Cute

I'm back at work now and can't stop thinking about Japan. Check out this cute PSA they put on the playground equipment. 

 

Kawaii!

Wow!

We all know that Japan is full of amazing things, like trains that are faster than a speeding bullet and surprisingly delicious convenience store food. 

But nothing has blown my mind more than this. 

At first glance it's a dish with a penguin on it. 

 

Kuwaii!

I used it to serve KB's breakfast one morning. When we started to receive clear signals that no more breakfast was going to be consumed, 

Appleheart said to KB "please pass me the goat plate of you've finished your breakfast". 

It's no secret that Appleheart  is not a morning person, but mistaking a penguin for a goat is bad even for him.

I told him so too.

He calmly turned the plate towards me and this is what I saw.

 

WOWOWOWOW!

This day in Tokyo

It's a super late post today crab fans. And that's because I wanted to take you through a typical day of our Japan holiday. I was going to do it in real time, progressively updating the same post but wifi is surprisingly hard to find.  So it's basically a retrospective of what the K family did today, our second last day in Tokyo. 

Let's begin!

After waking up at about 6am, going through the rigmarole of breakfasting, showering and and packing snacks for the day, we made it out of the house at about 8am. 

First stop, a park.

Or actually, not so much a park as a slide out the front of some apartment building.  But KB didn't care. He owned that slide for about half an hour, by which time the coffee shop I like opened. So next, we did this:

 

What fine looking brews. So that was Kb taken care of. Just jokes. He's just a baby and can't have coffee, other than when he grabs our empty cups when we're not looking and has the dregs. Those are difficult days. 

Anyway, all dosed up on coffee, we headed for the station.

 

We hopped on the train and headed for the famous fish market everyone raves about. The action at the market starts about 5:30am, but as if we were doing that. But the market was still going at 10am when we got there and we saw lots of fruits de mer. 

People talk about how amazing it is that it doesn't smell at all like fish.  I was all prepared to be unimpressed by that, but it's hard to be. I mean, I've been to bakeries that have a stronger fishy smell.'

We are some sashimi, utterly delicious,  not pictured. 

Next stop, the robot park in Roppongi Hills.

This park has superior slide choice, which is well up KB's alley. Here is is riding a robot, but with his face replaced with a drawing of a tomato. 

By this time it was about 1pm and while we had plans to go to the art galleries and shops around Roppongi Hills, KB's tolerance levels indicated this would not be a good idea. This is basically the key insight from our trip. Though Japan is full of wonders, there is no no in them if KB is in no mood. And much like my approach to navigation using Google maps which involves frequently reorienting the map to my current position so I know the blue dot and I are singing the same tune, revisiting the KB mood is a prudent step on the path of mutual enjoyment. 

We decided to go to shibuya to do a little shopping. I bought sunglasses and Appleheart bought a backpack (and the same sunglasses as me because I'm cool 😎).

Next stop, a park with an octopus where the tentacles are slides.

 

Cool.

This brought us up to 4pm, which is holdiay dinnertime. 

We went to a ramen place and has the second best ramen noodles of my life. 

Not pictured. 

This is what was left after the frenzy of eating before KB lost it. 

Basically every meal is consumed the way Cookie Monster eats cookies.
. 

Here's what was left...

 

With full bellies, clear hearts (can't lose), we marched home. Right now Appleheart is trying to wear Kb out before bed time. 

After that will be snacks, biru/whiskey and then bed at about 8:45pm.

It's a wonderful time. 

Transit days are the worst

When you're travelling, transit days are the worst. The days you're going from one place to the next with all your bags.

Today we traveled from Lake Biwa to Tokyo, via two normal trains and one Shinkansen. 

My day started like this.

 

At 6am, gazing across the tatami at the sight of KB's pudgy little arm cuddling his Cookie Monster toy (not pictured). 

The hours between then and now have involved a lot of tears, a lot of confusion and a lot of inadvertent pissing people off with our huge load of stuff and our general cluelessness. It's also really hot. At one point I stopped by a bubbler in a park to have a sip of water but instead got a powerful jet of water squirted straight into my eyeball. It would have looked totally hilarious but I couldn't appreciate it because it hurt so much .

But now we are at our beautiful airbnb in ebisu with this shit hot view across the city.

 

I've got a belly full of delicious ramen and as soon as KB is in bed I'm going to sit on that balcony and have a convenience store beer. 

I may have lost the Cookie Monster toy at some point on the journey but heck, we made it. 

Enjoy relaxing

Although it sounds like K is holidaying in Japan's answer to King Street it has one advantage over King Street. The availability of beer from convenience stores. Oh and an onsen in the hotel. Though onsen in summer does not seem that appealing to me but what do I know? I'll tell you what I know, you can get beer from convenience stores. And the best kind of beer snacks. Even the midges can't ruin that, surely. 

