My Hamamatsu Life

Foreigner fun for Easter

2011-09-21T12:29:00.001+09:00

Back in April a number of us families of Japanese/outside country people mix variety got together to have a bit of fun. The event was organized by Warwick, another teacher who works the same times as us in the mornings named Matt and I. Hopefully the first of many for the kids to get together and communicate in English and get to know some other kids like them. It was easy for the 3 of us to put together as we are all on the same schedule, though we'd like to extend that to more participants in the future.

All the young'uns like Mona in the foreground, and Oto and Ume in the back seemed to be on their own missions.

Ken was hamming it up as usual with Matt and his son Oto.

Marty and his daughter came out too and enjoyed the Egg coloring activity.

Marty enjoyed a beer too.

Tyler was eating something, hopefully not a rock.

Next we scattered a bunch of candies about and the Easter hunt was on.

The kids searched earnestly and it quickly turned into a cut throat competition.

Ken managed only a few items, though he proclaimed himself the winner- I think Tyler actually was...

It was a good time, even after the crazy ANZAC'S took out the Cricket bat and lobbed a ball into the mat where all the mothers and kids were sitting. Looking forward to more such outings.

Mastery of the tricycle- Ken

2011-09-18T14:32:00.000+09:00

We bought a tricycle for the little guy last birthday, and he often enjoyed going out and taking the trike for a spin. But he couldn't fingure out how to use the pedals- finally around April 16, 2011 he managed to do it. 'jouzu'- means great btw....

Mona is developing her personality

2011-09-17T05:20:00.000+09:00

Really in the absence of my blog posting, Mona's character has really been filling in. While she is much more stubborn than Ken was at such a young age- she also has a golden heart and often has us laughing or smiling happily.

She loves to make different poses and from early on enjoyed looking out between her legs (after making a mess of our living room as you can see)

She also loves drawing- she is often found lying on the floor or sitting on the couch with her magnetic drawing board- drawing Arfie, Mommy or her favorite, Anpanman.

She seems to have a more artistic side indeed- she also loves songs and is starting to fill out her repertoire.

Ken's a big boy now- Kindergarten

2011-09-16T17:06:00.002+09:00

In Japan Kindergarten is a separate school from elementary school and goes for three years. So from this April- Ken's journey into schooling began. We had chosen Akasa Youchien, which was a little further from our house- but as both of us work (and apparently they want to discourage this in Japan) the pickings of schools with early daycare and late daycare programs was very sparse (azukarihoiku they call it). It is a pretty quaint school, and he enjoys it so far, so there are no regrets.

The first day, on April 8th, 2011 there was a entry ceremony that all parents and kids could enjoy together. You notice mothers are all standing with their little bundles of joy, but Ken demanded I do it.

We had to take turns calming Mona as she was a bit on the fussy side- probably she was nervous because of all the strange people and noise.

Ken wearing a Flava Flav kinda medallion and Ritsy looking all lady-like.

And finally the next day the real Kindergarten began with his red cap for the first year (Tulip gumi) and the regular shirt. In the 2nd and 3rd years he will have to get a uniform shirt too. Wow, time goes fast. Just another year and a half until Mona gets into Kindergarten too.

Thomasland trip 2 part 2

2011-09-12T10:58:00.014+09:00

As the 11th of September marks the 10th anniversary of... well Sept 11th, I scheduled this post to run on the 12th. I hope we don't find any maniacal nonesense on the reunion of that horrible date.

While Ken was pretty excited to be there and especially enjoyed playing in the gift shops, we saw the first signs of a trend that carried forward, a fear of the unknown. He refused to take any new rides, hence why I was on the new Bullstrode ride providing an example of how safe it was. He didn't bite.

Instead one of the favorites was the one where they ride around in circles while they play one of those creepy songs from the show and everyone shakes a tamborine.

It was good for Mona too.

Mona enjoyed having a sit down in the snow, one of her first real encounters.

I gave Ken the digital camera and one of the good ones he took was of me and his mom.All in all it was a good trip and the hotel had a connected Hot Spring so we could relax as well as enjoy a delicious dinner. Good times.

Second Trip to Thomasland- March

2011-09-10T22:52:00.000+09:00

With Kindergarten starting up in April, we decided we wanted to get out with Ken to celebrate his big milestone with a surprise trip to Thomasland. Indeed he had no idea where he was until well after we checked into the hotel. Incidentally this trip ended 2 days before the big quake which we definitely would have felt in this area...

Thomas was happy as always to see us.

And we could sneak into Ken's inside the control room picture. Why do they even have a driver though? They seem pretty useless in Thomas' stories...

Hiro, the most famous Japanese character was happy to escape from the slavery of the Fat Controller's railway.

Mama and Mona candid shot.

Ken could enjoy the snow. Indeed it was cold.

Happy Birthday Mom

2011-07-09T10:45:00.000+09:00

Begining of last day- puttering around

2011-04-30T23:47:00.001+09:00

We had the liberty to relax a bit before the final day's pool party. So Ken made himself at home.

Mona enjoyed watching people go up and down the stairs.

And a little bowling.

We walked down to the mall- Ken showed his Canadian side.

But was a bit puzzled by it all.

Actually I think he was bored of taking pictures, but I wanted to get him and the totem pole at the same time.

We headed back up to Scottoi's palace.

Where Steve and Keiko arrived bearing the gifts of clothing, all great selections that have made it into their regular attire!

Quiet night of Greek

2011-04-29T11:42:00.006+09:00

As a thank you, Ritsy and I sprang for an evening of Greek food.

Sorry Doogie, none for you.

The ladies got comfortable as the sun set.

And finally the dark set in.

Visiting Mikey at Pane Formaggio

2011-04-28T21:37:00.011+09:00

What feels like a lifetime ago I was a cook. And one of the greatest people I worked with at Yaletown was Mike. Always positive and good for a laugh, we always seemed to connect well. Our paths crossed a few times after that- later we worked at Dix and after I finally got it together to get out of the restaurant industry (don't get me started)- we both worked for the same company- Pane e Formaggio- he in Point Grey and I in Whistler. One more time when I lived back in Vancouver after Tokyo I worked for him on 10th for a short while.

As things go, you fall out of touch- but we finally managed to reconnect and we met up at the shop after I we finished at the Aquarium. He really loved Ken and Mona.

Ken started to get fussy so Ritsy took him for a little walk around while I caught up with him, and later Alberto my financial advisor (and former co-worker at the now departed Fiasco).

Finally it was time to say goodbye sadly, but we all had a great time, and got to take this great picture together.

And ended with some serious discussion. Looking forward to seeing Mikey again, next time we come out.

A trip to the Vancouver Aquarium

2011-04-27T04:21:00.010+09:00

Benita had actually suggested going to the Vancouver Aquarium together, but I was thinking that they were too busy- so saw it as a great chance to catch my family one more time before heading home. Here mom is feeding the sharks.

Mona was nice and comfortable in the stroller that we had borrowed.

At this time we were starting to realize that Ken feels uneasy in dark lit spaces. While he didn't say it at that time- he started to act up again. Mom tried to cheer him up.

Ahhhh pretty butterfly.

Mona was having a great time.

Aunt Tracey also did a great job of sitting down and trying to cheer him up too. He was a bit better when we got outside and had lunch. It was time, though, to rush to our next destination...

Visiting with Rose and Carrie

2011-04-26T20:13:00.000+09:00

Lots of catching up on this trip, as you can imagine. This time we met up with Carrie and Rose for some breakfast at a cafe I remembered in the area. I think they send their profits to building a school in Cambodia or something like that. It was a good feed to boot. Rose was shy at first.

But once Ken had out some trains and shared one (to his 5) she warmed up.

and was flashing her charming little smile.

Afterwards we hit the library which had an excellent huge kids section. Mona was digging into Snuggle Puppy it looks like.

Ken was practicing his picture pose for GQ.

We had a really great time catching up with Carrie and Rose, and now that they are plus one I am really looking forward to the next catch up!

Visiting with Steve's Mom

2011-04-25T10:05:00.000+09:00

Steve's Mom was in town while we were- and she just so happens to be the lady who married Ritsy and I so she was pretty interested to see how we were doing and the fruits of our (or Ritsy's more accurately)labours. Keiko was chilling with her as well when we made it out.

They had chalk for drawing on the cement with.

Ken like Keiko from their first meeting and this may be why- she knew the way to his heart.

Drawing Thomas.

