are grown ups now, capable of doing things on their own and familiar enough with the city that I don't worry.  Their cousin drives too, which adds a whole new dimension to their activity.  

For me, it's been a welcome change from the extremely hectic life I lead at home.  There's nothing to do but hang out and enjoy my family.  Of course it is a multi generational family vacation, there are tensions and a fair amount of negotiating and coordinating before things happen, but I think our days of getting together like this are numbered as the children begin their lives away from us and my parents become less mobile.  

So I grab a little me time before anyone wakes up and go walking on the beach.  Then the rest of the day unfolds in a leisurely fashion, where does the time go?  Before you know it, it will be time to go home and resume my life. I hope to remember with gratitude the warmth, fun and aggravation that is my family.

Teething pains

I have been wanting to consolidate my cooking and blogging under one roof for awhile now.  It was also recommended that I buy my own domain and pay for hosting.  That was the easy part.  So now what?  I managed to get my posts moved over, come up with some tabs, decided there should be a tab on translating as long as I'm at it, then the problems started.  It turns out that if you have a non methodical mind, these things are very hard to comprehend, let alone navigate.  Who said this blogging software was easy and anyone could do it?  I couldn't figure out how to add photos, I could upload them, but the same stupid tree that came with the template just wouldn't leave.  And that was just the beginning.

So I decided that I'm going to have to bite the bullet and pay someone.  Now for those of you who've read my Scammed Again post know that paying people online has not worked out that well for me lately.  So an anxious few days ensued when I realized that I was going to have to pay this so far very reasonable and friendly person my internet budget.  It seems to have worked out, and I think we are on our way.

What this whole exercise has made me realize is that I am heading towards branding myself.  Now, I've heard all that talk about personal branding and I always thought it was hooey.  But, now it is starting to make sense to bring all the different things together under one label.  Maybe there should be a tab for Dress for Success?  I have volunteered there for 4 years and it is very much a part of my life.  While I don't think that I need to share my entire life with the internet world, maybe there's information that I can share which would be of actual interest to people.

I'm planning to give it some thought over my holiday and hopefully come up with some decent content.  I need to work out a schedule for my autumn classes and maybe even do a bit of marketing.

My next post will probably be about what a relaxing time I'm having.  Fingers crossed.

Oh, by the way, I just signed up to participate in the second Underground Gourmet farmer's market. in September.  I will be doing a demonstration and potentially selling some stuff.  I think I took a monumental step doing this, but as with most of my decisions, I didn't think that much about it, it felt right.  So I hope everything comes together, I'm not sure I have any time to be lounging around on the beach.

A great weekend

The kids and I went to Prague to visit hubby last weekend.  He's been there for about a month now, lured by an interesting new job and a chance to live in a new city, and  I thought I was the one with the wanderlust.  I've stayed behind in London and so began our commuting marriage.  With a daughter at uni and a son just graduated high school, I feel like our days of family trips are numbered.  And so it was that the four of us had a wonderful weekend in the blazing heat of Prague, exploring and discovering a new place together.

We walked 10km on Saturday, just seeing the sights.  Prague is a small enough city so that it is easy to get around on foot in the touristy parts.  We climbed the 208 steps up to Prague castle, toured the cathedral and bought the most expensive bottles of water ever.  I took some arty shots of the cathedral, here is one.

No holiday for us is complete without lots of eating, and this was no exception.  We tried local Czech cuisine, a little hearty in 30 degree heat but still great, Chinese, Italian and even Mexican (I opted to sleep and skipped that expedition).

But mostly we enjoyed spending time with each other.  I am so proud of my kids, how they noticed and appreciated the gorgeous architecture, the enthusiasm they showed for getting to know a new city and the ability to embrace new experiences.  They have matured into thoughtful interesting young people and I love knowing them.  Okay, enough mom gushing, I'll talk about something else now.

All too soon, we were back at the airport, saying good bye to hubby/dad.  We'll all be together again in 2 weeks time, in a different city.

Beginnings and endings

Looking back on the first half of this year (okay, it's a little over half) I've noticed that this year has been full of beginnings and endings.  I thought I would recap some of them to see if I can see a pattern.

Hubby took a job in another country, thus ending a period of self employment.  It is also the beginning of a commuting marriage although so far he's doing most of the commuting.  It is only a 1 hour time difference but still makes communicating a bit tricky.  

I started teaching cooking classes at home which signals the end of many years of raising children and thinking up crazy schemes.  It turns out that the simplest idea is the easiest to launch, go figure.  

Because I am such a great time waster, I have also started doing translating work.  The deadlines force me to plan my time, something of an alien concept for me.

My son graduated from senior school, or high school to those outside the UK.  We went to the ceremony, got a glimpse of what his life has been like the last 5 years and loved that he has made such great friends.  He is home now for a gap year after having been away at school.  I'm sure this will take some adjusting on both sides, but I am looking forward to it. 

My daughter finished her first year at uni and is moving into a house for the autumn.  She will really have an address that has nothing to do with home.  

I began a new exercise regime.  Now this is brand new.  I had joined a gym last year when I overhauled my eating to get into shape.  I was lucky enough to meet up with a great personal trainer who really knew his stuff.  But the gym itself wasn't great and it became harder to get to once we moved.  I realized that for the last couple of months I was only going to the gym to see him.  So it was a waste from both a financial and fitness perspective.  Then a new gym opened in my neighbourhood.  I had been watching it being built for months, since it is so close to my flat.  But when I told my son it said it was a mixed martial arts gym, he said to me, "that's cage fighting, mom".  Well that didn't seem at all like the kind of place I belonged.  But when they finally opened, I went on their website and saw they had classes for women.  I 

e mailed them basically saying that I am a 51 year old female, is this the gym for me figuring I would either get no reply or a polite this is for hard core athletes kind of answer.  Instead, I got a very friendly e mail back inviting me to come down and have a look around.  

To make a long story short, I went, I saw and I took my first boxing class.  It was lots of fun, the instructor was very patient and nice and made sure I was doing things correctly.  Everyone on staff has been really nice too.  Now I have no interest in doing any mixed martial arts, but I understand how the training could be really beneficial even for someone who doesn't want to stomp on the other guy.  Since all the classes are included in the membership, I plan to take advantage of it as long as my body holds out.  Who knows, I may finally shed some of the fat that's been covering my muscles for decades.

So I guess it's a big transition year for me, this blog is a new thing too.  I've been in contact with lots of different people through this blog and am following some truly fun blogs.  There are lots of talented people out there.

I hope the rest of the year is as action packed as the first half.  Stay tuned.

