Enjoying the Fireworks

Zilla is 7 years old

Mega is 4 years old 

Lesson: Preparation is key!

Tokyo summers are hot. There is no way around that. However every year millions of people try to to make the most of the summer by getting out to enjoy some of the fireworks shows. We are not fans of big crowds so we usually only go to a less well known show. One thing we've learned is that preparation is key to enjoying a show with kids. 

For a spring show everyone seems more concerned about staying warm than being stylish but for the summer shows it is common to dress up in yukata (cotton summer kimono) or jinbei (summer top/bottom). Mega and Zilla love to dress up for these events but we do ask for them to wear comfortable walking shoes instead of the traditional geta. Be sure to bring a fan for the hot nights and an extra coat or wrap on the cool nights. Something I try to remember, and often forget, is to get glow stick jewelry for the kids to wear. For them it is a toy, for us it is a way to easily spot them in the dark, in a crowd.

Trying to find a place to sit can be tricky, depending on the location of the fireworks. It is good to look at the map before going to figure out what spaces will have seating and how to get there. It traveling by train it can easily be a 30 minute walk from a station to a good seating area. On the way home going to the closest station also can mean being squeezed in on super crowded trains. 

Having a snack or special drink to give the kids an energy boost on the way home helps to temper the past bedtime whininess.

Here is a list of things to bring:

 - blanket or leisure sheet to sit on

 - drinks

 - snacks

 - glow sticks or glowing jewelry

 - small umbrella (even if no rain is predicted there can be unexpected showers)

 - deck of cards (something to do while waiting

 - wear comfortable walking shoes

 - bug repellent and after bite

 - map or guide to the fireworks area

 - camera
 - fan

Things to consider:
Stroller vs. carrier
How will the kids handle being up late?
How hot/cold will it be?
Will there be a place to sit?
How early do you need to go to get a place?
How will you manage the potential long lines for the bathrooms?

Day In Ueno

Zilla is 6 years old

Mega is 3 year old

Lesson: Ueno has much to offer.

If you don't live in Tokyo you probably don't know where/what Ueno is.  It is an older (historical) part of town which features a park surrounded by a zoo and various museums.  In some ways it is similar to a mini version Smithsonian Museums gathered around the Mall in Washington DC.
We haven't visited most of the museums in the past few years because the kids were too young to enjoy them. This past week Zilla had some time off school so I took the kids to Ueno for the day.
We started out at the National Museum of Nature and Science visiting the special exhibition on Dinosaurs of the Gobi Dessert.

Zilla and Mega both love learning about dinosaurs.  Being able to see these skeletons up close, in person was a real treat.  One special feature was a tablet computer that you could rent which had narration, additional photos and videos to enhance the exhibit. In the kid's version there was also a quiz to check their comprehension.  Zilla soaked up the information like a sponge!  Mega used our Dinosaur Train flashcards to identify the various dinosaurs which were displayed.

One feature the kids found particularly interesting was the information on how the bones are located and identified.  The ablove picture is the explanation of how a pile of tiny bones was discovered to actually be a nest of baby dinosaurs.  The kids think it would make a great puzzle for Grandpa to put together!

After the museum we headed across the park to Ueno Zoo. On the way there we stopped to take a picture with a whale, look at some early blooming Cherry Blossoms and have a snack at the playground.

This is outside the nature and science museum.

 The playground pictures here is between the Tokyo Metropolitian Art Museum and Ueno Zoo.

My year-long membership for the zoo ends soon so this may have been our last trip for a while. With Zilla starting school in the direction away from the zoo we may not be able to get there as often as we like.  While Ueno Zoo is small (landlocked) it has a long history and a wide variety of animals.  On this visit Mega wanted to see the pandas and polar bear. Zilla was looking forward to the spider monkeys and elephants.  Once we started walking around the aye-ayes, lemurs and the petting area sheep and goats also grabbed the kid's attention.  I love that we can go to the same zoo many times over the course of a year because the kids notice changes in the animals yet every time we go. They also show a new interest in an animal or two which they did not find particularly interesting before.

At the end of the day we headed back across Ueno park to get to the train home.  We stopped to watch a juggler/magician doing a street performance.  I'd love to say he was great... but he was very funny and held the kids attention. It must be hard to spend the day trying to get people to stop in the cold to watch for a while...

After we returned home the kids started asking about when we could go back to Ueno to see the other museums.  I think the next 1/2 day of school might include an afternoon trip to Ueno!

This is definitely one of the advantages of living in a city and I plan to make the most of it!

Here are some of the other places to visit around Ueno Park:

 Tokyo National Museum

 National Museum for Western Art

International Library of Children's Literature

Shitamachi Museum

Ueno Bunka Kaikan

Ikea Dinner Date

Recently the kids and I were on our own on a Friday night so we headed to Ikea for dinner & play.  It is one of the few places where I can sit back and relax while the kids enjoy their meal and play a bit.  It is also a place to get great ideas for improving our home... and pick up items for class.