The ladies bonded.

Ken tried to camoflauge himself next to the car...

Visit with the family

2011-04-24T15:57:00.000+09:00

We hit the Red Robin out near my mom's apartment for a good old fashioned family birthday dinner. I know the 2 ladies are strapped for cash lately, so it was nice that they sprung for dinner and bought presents for Ken and Mona. Above is Tracey and her great boy, Mac.

The boys both love Thomas and vehicles so could hit it off. This was the first time we could see the depth of Ken's English skills. He was chatting as though he lived in Canada all his life.

The family mobilizes.

Down to business at the dinner table.

Mona enjoyed her new toy which was quite fun until I got it wet one day and the sounds came up eerie and distorted.

Mona got her hands on brother's hat.

No, Canada baba is not the reason she was crying, but it's the only picture I have of the 2 together...

Visiting Al and Lilly and Isabella

2011-04-23T22:54:00.000+09:00

I was happy to hear the news that my old pal Alex was due to have a child last year and we managed to make it out to his place for a visit and some catching up on my birthday in the morning. Isabella was quite lovely, though I could see some resemblance to her dad.

Mona did not feel threatened by the competition for attention posed by another baby being there.

Al and Ken got along splendidly. Thought Ken's interest in flatulence humour increased a lot after the trip.. could be Al's influence.

Comedic photo ops presented themselves.

This is our 'in touch with our feminine side' one.

The ladies went for a more serious picture, though it was tough to get everyone's faces into the shot.

My 38th party

2011-04-01T22:35:00.000+09:00

Scott was nice enough to throw a bit of a party for my birthday. It was also dubbed a summer party, hence a few people I don't know were present. Can you spot the piece of my head in the picture above? How about Ritsy eating corn and talking to Keiko.

Steve made a move to steal Mona- I had my eyes on him though.

A blast from the Whistler days past- Johnny B and Dave McGhee. Great to see the 2 of them.

Benita and her brother Carl with his little cutey. (notice me wowing Colin with my storytelling skills)

Somehow we managed to run out of alcohol, so we had to pool some money and buy more.

Colin was stunned (this was the first chance to meet his beau Susan- standing behind him)

Hey Keiko! They are saying.

The party deteriorated into battles in the pool. Apparently Ken was having a tough time sleeping and came out of his room to tell everyone to quiet down. Funny guy.

Everyone was tired and a good time was had by all!

Onwards with last year- Vancouver trip 2

2011-03-31T17:13:00.000+09:00

Scotty and Benita were generous enough to open their homes and to provide for us the tickets to come out to Vancouver a second time last year. A very selfless and fantastic time we were all able to enjoy thanks to them. I can't say enough how much we appreciated their generosity. This time around it was around the time of my birthday in August. So great to escape the heat of Japan for a week!

Doogie stood guard over the room that Ken and I would be staying in.

And Benita and Ken continued their bond from the first moment.

Mona was working her charm and trying to steel the camera.

The neighbours were kind enough to lend us their Thomas toys which kept Ken occupied a lot of the time.

The first night Steve and Keiko came over and we enjoyed a nice meal and some wine together. A good start!

Unaffected(maybe)

2011-03-26T17:01:00.000+09:00

Of course, most people know there was a quake on March 11th in Japan. The epicenter was just off the North East coast of Japan, but it was strong enough that we had a bit of a shake here. I was pretty clueless as to how major the quake was until the next day when we all started seeing the results of the tidal waves that swept through the northern towns. While there was a tsunami warning here in Hamamatsu the waves did not reach destructive sizes here.

The story that took over and has been at the back of my mind since it all went down has been the situation in Fukushima. The cooling systems initially shutdown in one reactor causing anxiety about the rods overheating. An aftershock took out another one, and it seems like dominoes 4 reactors have had mini explosions (we've been reassured these are hydrogen explosions not meltdowns) and the buildings are a mess, exposing radiation to the air. They have been working for 2 weeks now to get the situation under control. They haven't totally lost the battle, they are fighting hard, but there is some huge damage, that they will only really fathom the magnitude of only years down the road. The great story is the Fukushima 50. 50 workers who have basically put their lives on the line to get the situation under control. Just yesterday I saw that 2 members had severe levels of poisoning as a result of stepping in some contaminated water. Food from the North has gone questionable- farmers had to dump their milk and destroy their crops as the food is inedible. In Tokyo they advised not to feed the tap water to small babies. I would say that is a sign no one should be drinking it. I want to say we are far away from it all to not feel the effect. But with contaminated food, there is potential that something gets through unchecked. And water. I read in the Canadian newspaper they detected some elevated levels of radiation (not dangerous though) off Canadian shores- we are much closer to it all than Canada is. Well, we are staying put- until I hear some news that the levels are becoming dangerous- which I hope they would report if it happens.

The picture at the header tells of the biggest real impact we have felt so far- the panic shopping, or hoarding factor. For about a week, you couldn't find toilet paper on the shelves. Same goes for water, rice, diapers and other such goods as people stocked up their home supply. Crazy panic- I almost had to fight with a lady over the last bag of rice at the Supermarket (we were legitimately out...), but she changed her mind and I got it in the end. To be fair, I think a lot of people have been shipping some stuff to friends in Tokyo as the supplies are much thinner up there.

Wow, that was a mouthful- but needed to document what has been going on.

The goods- Kanzanji Zoo 2011

2011-03-03T23:30:00.000+09:00

This was our second trip to the zoo in Kanzanji for Ken, though he probably doesn't remember trip number 1. He was ready to see some animals (until mid-point when his mind focused on Ice Cream- "Can we have Ice Cream Now?" repeated 100 times).

The family minus daddy, but plus the toy story bag.

Mona was serious about having a good time.

Nice timing on the picture Ritsy...

The Meerkats were popular amongst the family.

O-o-o-o!

Mother and Daughter. (now that is how to take a picture, Ritsy!)

Ken taking after daddy with a comical expression (being coached of course)

Weeeeeee! Fun has been had.

A final pose, before climbing on the statue that says; "Please Do not Climb!".

And finally a Walk and a "Ba-Bai!" from Mona.

Becoming the Animals

2011-03-03T14:18:00.001+09:00

There were a few more animal themed pictures around the zoo. Each time we saw one, Ken insisted we take pictures. The lion and the rabbit- very appropriate.

Here Ken really captures the emotions of the cow.

And the reindeer and the ... what the heck is it? A horse?

Before the zoo- the kids

2011-03-02T17:26:00.000+09:00

Just before we headed off to the zoo- I snapped a few great pictures of the kids. Starting with the picture of Mona enjoying checking herself out in the mirror.

Ken with his charming eyes.

Checking himself out.

Mona, becoming a charmer herself.

My lovely children. Alright sappy moment over...

Monkey boy then and now-- and monkey girl

2011-03-01T16:09:00.000+09:00

Ken in 2008

I will blog a little deeper about our trip out to the Kanzanji zoo the weekend before last in the near future. First up offering some contrast of Ken posing in the monkey picture. Above is him in 2008, and below would be 2011.

And now Mona...

And finally our 2 little monkeys...

Living cheap in Japan

2011-02-27T13:45:00.028+09:00

I often hear the question in my classes about how I feel about how expensive Japan is. Well, ya, Japan has it's expensive points- a lot of food and materials need to be imported to Japan with no native natural resources readily available. And in a city like Tokyo, shops and landlords can get away with charging a premium because the customer base (and love for shopping there) is very strong.

But now that I have lived here for a bit of time- there are some tips that you can bear in mind to maybe help you get through the first month or so here.

1. Buy food late. This could apply anywhere I guess, but I never thought of it before living here. If you are the kind of person that likes to buy ready-made dinners- you have lots of options out there. If you want the better prices- go to Supermarkets rather than convenience stores. And go on your shopping runs an hour or so before closing (closing time here is early- basically 8PM- 10PM) when the discount stickers are out... usually from 10- 50 percent off. Ex. 3割引- would be 30 percent off.Big savings to be had. Also some meats in the not-prepared area can be discounted later in the day.

2. GyuDon. Gyu don. Beef Donburi. It's beef, it's rice and it's onions. At 2 big chains in Japan it's also cheap. At Yoshinoya and Sukiya there has been a price battle and it hovers somewhere around the 280 yen mark- about 3 bucks. Cheap and should be enough food to get you buy.

I will try to report back with more saving money in Japan ideas in future posts.....

