From Kyoto to Tokyo (With Kids) Part III

When traveling in Japan, don't take for granted that website information is accurate. It's often not, and it's just a fact of living in a country that stubbornly refuses to become primarily web-based even when it has the capacity to do so. Besides the occasional bout of frustration, this is actually a little charming. It takes away the frenzied pace of life and work that I felt in the U.S., where everything online is updated to the minute and response time is measured in minutes, not hours or days. 

So anyways, I woke up on our third and final day in Kyoto with a mission to squeeze in Kinkaku-ji (the famous gold temple), the Fushimi Inari Shrine (iconic torii gates), and souvenir shopping at Kyoto Station. The mission was entirely mine, as the goal was to lead my family through these three activities before our 5pm departure without making them feel rushed. But my plan was thrown off track first thing in the morning when the breakfast place I had chosen near Kinkaku-ji was randomly closed. The problem was that neighborhood didn't have any alternatives. Luckily, it is easy to find snacks here and there at nearly every tourist site in Japan, so we nibbled on what we could and headed to the entrance of Kinkaku-ji. 

The real wonder wasn't the temple but the number of visitors waiting for it to open. Without stopping for breakfast, we were early, though apparently not early enough. We waited in line for a few minutes before realizing that it was a line designated for group visitors. Everyone realized at the same moment, leading to a mass exodus from that line to another. This is also life in Japan: waiting in line is never as straightforward as one might think. 

The scene inside the gate was one of hundreds of people lined around the pond, snapping photos of the temple. It was comically touristy. But it was a site that we would have regretted not visiting. 

The Fushimi Inari Shrine was located between Kinkaku-ji and our hotel, closer to the latter. The plan was to see its Torii gates, have lunch in the area, and return to the hotel to gather our things. By metro, the shrine was 30-40 minutes away from the temple (in case you are wondering - shrines are part of the Shinto religion while temples are Buddhist). On the way there, we ran into two families from E's school, which had a half-term holiday not aligned with local school holidays, making for a great time to travel. 

The Fushimi Inari shrine is iconic for its thousands of red torii gates. It is dedicated to the Shinto god of rice Inari and predates Kyoto's time as Japan's capital. You will see statues of foxes, who are Inari"s messengers. The path that leads up into Mount Inari alternates between stairs and smooth paths. At 233 meters, it is not a difficult climb, but not an easy one with a toddler and a stroller. As an important shrine and a major tourist attraction, there are plenty of rest points with snacks and souvenirs huts on the way up. The kids enjoyed these mini pit stops. However, we didn't make it all the way up on account of carrying the stroller, my parents' flagging energy, and the increasingly pressing concern of lunch. 

There are many restaurants and shops around the shrine's base. It is a bustling area. My research didn't account for this last lunch, as I wasn't sure where the morning would land us. The restaurants here all looked more or less the same, so we chose one somewhat randomly. It was decent. They served primarily soba, fish rolls, and rice bowls. One note about soba in Kyoto: although it was still early in the season and got warm during the day, all soba served was hot. My mother-in-law posited that since Kyoto is famous for dashi, Kyoto-ites like to showcase dashi in this way. Cold soba, on the other hand, is eaten with a dipping broth with a soy sauce base, which is more prevalent in Tokyo. 

We arrived in Kyoto Station in the early afternoon with a couple of hours to spare. M was conveniently asleep in her stroller by then. It was the perfect time to enjoy a break at a matcha cafe, which my parents loved. We then went shopping for both souvenirs and for bentos to eat on the Shinkansen (it's the best part of riding the Shinkansen!). 

Returning home always feels shorter somehow. The return journey was a blur of bentos, naps, and a taxi ride. Then a slurry of unpacking (I won't unpack for weeks if I don't do it immediately), showers, tuck-ins, and finally, a good night's sleep after a great trip. 

Traveling to Kyoto (With Kids) Part II

    My husband thinks that there is nothing better than waking to a hotel breakfast, but I don't know. On the one hand, it is definitely convenient, especially with kids. On the other, you can't help wondering if there is something out there that is better and more interesting (there usually is). Since I planned this particular trip, we ended up having breakfast across the city. This takes a fair amount of planning, because it takes at least half an hour to get everyone ready and the travel time, even by taxi, was about 45 minutes. That's over an hour of being awake with no food for two young children. The longer this goes on, the worse the mood. 