Me and my computer

photo: http://www.ehs.net/info.htm

I am sitting in front of my computer for the first time since Friday evening.  Now, that may not seem like a long time for you but it is ages for me.  If I am home, I am never far from my computer. It's not that I get that many e mails or have that much to research, but there always seems to be something I can do.  Let's face it, it's a habit.  So on Friday evening, when a computer whiz suggested that I needed to reload my operating system, I blithely said yes without really thinking through the consequences.  Well, what followed was about 36 hours of being without a computer, more accurately, the internet while hubby figured out where the wireless modem was which is supposed to be there at start up.  

On Friday evening, I was seriously stressed out about it, thinking about all the things that I had forgotten to back up before he blew up my computer.  Then, I thought, it's a brand new start.  Do I really need the 5 years worth of data and other programmes that I no longer run on my computer?  So I just decided to approach this as having gotten a brand new machine and instantly felt better.  

I have an online back up system which I have yet to access so I'm not sure that my data is all recoverable.  But I have already learned that what I thought was absolutely essential for my computing life turns out not to be.  Just old patterns that were familiar and therefore felt essential.  

I'm sure there are many aspects of my life to which I can apply the same principle.  Hmm, I wonder what I should blow up next?

Real estate bug

We have lived in 6 properties in 8 years since moving to London. So for the first couple of years, it seemed like I was always looking for a place to live.  I've looked at both rentals and sales in a lot of different neighbourhoods.  Everyone has different definitions of a desirable place to live.  I tend to value hubs where many different tubes and buses converge, very convenient for getting around but not necessarily the prettiest neighbourhood. The amenities that many people look for, like a park and quiet streets, are not as important to me as the ability to get places quickly.  My list of requirements has been honed over the many searches we have done.  But there comes a time in every search when you have to decide what you are willing to compromise on.  That too changes depending on your circumstances and time of life.

When we first moved here, the priority was finding a place where I could walk both children to school even though I had picked schools in different neighbourhoods.  That was a "location above all" house and it worked very well for that which was the most I could say for it. The only thing I remember about that house was darkness and it was so small, half our stuff was in storage.  We rectified that with the next house where we had lots of light and lots of space.  The trade off?  20 minutes further from things.  20 minutes may not seem like a lot, but in London that 20 minutes could easily be an hour depending on traffic or tube reliability.  That's when I realized that I could not be at the mercy of a capricious tube line and a single congested road to get from the centre of town to home.

So after we were done with that house, we decided to buy so we could stop moving.  That involved being in temporary accommodation while we looked for something to buy.  Well, what started off as a three month let in a tiny, dark but incredibly convenient flat turned into 8 months.  Since it was meant to be a short let, most of our things were in storage including clothes. It was a boring winter from a clothing standpoint, you can't replace your entire wardrobe when you know it's sitting in storage.  I think it was a reaction to living in such cramped quarters that we ended up buying our first place in London.  It was a bit oversized but I loved it.  It still wasn't great from a light perspective, it had one sunny room where I spent a lot of time.  It had a lot going for it, location, space and services.  When it was time to move on from there, once again we ended up in a rental, this time big enough that we didn't need to rent extra storage.  Instead, we lived for 14 months with random stacks of boxes in the flat, hardly relaxing. We should have learned from the last time but once again, what we thought would be a short rental turned into 14 months while we looked for, then renovated our current place.

I love the place we are in now, it combines my must haves, light, space and convenience.  I feel like we've hit the jackpot, the compromises I have made have been very minor.  Having laid out the space ourselves, it works with the way we live.  I understand now why people build their own houses, it is very pleasant to live in a space designed for your life.  But I can understand when we go and sell it, that the next people will find it not as convenient and they won't love it as much as we do until they've moved some things around.  I hope I don't take it personally when that happens.

During our many years of looking, I have developed a fascination for property, the way people live in them and how much of their emotions are tied up in it.  I remember a place we almost bought that was just lovely until the survey came back.  When we brought it up with the owners, they were incredulous since they had lived there for 23 years and never noticed any of the things that were red flagged.  The longest I've ever lived in a house I've owned is 4 years and still I could no longer see all the things that needed doing that was obvious to an outsider, so I can imagine what it would have been like after 20 years.

I subscribe to many property websites that e mail me with updates when new properties come on the market fitting my parameters.  Even now, more than a year after we bought our place, I can't bring myself to unsubscribe.  I live vicariously through the listings, looking at floorplans, thinking about how I would redo the space to suit me.  I saw a listing the other day where a house had been overdeveloped with a price tag to match.  I remember looking at it thinking it was probably done by first timers who got carried away and overspent and now they have to ask this outrageous price so they could at least break even.  Have they never watched Property Ladder?  I would love to have the opportunity to try it myself, I'm not sure I would be any better but it would be fun to try.  But since I didn't win the roll over jackpot on Saturday, I'll have to content myself with doing over floorplans virtually for now.

When friendships die

It's a sad day when you realize that the person whom you thought was a good friend turns out to be secretly harbouring resentment towards you.  You may think you're getting along great but if you listen closely to that little voice in your head, you know there's a quality to the relationship, a tension that doesn't exist in your other friendships.  It's that feeling that even though it seems like she is being agreeable,  somehow you need to tiptoe around her feelings.  Sometimes the friendship just explodes when the resentment comes pouring out of the other person and you are left absolutely stunned.  At other times, it just fades quietly away, as if both parties acknowledge that neither one of you can keep up the charade any more.  Either way, it is puzzling, hurtful and not a nice experience.  You think to yourself, "How could I have been such a bad judge of character?  Were there signs I missed?".

From speaking with friends for whom this has happened and my personal experience, I've concluded that very often it is envy that is at the root of this evil.  The very thing about you that attracted the other person to you and wanted them to make you a friend, superficial things like the way you look, the people you know, a fun life, turns out to be the thing that they think they are missing.  So they live vicariously through you for awhile and then the frustrations mount because you are living the life they want.  Of course, you don't realize any of this, you only notice that as time goes on, you find yourself watching what you say around them and steering clear of some topics because it tends to upset them.  As you don't actually think your life is so charmed that someone else would covet it anyway  it doesn't occur to you that, that may be the case until too late.  Another scenario is they meet you when you are at a particular down period in your life.  They come in, comforting, offering a shoulder to cry on and are so supportive, but as you slowly rebuild your life and become who you used to be, or you evolve into someone much stronger and self sufficient, they can't handle the shift in the relationship.