Mona and Brother

2011-02-26T21:44:00.000+09:00

At this point, Ken's personality is really filling out and of course so is his sense of independence and possessiveness. It is a no-brainer that he is starting to get into the selfish fights and battles that hang over the heads of little generals like Ken. But overall Ken and Mona get along well, and obviously Mona loves her brother very much (one of her first words has been 'bra-za!' which either means brother or brazier).

And while Ken resists at times, he likes to make a production of when he decides to share with her and we often catch him sweetly looking out for her.

She is happy and carefree still, great to have around the house!

Some recent pictures

2011-02-20T11:42:00.017+09:00

There is the view of Hamanako between one of my classes, which is very far away, and my home. Lovely- picture does no justice to.

Mona is a full pro with the iPhone now, very dangerous to let her get it in her hands.

Ken is a handful some days but is slowly coming around and starting to learn to be more considerate and focused.

Mona looks sharp in her new suit jacket Steve sent her for her birthday. They both love the book store.

And of course Mona is walking more and more these days!

The end of April's trip to Vancouver

2011-02-19T17:22:00.000+09:00

After driving back to Vancouver from Lillooet early in the morning, I met with my financial advisor at Metrotown, then returned the car and went with Scott to the hockey game. He managed to secure some fantastic seats and we had an excellent time- it was long time no seeing a live game for me!

The next day I met up with Carrie and Rosey who is filling out to be quite a cutey. (Rose that is) I can't remember if this was the time she broke the news that she was pregnant with child number 2...

We went to a cool cafe where we could drink coffee and Rosey could play then she dropped me off where I could do my shopping. Love the clothes in Vancouver! There was a party that night which I didn't take any pictures of and I was off home from there. It was a fantastic trip- and only the first of my journeys to Vancouver last year!

A drive out to Lillooet

2011-02-16T14:42:00.000+09:00

After taking a day of recovery in Vancouver, the next day I rented a car and drove all the way into the mountains to visit my sister.

A beautiful drive I tried to take a few pictures for Ken to see, but maybe interesting to some blog readers wanting to see a bit of the BC mountain atmosphere.

The drive up Lillooet goes into the Coast Mountain range. There are 2 options that take roughly the same time, but I felt going up through Hope then over was a bit safer than through Whistler.

A lot of mountains and rocks.

And trees

And rocks. Indeed one dinged the windshield right when I arrived in town. I had made a mistake about the insurance coverage- thinking I was covered by my Platinum card, but because I am living in Japan I am not. Well it looked like I must pay for it, but have yet to see a bill.

I could catch up with Mac who showed me all of his trains and trucks.

And Tracey who has a similar interest in trains and trucks so she also showed me her many toys. Ya.... well it was nice to catch up with my sister and hopefully bring a bit of cheer for her, as she is going through a dark time.

Scotty's 40th party

2011-02-11T23:59:00.017+09:00

As I mentioned last year in the trip for Scotty's big day, I only had my cheap camera, so I had to dig into Scotty's pictures from the event. It was a definitely memorable party so I am going to go a bit over my new imposed limit of pictures posted.

Our old friend and co-worker Dave Ginch shocking me with his stories.

Bill, Nita and their beautiful children.

As the night grew later- the drunkbirds started litting about. I introduce Mr. Dave McGhee(arm around Scott).

The Vancouver metrosexuals- Scott and Colin.

Carrie shocked by some picture, wish I could remember what she is looking at...

Shawn Taylor fighting off the kiss of McGhee. He lost.

Also got to catch up with Christian- it had been a while.

Finally Dave passed out, but the party moved to the pool for a bit. It was a great evening.

Surprising Colin

2011-02-11T17:20:00.000+09:00

Above is pictured a couple of my older friends- Bill Rogers and Colin. Bill has been busy with his family, so haven't seen him so much, but we usually get a chance to see Colin (on the right) when we visit Vancouver. For Scott's big birthday last March, we decided to keep it a secret from Colin that I was coming. So as he arrived here, he was none the wiser that I was in the same place. ( I actually had to slip out through the garage to escape being detected).
I ran downstairs to my PC and fired up Skype where they pretended to call me up in Japan. After about a minute I excused myself and popped out to surprise Colin.

He was in shock.

Great reaction.

It was a good start to a fun night of catching up with everyone. (Pictured Bill, Scott, Colin, Me and Jimmy- a full blast from the past).

Last year- first trip to Vancouver

2011-02-02T12:36:00.001+09:00

Unfortunately I was only armed with my small digital camera which is taking some grainy pictures these days, so the pictures I selected here aren't the best. But... Last year I was extremely fortunate, through the generosity of my friend Scott sharing his surplus air miles with me, to travel to Vancouver 2 times. The first time was a momentous occasion- the big man's 40th birthday.

You can see the shock from Yurika as she discovers that he is indeed not 30 years old like she thought. Actually I think the reaction had something to do with a picture featuring Hillary Duff and Mike Comrie- can't remember specifics. Anyway-- needless to say the party was epic.

Hence the next morning we can see Scottoi and Steve recovering in their snuggies or whatever you call those wacky blankets with sleeves they were wearing.

As we recovered Sean Taylor and I charmed everyone with our sharp humour, which I realized is very similar. Next time I will dig up some pictures of the party.

Monas 1st birthday video

2011-01-31T09:57:00.000+09:00

Ya I love the birthday videos. They are a great chance to look back on the year's events and create a simple documented photo album. I made this one a bit late, so couldn't check Ken's video for redundancy but should be enjoyable all the same.

As before the music is posted without permission really, so they may come down later-- but if you like the songs please go to iTunes or your favorite solution and buy the songs.

Gorillaz with Bobby Womack from their fan flub exclusive CD The Fall- Bobby in Phoenix.
Under the Sea- from the Little Mermaid (sorry for the dampened volume level) that would be Mona's music choice.
-and- The Black Keys- The Only One from their CD- Brothers.

RIP Sue Nagura

2011-01-29T21:56:00.000+09:00

Last week on Tuesday afternoon Ritsy's grandma- Ken and Mona's Great grandmother- passed away. I believe she was into her '90's so here in Japan they say 'oiwai' or celebration because she had a long life. I think the loss of anyone is unfortunate. I missed the wake as it was held very soon after I heard that she passed and I couldn't get out of my work. But I did attend a ceremony before they cremated her- if you watched the Japanese movie 'Departures' or okuribito- it reminded me of the movie. I had to clean her skin- it was my first time to touch a dead person. Then after they cremated her people pass some bones around using chopsticks. I also attended a funeral on Thursday where a monk chanted for about an hour and finally we said goodbye. That was a bit of challenge for Ken's patience, but he did as good a job as a 3 year old can do.

I never really knew her true character, though she was more lucid in my first visit and time spent in Tokyo. The last few years the medication really interfered with her memories it seemed(I say so as they took her off the meds for a bit and she remembered things a bit more clearly). I remember at one time she thought I was her son Kenji. The strongest memory of her was when we lived in Tokyo and visited, when Ritsy was saying goodbye to her, she started to cry as though she knew it may be the last time she lucidly saw her grandchild. I hope that where she is now, she is resting in peace.

Mona's 1st birthday

2011-01-22T21:14:00.000+09:00

Last Thursday, January 13, marked Mona's first birthday. As I was working away, we waited until that weekend to celebrate her big day. So in her honor, I will break my 3 picture target limit this time.

Ken chose to wear his button up Hawaiian shirt we bought for him about 2 years ago. It still fit...

Mona was her usual cute self with a bunny clip in her hair.

We started with lunch at the revolving sushi place nearby- Kappa Sushi.

Then we hit Kids Fantasy Resort in Miyatake for a wide variety of play things, including getting eaten by a crocodile.

Pretending to eat.

And having a ball in general. Get it?

Because her birthday was in the same month, she got some free Ice Cream and Orange Juice. The place was a bit pricey, but the selection of things to do was rich and for a special occasion it was good.

Finally we returned home for dinner and some more birthday cake. The little lady thoroughly enjoyed!

Some wrapup on outstanding posts- End of Steve's visit in Jan 2010

2011-01-15T20:48:00.000+09:00

The last day of Steve's stay a year ago, we managed to get Ritsy to come along with us- one week away from having Mona and all. We took Steve out to Ryotanji in Inasa to see the lovely Japanese style garden there.

A big tradition in Japan is to ring the Bell at the beginning of the year, so Ken was able to get a few 'gongs' in.