    So we woke up to a couple of small pastries I had bought the night before and headed to the Arashimaya area for breakfast. Most of the major sites we wanted to visit were located in this area far from the hotel. The plan was to spend the entire day to there. This cafe has a Tokyo location, which bears no resemblance to the Kyoto one we visited. 

I forgot to take photos inside. It was all tatami seating. It felt like what a cafe would have been like a hundred years ago if there had been cafes like this. The overall style is traditional but the details and ambience are definitely modern. Most importantly, the food was really good. We ordered a few egg sandwich sets, which come with coffee and bits of this and that on the side. Before I could protest, E moved quickly to order a french toast set, which turned out to be incredibly good. How glad I was to have chosen this over the hotel breakfast. 

After breakfast, we walked to Tenryu-ji, the famous 14th century temple belonging to the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. Like so many temples and shrines in Kyoto, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was  Friday, and the crowd was still thin. On the temple grounds, the path changed from smooth to gravel with stairs interspersed. We ditched the stroller early on. Anyways, both kids were fascinated with their new surroundings - particularly the pebbles for some reason.  

A beautiful day for temple-going.

The temple's exit feeds into the iconic Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. Even having seen it once before in person and hundreds of times in photographs, the cool serenity is still striking. We walked through the forest path, which led us back to the banks of the Hozu River, where my pick for lunch was located. 

Now it was only 11am. Having known how much there was to see in this one area, and wanting to take my time in each location, I had herded everyone out of the hotel early (early for us, with kids, which is 8:30 am). Living in Japan has taught me that you have to think two steps ahead, especially when it comes to eating out. The price you pay for not doing so is a one hour queue at best and a missed opportunity at worst. So 11am was actually the perfect time to find lunch.  

The lunch spot was inside an old house repurposed as a restaurant (I think). It served traditional Japanese food - tempura, soba noodles, rice bowls with various toppings. The second floor had semi-private seating, and since it was early, we had the entire room to ourselves. As with so many Kyoto establishments - and much to my parents' bewilderment - they had only floor seating. But floor seating is convenient for little kids, and we had a stunning view of the river. The restaurant had a nostalgic air about it, transporting you back to the 70s or 80s of the Showa era. 

Our afternoon itinerary included the Arashiyama Monkey Park and the Sagano Scenic Railway. The park is perched on top of a mountain, big enough to get your heart rate up but small enough for M to make her way up on her own. Inside the park, the monkeys are just chilling in an open space. They don't mind the humans, and in return, human visitors are strictly prohibited to bother the monkeys. Our kids were rewarded for their climbing efforts by a few play structures and a panoramic view of the city. 

The climb up to and down from the monkey park took two and a half hours, and by then, the kids were ready to be refueled. At the foot of the mountain is a rather touristy area filled with small shops and cafes. It was the perfect time and place for a snack. Despite the cool temperatures, it got warm around midday, especially with the climbing. We bought an ice cream and took a little break before boarding the Sagano Scenic Train. 

The train ride was a perfect conclusion to an active day. I bought tickets in advance, because it can get crowded - even on a weekday. Dinner was in Gion, but I won't bore you with the nitty gritty. It was recommended by the hotel and tasty enough but not memorable. The next and final installation will be short and sweet, because that is what our last day was. It was our only weekend day and for that reason and others, it was a little different. 

Traveling to Kyoto (With Kids)

    Last month, my parents visited us in Japan for the first time since we moved here. Their visit coincided with Japan's grand re-opening to tourists, which resulted in immediate and visibly denser crowds on the main streets. The country has been essentially closed for tourism the entire time we have been living here, and my parents were our first overseas guests. We brainstormed where to go, what to show them and feed them. Naturally, Kyoto came up as a must-go destination, as there are few cities as iconic of traditional Japanese culture as Kyoto. Autumn is an especially lovely time to visit, with all the autumn foliage covering its surrounding mountains and lending the temples and shrines an especially magnificent look. As you might predict, however, autumn is a busy time for tourism in Kyoto. We tried to circumvent this by arriving on a Thursday and leaving on Saturday, which meant not only lower hotel rates but also fewer lines. 

Getting Everyone to Kyoto

    Kyoto is hardly a side trip from Tokyo. It is on the other side of the country and about a six hour drive. But why drive with kids when the ever convenient Shinkansen is at your disposal? The Shinkansen itself serves as entertainment, especially when you build it up, as we did. You'll get to choose your Shinkansen bento at the station! By Shinkansen, it is a straight shot from Tokyo Station to Kyoto Station and takes 2.5 hours. Unlike airplane seats, you can't assume an empty seat will stay empty, because it might be reserved by someone boarding at one of the several stops along the way. I purchased a seat for E (tickets for children are half price), but not for M, whom we rotated among the adults. Also unlike airplanes, there are no attendants, and passengers are expected to contain and dispose of their own rubbish.