It is also a place to go to see how much the kids have grown!

Zoo Trip

Zilla is 5 yrs. old

Mega is 2 yrs. old

This week Zilla ended up having just 1 1/2 days of school.
Monday - national holiday 
Tuesday - snow day
Wednesday - 1/2 day as the preschool had something for next year's new students in the afternoon
Thursday - regular full day
Friday - 5 yr. old class to Disneyland 
The 3 yr. old and 4 yr. old classes were cancelled so the teachers can help with the class trip.  Each "grade" at Zilla's school has about 70 kids divided into 3 classes.


Since Zilla had so much "free" time this week I knew Friday he needed to get out of the house.  It was cold - about 5 deg. C with a cold wind - but the kids don't seem to notice the temperature when there is something fun to do!

So, we headed to the zoo. We haven't been there in a while but judging by how well the kids did on this trip we'll probably be going more often!

 As preparation before going we watched the Signing Time Leah's Farm and Zoo Train DVDs.  I also made up a new set of animal flashcards from the Classroom Edition.  The refresher course (for me and Zilla) was a great help as Mega was really on top of her animal signs!

I have a bit more about the signing aspect of our visit over at the Kotoba & Sign blog.

We were able to see the pandas.  Since the zoo wasn't crowded we were able to stand around and watch for as long as we liked. 

 When your 2 yr old can "read" and animal pictures on the map she somehow ends up being the tour guide...

Zilla and Mega both really enjoyed the new polar bear exhibit.  It has been "fixed up" nicely since our last visit and we arrived at feeding time! 

 Signing "turtle" on a turtle.

The petting zoo ended up being their favorite part of the day.  Neither kids wanted to touch the animals at first but they were very careful and warmed up to the animals pretty quickly!

Breakfast with the Planes

I'm about a month behind on posting here... so it is time to play a bit of catch-up!

When Emo (Daddy to the kids) had to flay away for a few days recently we accompanied him to Haneda Airport.  It was actually my first time to go there since the flights to where we need to go have always been from Narita Airport.  The new International Terminal at Haneda is very well done and makes a nice outing for kids.  The observation deck was the perfect place for a snack while watching the planes come and go.  We had so much fun looking at the different designs and trying to figure out where the various planes come from!

Kid-o-KID キドキド Part 2

When summer gets hot (or winter gets cold) there are some indoor places we go to when the kids are bursting with energy.  One of them is Kid-o-Kid.  I wrote about it before here.  This visit we went with 2 kids, a three year old and an almost 1 year old.  The variety in activities was once again a good fit.  Also, with the day passport we were able to play for a while, go out for lunch and return from some more play time before heading home at nap time.

The boys worked hard to create a car.

 

The ball pit and climbing implement is where we spent most of our time.  

Zilla had some fun rolling around.

Mega enjoyed the baby space but she really prefers to play near/with her big brother.

The roll play and fine work corner

Racing and jumping on the huge air mat - Mega actually moved about the easiest. We figure it is a combo of being light weight and generally used to be off balance.

Ideas and instructions on how to use the equipment.

This is the house that Zilla built. 

Mitsubachi - A Cafe Where Kids are Welcome

We met a friend for lunch today.  Since we don't live near each other and have little kids in tow we looked online for a place to meet in the middle that the kids could enjoy going to too.

 As you can see this isn't your normal kiddie lunch yet yummy enough for kids to enjoy it too.  The quiche lunch plate also had croquet balls, a mini hamburger, some veggies and the very popular bread sticks!  With the drink (non-alcoholic cocktail) it came to 1,300 yen.

The feature which got our attention is the play space.  Our table was to the left so we could keep an eye on the kids while we ate.  Including play time before and after eating we spent about 2 hours there.
Here are the pages which lead us to the Cafe Mitsubachi in Urawa:
http://cafe-mitsubachi.com/
http://blog.livedoor.jp/mango1235/archives/1429466.html

KID-O-KID キドキド

There is a place near our house called KID-O-KID　キドキド. Ok, so it isn't exactly near, it's near the next train station, but comparatively that is close!

Ball pit
Train set - with dress-up are in the background
A marble rolling build-it-yourself thingy area
Tubes that roll
Mr. Handy Manny wanna-be

As you can see, we had fun.

The enterance charge was a bit much for my liking but if you got the day pass it would be a nice place to go when the weather is bad or to celebrate something special. Might also work as a place to play when Daddy is out of town and the blues have settled over the house.

The other thing I like is that any age kid is welcome so siblings or cousins can play together. However, I bet this place is super crowded on holidays and weekends!!!

Mama's Club Theater

Ok, so we are not big movie buffs but we do enjoy the occasional flick. So why today you wonder? Well, it's simple really - a chance to go + a movie that looked interesting.