And of course Thomas was along for the trip and he got to go for a run on the stone steps. It was a nice day and a nice visit from the Man- Steve-O.

Around the home- video and movies

2011-01-09T22:52:00.000+09:00

Arfie trying to get Lanma to play with him.

Ken being charming and cool, takes after his dad.

Mona developing her 'picture face'.

Mona showing her 'drunken sailer dance'. I am not sure who the silken voiced singer is.

New Years Score

2011-01-05T23:33:00.000+09:00

I was already pining about the expensiveness of Christmas season when my old mouse died. I very reluctantly went ahead and bought a new mouse made by a company that makes operating systems based in Washington state thinking it would easily integrate into the system. One of the charming features was that the mouse came with a free rechargeable battery. To my dismay the mouse absolutely did not work at all. I troubleshot for a couple of days and even the help file said it must be hardware. So we returned it to a local electronics store called K's Denki and they tested and confirmed the issue, then I was able to exchange and they even let me pick a little more expensive wireless keyboard/mouse combo. They included a little hand towel as an apology. Oops, I forgot to return the rechargeable battery (which go for about $7). Score!

Incidentally the new keyboard and mouse set integrated and worked in seconds flat. Happy endings abound.

3rd birthday video

2011-01-04T16:37:00.022+09:00

I should have mentioned about the music in the 2nd birthday video. There may be some copyright claim down the road forcing me to remove the songs or videos, but I like to coincide the pictures to musical memory from the year. So last year I was listening to Moby's album 'Wait For Me' - very mellow and probably his best since the aclaimed Play- the instrumental is unfortunately called 'Shot in the Back of the Head'. Ouch. The other song is Radiohead's 'These are My Twisted Words' which was made available as a free download. Not sure if it is still free though. If you like these songs, hop over to iTunes and buy them. ;-)

So on to this year's birthday picture video:

This time I featured a little bit of Feist and Ben Gibbard's 'Train Song', from Dark was the Night; Band of Horse's song 'First Song', the Disney anthemic 'It's a Small World' and The Gorillaz song '19-2000'. Please go and buy the songs if you like them and sorry if I have to take the video down one day...

Ken's room

2011-01-03T21:06:00.000+09:00

Sleep tight

Ken has been co-sleeping since birth, something that is quite common in Japanese families. Since Mona came along, I have had duties sharing my bed with him. He is actually a pretty good guy to sleep with, no feet in my southern orifices or whatnot. But now he is 3 years old and Ritsy is back to working graveyard shifts at the hospital from this coming weekend. So yesterday we went live with the 'Ken's bedroom project'. Actually we started working on it a few months ago. Ritsy bought some bed sheets that would agree with his sensibilities and we will convert an old sofa of ours into a Thomas sofa later on. I have also been doing 'practice falling asleep by himself runs'. We started with 5 minutes solo and around the 17 minutes solo trials he was often falling asleep.

So last night was the first run with the room changed out and it was a success. I read a book, kissed goodnight and turned the light off. We never heard a peep from him. I was able to help put Mona to sleep (now located in my room) and in the future this will be really helpful for when it is just I or Ritsy putting him to bed. Even though the first day was a success I am sceptical, I am sure there will be some bumps on the road, but it's a start!

Good Job!

2nd birthday's cheesey picture video for Ken

2011-01-01T23:49:00.001+09:00

Title says it all. I like to make a photo retrospective video each year for his birthday. So before I throw up this years, here is the one from the year previous.

Happy 2011

2011-01-01T11:57:00.002+09:00

We are still here. A lot has happened since my last post- and yet not much really.

I am trying a reboot of the blog to start the year. Maybe shorter posts- 3 picture max instead of the 5-6 I used before and shorter stories. May be easier for me to stay on top of posting.

This year I have a lot of ideas for resolutions-- of course I need to be more focused and I will try to embrace change deeper. And of course try to be a better father every day.

Happy New Year everyone!

New Years Eve

2010-07-24T10:45:00.003+09:00

New Years Eve in Japan is always fun, I have probably talked before about Hatsumode- people like to pray for good luck for the year at a local temple or shrine. So I wanted to take Steve to a local worship spot to experience NYE Hamamatsu style. We settled on this temple (forgetting name) up in the hills, as we could see the lighting from below.
All the lanterns were lit lending a warm feeling to a pretty chilly night actually.
Luckily at the top, they were serving warm Amazake- immature, sweet sake. Drinking of this is a tradition for New Years.
There was also a nice warm fire by which we could stand and warm our bones.
Snow is a rare site in Hamamatsu- on this evening snow danced around in the air as we took in the ambiance.
The shrine for praying. Just to hedge my bets, I made a quick wish for Mona's safe and quick delivery.
Snow falling on cedars.
Steve was enjoying the scene and took many pictures.
Alas it was time to head down and call her a day.

Akiha jinja with Steve, Keiko and Ken

2010-07-21T00:28:00.002+09:00

The day after our festivities, Ken and I took Steve and Keiko up to Akiha shrine north of Tenryu.
It is guarded by this dangerous looking cat, which looks a lot like Santa, much to Keiko's delight.
We walked up 5649 stairs or so and arrived at a very solid and pristine looking spot. On a clear day the view would surely be beautiful.
Ken sauntered up to the hand washing spot at the temple.
The real golden arches.
The shrine was very beautifully displayed front and center.
Extreme closeups are always great when someone is taking pictures.
Another view of the shrine.
Some interesting and beautiful plants in the courtyard.
Alas, it was time to head back down and Keiko headed back to home after a brief stay. Steve hung out for a few more days and we could enjoy New Years celebration together after a James Bond double-header at my place. Next time...

Bentenjima then to our home for the evening

2010-07-19T17:09:00.002+09:00

Ken and I took Steve and Keiko over to Bentenjima. Ken fell asleep in the car and I let Steve and Keiko enjoy a walk to see the view. I snuck out and shot a few pictures.
Beautiful sunset that day.
Then to our home for fun and hilarity. Unfortunately, I didn't know Keiko is allergic to cats and didn't seem too much more comfortable with Arfie. Poor girl!
Steve inflated a pink balloon for KenKen and much fun was had.
Though I think Steve was trying to flash me a finger here.
But all fun things must end and so did that evening. But we had a great first night with S&K.

Steve and Keiko's visit in December

2010-07-13T19:47:00.003+09:00

Ken was about to meet someone he would grow to love deeply and often demand to see. Of course I mean Steve. Hmmm, woulda thought Keiko, eh? Well Steve can be pretty charming.
It was just after Ritsy had come back home from the failed Induced Labour, and she was very pregnant and tired. So Ken and I picked up Stevey and Keiko from the station and we hit the Nakatjima Sand Dunes off the bat.
They carried shoes together. Crazy kids.
Then we enjoyed some noodles (at a shop they purported to have the best gyoza in Hamamatsu, pshaw) at a Noodle infested spot near the station again.
And we hit the castle of Hamamatsu. One of many strongholds held by Tokugawa Ieyasu at one time.
Fun was had by all.
We found a statue in the park that Ken and Steve needed to recreate.
I think the bond was created here. "Crazy Steve", thought Ken, "he is great!". Or something like that.

Ken's Birthday number 2

2010-07-12T23:40:00.002+09:00

I will skip the upload of my cheesy video of picture highlights I made for his birthday, but last year was a special birthday as it would be the last of him being the only child. It also was the first that he was really aware what was happening, so it was a good day.
There was Thomas swag aplenty.
And a new tricycle which he still hasn't figured out yet, but we keep trying and when he gets that petal motion, he will be one mobile little guy.
And we had a delightful and delicious cake. Yep, that is Anpanman. Who is Anpanman, you ask? He looks like he is a superhero that has been made from Anko bean paste stuffed bread. Well that is exactly who he is. Hmm, long overdue for an issue of 'That's Japan'...

Looking back at November last year

2010-07-04T23:15:00.002+09:00

Back when Ritsy's gut was sticking out and we were getting close to birthing time, or so we thought, we felt it wouldn't hurt to stoke fate a bit. While not particularly religious people, we do always feel we shouldn't tempt fate and will sometimes go to pray at the local temple or shrine.
I may have mentioned before that locally gansuiji is viewed as being good luck for young families. Indeed they will provide services like blessing you (monk), naming your kid (for the low fee of 20,000 yen or something like that) or selling charms for a baby`s health. We felt just depositing 5 yen and praying for a healthy baby was enough.
Ken could get it on the praying.
I love the tradition of lighting the incense and smelling it as it burns in the urn full of ash.
Ken really did, too, this time.
And he felt enlightened afterwards.
Cool naked tree at the temple.