    The best thing about traveling via Shinkansen with kids is access to clean toilets. Another great thing, for us at least, is no vomiting. Both our kids get car sick but are ok on trains. Also, there is overhead bin space, storage space for strollers and suitcases in each car, as well as hooks next to each seat for quick-access bags. There are many great things about the Shinkansen, actually, but the last ones I will mention is the ample leg space and nice views of the Japanese countryside. 

Family Lunch at Kyoto Station

    I arrived in Kyoto with my parents and kids. My husband took a later train since he had to work that morning. With my parents and kids in tow, I figured it would be easiest to have lunch at Kyoto Station. As its name implies, it is the city's main station and has lots of restaurants and shops. We stopped at a restaurant serving traditional Japanese lunch sets. My mom had a set consisting of grilled fish, rice, miso soup, and several vegetable and tofu sides. My dad ordered obanzai, a traditional style of Japanese cuisine native to Kyoto that is characterized by an assortment of small dishes. I ate a chicken rice bowl and the kids had a shirasu rice bowl, both accompanied by rice, soup, and vegetable sides. This style of eating was actually convenient for kids. They assortment of small dishes kept them stimulated with different flavors, and the presentation was appealing. If they didn't like one thing, there were ten other dishes to try. 

The Hotel 

    Kyoto is famous for its ryokans, traditional Japanese inns. Many of them serve their own meals, and guests sleep on Japanese futon beds. Most charge by the guest rather than the room. My husband and I stayed in one the first time we visited Kyoto and enjoyed the ryokan's multi-course kaiseki dinner. It was a luxurious experience but not one suited for kids. While I prefer sleeping on futons with kids, kaiseki meals are multi-hour affairs. Plus, my parents were not keen on floor seating. As they reminded me, their bodies were too stiff to fold into these unaccustomed positions. For this trip, my criteria were comfort, familiarity/predictability, and reasonable rates. That brought us to the Hyatt Regency. 

Kiyomizu-dera at Sunset 

    Like most western hotels in Kyoto, Hyatt is located on the eastern part of the city, some distance from the main cluster of attractions. However, it is close to both Kyoto Station and one of the major temples, Kiyomizu-dera. We arrived at the hotel in the mid-afternoon via the free hotel shuttle from Kyoto Station. M had fallen into a deep asleep en route, seconds after declaring that she would not nap. I checked in, transferred M to a bed, sent E to my parents' room, and set about researching places for the next day. Having the benefit of speed as a solo traveler, Hiro arrived soon after. 

    Although only 2.5 hours away, traveling anywhere with kids can be a near full day production. It took me a few years to learn to take it easy on the first day of travel. Therefore the only activities on the evening agenda were hotel dinner and a 15 minute walk to Kiyomizu-dera, an ancient Buddhist temple that is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

With the grandparents.

    The walk from the hotel takes us down a picturesque Kyoto street full of artisan goods and food shops. It is not an easy walk with a stroller though, since the temple sits high upon a hill. Kyoto streets are also very narrow, even by normal Japanese standards. Instead of our usual umbrella stroller, I had borrowed an even more compact one from a friend. This one was lighter and folded into a neat square that made it easy to carry. Good thing we had it because the walk up involved a lot of stroller folding and unfolding. Kiyomizu-dera juts out high on the hillside with its iconic wooden stage. The sun was just starting to set as we arrived, presenting us with a sweeping view of cherry and maple trees bathed in golden light. 

    The walk back was just as nice. The shopping street looked picturesque against the setting sun. Some shops were closing but many were still open, like the vendor selling skewers of cheese wrapped in fried yuba (tofu skin). We also tried a couple of fruit popsicles that seemed to be a Kyoto speciality...maybe. They were not too sweet and had a mochi-like texture. This pre-dinner snack was out of the ordinary, but it was just as well because the uphill walk took a lot out of us at the end of this travel day. 