Is this something that only happens to women?  Do men have friendships like this?  Of course not all friendships end due to some unnamed resentment.  Some are meant to just be temporary, to share some common experiences and then move on.  The key is to distinguish between the intense but short friendships and the low key rest of your life ones.  Easier said than done I think, much like most of life.

Banana bread I can eat

No wheat, no dairy, no sugar.  That's my mantra these days.  The dairy is lactose intolerance so I pretty much have no choice there.  The wheat and the sugar is more voluntary.  Unpleasant things happen when I eat them but it is not tragic like it is with dairy.  So I try and stay away.  Now for someone whose favourite activity was afternoon tea, the new diet is a tragedy.  But I am willing to forgo the teas because I feel so much better.  I had a couple of friends over for lunch today to try out a new recipe.  They were very complimentary but what really got raves was the banana bread I made from some too ripe bananas I had sitting around.  The lunch is long consumed but here is a photo of the banana bread which doesn't look that sexy on its own.

D and V, here is the recipe:

Banana Bread - makes 1 8" cake round or the equivalent loaf pan
180 degree oven
50 minutes to bake

Wet ingredients
3/4 cup melted soya spread
3/4 cup agave syrup
2 eggs (room temperature)
1.5 tsp vanilla extract

Dry ingredients
2 cups Dove's Farm gluten and wheat free Plain white flour blend.
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup well mashed ripe bananas soaked in 1 cup orange/mango juice

1. Beat wet ingredients in large bowl beginning with agave and soya spread, add eggs one at a time.  Add vanilla and beat until light in colour.
2.  Take dry ingredients and sift together twice.
3.  Add dry ingredients and banana mush alternately to the wet ingredients beginning and ending with dry.  After each addition, mix gently to combine but do not beat or otherwise overmix - this toughens and dries a cake.
4.  Generously soya spread an 8" cake round or equivalent loaf pan and pour batter in and bake.
5.  Cool 10 minutes in the pan and then remove to finish cooling.

adapted from the Moosewood Cook book by Molly Katzen
sorry about the mixed fractions and decimals in the ingredients list.  I can't find the symbols list on blogger.

A slice of this with a cup of Rooibos Chocolate Chai and I can have my own afternoon tea.  Try it, you'll never mistake it for regular banana bread, but it's good on its own merits.

Weekend in New York

Just got back from a whirlwind weekend in New York.  It has been at least 3 years since I was last there.  It still feels like home even though we haven't lived there in almost 20 years.  I went to college there where I met my husband, worked there and had two kids while living in Brooklyn.  After we moved out to the burbs, I didn't go in nearly as often as I would have liked and so stopped identifying myself with New York.  But then we moved overseas and New York became our base while the kids were little.  But as they grew older, there was less and less reason to spend time there and that is how we ended up in this current situation of not having been in several years. 

We have good friends from college, some of whom we've stayed in close touch with and many we remember fondly but haven't seen in awhile.  So a 30th college reunion seemed like a great excuse to catch up with some people we hadn't seen in a long time.  Our friend B is a great organiser, calling out to classmates who had been such close friends at one point, to come together and reunite.  A group of us made it to New York for the weekend and it was a wonderful occasion.  There were a couple of friends I hadn't seen in I'm not sure how long and it was great to reconnect.  We went to college in the late 70's, early 80's and it was a great time to be young.  30 years later, we had all taken different paths but the strength of friendships formed so long ago made it seem like we had just seen each other.  Not everyone that B contacted could come, but the ripple effect was there just the same. Thanks to e mail and social media, we are reconnected.  We left vowing to stay in touch and promising to come together again in 5 years time.  

Scammed again

Honestly, I must have a big S on my virtual forehead for ":sucker:".  Last year, we stayed in a gorgeous condo with my parents but never got our deposit back.  It was a big chunk of change as it was a full month's rent.  The man who owned the company that the agent worked for turned out to be an A1 crook and it has now turned into a criminal case involving extradition, hundreds of victims, very messy.  I doubt we'll ever see a penny of that money.  All of this has been unfolding slowly since about the end of last year.  So you'd think we'd learned our lesson about dodgy real estate on the web.  Well I've done it again.  I gave some money to a non existent person for a non existent apartment in New York for our weekend.  This time we are only out the 3 nights worth of rental, but I feel incredibly stupid and annoyed.  So for my friends to whom I recommended Craigslist as a great place to fine deals on vacation rentals, please be careful.  I have rented successfully from them in the past so they are not all crooks but it is a tremendous leap of faith I realize now to send someone you've never met money in the hopes that they will do what they say they will.  So no more deals for me, I will just spend the extra and potentially save myself hundreds in money lost not to mention the aggravation and inconvenience.  I feel badly for all the honest people out there trying to rent their places out.  All I can say is Jane Synovec, if you really exist, I hope you use our money for something stupid and it brings you no joy.

What is success?

I have been set a challenge by a fellow Seven Sisters alum to define success.  Since I've never thought of myself as particularly successful, I thought I might have a think about what the word means to me.  

Success for me has always been linked to external approval, a label put on you by society.  It is the way society judges where you are in the hierarchy of deservedness (I know it’s not a word).  As the saying goes, “whoever dies with the most toys wins”.  So for me, it’s about material, visible accomplishments.  As someone who retired from an almost career 21 years ago, it never seemed to have much to do with me. 

Now don’t get me wrong, I haven’t just been taking up space all this time.  I have had a full and wonderful 21 years crammed with ups and downs and much living.  I have been the stay at home mom with two kids while my husband pursued my definition of success.  We did country moves, house moves, school moves, you name it, we’ve moved it.  Did I miss working and the external validation?  Not really.  I felt I was doing what I needed and wanted to do.  I’m not going to tell you it was a walk in the park, trying to guide a child into becoming a responsible human being is not easy.  Especially, when you realise fairly early on that they have minds of their own and they may do what you want them to do, but they’re going to think what they want to think.  I have been really lucky to be blessed with two wonderful kids who are sane and sensible with just the right amount of crazy to let me know they’re normal.  I am also lucky to have a very supportive husband who has recently redefined his concept of success and is much happier for it. 

Now that I am at a point where my kids require emotional time, not physical time so much, I am pursuing my own interests.  Who knows, in time I may achieve what society deems success.  But I may be too busy living life to notice.


You can read Kim's view here.  She is the originator of the Success Challenge.  Why don't you have a go?

Flying??