Needless to say, our praying paid off as Mona is healthy and energetic now.

Thomas Land Part 2

2010-07-04T09:56:00.000+09:00

I was basically on the 'ride duty' with Ken throughout as Ritsy didn't want to bother with getting Mona out of her carrier. Here we were enjoying the Rock and Roll thomas ride.
Blurry, but cute smile.
Happy and warm next to mommy.
Riding the boat ride.
Happy mommy and Ken.
Time finished and I was happy to see from the highway a Starbucks at one of the rest stops. Definitely needed to make a stop.
Ken was very pleased with the day. Good time with the little fella.

Thomas Land Part 1

2010-07-03T16:49:00.003+09:00

A little here and there in my catching up now, but here we will look back at April after I just returned from a trip to Vancouver. I wanted to do something special for Ken, so we all packed up in the car and drove out to near Fuji mountain where we could experience Thomas land at Fuji Q Highlands.
It was cold up there. Happy I brought my jacket.
Ken could excitedly pose with Thomas and Hiro, the Japanese star of Hero of the Rails.
Ken and Ritsy love Lady, we could see her from a ride around on Thomas.
We could also take Harold the helicopter up for a spin.
Flying!

Like Sands through the hour glass..

2010-05-16T20:57:00.002+09:00

Eh?

Sometimes I bump into the odd person that reads my blog and I am often shocked. Not because people are reading my blog, but because I forgot I had one. Let's just start back with a few pictures as I gotta put Ken to bed...

Mona is fully supporting her neck and started rolling on her own recently.
She really is a Canadian cutey.
Arfie is improving his behavior and has his moments.
Ken still charms the ladies though.
We are all happy to be back to the blogsphere....

Ken takes the helm on camera

2010-03-29T07:28:00.002+09:00

Probably starting from this moment that he was trying to grab it from his pregnant mother, Ken has figured out how to take pictures. Okay, I might have showed him, but it stopped him from putting his fingers on the lens. I have been enjoying the surprising pics that show up on my camera.
Lots of self portraits...

And Arfie, of course.

Back to the Now, some phone pictures

2010-03-28T07:44:00.002+09:00

Mona practicing her smiling in her dreams.
Ken happily playing at the mall.
Good brother and sister picture
Hanging out and cool.
Mona has been wearing this smile a lot lately. Little charming lady.

taes wedding finale

2010-03-27T17:26:00.005+09:00

By this point, the excitement was wearing the little guy and he was burning out.
And sleeping in no time.
The newlyweds cut the cake.
Nice group shot from our table. Chie, Chris, Aki, Rits, Ken(just waking up) and myself.
At the next table was Aki and Tae's friend Saori and her daughter.
Tae and hubby came about lighting candles and they previewed their next hit single, 'It's Saturday, Let's go out'. Catchy tune. All joking aside, Tae was looking great, tough to notice that she was 6 months pregnant at the time.
Ken saw his chance and was making his moves.

A good little video to catch a nice moment at the wedding. We had a great time and, of course, wish all the best to Tae and her new husband!

Tae's Wedding continued

2010-03-26T14:22:00.002+09:00

As you can guess, the Western style weddings are quite popular in Japan, and everyone enjoyed throwing confetti on the newlyweds as they came out singing their new hit single, 'We are still in love'
And then they were bombarded with picture requests.
The groom is a Yamaha employee and was proudly showing off his ride at the wedding venue.
Ken was happy to finally have some juice.
Same moment, opposite angle..

Tae`s Wedding (October 18)

2010-03-25T09:45:00.000+09:00

Back in October, Ritsy's stomach started to protrude, reminding us that little Mona was on the way. We had some getting ready that day though.
It was my friend and Japanese sensei, Taeko's wedding day!
We bumped into our pal Aya (Tae's business partner and Ritsy's high school classmate) in the waiting area.
Ken had Thomas along for the ride.
Ritsy and Chris' wife Aki compared baby bumps.
And Ken was full of beans as usual. The wedding, it was prohibited to take pictures, so I can't offer any of the ceremony, but next up some pics from the reception.

More pictures from October 2009

2010-03-24T13:40:00.003+09:00

With Ritsy quite pregnant, we had to do some hard thinking for activities...
We headed over to Miyakoda Park where they have this cool grass sledding area.The attendant said we couldn't go at first, but finally Ken and I did one run.
Ritsy didn't get any pictures, but Ken was happy.
And enjoyed a celebratory tea.
Arfie was along for the trip too and had fun running around and running away from big dogs.
Ken rounded it all out with a ride on a more manageable sized slide.

Some pictures from October 2009

2010-03-22T14:17:00.002+09:00

It was inevitable that Ken would discover how the Internet is a fast and easy way to get information and video.
Including the Wiggles.
Around Hallowe'en I took Ken to ESL College for a young children's playgroup and we had a great time. We (okay basically I did it) made this great tiger mask. He looked so good that I had to try it too.
But I wasn't so sharp in it.
And later we modeled his real costume to mommy.

December 20th in Tokyo too

2010-03-21T09:15:00.000+09:00

The original plan was for me to stay 2 nights in Tokyo, but we had a doctor's appointment for Ritsy early Monday morning, so I had to head back to Hamamatsu Sunday. DP, Steve and I headed over to Harajuku to check out the grand spectacle.
This picture doesn't do justice to the array of unusual people we encountered on the walk through, but I didn't want to start taking pictures of people, so this was the only one.

DP was looking a bit tuckered out after the morning (and late night the night before), so we let him take a bit of a lie down while Steve and I wondered around Shinjuku. The atmosphere on Sunday nights is amazing there. They close the streets off to traffic and there are people walking everywhere. We even saw two walking Corona bottles, which I didn't photograph, but I was impressed with the live jazz in the middle of the street as shown above. After a great walk about and exploration, I said my goodbyes and headed home.

Back in Hamamtsu, I could see the 'tree' that is known as Fuyu no hotaru (winter firefly). I believe this tree is getting torn down now. Every year, the tree is illuminated with a new light pattern and some different music shows are played. Now this area is cordoned off and it looks like it will no longer be. Too bad, it was a nice atmosphere for the walk near the station.

Steve hits Tokyo

2010-03-20T11:53:00.002+09:00

Another flashback, this time to December 19th of last year. My friend Steve had plans for an epic journey to Japan, spanning 3 months. So days after his initial arrival, I headed out to Tokyo and met Steve and Keiko, a girl who had spent some time in Vancouver.
Our friend DP also came out for the beginning of the trip, to enjoy some R&R after recently leaving the employ of the Vancouver Canucks.
We enjoyed a few beverages, Steve was fond of the lemon sours.
Beer is always preferential to me.
Also out with us this evening was Rieko, Keiko's friend who also did time in Canada. The two were great hosts for us and took us around the Korean food area of Shinjuku .

The journey home

2010-03-19T11:59:00.002+09:00

The next morning, Setsuko and group picked us up and we started heading home. We decided to check out this fisherman's market in... forgetting city name. Next to the market was an amusement park called Europe town which looked mildly popular.
We headed into the market which reminded me of Granville Island a bit. The difference was that the fresh seafood we bought was meant for eating right away.
In the DIY barbecues that were situated in the eating area. We had a good feed, but Ken still didn't seem to have much of an appetite.
By time we were leaving he looked pretty tired out. Or so we thought. As we got buckled into the car and we were just about to go, Ken puked all over himself, and quite a bit. We had to rush over to a convenience store and change his clothes and clean him down a bit. It was a long drive home and he puked one more time at a Rest Stop. After the second time, though, he cheered up and seemed normal by time we got home. It was the end of a long weekend though and the highway was busy, so we got home at 1 am and poor Ritsy had to work the next morning.

A little more Wakayama

2010-03-18T09:44:00.002+09:00

After checking out the pandas we had lunch and watched a dolphin show. Hmm, after seeing all the stuff on the Cove, I am not sure how I feel about all that... Well, we went through a safari, and saw Santa.
And this site reminded me of Whistler where we came pretty close to (less dangerous) Black Bears a handful of times.
Finally we retired to the hotel we had chosen (can't remember the name- Green something Shirahama or something like that?), where Ken was suddenly reanimated. He even enjoyed a hot spring with his mom. I was pretty tired from carrying him and braved the public hot spring on my own too, it was actually pretty good. Except for all the naked men, of course.
The view from the hotel was great.
A good time was had by all.