An Easy Dinner and a Good Night

    Dinner was at the hotel's Italian restaurant, which had excellent service and reasonably good food. I had chosen this place for its convenience with the goal of ending the day on a relaxing note. The next day would be our only full day in Kyoto, and I wanted everyone to be well rested. We had the kids bathed and in bed by 8:30pm. Maybe you can guess what happened. They somehow stayed up "talking" until close to 10pm. If I had all the money in the world, I would reserve suites every time we travel. For my kids, it is the difference between sleeping from 10pm-6am and sleeping from 9pm-7am. Regardless, we were all out by 10:30pm as a full day awaited us. 

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Raising Multilingual Kids

Being a multilingual family is our normal, but it's definitely a curiosity for most people. As a family, we juggle English, Japanese, and Mandarin Chinese. I say juggle because it feels that way. My spouse and I speak English to each other. Our kids speak Japanese with their dad. They speak Chinese with me. It sounds like a mess, and sometimes it is, but it somehow has worked us in the sense that this linguistic mishmash has not inhibited our ability to communicate with each other.

When we had E, we had a decision to make: how many languages would we teach her? English was a given since we lived in America. What about the other languages we spoke? Culture was as much part of it as language itself. But it would be a challenging road of consistency and awkwardness, since as parents our only common was English. At least one of us would have to speak to the baby in a language the other didn't fully understand. 

Before I delve into our odd little journey, let me explain our backgrounds. My husband is Japanese and was raised in Japan. He attended an international school, which is why he speaks English with an American accent. He also studied French during high school and university. So he is fluent in Japanese and English and can get by with basic French. I am Chinese but was raised in the U.S.. I lived in Spain briefly as a child and continued to study Spanish in university, where I studied abroad and attained a minor in Spanish. I have also been studying Japanese since arriving in Tokyo last year. So I am fluent in Mandarin, the Wu dialect, and English. I am now conversational (at best) in Spanish, having not spoken it in years, but my ability to read is better. On the other hand, I am barely literate in Chinese despite being completely fluent (a result of not attending Chinese school on the weekends while growing up in America). 

Which Languages to Prioritize?

From my perspective then, it wasn't a top priority for my kids to read and write Mandarin so long as they could speak it. I couldn't ask of them what I couldn't do myself. Also, a greater proportion of people in China compared to Japan speak English, probably because English has been an essential part of Chinese education for decades now. And since my husband's command of Japanese is better than my Chinese, it was natural to prioritize English and Japanese. 

My guiding principle is that no matter how many or how few languages they know, my kids must know them well. Speaking many languages but mastering none - this is what I wanted to avoid. 

Language as a Gateway to Culture

I have been steadily (but very slowly) studying Japanese for about a year. It's a language that totally immerses you in a different mindset: to speak Japanese is to think Japanese. The thing I find hardest about Japanese is all the double negatives: I don't want you to not do that. What?! It's hard for my English, or even Chinese, mind to wrap around. Communication here can be an art of evasiveness. This is an obvious way that the language reflects the culture, but it does in many other ways. 

There is a lot of discourse about what it means to be Japanese in the international community here, especially among expat kids and kids with one Japanese parent. For most, language is really a gateway to a culture. You can know a language and still not fully understanding the culture, but it's difficult to grasp the subtleties of a culture without knowing the language. So I wanted to give my kids a shot at fully embracing their Japanese identity. While they could always learn Japanese as adults, it would be harder to learn it, and it would be different from growing up having known it. In a way I suppose I am making a choice for them, but it's one that will pass them by if it's not made now. 

Is There Room for One More? 

Japanese and Chinese, though they share similarities, are vastly different languages with different grammar and writing systems. Written Japanese has four components: Romaji (the romanization of characters), Kanji (Chinese characters, though many are not the same as modern Chinese characters), Hiragana (Japanese characters), and Katakana (a different set of Japanese characters used for foreign words). Written Chinese has two components: Pinyin (also a romanization of Chinese, though different from Japan's) and the full set of 8,000 characters that the average Chinese adult knows. Despite a bit of overlap, Chinese and Japanese are really very different languages. For one, they don't sound at all alike. 

Growing up, Spanish was a big part of my life. I lived in Spain briefly as a child, spent summer vacations there, and studied abroad there. I minored in Spanish in college. Spanish language and culture has been an important part of my life and in many ways my identity as well. Because of it (and my Chinese illiteracy), I find myself more equipped to learn most European languages than Asian ones, including Japanese. This has influenced what books I read, what art I like, and my perspective on the world. It's a perspective I would like to share with my kids, even just a little. If you believe that language is a gateway to culture, which I do, then my hope is that someday my kids also study a language from the European continent. But it's only a hope and not an expectation. 