Enjoy relaxing

Just outside Kyoto is Japan's largest freshwater lake, Lake Biwa. We read about it, and about the many onsen it is home to, and decided we would venture up for a few days. The internet made it seem like a weekend playground for people from Kyoto but as we all know, you can't believe everything you read on the internet.

I get the impression that it is to Kyoto what Frankston is to Melbourne. Sure, there's a beach there and it's a stones throw from Melbourne  but that does not mean it's an appealing place. Not at all. We arrived on a dreary grey day and it's rained non stop since we got here. That's not helping. But the multitude of tittie bars and general seediness can not be blamed on the weather. 

The hotel staff seem a little sheepish and kind of apologetic, like they know it's a bit shit here. As I took the key and headed for the lift one of them called after me and said "enjoy relaxing", a little desperately.

Then this was waiting for us on our doorstep, when we got to the room.

 

I haven't let it deter me.  There's a spa bath on our balcony and an outdoor onsen in the hotel which is the main reason I'm here. The Midges can go fudge themselves! 

FC in Kyoto

I guess lots of  people come to Kyoto for the shrines, the beautiful breeze that comes from the mountains, across the river and takes the edge off the heat of the city. Or they come for the food. We have had a shit hot time with all those things, but the indoor play centre and this slide that looks like a cock are my favourite things about Kyoto. 

 

 

Do not touch these buttons!!

You guys, I'm in Japan!

We arrived last night after a whole day in a plane with a two year old. This morning, we hopped on a train to Kyoto and that's where I'm writing this from.

After two days in transit I'm feeling a little fragile. But there have been lots of good times already. Like the time that qantas sat us in a row of three and didn't book anyone in the third seat so KB basically got a free seat. The time when KB poked his head over the top of his train seat and said to the stranger behind him "What are you doing?". This is the first sentence he has ever uttered, apart from "more cake!" and the like. 

The time when I got this magical coffee that made me feel like a million bucks.

 

And this sign on some miscellaneous electronic thing at our airbnb.

 

Tomorrow we start exploring in earnest. Right after another of those magical coffees. 

Treat yo'self

Last week I was walking down Smith Street with Little Bean when I suddenly realised I was starving. Minutes later I walked past Peko Peko. Or to be more accurate I walked past the window of Peko Peko until I got to the door at which point I walked in the door. Why the hell not enjoy some delicious Japanese for lunch?! As I looked at the menu I felt torn, I wanted something delicious, satisfying, fresh, hearty. I decided I wanted the spinach salad and maybe a croquette. Maybe one tempura prawn too. But I felt like that would be too expensive and I thought maybe it was a jerk act ordering just one croquette and one tempura prawn. But hell, they are on the menu as single items, why shouldn't I order those things. And why shouldn't I spend an extra five bucks on my lunch just once in a while. Treat yo'self! Is this that thing people talk about? Women who can't say no, who don't ask for what they want because society makes them think they don't deserve it? I think it is! Or something like it. And let me tell you that lunch was delicious because I ordered all the things I wanted!!!

I don't know if it's society's fault or my fault or what, but why the hell should a person think they can't order the things from a menu that they want. I mean that is fucking ridiculous! Ladies (and gentlemen), it is time to treat yo'self. I mean, if the lobster is five times the price of everything on  the menu and you're broke, I guess I can see why you'd order something else, but if you've decided to eat at a restaurant just eat what you want.

And to be very clear I am talking both figuratively and literally here. If there is one benefit to aging it is seeing the world more clearly and seeing yourself more clearly. Which I guess is two benefits. Which is great, because if your tallying things up the other side may look heavily weighted (hair greying, hair loss, wrinkles, body decay, illness, more frequent death of loved ones, I better stop here before shit gets out of hand). On the plus side the benefits are also more substantial than the often (but not entirely) superficial elements on the list of disadvantages to aging.

Last night I went to a friend's house for fondue. She invited me and because I didn't know most of the people going and because it was a school night and I thought I should be home to perform my maternal duties I very nearly didn't go. But then I thought, 'Treat yo'self!' I used to hate going places where I didn't know anyone but now I just don't care about it so much. It is basically just habit that makes me think I want to avoid situations like that, not my actual feelings. And boy howdy that is liberating. I mean, imagine missing out on fondue because you were nervous around strangers! And in case you haven't had it for a while, let me remind you that fondue is delicious!

I guess what I'm learning is that by being open to listening to yourself and doing the things you want you to do you'll get to eat a lot of delicious food. So why the hell wouldn't you!?