Flying has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.  According to my mom, we were flying from Tokyo to Osaka to visit relatives before I could walk.  Then the back and forth of being an expat kid followed by college in NY/ parents in Japan and my own nomadic life has meant that the way I see family is by first taking a very long plane ride.  But all of a sudden, what I took for granted is no longer a sure thing.  The volcanic ash didn't affect me in the first round of chaos except in the happy form of seeing friends I would otherwise not have seen, but now it may keep me from seeing my family this summer.  Add to this the fact that hubby is about to start a commuting life involving planes and I am wondering what will happen.  I had to break the news to my mom this morning that we may not see them this summer.  We've been getting together like this for a long time now, it's the one opportunity my parents have to see all the grand kids together.  As both my parents and the kids get older, I cherish every year thinking this may be our last year, as parents become slightly less mobile and kids develop more independent lives.  I hope the ash clears soon and then my only worry will be where to stay.

It's all about the little things

I must admit, I've been feeling very harassed lately.  My cooking classes, which are going well and so much fun to do, still require a lot of time.  Add to it, a translation job with the exact same schedule as my classes, needing to plan for the summer, a quick weekend in NY possibly jeopardised by the BA strike, and the myriad of phone calls it takes to keep a life running smoothly and I was feeling a bit overwhelmed.  I make a quick strike to Waitrose to gather ingredients for tonight's class and am tearing home.  I pass a mother and little boy on the street.  He's probably about three, doing the running, skipping thing little boys do because their legs just don't move fast enough for their liking.  He's also carrying on by himself because his mom's on her phone as she walks.  I try not to trip over him as I cross the street in my rush to get home.  Then, I hear him say, "look mum, flowers".  I expected the mom to just acknowledge briefly or even ignore him, how often have I done that do my kids.  But instead, she came to a dead stop, got down to his level and just matched his enthusiasm for how gorgeous the flowers were.  I wanted to go over there and congratulate her for being a wonderful mother, but of course I continued on my way.  It was a very little thing, but it made me stop and think, life is not about the grand gestures,  but an accumulation of little moments.  I know everyone says that, but I feel like I may have seen it first hand today.  Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but I feel like my life was made just a little better for having been a witness to their love.  A deep breath later, I am ready for the rest of my day filled with just a little more gratitude than this morning.

Improv 101

A new class today, my first class teaching veggies.  I went for the more classic dishes figuring that there will be time later for the variations and the fusion things.  So on the menu this evening was a spinach dish that I think most restaurants call spinach bundles because what else are you supposed to call them?  Anyway, it only works if you get spinach with stems and bottoms, not the leaves in bags you get in the supermarket.  So off I went to Chapel Market this morning to the veggie stall where just 2 weeks ago, I had purchased gorgeous bunches of spinach.  No spinach?!  Now I know nothing about the growing cycle of spinach, but none of the other stalls had it either, leading me to conclude that this is an off week for spinach.  What we had this week were some gorgeous asparagus.  So I bought some of that and am doing a dish with similar flavourings as the spinach dish.  Of course I had printed out the recipe already, so I had to come home and print the asparagus recipe and swap it around.  To make matters more interesting, I am also doing a tofu dish.  Well, the recipe I worked out uses the Cauldron tofu.  I should have known when I bought the last two packages last week that something was up.  They have repackaged their brand and the tofu no longer comes in the same weight it used to.  Not only that, they only had one package left at Waitrose, not nearly enough for what I need.  So I went to the Asian food store in Chapel Market and bought what looks like the largest block of tofu I have ever seen.  Crisis narrowly averted but I do wish people wouldn't go and change weights when they repackage, most inconvenient.  All this and class hasn't even started.  Not to mention the excitement of having the fridge stop working for a couple of hours last night.  As my friend A says, "mercury in retrograde".  Hope it's over soon.

Photo

I have a new profile photo.  Now, I think I photograph really badly.  But my friend who took my photo today said something really interesting.  She said no woman including models she knows has ever said they like their photo.  I know what I look like when I look in the mirror.  But I usually look to check out an outfit or to look at some part of my face close up.  So what is it about a photo that makes you look different from the mirror?    My thought is that maybe that's what I look like to the rest of  the world..

So after my friend took my photo and sent it to me, I looked at it as I usually do and thought, "oh why didn't I notice the sweater was crooked, my hair's messy, do I really smile like that", the usual stuff that leads me to conclude that that is in fact a bad likeness of me.  But today, I took a step back and tried to look at it objectively.  Then I could appreciate that it was a good photo and probably not a bad likeness.  So while it doesn't coincide with the mental image I have of myself, I can accept that perhaps this is the way I look in real life.
Here it is

A small ritual

May 5 is Boys' Day in Japan.  It is a day when various good luck items are displayed in the hopes that the boys will grow up to be healthy and prosperous.  Even though my boy is almost 18, I thought I would put his display up today.  My parents bought this for him when he was born and from the leaflet that came along with the set (because how would I know what goes where without it) it is traditionally something that the wife's family does for the boy.  According to the literature, I was supposed to have put it out mid April and it really needs to be put away mid May at the latest.  Well, I'm going to take some liberties and leave it out for the month of May so that all my students who come for class can see it.

As you can see from the photo, it is a helmet, sword, bow and arrow.  There are more elaborate ones involving the entire suit of armour, but my mom liked the simplicity of the helmet and the workmanship.  These items are meant to defend the boy against accidents, illness and other misfortunes on the road to growing up.  Maybe it will bring good luck for my son on his A levels, you never know.

A different dining experience

We went out to dinner this evening.  It was at the home of a woman we'd never met.  It was our first experience with the underground gourmet movement.  Our friends C and E suggested we try this out.  The way it works is, you sign up and pay online, you are sent the address of the venue, you turn up and they feed you.  Once you get there, you find out what's on the menu.  It was lots of fun, we met some lovely people and had a really good time.  The food was all really delicious, it's amazing that she was able to cook for 35-40 people on her Aga and do it well.  It was an around the world menu, starting with pasta, with a mains of Thai and ending with kulfi.  Somehow it all worked together and tasted great.  I can't imagine the work that went into it.  But the end result was very professional and well organised.  They had a rice cooker malfunction but managed to cope with style.
We are going to see whose house we can go to next.  Thanks C and E for a lovely evening.

I changed the photo on top, is it creepy?  Should I got back to the other one?   I would love some of your thoughts.

This week

It's been a busy and productive week.  I taught another class on Tuesday night.  There were two people in the class, my friend and her husband.  It was just as much fun as my first class and it's really gratifying when you make a connection and they get what you are trying to do.  A terrific compliment came in the form of my friend's husband signing up for some more classes as he had really enjoyed it.  Thank you and I hope I can continue to deliver.  I have new dates up for the next round (hint, hint) if anyone is interested.  I am planning to add one off classes to what's already up.  I also added a sign up feature so I can stop sending out mass e mails to all my friends soon I hope.