Right now

Right now E is learning how to read at her English-speaking school, so the focus is very much on English. While her English improves, it creeps into her other languages. She says things like, watashi wa freak out shita (I freaked out). So we just keep reminding her the Japanese or Chinese words for whatever she is saying. We have accepted that, especially at this age, her grasp of each language will naturally fluctuate depending on the circumstances. My best language is English, so I am in charge of reading all the English books at bedtime. The kids then rotate to their dad, who is in charge of reading the Japanese books. It may sound like a pain, but it's just our routine now. 

Learning how to write English. 

I think being a trilingual family wouldn't be so strange in some parts of the world, especially if the  languages have common roots. The biggest challenge for us is 1) how different our languages are and 2) we share only English as the common language. As the kids start primary school, I'm sure we will adjust as things change. 

It's Autumn (Again!): Autumn foods

Autumn arrived two weeks ago, but it wasn't until this week that it has begun to truly feel like autumn. The temperature suddenly plummeted with a bout of rain on Wednesday. It finally got cool enough to bring out the cold weather comforter, not to be confused with the frigid winter down comforter that we rarely use here (I brought, not one, but two from Chicago - what was I thinking?). 

In Chicago, Halloween decorations and pumpkin spice everything are the first signs of the season. It is not all that different in Tokyo, where the consumer market also marches ahead of nature. Everywhere you look there are advertisements for seasonal foods: chestnuts, sweet potato, mushroom, plump fish, pears, persimmons, and root vegetables galore. They are the bounties of October. My Japanese friend who lives in America says that winter is the best time to return to Japan because the food gets better as the weather gets colder. 

Takashimaya, an otherwise posh department store, carries produce of high quality at surprisingly reasonable prices. Given the generally posh (and older) customer base, each piece of produce is impeccably and frustratingly wrapped in plastic to be perfectly displayed. It is obvious when something is in season. It will be humongous. With the size of these things, there is no way you can display it "elegantly." Last year, I found a romanesco cauliflower so large that I wouldn't have been able to fit it into my bicycle basket. This week, you can get maitake mushroom the size of a small suitcase for the equivalent of $3 USD. Same for shimeji and oyster mushrooms. Also on offer are baseball-bat daikons and two-pound bouquets of greens. 

I then moved on to the cake section, where a pop-up stand was taking orders for Christmas cakes! Christmas in Japan is actually a very secular/commercial holiday for couples and friends while New Year is the holiday to spend with family. Christmas is all about cakes, and without Halloween and Thanksgiving standing in the way, preparations begin now. The cake order lady handed me a catalog of their cakes. I brought it home, where my kids pored over it for an hour analyzing which cakes they would buy and why. 

Notice that each cake is diagramed in the lower right corner of each box. 

I wanted to feel like I really took advantage of this perfectly cloudy autumn day, so I went for a run. And with a run, I worked up an appetite. It was also cold and had started raining. The very best circumstances for a bowl of hot ramen. 

A soul warming way to end the day. 

Two Runs and a Funeral

All this week, there have been black helicopters buzzing overhead. They flew in formations of twos and threes and stood out against the otherwise clear skies of central Tokyo. This was the week of Shinzo Abe's state funeral. Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, was assassinated in Nara during a stump speech he was making on behalf of another politician. During the weeks leading up to his state funeral, there have been protests all over Tokyo. 

At first glance, it may seem unreasonable to protest a state funeral for a former prime minister who was, after all, gunned down in the line of political duty. Then again, public protests are not all that common in Japan. So when it happens on a large scale, there must be a good reason for it. The reason here is that this funeral cost the state at least 1.66 billion yen, the equivalent of 11.5 million USD. Most of the cost went towards security and hosting foreign guests, former and current representatives and heads of state. Understandably, this did not go over well with the general public. Hence the protests. 

Though he contributed to the development of modern Japan, Abe himself was a divisive and sometimes shadowy figure, not a universally loved one. His party is Japan's right-wing Liberal Democratic Party. Abe vigorously advocated to reform Japan's pacifist constitution, set in place after World War II. He enacted military reforms that allowed deployments overseas for purposes of collective security. One of the most surprising things about the protests against Abe's funeral was the people who were protesting. In America, public protests belong mostly to the realm of the young. This month in Japan, it was older people who were protesting. I read that it is because they are the ones that still remember World War II and what followed. Because of this, they are the staunchest opponents of the right-wing threat to Japanese pacifism. 

