Hisashiburi! It's been a while. The last week has been hectic with both kids at home. E had her last day of school and celebrated with burgers (very good ones) and friends. She was home during the one week gap between the end of school and the beginning of summer camp. Her sister was also at home with an ear infection. We didn't know it was an ear infection until today. For the past six weeks, she has been sick about four times, each time with a fever and congestion. Each time, we took her to get tested for Covid-19. This has been exhausting.
By the third time, we suspected an ear infection. The pediatrician was unable to give us a diagnosis, citing too much ear wax to see anything. I was surprised he didn't clean it out on the spot. The very same thing had happened with E as a baby, and her pediatrician had whipped out a plastic wand with a small loop at the end and cleaned her ear before examining them. This time, the pediatrician just referred us to an ear doctor to get her ears cleaned and examined. According to my husband, this is standard in Japan. It seems it is also normal to see the ear doctor for a deep clean of your ears. Maybe you think I misunderstood the information, but I confirmed many times, also thinking that I misunderstood. People do go to the doctor to get their ears cleaned.
Anyways, we made another appointment and sure enough, she had an ear infection. Hoping the next few months, at least, will be healthy ones.
While it is still rainy season here, it has become hot. We went to Showa Kinen Park, an expansive public park about an hour away from our home via metro. The park has numerous play areas for kids, water play, sports facilities, seasonal flower gardens, picnic areas, a lake, and much more. We spent most of Saturday there and still did not see everything. It was 96 F, and we drank tons of water and ate multiple servings of shaved ice to survive. A true summer experience in Tokyo.
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| Section of park that looks like Parc Güell |
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| Trampoline Park |
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| Picnic area |
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| So hot! |
E played so much that she fell asleep on the crowded metro on the way home. If you visit Showa Kinen Park, remember to bring cash. I am still getting used to using mostly cash in Japan. Most places inside the park, including park admission, is cash only.
I also recently made a trip to Takashimaya, a department store with a grocery and foods section in the basement and restaurants on the top floors. This is a great place to go if you are overwhelmed by picking a restaurant in the city. We chose Breizh Cafe, which makes Breton crepes and galettes. The location in Shinjuku Takashimaya has a nice outdoor patio overlooking a small garden. They have another location in the Omotesando neighborhood of Tokyo and one in Paris.
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| Seasonal special - the mozzarella salad galette. |
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| Enjoying her apple juice. |
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| The kids set came with a chocolate crepe for dessert. |
After lunch, I picked up groceries in the basement. I bought these bamboo shoots, as the bamboo season is just about over.
I also chose a salad in the takeaway/prepared foods section. They have a wonderful and interesting variety of salads - most are also very substantial and satisfying enough to constitute a light lunch.
Takashimaya is close to our home, but I cannot enter it without spending at least two hours inside. This was the rare trip. The summer heat has made me want to eat salads more than usual. And with M on the mend and E at summer camp, I might have time to get ingredients to create one of these this week.
For now, I have to study for my Japanese class tomorrow. I missed class last week because M was sick. Time to return to a routine this week!
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