I went to Southfields yesterday to order a cake.  It may seem like a long way to travel since I don't live anywhere near there.  But my son is graduating this year and I thought it would be fun to have a cake at Speech Day lunch which is the last time the boys will all be together until the last day of school.  This was the shop that made the cake at my daughter's graduation and that's where I got the idea.  I was very impressed with the shop and the owner, who left banking to do what she loves.  I'm really excited with the cake we came up with, I'll try and remember to take a photo to put up here before we eat it.

I ended my day by hearing Lynne Franks speak.  She is one of the pioneers of PR in this country and has balanced out her business life with a spiritual one.  She was very inspirational and it is funny how everything she was talking about resonated with me.  Of course I bought the book, something I never do, and even had her sign it.  What's even more astounding, I've started reading it.

Well, back to the translating.  One more episode to do for this week, then to finalise the class for next week.

Weekend round up

It was a mixed bag, weather wise this weekend, but the temperature was mild and everything is in full bloom as my eyes and nose can attest.

We achieved a monumental task on Saturday, we bought a sofabed.  Now for one reason or another, I have been shopping for a sofa bed on and off for about 3 years.  I've been close a couple of times especially around Christmas last year, but couldn't commit.  I had fallen in love with a sofa bed (if such a thing is possible) at Habitat last year.  It was a big velvet affair that just enveloped you as you sat down.  But it was over budget and so I had to lust after it from afar, until this weekend when for some bizarre reason, hubby got a friends and family discount coupon in the post.  This put it within range and so off we went.  Well velvet on a gorgeous April day is just not the same as velvet on a cold October day and once again, I was stumped.  Especially when right across from it was a sleek (for us) modern sofa that would have fit in with the feel of the flat.  We must have sat there for 30 minutes, debating one over the other and finally gave up and came home. There, tape measure in hand, we tried to visualize what the two would look like in the space we had.  In the end, we decided on the velvet monster which visually may not be the best thing for the flat, but made me happy.   But then, what colour?  Well, we had forgotten to ask for swatches so back we went where we finally committed and paid for it.  Hooray!!  Now of course, we have to wait for them to make it, so sometime before they close the factory for the summer, I am hoping they get to our sofa.

This weekend was labelled King's Cross Reveal and there were meant to be all kinds of events occurring around Kings Cross to highlight the history and the changes taking place.  For obvious reasons, we didn't do a thing yesterday so today, we tried to go to two photo exhibitions.  Well, they were both closed.  Unbelievable.  We only had to walk to get there, I wonder how many people went to some trouble and expense to get there.  Since we were out anyway, we walked along the canal to come home.  There is one stretch of the canal right near us where it is very green and looks quite rural unless you look at what's behind it.  Here are some photos of our walk.

I managed to finish my translations which is good, I am now starting my annual hunt for a place to stay this summer, which I usually start in February so I am very late.  I also hope to put up a schedule for my next round of lessons, so a very productive and fun weekend comes to an end.

Well, not quite.  We went out this evening for yet another attempt to see the King's Cross Reveal.  This time, though we were rewarded for our perseverance.  They lit up a part of the canal and it was really eerie and cool.  Here are two more photos.

And now my day is truly done, good night.

I am now a cooking teacher

What a fabulous night.  I taught my first class to two lovely friends.  I couldn't have asked for a better beginning to my new adventure.  The evening was relaxed and fun, they asked lots of questions so there weren't any awkward silences.  Here's what was on the menu last night.

The two onigiri on the left were made for me by my students, they were very tasty.  The evening concluded by sharing the meal and a bit of socialising.  Thank you M and C, for making my first attempt such a success.  I'm going to stop here because I am sounding very big headed.  

Taking the day off today, getting together with a new friend, it looks like another lovely day.  

Fall out from the volcano

I knew that flights were grounded because of the volcano in Iceland last week.  I never thought it would affect my life in anyway since none of my family is flying.  But it turns out there are plenty of other people, mostly friends whose lives were affected..  Being grounded has not all been bad as I got to see a friend and his kids.  I have not seen him in 15 years, I had never even met his daughter.  They had been in Scotland for a week and got diverted to London when flights were grounded so a reunion ensued.  Friends for life do not make you feel the passage of time and if the very grown kids hadn't been there, it could have been 1986.  We had fun catching up and hope to see the whole family the next time.

Then last night, my other friend who was grounded came over with his wife.  We were supposed to go out for dinner, but I ended up waiting for a delivery so I cooked.  The kitchen worked really well and I got to socialise while finishing the cooking.  I tried out a new beef recipe which worked really well.  Might have to buy bigger tongs as it is hard manipulating a hunk of beef with small tongs.  My delivery arrived, the stools for the kitchen counter.  The boys unpacked and we all tried them out after dinner.

First cooking class this evening, wish me luck.

Fruitful weekend

A gorgeous weekend in London, I did get to enjoy it some, but not the usual lazy weekend.  Yesterday, a trip to Japan Centre for yet more rice and other stock items.  It is truly scary the rate at which we blow through rice.  Hubby came along to help so we got the 10kg bag of rice.  That was my only contact with the outside if you don't count windows being open.  I puttered around in the afternoon and gradually made some sushi.  Here is the end result.

The family were certainly enthusiastic about it so I think it was a good result.  I didn't have a set kind that I was making so it turned into many different fillings, a bit of a grab bag especially after it was all cut up.  

Anyway, it never rains but it pours, or something to that effect.  This week I am finally starting my cooking classes, which is a big deal for me since I've never done anything like this before.  So what happens?  On Friday, I get asked to do subtitles for an anime.  I've been talking to this agency since November about doing some work and it finally came together.  The timing couldn't be worse. I did one episode and really enjoyed it so I hope it is something I can do more of in the future.  It was a challenge translating colloquial Japanese into subtitles.  I took a few liberties to get the point across, we'll see how it goes over.

Today, Sunday was another glorious day in London and I was determined not to miss it.  Hubby and I took a very long walk to Marylebone from our flat only to discover my destination was closed!  Well, it was a nice walk anyway, and the allergies not tooo horrendous.  

Maybe time for a snack, or actually it is dinner time.

Lunch with a friend

Hello, I had a friend over for lunch today and made some more food.  We had grilled mackerel, steeped green soy beans, string beans and aubergine dry stew, rice and miso soup.  Here's the photo.

I really enjoy entertaining friends at home, it is so much more mellow.  You get to catch up in a quiet environment and while it is nice to have someone serve and clear, it really isn't that big a deal.

