He Rides!

...and he's off!

I haven't been out with William working on his training wheel weaning as much as I'd like to have. We probably could have gotten to this point a bit earlier, but we are all overjoyed for making this important milestone with William.

We've been going out and taking the training wheels and pedals off his bike and letting him push himself around. Once he could balance along for a while and could use the steering to keep himself upright, we attempted it with the pedals back on and the training wheels still removed. The first time I did it a week ago, he pedaled about 10 feet on his own, but after a few bad stumbles trying again, we gave up for the day. We tried again yesterday and he got a bit farther, but with the wind and the fact we were doing this on gravel made it pretty hard.

Today, we went out early while it was nice and calm and headed to the "Dog" park just a block away that has a fairly good sized concrete area. We practiced a bit with the pedals off and then tried it with the pedals. His first run of the day was nearly 30 feet and it was only the looming planter box that made him stop. A few more practice runs and some tips, and he is now launching by himself and beginning to figure out planned turns.

We've officially considered him graduated from training wheels and they've been tossed in the corner. We are all very proud!

INFORMAL PATERNITY CHECK

Tim and I have this re-occuring joke. When William does something we recognize in a genetic sort-of-way, we call it an informal paternity/maternity check.
Well, I wrapped gifts the other day. I needed to get my gifts for the states wrapped and shipped. The lines will be LONG and the custom forms take forever to fill out, so I got done early. This also means that wrapping has been done at our house, the inventory taken, and Tim and I are lagging--- substantially--- behind William in the amount of gifts. We will try to remedy that over the next few weeks.

Tim took the presents down and put them under the tree. William was home all afternoon long. He was playing piano right next to the tree, and playing melodian on the floor, eating at the table, watching TV in the adjoining room... and he never once saw the gifts.

So I said to Tim, "Has he seen them yet, or is this another 'informal paternity check?" So Tim said, "Hey, William, have you seen our family ornament for this year? Let's put it on!" We get one each year that represents something we've done, and we bought this one the other night. We decided to wait to put it on and make a little family time of the event with William around. Hallmark does make ornaments for EVERY occasion, as you can see. William took it out of the box, put it on, roughly 18 inches above the mounds of wrapped packages. Nope, didn't even see the gifts.

Yes, bonus points for those of you who see his dog Bernie is still sleeping, this time under the tree.

I have 9 teachers at the school to give gifts to. One of my Japanese friends LOVES Almond Roca (and I get to claim it as a local specialty since it's from Tacoma), so I am wrapping stacks to give to them. It's my understanding that between Christmas and new year, you give gifts to teachers and the like. I'm just going to give Christmas gifts and call it square!

Costco

I actually drove to Costco here. It took 50 minutes, and was a lovely drive on a brilliantly bright fall day. I went with Laura (pictured in yellow) and Jandi. Costco has parking on the roof (efficient use of space) and so the escalator-style moving ramps allow you to take your cart with you. Kinda fun.

I was able to buy Yoshida's teriyaki sauce (an American item). I also purchased quite a few Japanese type foods. Real sushi for cheap, pickled octopus (I warned Tim, but he was still a bit startled when he pulled out the cellophane wrapped tentacle-lousy arm in the refrigerator), Filipino style meat sauce, Japanese version of chicken nuggets (they use dark meat and panko type outside with some funky herbs), and Japanese eggs. I'm starting to like them. When we first got here, I couldn't eat them because of the fishy taste. They probably feed their chickens with seaweed or something. Ewww. But now, after all the fish we eat here, I don't taste it anymore!
Of course, even normal Costco foods have a local flavor to them, like this seafood pizza. If you double-click and look closer, it has shrimp, calamari and scallops. And it's not uncommon to have a bit of mayonaise drizzled on top of a pizza, either. Now, those are good eats to Tim, who loves the white stuff. Japanese mayonaise is a bit thinner and yellower.

I'm threatening to let my Costco membership go. It's rather far, and we have no storage for the huge supplies. I can't upload my pictures to them. I love doing that, and just picking them up later. They do have the 1 hour here, though. The dues are cheaper here.

I did find out that they deliver to your home. For $5 per large box, you can have your Costco purchases show up at your house the following day. That's good for those who arrive by train to go shopping there. Laura has done so in the past.

Okay, I'll end with my 'joke.' A friend who is Japanese and teaches English, makes her students pick American names. So, when we went to lunch, she said the American women should choose Japanese names. Until 25 years ago or so, most Japanese women's names ended with 'ko.' Chieko, Junko, Hamako, Masako, etc. We had to choose a name that ended with 'ko.' When it came my turn, I said, "Ka-su-to-ko." That is how they pronounce Costco in Japanese.

Piano Man

William loves playing the piano. He is learning the melodian at school. That is a mini keyboard that you have to blow to make it create a sound. He is also taking drum lessons and LOVING it!

He loves to 'sing' his books at night. He likes doing the reading, and it takes forever, but it's pretty funny.

He reads his Shinkansen book. It's in hiriganas, and he does really well. Of course, except for a few words here and there, we have no idea what it's saying.