Adventure World in Wakayama pt. 3(ketchup)

2010-03-17T12:38:00.002+09:00

Well I need to catch up a bit from the few months I took off blogging. Last year I started talking about Adventure world in Wakayama. Continuing with the day, there were some animals to check out at the park, including this cranky (or comedic) gorilla, who enjoyed giving the finger to everyone.
Or was he asking for food?
Ken really enjoyed it.
The main attraction at the park are the Pandas they have- these guys were sleeping as we were herded quickly through the viewing area.
Luckily we could see some more active ones outside in a more natural setting. Ken was looking wiped, you may remember he was a bit sick on the trip. He was enjoying it all though.

Some pictures

2010-03-16T12:30:00.001+09:00

Passed out after a delicious feed of milk.
Practicing the stomach support.
Hm... do I like it?
Not really. But brother comes along for a photo op and to help out of course!

Mom`s pics from recent trip part 2

2010-03-14T23:49:00.002+09:00

She had a bunch of great pics from our trip to Kasuisai.
Some interesting angles.
of the lovely temple and area
Of Ken surmounting the hurdle of climbing steps.
Of Dad and Ken walking
Ken riding Annie (or Clarabelle?)
Mona dancing the funky chicken.
Mona comfortable on daddy's stomach.
And walking around the top of Kanzanji area. Did I mention it was a great trip with some excellent bonding moments?

Mom`s pics from recent trip part 1

2010-03-08T21:42:00.002+09:00

As man who read regularly know, I always enjoy to look at how others choose to view or photograph our life, so here are a few pics from my mom's visit, just after Mona was born.

This family looks like they don't know what they just got themselves into.
Puttering around Shijimizuka.
Handsome man with cute baby.
Ken taking a spin at feeding Mona.

A family outing to the park

2010-03-02T16:23:00.002+09:00

After a great, but short, visit from my mom. She left on January 25th back to Vancouver to compete in the Olympics, I believe. (actually she was doing some volunteer work). Our family tried to adapt to it's new size and settle into some sort of routine. In early February, the weather was nice, so we grabbed some Mos Burger and hit the park with Arfie in tow, and Ken's tricycle.
We were all ready for the feed by time we got there.
After eating, Ken explained to Ritsy how to fly a kite.
And she made a valiant effort. Arfie was lined up to try next.
Mona watched on with deep interest.
...or was she sleeping...?
Some guy tried to help Ken figure out how to ride his Trike, but he still hasn't quite gotten the pedaling thing down.
So he had an equally unsuccessful try at throwing the Frisbee. The main target, though, was fun, and target was acquired!

The Ropeway in kanzanji

2010-03-01T14:40:00.003+09:00

We were nearing the end of my mom`s time in Hamamatsu and I had a Friday off, so we could head out to Kanzanji together to enjoy some sightseeing. At the time Ritsy was still not in prime condition, so just Ken, mom and I headed out.
Ken was intrigued by the surroundings which included Hamamatsu`s amusement park, Pal Pal (pronounced Paru Paru).
The ropeway climbed the mountain to the Music box museum. The surrounding view of Lake Hamanako was great on this day.
Ken enjoyed.

And the vantage on the way down showed a different angle of sunlight and we could see the ocean licking the far side of the land. A great day for hitting the ropeway.

More Kasuisai

2010-02-27T17:19:00.002+09:00

An area I hadn`t found the last time we went off to Kasuisai, was this statue in the murky pond off to the side from the temple.
I had to cross to the island to see more.
My mom was trying to photograph the sun I think.
The temple was symmetrically lined with trees.
And Ken was just having fun being himself. It was a good time.

To Kasuisai with mom and Ken

2010-02-21T22:25:00.006+09:00

As we had the most part of a Friday free, we thought we might give Ritsy and Mona a rest and take my mom out to see a temple. I had visited and blogged a few years back about heading to Kasuisai temple in Fukuroi. I liked it and it was very convenient, so I decided we could head there again.
Ken lead the way of course.

Ken paused for a photo opportunity, or was that a washroom break? A quick check of the diaper assured us it was safe to move on.
Mom also got in on the fun (photo ops that is)
And we stopped for a quick pray at the temple, of course.

Mona`s home and life moved forward

2010-02-16T00:26:00.002+09:00

Ritsy and Mona had been scheduled to come back home on the Monday following the birth, but things were proceeding well. Mona was healthy, Ritsy was healthy- baby was drinking milk- so they came home one day earlier on the Sunday. Mona was happy to slip into some clothes brought from CanadaBaba.
Ken was still doing good, as long as we took care to let him ride the Thomas cart at the mall...
... while we were shopping for fabric...?
Arfie had some interest in the baby- but he basically keeps his space.
And the little lady seems happy with her new surroundings and the duds that were a present from Steve. Our big family were now together!

Shijimizuka and Santa`s Bath

2010-02-13T00:59:00.002+09:00

After our first day visit to see Mona, we headed over to Shijimizuka ruins, which I thought may prove to be a bit interesting. Unfortunately the day was cold and there wasn't much to see, so we only stayed for a few moments.
We could see a few thatch homes constructed around the site. By the name, I thought it would be some old ruins, but I tend to wonder if they weren't built more recently to support tourism to the museum there.
The next day, we headed back to the hospital to visit Mona and Ritsy again.
The following day, I came downstairs to find Santa bathing himself.
In the bath- very crazy cat!

Visiting the hospital the next day

2010-02-07T22:40:00.005+09:00

The next day, with my mom- also known as `Canada baba`, so that we all could see a bit more rested Ritsy and baby. Here Ken is showing his ticklish spots to Canadababa.
A nice picture of grandma and grandson.
Mona was doing what I have learned is her favorite thing, sleeping.
We could all take a look with Ken-kun who was not exactly sure what was happening.
But he was interested.
She woke up long enough to express her compliments to the delicious palette that Ritsy had assembled for her.
Ken ventured to touch her (thought it was a bit coached at that time).
Chris was there checking his wife in, and stopped by to say hi.
And we had a great family picture opportunity with Chris helming the camera.

Congratulations to Chris

2010-02-07T00:03:00.002+09:00

I think I neglected to mention the official birthday for Mona, it was the 13th of January. Ritsy stayed in hospital for only 4 days, and left on the Sunday. That week`s Friday my friend Chris` wife checked in to the same ward and they induced labour on the 18th. As it is isn`t really my business to report, there were some complications but in the end Ashley was born. Again, congrats man, and welcome to the life of fatherhood! It is a bumpy ride but the payoff is great! Indeed, they have had some more complications, so I hope that everything that is going on will sort itself out soon and the whole family will be together and happy in no time!

A break to reality- Mona

2010-02-06T00:30:00.003+09:00

Well, I have had a bit of a break from blog space. But I have some big memories from when Ken was little and I want to get motivated to post a bit more and share our life with our new addition and Ken, of course.

We had a bit of drama at the end of last year, let me try to summarize as concisely as possible. At around December 20th- the doctor`s at Ritsy`s clinic devined that her umbilical chord only had one artery, where there is usually 2. They suggested we use the hospital instead of clinic and the doctors scanned the baby for any defects. She was deemed fine, but was already over 3.5 kgs, so they said we should try to induce labour ASAP. So we booked in on December 24th and Ritsy tried to induce for 2 days to no avail. Apparently in Japan they don`t do 3 days, so Ritsy came home the next day. We enjoyed some time with our friend Steve who is visiting from Canada for 3 months (more on that later!).
The due date for the baby was January 5th, which passed quietly. After one week late, the doctor suggested we hop back on the inducing wagon, and so we did! This time things worked out. Ritsy checked in at 10 o`clock and she started having real contractions around 1PM. I was at home waiting with Ken and was called at 2 o`clock. Before I arrived at the hospital, she already had the baby at 2:16.
Mona Bridget Lowrey Takasugi weighed in at 4.28 kgs and was in good health.
I found Ritsy very tired and was told how very painful induced labour is.
But we are both happy to welcome this new beautiful baby into our lives now!
Sadly, on the first day- Ken was not allowed in to meet her, but we would come out the next day and meet them- with my mom too, who was arriving from Vancouver the same evening that Mona was born.