The other day, I taught my son how to make onigiri.  It was a fun thing for the two of us to do.  He did very well, producing 3 different shapes.  We had a lot of fun eating them afterwards and chatting about things.  He wants to learn to cook, something I promised I would teach him during his gap year.  Being able to feed oneself is an important skill I think.  I am looking to put together a class for young people on quick Japanese food you can make at uni, a friend's daughter in interested.

I got my business cards today for my cooking class, hooray.  They came out pretty well, can't wait to give them out.

Portable food

I volunteer at Dress for Success once a week.  Since I stopped eating wheat, getting a sandwich from the sandwich lady became out of the question.  So I've started taking my lunch.  Sometimes it's leftovers, sometimes I run into Pret for a salad, but I bought myself a bento box when I was home and was eager to try it out.  So, I made lunch today to bring, and here it is;

On the menu today, pork slices in ginger sauce, Japanese omelette, sauteed asparagus and rice.  Now I don't think I will go to this much trouble every week, but if I plan it right, I will have leftovers from the night before as my main dish with some veggies and things around it.  Ideally, I would have had a bit of red in there, but I was out of tomatoes.

Have to go get ready, so that's all for now.

Unexpected guests

We had some very good friends over for dinner last night. It was only firmed up Friday early afternoon so I had to find something to make out of what was in the fridge.  Fortunately, my fridge is pretty well stocked at the moment so I managed to produce a nice dinner if I do say so myself.  And of course as is the case with every other meal I have made for company, I failed to take photos.  But here is the menu; tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet), miso soup, rice and an avocado and cucumber side dish.  The avocado and cucumber is a dish that can be served tapas style with drinks or as a hashi yasume, literally chopstick rest, a dish to pick at during your dinner.  It is traditionally served cold and is most often pickles, but I thought, why not, try it with this.  Ultra quick and simple to make, here's the recipe.

Avocado and cucmber salty namuru (adapted from Organic Recipe Notebook by Tomoko Shoji)
1 avocado
1 cucumber (you want to end up with about the same amount of avocado and cucumber so pick accordingly)
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sale
1 1/2 Tbp rice vinegar
1 clove garlic grated
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 sheet nori

Hit the cucumber with a rolling pin and break into bite size pieces with your hands.  If you use a long european cucmber, it is better to remove the seeds.  Cut the avocado into cubes

Combine the seasonings from sesame oil to sesame seeds and mix with the cucumber and avocado.

Crumple the nori into the mix, stir and refrigerate.

As I am writing this recipe, I realize I had totally forgotten to add nori last night.  Oops, sorry R and M, but it was still very tasty, don't you think?

Oh and by the way, the nuts I was roasting the other day?  It turned out really well, and it is definitely something I will be doing again.

Practice makes perfect

Now that I have a date to start my cooking class, I have been cooking like mad, well for me anyway. I made rice in a pot yesterday, I usually just use a rice cooker but thought it would be good thing to test out to make sure the method works. It did but the problem with rice cooked in a pot is that it doesn't stay hot. So I ended up making onigiri(rice balls). Somehow, onigiri is fine eaten room temperature whereas the exact same quantity of rice in a rice bowl simply isn't appetising. It may have to do with the connotations of onigiri, which is usually a portable lunch, so it brings back memories of outings and school trips. You will see from the photo that it is "naked". I couldn't find the open bag of nori, I know I put it away, but where, I couldn't tell you. I did find a bunch of other things I forgot I owned, but I digress. In keeping with the outing theme, the rolled cooked egg is another staple. So after I made the onigiri, of course I had to make the egg. The salmon in the fridge needed eating so it became teriyaki. Then I did a mushroom in batter thing which turned out to be incredibly good and so simple. Anyway, here is the photo, I ate way too much and think I need to recruit more people to eat my food, especially meat eaters. Any volunteers?

It's been awhile

Haven't posted anything new in over a week, busy travelling and launching my other blog page for my cooking class.

We went to my in laws for Passover, a holiday that has a lot of tradition and a lot of great food.  Unfortunately, now that I am off wheat, the food bit wasn't nearly as fun.  When you don't eat Matzoh, it eliminates a lot of food that used to be favourites that would only appear at Passover.  But it was great to see family and marvel at what wonderful people the nieces and nephews are becoming.  The weather turned gorgeous after the first couple of days, by the time we left, the cherry trees were in full bloom as were the magnolias and dogwoods.

I saw my friend E during our trip, I think the last time we saw each other was probably 1996 or 97, so it's been awhile.  We have been friends since college and we picked right up and it was as if we had seen each other yesterday.  We did a lot of talking and feel like we've caught up on each other's lives.  Hopefully it will not be another 12 years before we see each other again.  So great to have friends you have history with.

My cooking classes are finally organised, check it out at www.hiromiscookingclass.blogspot.com.  Many friends have kindly forwarded on the information to their friends and so I have had some interest and people signing up.  It is very exciting but also a bit scary, I hope I can do a good job.

So, I spent most of last week eating macaroons ignoring the fact that I am off white sugar and so am trying hard to get back to my usual eating patterns.  I discovered an amazing food at Trader Joe's, LarabarsThey are basically a date based bar with no added sugar or oil and taste just amazing.  I don't think they sell them in the UK but if they do, please tell me, they are my new favourite snack food.  There is no getting around the exercise, I am going back to the gym.  It's been a month, so it won't be fun, but so worth it.  I just roasted some nuts with kombu soy sauce and tabasco.  I can't really tell what they taste like until they cool off, will let you know if it's any good.

Week in limbo

Got back on Sunday after a very pleasant flight.  There were gale force winds in Tokyo when we took off and thanks to that, we landed about 50 minutes early.  I was thinking about how long it's been since flying 12 hours to see family has been my norm.  Certainly since university when my family returned to Tokyo and I stayed on in New York to finish my education.  I was surprised they allowed me to stay but perhaps my appeal to graduate with the same class I started with seemed a reasonable request.  Anyway, since 1978, some form of family has always been 10-12 hours away.  There have been many changes to the travel over the years, we no longer need to stop in Anchorage to refuel between Tokyo and New York, the economy class seats just keep getting smaller and security is ever more annoying.  But the amount of time spent in the air and the excitement of being in a familiar place that's also different hasn't changed.  Tokyo, New York and now London are three places where I will always feel like I've come home.

So, I've been spending the week in front of my computer, getting caught up on things I missed while I was away and working away on my cooking class plans.  I brought home a new rice cooker so I've been trying it out.   This one has many settings including brown rice so I no longer have to make brown rice on the stove.  This may not be that exciting to you but for me, being able to walk away and come back to perfectly cooked brown rice is very exciting.