There is something called "Mama's Club Theater" which is held by Toho Cinema. The page with some English is here. I found out about these special showings over a year ago but the closest place to us was about hour away by train and the movies were usually on days that we weren't free.

Now that we moved the theater at the next train station has Mam's Club Theater usually on my husband's day off so we can even go as a family! Now to find movies worth paying 1,800 yen ($18) a person to see...

Are you wondering what is so special about these movie showings? Well, it's simple really. Babies and toddlers are welcome. The lights don't go all the way off, the sound isn't as loud and the kids can roam freely. The Little Guy stayed in his seat for about the 1st half and spent the 2nd half making friends with babies and exploring the front rows. Most of the people in the theater had kids under 2 yrs. old with them.

I'll be checking the homepage regulraly to so when the next time is they are showing a movie that I want to watch!

Change of Scene - Ikea

As spring comes we often find it hard to play outside. Rainy, wet days are followed by damp, cool days. A trip to the playground is usually a muddy mess! One good solution: IKEA! It is by far the most family-friendly store that I know of in Japan. And, there are a few on Tokyo to choose from. I could go on and on about how much I love their stuff but instead thisis about Ikea through the eyes of the Little Guy.

Does this chair come in a smaller size?

Trying out all the beds and chairs can leave you feeling like Goldilocks visiting the three bears.

Tea break!

Wile mommy is mentally redecorating the house there is plenty of time to try out some of the great Ikea dishes.

The original play station.

These triangular treasures are placed where moms and dads are likely to linger the longest.

The first serious attempt at playing the memory game.

Finally, stuff that's my size!

"Testing" the products in the kids area not only keeps the kids busy, it also gives the parents a chance to see what might make a great present for the next birthday!

Other great Ikea points include:

☆ kids menu for lunch

☆ play area in the dining rooms

☆ family bathrooms

☆ family rest room (diaper change and nursing space)

☆ kids can explore the display areas

☆ indoors - great for rainy days!

☆ affordable

☆ kid and family activities throughout the year!

Of course you can't face the hour-long train ride home without a little ice cream first!

Train Worth Riding

Over the break we had the chance to take an overnight trip.  One of the best parts was riding on the Superview Odoriko train (スーパービュー踊り子) from Tokyo to the south.  We've taken the train before so this time we made sure to get an early reservation for one of the best seats on the train.

This is the view from Car 10, Row 1, Seats a, b.  Not only were we on the ocean side of the train we also had a front row (or back row) seat.  The Little Guy (and big guy) had a great time watching the tracks go by.  We also passed many trains, cranes, bridges and tunnels!

The other advantage of being in car 10 is that the first floor has a kids room.  There is even a private area for nursing and diaper changes.  When traveling with kids who don't sit still this room can be a life saver!
With all of the great features you'd expect this train to cost a lot but it is actually cheaper than taking the shinkansen (bullet train).
If you have time, why not enjoy the journey with a great front row seat?

Mommy's Secrets

I've started teaching an English class for Mommies and Babies on Mondays. In class today we had a good discussion which got me to thinking... we have information that can be shared and hopefully will be helpful to other moms (or dads) in the area.

Today's topic was "Mommy's Secrets". Our discussion questions included "Where do you like to go with your baby?" and "What is something you wish you would have known before having a baby?"

Here is a summary of what we came up with:

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Where do you like to go with your baby?

0123 - a city-run place that resembles a jidokan (children's recreation center) for kids age 0-3 years old.

Kamiigusa Sports Center Kid's Room - The public sports center has a room that families can use for free. They just ask that you sign in at the desk so they know how many people are using the room. It's a great place to play on a rainy day! (There is a picture of the room at the bottom of the linked page)

Skip Kids - A cafe with a small American-style play space. There is also a separate ball are for babies under 1 yr. old so they don't get trampled. The food, staff and atmosphere is wonderful.

Local parks - we have many of them in Suginami-ku. It is great to get out and play on a sunny day!

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What is something you wish you would have known before having a baby?

- That not all babies sleep a lot and some babies don't like to sleep at night.

- It is ok to go out of the house in the first month after the baby is born. Many women in Japan feel trapped at home with the baby until the 1 month check-up as they are told not to even go out for a walk or to the grocery store. In class we agreed that for the mental health of the mommy it's best to not feel trapped in a small apartment for a month!

- You don't need to get a complete wardrobe in every size. Babies grow quickly so you may not even be able to use all the baby clothes. One approach is to buy things in every other size - for example get things in 50cm, 70 cm, 90 cm and skip buying things that are 60 cm and 80 cm.

- Babies can be very expensive. It is not just buying things... the utility bills may go up, budgets for travel need to be increased to cover an additional person, child care/activities need to be taken into consideration.

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During the baby (more like toddler) time today we read 2 books.

Chika Chika Boom Boom

and

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear (Sign and Sing Along)

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