He doesn't sit down and 'practice' piano. It's more of an interest, 'fly by' key assault. He loves to play things fast that he's already learned. Uh oh. Um, don't know where he gets THAT from!?...

Cha iro Kuma

William has had 2 days off from school. Japanese Labor Day was Sunday, so Monday was a holiday, and Tuesday was a comp day for the teachers at his school.

So, William and I went SHOPPING. This is a picture of us at the local Daiei Mall. Their theme is Mummin Valley. This is the house and the papa and mama mummin (trolls). Pikku My (or Little Me) is up on the roof. She's the one I love so much. Her little expression is how I feel sometimes. Heh heh heh. I love anything Mummin Valley right now.

William's school tasked us to get him brown tights and top, as he is to play a Bear in the 'Mountain Christmas' Pageant. Do you know how hard it is to find brown tights? I called the English liason at the school and tried to convince her that black bears do exist where we come from, and maybe he should play a black bear.

Nope, a chairo kuma (brown bear) it is to be.

So, we traipsed from store to store until I finally decided that brown thermal bottom wear would do the trick. I got a fleece turtle neck top. I figure it'll double as a ski top when he needs the warmth this winter. Now, I have to figure out brown socks. Do you know how impossible it is to buy dark brown socks for boys? Now, if a brown-grey would work, I'm IN, as William's socks start turning that color after awhile...

I'm toying with the idea of making him some brown 'bear claw' slippers.

However, finding fabric here is hard, and the prices are outrageous. Hmmm... I guess everyone will have to stand by and see what the costume looks like once I'm done with making it. Actually, I was told to just provide brown tights and brown sweater. The school is supposed to do the rest.

Last laugh is on William. He has to go to school on Thanksgiving and the day after. Actually, it turns out to be these quiet, idyllic times for Tim and I. Alone in the house without the sounds of William.

Birthday Party

William was invited to a friend from school's party. Some of the children are American-Japanese. Usually, mom is the Japanese national, and dad is an American.

At one point, he and this boy were friends. I think the teachers used this boy to interpret a little for William at the beginning. So, when we were invited to the party, we accepted.

By the time the party rolled around, this boy was no longer a friend of William's. He didn't want to attend. But, the mom had told me there was going to be a juggler there, so please be on time. We bought a gift (which William said we could just drop off and go), so I figured let's make an appearance.

At first, he was reticent. He was the only Anglo there. 2 more arrived in due time, but he was definitely feeling like an outsider. And his best friend wasn't there yet, so he was telling me he just wanted to get out of there. I can only imagine what he was feeling. But, I've been there before. You don't feel comfortable, so you just wanna leave. But, we'd made a promise, and we needed to fulfill it.

So, I cajoled William to cooperate, and he really enjoyed himself.

The first cutaway shows the only 2 blonde kids at William's preschool. Her dad works with Tim occasionally, so we know them. Suzannah started talking Japanese after 1 year at Seika. She has been attending 2 years, and is fluent and amazing. It's funny to see people react to her when she speaks Japanese.

The second cutaway is of William's best friend at Seika, Masato.

After the act was done, the balloon made party favors and games began, and William and I slipped out a side door. I was actually glad to find out that William isn't a 'pleaser.' He won't sell his soul short for friends. It is obvious that he has made his decision on who is nice to him or not, and he's good with that.

PANEL DISCUSSION

I was very honored to be asked to be on a panel to discuss different parenting styles and roles. It was sponsored by the Yokosuka Mother's Association. My friend, Nobuko, is the president. The panel consisted of Filipina, Chinese, American, and Japanese.

I got to tell them how we use the 'TIME OUT' system of punishment. They were interested that Tim also parents, and we share the nightly routine duties.

I was the only one that had to resort to English. I memorized 3 portions of what I was going to talk about. People kept complimenting my Japanese. That always makes me squirm, because I do not speak the language, yet. I feel bad because I haven't been studying like I should be.

We also got to meet the Mayor of Yokosuka.

A fellow Seika mom took pictures of me with her cell phone, thus I have photos.

When the panel portion was done, we did sing along activities for the toddlers there. I got to sing songs in both English and Japanese. This is me doing 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," or was it, "Atama, Kata, Hiza Pon?"

I am impressed how hard my friend, Nobuko, works at trying to open communication, and therefore understanding, between Japanese and Americans here. She has a wonderful open heart, and volunteers an enormous amount of time helping Americans learn the language (her classes are FREE, and FUN!).

COCKROACH!!!

Okay, there are no pictures of this, it is so gross.

I have heard of many cockroaches here in Japan. Except one out by my car this summer, I haven't seen any. Recently it turned cold. All the animals are trying to find shelter. Thankfully, this quarter-sized guy decided to zip across my dining room floor AFTER everyone had gone the other night. Someone might have just been the one to let him in.

You should have seen the struggle. I am trying to kill it with my zouri. That is a handmade from cloth slipper, so my clout was next to nil. It was quicker and craftier than the best running back. I kept trying to kill it with... a rag, basically. It bobbed and weaved... I finally maimed it (it might have been the shock wave from my screaming) by the kegerator.