Both kids come home this weekend so I can try out some more recipes on them.  Cooking is really big in Japan right now so I acquired a lot of  new material, can't wait to experiment.

Hopefully I can get something done by the end of the week and out about the classes.  Watch this space.

The roots of Japanese porcelain part 2

Day three of our grand adventure started chilly and rainy.  After another hearty breakfast, we said goodbye to our lovely nakai san, the person who looked after us during our stay, and boarded the train for Arita.  I had a vague idea from the guidebook that Arita would be nothing like Imari geographically and I was right.  It is very spread out and you really need a car to get around.  The nice thing about travelling with elderly parents is that they no longer feel the need to do things the hard way.  We got into the first taxi outside the train station just as the rain started for real.  There is a kanko taxi (sightseeing taxi) tradition in many parts of Japan where a taxi can either take you somewhere on the meter or just charge you by the hour and take you around town.  Our driver was really nice and so we opted to have this man show us around until it was time to board our train back to Hakata.

First, he took us to the site where they first found the rock that became porcelain.  It was truly impressive and very atmospheric since by then it was pouring.  He said most of the material now comes from another area in Kyushu but there is still one pottery that makes some of their porcelain with rock from this quarry.

Then we went on to Tozan jinja, a shrine with a gate and many objects made out of Arita pottery.  The colours had faded so it wasn't as impressive as the photos in the guide book but it was still great to see.  I pulled a fortune, my second in two days, as I also got one at Imari jinja the day before.  Not only were they both Dai kichi, the best you could get, but they were identical.  An astounding coincidence, I am planning to heed the fortune very carefully.

The weather was clearing and the driver then took us around to a couple of different potters.  It was a very different experience from the day before.  This was like going to a museum, the pieces were exquisite and very expensive.  So it was much more a look and appreciate rather than think about owning.  This is the house of one of the famous potters.  You are looking at his teahouse and to the right, the house he grew up in.  The family have built a more modern house directly behind the one on the right and they live there now.  The workshops are on the property as well as the showroom.  The tree in front is a persimmon.  They say he observed the fruit to come up with the brilliant vermilion color he used in his work.  Only the heir is allowed to use the color, they are currently on the 14th generation.

It turns out there were outlets and more places where things were actually affordable but we ran out of time and really I think it was a good thing since anything I buy I have to bring home and I did just ship 3 boxes of my mom's old china back home.  It turns out one set is from a famous maker in Arita so I already had my piece of Arita.

We bought eki ben (bento meant to be eaten on the train) and boarded our train back to Hakata and then back to the airport.  We got home safely and we were all pretty beat, especially my parents who are not used to schlepping non stop.

I love visiting different parts of Japan every year when I come to see my parents, I hope one day I can make the same trip with my family.  There is so much to Japan outside of Tokyo and these trips really make me appreciate the history and the traditions that have shaped Japan.  It is so much easier to wax lyrical about your own country when you don't live there and don't have to put up with the everyday annoyances.  Maybe that's the best thing about being an expatriate.

My time here is almost done and reality waits at home.  It's been a great couple of weeks with all it's ups and downs.


Sorry about this link, I can't get rid of it.

The roots of Japanese porcelain part 1

Just got back from a jam packed 3 days with my parents touring the pottery towns of Imari and Arita in Saga, Kyushu.  It was my first trip to this southern island of Japan and I hope it won't be the last.  Everyone was so friendly.  They were incredibly kind and helpful and the taxi drivers are a hoot.  More than once, someone said hello as I passed them, just unbelievable for a big city girl like me but so nice.

Anyway, but I digress.  We flew to Fukuoka, domestic flying in Japan is a throwback to what flying used to be.  Relatively carefree and you get to leave your shoes on in security.  I even got to bring my tea through security, although they do scan it, for what I don't know but they gave me back my half drunk bottle afterwards.  Once we landed, 2 or 3 stops on the subway which is in the airport to Hakata, then a train to Takeo onsen, a sleepy hot spring town which was to be our base for the next two days.  Well, the flight was a little late, the train was a little late (gasp!) so we were a little late arriving at the inn.  It was a gorgeous ryokan, over 100 years old and their chef had trained in one of the top restaurants in Japan and had also appeared on the Iron Chef.  We all soaked in the hot spring, recovered from our journey and sat down to a feast.  It was gorgeous, and very filling (2 nights in a row) but the great thing is, you don't need to go anywhere afterwards to lie down.  Here is a little sample of what it looked like

The following morning, round two.  Well the portions were less than half the night before, but still a hefty amount to put away at 8:30 in the morning, then to our destination, Imari.  The weather really was with us and the day was bright and clear.  I really had no idea what to expect, I just knew it was a name that everyone knew associated with pottery and although I was a little fuzzy on the details, I knew the pottery was very beautiful.  The passing scenery from the train was so tranquil, it was as if the area was caught in a time warp.  There were gorgeous old houses with serious roof tiles, fields and soon to be rice paddies.  Here is our train which is only one car and runs on a single track.  The trains can only pass each other when one is stopped at a station, not sure a feat that the London underground can pull off.  Most of the stations are unmanned and you take a ticket when you get on the train and pay the conductor when you get off.  Each stop is numbered so the conductor/driver(same person) knows how much to charge.  Life moves a bit more slowly here.

We got to Ookawachi yama where 20 potteries are clustered, we passed many more on the ride up but really you need a car to hit them all so we consoled ourselves with the 20 that were accessible.

It turns out we did this a little backwards.  The whole pottery business started in Arita around 400 years ago but geographically it was not good for keeping crafts men sequestered.  It was a highly coveted and highly guarded skill these potters possessed and to prevent the artisans from running away and spreading their skills elsewhere, they moved the lot of them to this mountain.  There, they were essentially kept prisoner by a mountain behind them and a toll booth in the front.  So probably it made more sense to go to Arita first, but what can you do.  I believe we hit every pottery on that little mountain and it was very interesting to see individual styles as well as a lot of similarities.  We did a little shopping but mostly we did a lot of looking.  There weren't many tourists about so in most shops, we were the only ones there.  It was a lovely time, quiet, peaceful, surrounded by beautiful objects and nature.

On the way back, we stopped at Imari Jinja(shrine) and paid our respects.

Then back to the inn for another feast.

The next day was off to Arita but I'll tell you about that another day.

Death by Food

OMG I am sooo full.  I was treated to an exceptional dinner this evening by my old friend M.  He was my first boss and it is great that we have stayed friends.