Busy times!

Adventure World in Wakayama pt. 2

2009-12-23T11:27:00.002+09:00

Thomas was prominently sucking money throughout the park. First Ken enjoyed a ride with James.
Then Percy.
and Percy again with Mommy..
And the grand finale of Thomas
And with mommy too...
One would think this would have satiated his appetite, but there was still more demands for riding Thomas throughout the day.

Adventure World in Wakayama pt. 1

2009-11-22T12:28:00.004+09:00

Back in September, we had a bit of a bonus holiday, a rare aligning of a number of holidays to make a long weekend. They name the week Silver Week and it only happens every 7 years or so. Ritsy and I had been planning to go to Adventure World in Wakayama, and her sister and husband decided to come along too- and drove us in the above mini-van.
After a long night of driving, we arrived at Adventure World around 6 am. We were able to sleep a little bit ( I think I did about an hour) before going in. I guess this is a very usual Japanese holiday style.
Ken was in poor spirits. Just before we left, he emptied the contents of his stomach all over his grandma`s floor. But he did manage to sleep most of the night (though the highway is annoyingly a little too bright for little sleepers), and though he had a bit of a temperature was actually interested in the pandas, etc.
He wasn`t coming around very quickly though.
Ritsy had a chance with the new camera.
And produced a pretty good picture.
A little bit of money goes a long way as he brightened up soon after.

Oops, I Did it Again

2009-11-20T09:39:00.004+09:00

Ya, I let my posting lapse. It`s pretty easy to just let a month slip away, oh well..

A couple of odds and ends to talk about. Back in August holiday season, I needed a bit of POM so I was able (thanks to Ritsy's understanding) to book myself in a hotel for a night in Tokyo and just do some window shopping and I was able to catch up with my old pals Nik whom I had gone to high school with (and worked briefly with) and Makoto. Unfortunately, I couldn`t catch up with everyone, so next time I will catch up with Martin!
One of my recent new classes sees me travelling a bit into the country side, luckily though, not too far from my home. I was intrigued by this sign on the side of the road promising the remains of a castle, Oidaira castle. Images of something like a wall or some interesting points to see sprung to mind. So I took Ken out with me on one day where I was watching him.
Ken was interested in the rocks.
A sign pointed up a steep stairway.
And we climbed up the steep stairs to the top, pretty high up. (Of course I had to carry Ken)
To find only this. Hmm disappointing.

kashima fireworks in September

2009-10-07T23:39:00.003+09:00

Usually every year in early August, fireworks are held in Kajima, one of the biggest local fireworks festivals around here. But this year in August the Tenryu river levels were very high due to rain fall, and the scheduled day was overcast, so they were delayed to early September. We were invited by Shauna a JET that we had met earlier in the year to her apartment for an awesome view of the fireworks. Chris, Ken and I headed down to enjoy- with Ritsy working the night shift at her hospital.
Ken and I picked a choice seat for enjoyment.
The fireworks were, big loud and great- we had a fantastic view- without the crowd!
We also were able to meet a bunch of non-Japanese people, which is always a rare pleasure in Hamamatsu.
Ken really enjoyed the show.
Happiness.
He also met Claudia who had taken a liking to Ken and started dragging him around and playing with him. She was pretty cool and we enjoyed meeting her and everyone at the fireworks!

My 37th birthday

2009-10-02T23:46:00.003+09:00

For my birthday, Ritsy came up with a new idea, a great steak restaurant near to Hamamatsu castle called Asakuma.
Ritsy and ken seriously contemplated the menu.
Ken and I enjoyed the initial cheers and drink.
And a serious picture...
Ken took a try at the chopsticks.
First attempt failed.
Second try was good.
Look near the bottom of the tree, we could see a Japanese raccoon dog, tanuki.
We were surprised with a free desert and a little music box playing "Happy Birthday" (We couldn't keep the box). A great birthday feast!

Bathtime!

2009-10-01T23:28:00.002+09:00

Ken really seems to enjoy bath time, so often we have a tough time to drag him outta the bath. This is a relief and we are trying to savour this as later it will probably become a struggle to get him to take one....
I tried to take picture that would spare him the humiliation of having his gear splashed across the Internet. Of course I have always been thankful that any photographic evidence of my sister and I in a bath when I was little were destroyed in our old Welland home (flooded lower basement I think?)
All clean and finally coaxed out...
... and time to clean up- what a good boy!

More fun to be had at Misono Park

2009-09-29T22:04:00.002+09:00

Other favorite activities at the Park are coming down the slide.
and going back up
Rolling your favorite ball around on the hill
Or playing with the giant abacus built into the playground.
And of course eyeballing the competition for your favorite Whale ride.

The train

2009-09-28T23:04:00.002+09:00

One of the early words Ken adopted has been the word train. He demands to see it daily (and often goes into fits when he can`t). One of the beauties of Misono Central Park is that the train runs right next to it and we can play and watch the train to our hearts content.

Bird`s nest

2009-09-27T20:27:00.002+09:00

In early June, I noticed that some birds were leaving a bit of a mess outside of our front door, and as I feared, they were indeed trying to build a nest. The bird was Japanese Swallow (Tsubame). Finally nearing the end of June they had successfully built their nest.
And I could one day see a couple of heads sticking out of the top of the nest.
By the time I was taking these pictures, the parents were swooping around in wide circles and feeding the babies, when I stood on my step ladder to take the pictures they thought I was mommy coming in.

Very sadly a day or two after this pictures were taken, the nest was showing damage and the baby birds were no longer present. I can only guess that some predator (my only guess is the nasty crows that swoop around the garbage spot) had taken them. Very sad.

Food and character love developing

2009-09-26T22:57:00.002+09:00

While looking quite serious about his eating, he really has started to develop a good palette and interest in various foods (heading into late July in catching up).
Witness this fine specimen of okonomiyaki, or Japanese pizza.
He love it and can eat a whole one (which is quite filling) on a good day.
He also has started to really recognize certain characters like his favorite, Elmo- as you can see his love for his Elmo PJ`s. He also at this point knew Barbapapa (though I am not sure why, you don`t see them a lot...) and Stitch.
On top of that the Japanese cartoon character, Anpanman. A superhero that is actually bread filled with anko bean paste, every week he bakes up some fun. Here Ken is modelling his recently bought Anpanman rain coat.

Arfie`s cage

2009-09-25T12:48:00.000+09:00

What with Ritsy a month and a half into he pregnancy- leisure time becomes important, and the big blue ball is great for some simple stomach exercises...(or as a foot stool)
Cheese!
Ken thought it fun to get into Arfie's cage.
Arfie wants to put a stop to it.
And gets in to sort things out. Who is annoying now, Arfie!?

Of Boy and Ball

2009-09-24T23:46:00.002+09:00

I took Ken out to central Hamamatsu with me to hang a sign for my company and then potentially play. Though he fell asleep soon after this lunch and I had to carry him home on the train.

He starts with his new `cheese` sign.
Oh look at the wonder that is `ball`.
What splendid sorrow `tis but to throw thee.
Overforthwith I shalt smite thine pestilent rage with mine ball of orangeness.
As a ball exists and, I too, have a soul connected with roundness- I too... am.

Errr, a little nonsensical today........I hope you enjoyed! :-)

Annoying Arfie

2009-09-19T00:01:00.000+09:00

I noticed with recent posts that the preview pictures don`t look so great. If you click on them though, you will get a beautiful (hopefully not too big) version of each picture to get the full effect.
Arfie has figured out quite quickly his job in the home is to annoy everyone as much as possible. Witness this situation with Ken and his diaper.
He zooms by, spotting his prey.
Makes his move, Ken realizes his diaper is in danger.
Arfie attacks relentlessly.
On top of getting on Ken`s nerves, recently the cats can`t move at all with out getting swooped on by the little rodent-like dog. Amusing to watch, but when you are the target, not so fun...

May 31 Ken at Misono park

2009-09-18T00:21:00.002+09:00

As has become a bit of a pattern lately with Ritsy working weekends, I was left in charge of Ken one Sunday. So I took him and the new camera down to Misono Park, the local basketball court/playground. Here he has mastery of 2 balls at once.
In short order, he returned the ball to Chris.
And started giving him directions to the nearest Vegemite retailer.
The directions were very involved.
Next up, Ken hit the playground.
And he eyeballed the giant slide, where we could find another foreign national, Stuart with his son climbing the outside...
Ken took a go at the slide and was fearless. Very soon he started going face first.
Back to the main play area.
And another slide with Chris. It was a good time, and yielded some great pictures!