Tim came running to assist. By that time, I had paper towel ready, and said, "KILL IT!!!" He did the deed, and the bundled remains went into the trash.

Whew. Ewwww...

I am a Washington girl, and we usually don't have to deal with this type of creature.

Hopefully, no more find their way inside.

I might have to start wearing more sturdy slippers.

William on the Piano

William has badgered us into teaching him some piano. We were happy enough to let him play at the piano with it's volume turned way down, but he insists that he wants to learn how to read and play real music. So, Caroline ordered up a set of beginner books and William is starting to work through them. He's working through some of the real basics such as Middle C, finger numbering, measures, beats, quarter notes, half notes, and whole notes. We thought we'd record his first real song since he is related to Caroline and myself so he may very well give up on the process before we have a chance to record any more...

Sorry, we'd left the volume way down on the piano and I didn't notice until I uploaded the video. It's hard to hear, but honestly, he's hitting the right notes...

Tokyo Disney Christmas

We were hoping for an uncrowded day at Tokyo Disney. We picked a weekday in fall and it even started out pouring rain. We figured we'd get our rain coats and sail through the lines. We hear that there are days like that, but we were far from that this time. For one, the weather turned out great. It did rain for a bit in the morning, but it was sunny and pleasant the rest of the day... Darn! Second, and probably more importantly, it was the first day of Christmas decorations and shows at Disney. There were tons of people with news crews covering the event.

It wasn't as bad as our previous trip, though. The longest we stayed in a line this time was 50 minutes compared to over 2 hours last time. We were also able to Fast Pass several rides this time where last time, we only got one Fast Pass before they were all used up. Many lines were in the 20 minute range, so it was tolerable.

The price was better. The government discount increased from about $4 to $10, so it was 4,300 Yen ($43) per person for adults and William got in for 3,400 Yen ($34). Since we drove, it was another 2,000 Yen ($20) to park and a total of 4,600 Yen ($46) for tolls. Although that adds up a bit, for several people, it is cheaper than taking the MWR bus or taking the train. It's also more convenient since you don't have to call the tour guide to get into the bus to change out your rain jacket for sunglasses...

For the second time around, we got to slow down a bit and study the scene a bit closer. We were still amazed with the lines for popcorn. We also started realizing that there were many flavors of popcorn. We didn't do a complete listing, but we saw Salt, Caramel, Chocolate, Curry, Sour...

We (OK, Caroline) were also a bit better at Japanese, so when we ordered three cheeseburgers, we got three cheeseburgers.

Next time, I think we'll try Disney Sea, which is the Disney park next door...

Shichi Go San

Japan celebrates children of the ages 3 and 5 for boys, and 3 and 7 for girls on November 15. Because it is impossible to rent a kimono at that time, we went to the shrine and took our photos early.
Shichi Go San (literally translates to 7-5-3) requires you to go to the shrine for a blessing. We just went for pictures. Many people do it that way, and I saw quite a few of the boys dressed up in Western style suits.William, being a golden haired boy, and in full Japanese regalia, was quite the center of attention. People were taking his pictre and saying 'how cute' and being amazed an American family had a kid there for Shichi Go San. For those of you who don't know William well, he hates attention, unless he's hamming it up and wants to be silly. So, we have many pictures of a very silly boy.

Monday was a holiday for the Japanese. It was 'Culture Day' and we had many cultural experiences. First, I drove to a Buddhist Temple in Kamakura. Realizing my mistake, I had to ask around to find out where the nearest shrine was. Finally, only in Japanese, we finally got someone who gave us a small map, with directions.
Kamakura is a very historic town with many temples and shrines. On Japanese holidays, it's a zoo. So, the going was slow. By the time we got to the shrine and parked, William was out of humor. We did get enough good photos to consider it a success. But the cute girls 3 and 7 whose parents wanted a pic of them with William, was a no-go. We met them again, back at the rental shop, returning their kimono at the same time.

There are different layers. There is a white shirt undergarment, a black kimono, and the pants and the decorative silk overcoat are called hakama and haori. The dressing process was really quite elaborate, and took time to do it okay.

It costed about $250.00 to rent the whole caboodle.


Then, our 'cultural exchange' began. The traffic was SO BAD, that we eventually went left, instead of going right and back the way we came. On the little map we now had, Tim could see some roads that we could go back to town on. Well, the goat paths we saw didn't look promising. We kept going, hoping for some sign. Finally, we found one that said to follow on to the toll road. Well, it didn't tell us how FAR we'd have to go to get that accomplished! So, we stopped twice, and in my awful Japanese (I understand straight, and turn left and right, and can ask how many kilometers) we had enough 'cultural exchange' to indeed get back on the toll road (highway) to Yokosuka.

Meanwhile, from the back seat, William makes the observation that we should have brought our GPS for Japan. Yes, William, we should have. And then I looked at Tim, who was sitting stoically next to be, to judge whether he had encouraged William to make this observation, because I KNEW he was thinking it! He spent good money to get one for me, but when I know where I'm going, I don't use it. I wasn't expecting to have to go the wrong way. But then, what would 'Culture Day' be without a bit of 'cultural interaction?'