He deserved a funeral, but not at the expense of what 11.5 million dollars could have done for social welfare. It is sad because the country was somewhat united in grief after the assassination, and now it is not. 

The Imperial Palace run.

On a happier note, the weather is much more habitable. The mornings usually begin in the 70s, though on sunny days it inevitably reaches the 80s. Still, it is cool enough to run, and so running season has begun! I'm so out of shape that it takes me two miles just to warm up. My warm up pace is barely faster than a brisk walk right now. I got in two morning runs this week. Most of my running routes involve a bit of uphill, which is difficult to avoid in Tokyo. One of my favorites is the 5km circuit around the Imperial Palace. But when I need a confidence-boosting run, there is a shorter route that is not nearly as scenic but completely flat. It's such a relief to run again. The best antidote to living in a topsy-turvy world. 

As a bonus, the sweet olive trees have bloomed. I hadn't smelled its scent since living in New Orleans. Then, last year, my first in Japan, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they are everywhere in Tokyo. Their scent is sweet and intoxicating. I can smell it as I ride past on my bicycle. I can even smell it through my mask (yes, masking outdoors is still nearly universal in Japan). Its bloom only lasts for a handful of days, so I am enjoying it while I can. This is autumn in Tokyo. 

A Very Slow-Moving Typhoon + Denny's in Japan

I didn't know that typhoons and hurricanes were essentially the same until recently. Growing up by the Gulf of Mexico, June through November was known as hurricane season. Anything below a category 3 was probably ok, and anything above it would warrant an evacuation. In most cases, there would be a lot of anxiety and buildup only for the storm to change direction at the last moment. The big exception, of course, was Hurricane Katrina, when we packed enough things for the standard two days away and ended up not returning for two months. 

During our first year in Japan, someone would shrug and casually say, "a typhoon is coming, so it's going to rain tomorrow." Nobody seemed particularly worried about emergency supplies, piling on the sandbags, or taping up the windows - telltales signs of an approaching hurricane where I grew up. It all seemed rather downplayed here, probably because the infrastructure is well-designed and better built. It's funny how the same natural phenomenon manifests completely differently in different places. 

This typhoon we are experiencing at the moment is a large one, though it has not Tokyo directly. It is also a very slow-moving one. It started raining on Sunday morning, with unpredictable waves of squalls throughout the day, and it is still raining as I write this on Tuesday afternoon. It also happens to be a long holiday weekend here, so indoor spaces were more crowded than usual with locals and tourists alike seeking entertainment while sheltering from the rain. 

We went to Tokyo Skytree, which contains a massive shopping complex with nearly as many places to eat as there are to shop. There is also an aquarium, an arcade, exhibits, and other entertainment venues. If you have a choice, stay clear of tourist hot spots on Japanese holidays, especially when the weather herds everyone indoors. The crowd was insane. Lines snaking out the door of the souvenir shop. One hour wait for lunch. We were lucky - I got in the line of a ramen restaurant around 11:15 (the lines begin forming at 11 and grow exponentially with every passing minute). Considered literally to be a fast food, ramen shops have quick turnover. We waited just over half an hour. 

The other semi-eventful thing we did this weekend was visit Denny's. I had been curious about it ever since I read Matthew Amster-Burton's book Pretty Good Number One: An American Family Eats Tokyo. Denny's in Japan looks just like the Denny's in America. Or at least the sign does. Beyond the sign, Denny's is a completely different restaurant from its American counterpart. It is known as a family restaurant serving a wide variety of Japanese comfort foods at a reasonable price. The atmosphere inside kind of reminded me of a Shoney's from the 90s, except with better food. 

It's not a bad place for a well balanced family meal when nobody feels like cooking. There are plenty of vegetables, and everything is reasonably priced. Unlike American family restaurants, portions are smaller but probably perfect for the average adult. I ordered their seasonal hambagu (Japanese hamburger steak, a staple of modern comfort food in this country) with mushrooms. 

We also ordered a spinach sautéed with bacon and a chicken jambalaya, which looked very different from the jambalaya I know but tasted surprisingly similar. The kids menu, like everywhere else, is full of things like juice, jello, and french fries. I didn't order anything from there. It wasn't a gourmet meal, but it was satisfying, and we ate well. I should mention that Denny's Japan is known for their drink bar (i.e., soda bar) and dessert menu, which is full of ice creams and parfaits. In terms of a balanced meal, it's a sliding scale, and the diner has a lot of leeway to choose. 