The dinner was a very special experience starting with the entrance.  You would never know it is a restaurant from the outside.  Of course in retrospect I should have taken photos of everything, but instead you just get my raves.  The interior is very modern, very sparse but with much wood, giving it a warm feel.  We sat down at the counter, and that's when the party started.  Just one dish after another of exquisite seasonal food.  Everything was so incredible that I forgot to pay attention to my stomach.  Apparently it was getting quite full.  I probably should have stopped before the rice, but how can you resist when it comes with salmon roe, mullet roe and seaweed that you add yourself?  And did I mention the two desserts?

It was great to catch up and have a few laughs in such an amazing place.  But I seriously thought I was going to explode on the way home.  I managed to make it back in one piece and have finally digested to the point where I think I can go to sleep.  Thanks so much for a lovely evening, the food truly was magical.

Tomorrow,  I'm off for a couple of days in Kyushu, an area in southern Japan.  I've never been and I'm looking forward to it very much.  We are going to stay in an onsen ryokan which is well known for their food.  We also plan to visit the potteries in Arita and Imari. I hope I can resist the bargains on offer, I have to keep reminding myself I just sent 3 boxes of my mom's dishes back to London.  But you know, none of it was Arita or Imari so we'll just have to see.

Two Great Days

Ok, so I admit, my last post was a bit whiny.  But I have just had two action packed days which were just the opposite of my endless days in front of the tube.

Now first off, the weather improved markedly today.  But I am getting ahead of myself.  Let's start with yesterday.  I spent the day with my very good friend C.  We've been friends for about 12 years I think and have shared many laughs and good times.  We went to a shop near the Ginza which if you've never been to Tokyo, it is hard to imagine (the shop, not Ginza).  I think it started life as a camera shop, but to call it a camera shop is like calling Costco a food store.  They sell the standard electronic things like cameras, tvs, phones, and appliances like washing machines and toaster ovens.  But they also have a  book department, interior department, golf gear and so much more.  We spent a good half hour trying on headphones and didn't get through a quarter of the display.  The store really appeals to the my inner geek and I bought some things which will make my laptop happier when I get home.

From there, we went to lunch.  Many Tokyoites are foodies and there are many restaurants that cater for every budget and every taste.  I even saw an Ethiopian restaurant this trip not far from my parents' place and where they are is pretty suburban.  Anyway, we chose a restaurant we had eaten in before, which serves great dishes from Kyoto, heavy on the veggies and very pretty.  Here is a not great picture of my lunch.  I would have had to stand up to get a better angle and that was a little too embarrassing.

Froｍ there, we went to my other favourite store, where they sell all kinds of things having to do with life - stationary, storage, lunch boxes, kitchen gadgets, I could get lost for hours and pretty much did.  Then she had me over to her new flat and having just done battle with 120+ boxes myself, I thought their place was coming along very nicely.

Then drinks with S whom I haven't seen since we left Tokyo almost 9 years ago.  It was great to catch up, the time just flew by.  But that was not the end of my evening.  Dinner with another friend, M,  whom I met in London.  She now lives in Tokyo and knows some of the same people I knew, it's a small world.  We went to a lovely Kyoto restaurant (my day for Kyoto food, but who's complaining).  My mom is friends with the chef/owner's mom and it is easy to be supportive since the food is fabulous.  Here is a photo:

Now, I did mention that today was fabulous, weather wise.  It was bright and sunny, not too cold.  My mom surprised me by saying she thought we should take a trip to Yokohama to have my aura photographed.  So the three of us went off after lunch and it was a fun experience.  They give you a massive print out about what it all means which I haven't read yet.  But Yokohama has changed a lot since the last time I was there.  There are now converted warehouses which have shops and an event space.  Of course the real estate obsessive in me thought, "what a waste, better to turn them into condos, look at the great windows.".  You can't really see from the photo but this is a proper warehouse with walls about 2' thick. and heavy cast iron doors.

We then headed towards Moto Machi, an area of shops which was the chic place to shop in Yokohama when I was younger.  We tried to hail a cab, but had a hard time finding one and I saw one going the other way.  I tried the London trick of asking him to make a U turn and sure enough, it worked and we got a ride.  Had a lovely stroll through Moto Machi then, over the bridge to Chinatown.  Tokyo Chinatown is pretty big and they have had a renaissance in the last 15 years or so.  It was very bustling with many impressive looking restaurants.  We had a great dinner in a private room of a well known restaurant, I think they only had private rooms, 4 floors worth in fact.  That was fun and the service was amazing.  We headed back to the train, got a little lost and ended up walking an extra train stop.  Now my parents don't walk much anymore and we had done our fair share already.  But they made it to the train and home.  I looked at the pedometer I always carry and we had walked almost 9000 steps.  I think they said on a big outing, they walk 3000.  I hope they continue to get out as the weather improves, walking in the city is so much fun.

This has turned into a monster post so I am going to sign off now.  But another fun day awaits tomorrow, good night.

Thoughts from home part 2

So, I'm still here, visiting my parents.  This is something I have done for the last couple of years, visiting by myself and staying for a couple of weeks.  I have found as my parents get older, it is easier for them if we don't all descend on them at once.  Also, they live in a pretty standard Japanese condo so I think at this point, a visit from all 4 of us would cause their house to explode.

I love being in Tokyo and visiting with friends and going back to the places I used to frequent when we lived here.  That of course is in direct conflict with spending time with my parents.  So every year, I risk my mom's wrath and spend lots of time catching up with friends.  But this year, I made the radical decision to come home to spend time with my parents.  So I find myself on a rainy Tuesday, sitting in their living room watching endless TV, telling myself that I am not wasting time.  To put off temptation, I really didn't let too many people know I was coming and I made sure to tell my friends that the primary purpose was to hang with my parents.  Many of my friends are in a similar situation with aging parents and everyone is very understanding.

What I had hoped to do was eat in the many wonderful places Tokyo has to offer and take photos and put them up here.  Well, eating is not high on my parents' priority and travelling to eat is really not a part of it.  Frankly with the exchange rate being what it is, that's probably a good thing.  Tomorrow I am seeing a very good friend and we will have a nice lunch together and I am seeing a different friend for dinner so there may be hope for some photos.  On the plus side, this has been a very mellow trip and my parents actually seem to enjoy our time together.

There probably won't be that many more opportunities for me to feel like a kid again, both in a good and bad way.  I am planning to enjoy it while it lasts.  I wonder if I will treat my kids like children when they are 50, I hope not. Relationships are very different between us and the next generation so I guess we will find our own way to annoy them.