Ritsy`s gift

2009-09-14T23:19:00.002+09:00

Ritsy`s gift wasn`t exactly just her gift. But as we had been thinking of buying this for a little while I ended up paying most of her half of it on top of my half ,so she winds up with a majority ownership... All I know is that Santa liked the bag it came in.
Lanma`s curiosity was piqued...
Arfie was just staring...
And Ken was just shocked....

Ritsy`s old camera had been damaged by Ken, it would no longer open or turn on. So I was originally thinking of getting a digital camera, but as we wanted a better camera like an SLR and I was finished with my car payments (yay!). I decided to break the budget and go with a low range SLR camera. In Japan it is called the EOS Kiss X2- but in N America I think it is the digital rebel. It is a pretty decent camera and made for a decent present! (though you may notice the first pics are pretty blurry, I am working on the quality!)

Ritsy`s birthday

2009-09-13T18:36:00.002+09:00

At the end of May there is Ritsy`s birthday, so she was treated to one of our favorites, the crab restaurant Kora (we may have done the same last year if you are having deja vu).
Ken was lounging large while waiting for the food.
Finally he got up and immediately started to play with my phone.
Finally the food came and we enjoyed a big feast with Ken going between Ritsy and I to steal the best bits.
It was a nice birthday. After eating, we went to pick up Ritsy`s present...

A BBQ at Warwick's in May

2009-09-11T10:02:00.003+09:00

Lots of pictures in this group so they can tell the story mostly. We went for a nice BBQ at Warwick's place back in May. Warwick once again took a bunch of great pics.
Taira (Tyler) and Ken were getting along great on this day, probably buoyed by the presence of balls and sand.
Balls...
Not everything went so smooth though. The swing was off limits.
Mmmm sand.
Throwing sand became a very funny and welcoming activity.
Warwick tried to sell them a camera I think.
Mmmm Spatula.
A nice family shot.
Sharing a laugh with mom.

More potpurri of pictures- April to May

2009-09-10T11:05:00.000+09:00

Arfie discovered his love for dirty laundy.
Ken was able to practice his evil look.
For mother's day, we made a card for mommy, we tried to make a good father and son picture.
Then we tried to create a family picture.
In may, he started to climb on the stairs on his own, always nerve racking, I am finally feel comfortable with his balance.

More Arfie and miscellany

2009-09-09T22:54:00.002+09:00

Getting a clear picture of Arfie in the beginning was pretty tough, as he was so hyper. We finally held him for a good pic.
My legs and the dog.
Ken looming over me while watching his favorite show- okasan to issho(together with mom). The song playing was one of my favorites where one of the characters was trying to learn how to use the toilet properly- with the chorus of "unchi-chi, unchi-chi" which roughly translates to "poo-oo, poo-oo". No joke...
Arfie tried to master riding Rody.
And finally provided us with a good picture opportunity!

bonding with Arfie

2009-08-23T21:05:00.003+09:00

Sadly, due to the struggle with house training Arfie, we have since pulled this carpet from the living room. But before our frustrations started to boil, we had to bond with the little guy. Ritsy was ready for bonding.
Lanma was interested so joined in on the fun.
Arfie immediately attacked Ritsy`s face.
And then Lanny's.
And probably wanted a piece of ken, but was restrained.
And there was much rejoicing.

Engage Number 2

2009-08-18T02:33:00.001+09:00

Well, I guess I kinda threw this out there in Facebook, so it`s probably time to mention now that we will be having another baby. The next baby is about 4 months along now and is due around January 5th. We are as of yet unsure about the sex- so I was trying to target a picture of a girl. The last time my representation of what Ken should look like, I made in Photoshop myself, this time I used a website called Photoflexer, where you can combine 2 pictures into one (under the Geek tab>Morph if you are trying for yourself). The picture is equally creepy in other ways; this time the baby appears to be having 4 eyes.

Anyway, we have had a fantastic time with Ken, and even though he is getting more willful and loves the word `no` we never regret a moment of it. So now we are really looking forward to the next baby- tentatively named `Number 2`

Arfie

2009-08-17T09:58:00.002+09:00

As we wore into April, the cats seemed to be starting to get bored.
I love the perspective of the above picture, looks like Lanma is 10 times bigger than she really is.
Anyway we were shopping, and Ritsy and I were charmed by this little dog. He was actually discounted quite sharply and Ritsuko wanted to buy him. I personally thought we are a little too busy to train and care for the dog, but she seemed to have her heart set, so I agreed. His name is Arfie- as in `Arf Arf` and he is half Chihuahua and half Yorkshire Terrier.
We read up and it said that it wouldn't hurt to keep him in the cage until he gets acclimatized. Not a bad idea for the first few days, as Lanma was keeping a very close eye on him.
But they did venture out and make some greetings eventually.

A visit with Warwick in late March

2009-08-16T11:38:00.003+09:00

In late March, I was watching Ken one day and Tyler and Warwick came by for a visit. He has been going on about the virtues of the SLR cameras for a while and this was my first chance to see how much richer and fuller the pictures can be.
Ken even enjoyed a nibble on the lens cap.
And we could take a quality father/son shot.
Or two.
This day Tyler and Ken weren't interacting so much, felt more like they were staking out their territories. But by the end they had a few laughs together.
And there was happiness all around.

The present for a moment

2009-08-12T08:19:00.003+09:00

Borrowed from Yahoo.com

It was bit of an apocalyptic scene here yesterday morning. While we were supposed to be getting hammered by a typhoon in the early hours of the morning (though to be honest I didn't hear anything) we were hit by the largest earthquake I have ever felt. Most people by now have heard about it- the 6.6 magnitude gave our house a good shake, and it wasn't a quick shake, it continued for a good 30-60 seconds. I was still sleeping so at first had pulled my blanket over my head, then thought about how easily a piece of broken glass could slice through, so I moved to the doorway and made sure Ritsy and Ken were okay. In the end nothing broke and no injuries. In the end the only damage I saw first hand was at a store that said their elevator broke. Brand new store too.

Borrowed from Tracey's Facebook page

It'a been a summer of nature rearing it's ugly head. My sister was evacuated for 4 days from Lillooet as a wildfire that couldn't be contained at all was making it's way dangerously close to town. Happily enough she was able to return to an intact town safely, but the fire is still going, so unless the rain comes, it could happen again.

The best news, though, is that everyone is okay and safe (knocking on wood as I type) and I think everyone takes a piece of a summer that we will all remember.

1 more set from Hawaii- Ritsy`s camera

2009-08-10T16:52:00.002+09:00

Ken can relax anywhere, here on the floor at Nagoya's centrair airport I think...
Another family shot. Seems there aren`t enough of these...
She caught one of the best shots of the whales.
A nice moment from the wedding as Carrie started to walk the aisle.
And messing around while shopping after the wedding. Moving forward next time...

More of Scott`s Pix- wedding day

2009-08-09T23:37:00.002+09:00

Nice to sometimes see a candid picture of yourself...
Carl made a nice speech after the wedding which everyone really enjoyed, including Carrie`s sister, Jodie in the right side of the pic.
Never seen a more natural and happy smile than the one Carrie was wearing. Great picture from Scotty.
The coolness factor in the above picture is dangerously high.
....and finally a nice picture of Scott and B and the newlyweds. A nice set of pictures!

Going back home/Scott's pix

2009-08-07T22:54:00.002+09:00

We came to the end of our journey, and headed back home. Luckily, Ken slept through the entire flights once again and my wallet turned up at Nagoya station completely intact- a successful trip!

So I turned to some of Scott's pictures from the trip.
This was taken on the original journey around the island at Iao Needle.
On the last night we tried to catch a tired Carrie and Carl at a Fish and Chip restaurant, but had sadly dilly-dallied too long and just caught them on the way out. Either way it was fantastic to catch up with them and everyone in a different setting, where everyone was out of their element so to speak.
We were still hungry so we carried on with our plans to enjoy Fish and Chips.
Another heavy meal, but another good time on a trip full of them as we got to spend it with our friends that we really miss!

Another high point was Ken starting to form some communication skills, on the trip he started to say 'cheese' (and he could understand it was both food and the word you say when taking pictures), 'juice' and 'car' or 'boo boo' the Japanese child's word for car. It was pretty exciting for me!