As I am finishing up this post (many hours later), the typhoon is already receding. It's left a cool breeze in its wake. Could this be the beginning of autumn? I hope so. No matter how hot it gets in the summer here, you can reasonably count on each season arriving with characteristically Japanese punctuality.  

If You're Going to Japan in the Summer

    I have moaned enough about summer, so in this post I'm going to share all the nice things about summers in Japan. This is our family's second in Japan. We stayed here last summer because there were still too many travel restrictions, both abroad and in Japan. The Olympics were taking place, and in an attempt to keep the Covid-19 cases under control, the Japanese government was limiting entry into the country. This summer, with worldwide inflation and the war in Europe, airplane tickets were expensive. Since Japan has begun receiving foreign visitors again, we decided to wait for my parents to visit rather than visit them in America. All this is to say that, by remaining in Japan for two summers, we learned how to make the most of it. 

    If you are going to Japan in the summer, you can't miss going to a matsuri, or festival. These are based in Shinto-ism and usually take place outdoors with street food, music, dancing, games, and sometimes fireworks. Each region, town, and village has its own traditions. After a two-year hiatus due to covid, summer festivals returned this summer. We stumbled upon one a few weekends ago near Yoyogi Park. My kids had never been to one, and they were completely captivated by the sight of matsuri dancers dressed in colorful costume. Every ten to fifteen minutes, a different group of dancers and drummers would take to the stage to perform. Each group had unique but equally eye-catching costumes. E would have stayed to watch the performances the entire day. 

    Since this festival was in the middle of Tokyo, it wasn't the traditional matsuri you might find in a smaller city, but we still enjoyed good food (seaweed flavored udon noodles in a cold broth + Okinawan ramen) and sake samples (a rarity). A more local matsuri would have most people dressed in their summer yukata, something E has been asking for. These robes are more casual than kimonos, have range of vibrant patterns, and make for excellent photos and even better people watching. 

I wouldn't have survived this past summer without kakigori. Kakigori is Japanese shaved ice, and it is ubiquitous in the summer. You will find it at food stands, public parks, and as seasonal items in restaurants and cafes. If you ask E, she will probably say that all her favorite summer memories include kakigori. In Tokyo there are fancy ones. The famous Sebastian cafe makes one that looks just like a cake. My favorite is the one you eat when you've been biking, hiking, or playing with your kids outside on a hot day - usually the one made with chunky shaved ice, food coloring, and syrup. E's favorite flavor is "Blue Hawaiian."

At the top of my to-do-in-Japan list is to climb Mount Fuji. You can only climb it in the summer because it is too cold during the other seasons. It is easy enough for children to climb, though mine are still too young. My nephews, ages 8 and 11 at the time, climbed it with their father and from all accounts, it was a fantastic experience. Although it is known as an easy climb, the ascent still takes 5-7 hours. Most climbers stay in a mountain cabin and start their ascent in the early hours of the morning so that they can 1) see the sunrise, 2) reach the chilly peak during the warmest hours of daylight, and 3) make it back down by nightfall. 

The last thing I have enjoyed most about summers here are the evenings. Sure, it could be cooler (the air is usually thick and still even after the sun has gone down), but enjoying summer evenings like this without worrying about personal safety is a true luxury. In Chicago, I would never voluntarily go out after dark. Usually it was to walk my dog or attend a work-related event. I definitely never thought of myself as a night person. Here I can walk around at night alone, without pepper spray, without being hyper vigilant. So I've rediscovered the enjoyment of being out at night: going to an izakaya, sitting outdoors at a cafe, window shopping, or just taking a walk. 

May next summer be cooler than this one, a little more Covid-free, and filled with hikes, kakigori, matsuri, and evening strolls. 

    

Hokkaido Part 2: Niseko + Overnight Trips with Kids

    Niseko is known as a ski resort, so summer is a great time to go if avoiding crowds is a vacation criteria. Hokkaido is the most expansive region in Japan, and places are far apart from each other. Committing to one location meant foregoing others due to distance. We chose Niseko because it has a beautiful river, nice mountain trails, and other outdoor activities such as fruit picking and farm visiting. Since Hokkaido is the northernmost island of the main Japanese islands, it typically enjoys dry and mild summers. Unfortunately, like other places around the world, this summer has been atypical in Hokkaido with lots of rain. 

    We flew into New Chitose Airport in Sapporo and rented a car to drive to Niseko. My mother-in-law, a lifelong Tokyo resident, described Hokkaido as being "just like America." With its majestic mountains and sweeping plains, I did feel like I was somewhere in the American west. The landscape felt refreshingly expansive compared to the main island. Like most places with big spaces, however, the easiest way to get around with kids and luggage is by car. There is a train line that runs from New Chitose Airport to Niseko, but there are not many taxis in Niseko to take you to your final destination. 

    About twenty minutes away from Niseko is a charming area at the foot of Yoteisan where a subterranean river gushes out in streams and little waterfalls. The water is cold and clear, and we saw other visitors who had brought jugs to fill up with this mountain water. I am instinctively skeptical of claims of untreated water being pure. Perhaps this is unfair, but how many things left in nature is "pure"? Where there is people, there is industry, and where there is industry, there is usually pollution. Then again, I thought, no one has been known to become ill despite crowds of people going there to drink the water. Despite my doubts, I dove in alongside the others to fill up my water bottle, and I have to say that it tasted amazing. Cold and pristine. So good was this water that E, whom we always have to encourage to drink more water, drank two bottles. She subsequently used the toilet three times in the next hour. 

    My favorite things about Japanese hotels are the pajamas and the futons (the Japanese bed kind, not the sofa bed kind). Hotels provide adult pajamas, and some provide child pajamas (in different sizes even). This means fewer things to pack. The futons are great for kids because I don't have to worry about cribs or kids falling off beds. Since my kids sleep in their own beds at home, they love the novelty of sleeping together on futons. I also like that the futon rooms create separate a sleeping space. Futons are set up on tatami mats in traditional rooms enclosed by sliding doors. With young kids, this gave us the freedom to stay up past 8pm in our hotel room. 

    We wanted to take advantage of Hokkaido's great outdoors and had planned for the whole family to go rafting on our first full day there. With the kids in tow, we had chosen a gentle rafting course that "even two year olds can experience." The rafting company we booked supplied wetsuits, footwear, and life vests. Along with a few other families, we met at their lodge to change. Then we were all driven to the river, where we were given tips and safety instructions. We rafted a stretch of the river that was calm, and even though there were a few thrills, it was very much still a controlled environment. One of the things I love about traveling in Japan is that outdoor activities are accessible to a wide audience. Like snorkeling in Okinawa last autumn, it was surprisingly inexpensive. Moreover, the rafting was marketed as something anyone could enjoy rather than an extreme activity for thrill-seekers. Our guides simply loved what they did, and loved sharing it. 

    We didn't make it to fruit picking because of the rain, but we did go to an ostrich farm. Ostriches are strikingly tall and aggressive. Surprisingly, they co-exist peacefully with cows. The two species live on opposite sides of a single pasture and mind their own business. We bought some ostrich feed, consisting mostly of corn, and headed to their large enclosure. E cautiously threw them the feed at some distance. M walked straight up to the ostriches, hand extended, throwing food at close range. The ostriches gawked and pecked at each other to get to the food first. Then, out of the blue (or maybe not for someone more familiar with these crazy birds), one of them bit M's hand. It was not a bite meant to hurt her but rather a "Hey you! Give me some food right now!" type of bite. She was just a bit startled, and her hand was a little red. I'm sure my scream attracted more attention than the bite itself. After that, we calmed down with a snack at the farm's cafe, and all was well. There you have it, the ostrich farm.  

Known as the food basket of Japan, farming is one of Hokkaido's main industries. When you buy dairy products in Tokyo, it will likely say "from Hokkaido," with a map of the region on the package. Hokkaido is cow country and the touristy areas are landmines of soft serve ice cream advertising Hokkaido dairy. While Hokkaido is also known for beef and seafood, what we really wanted was an abundant dinner full of seasonal vegetables. And we were able to end the first part of our trip with just that. 

A salad from Japan's land of plenty. 

Hokkaido Part 1: Traveling with Kids Within Japan

    For the summer holidays, we debated whether to return to the US, go to Europe, or stay in Japan. I wanted to visit family and my dog in the U.S., but Japan was still requiring Covid testing for returning residents. With the hodgepodge masking situation there and my spouse's limited vacation days, I didn't want to risk getting infected while abroad. My parents plan to visit us soon anyways, so we decided to postpone the American trip. As for Europe, some of the the same problems applied. In addition, airplane tickets to Europe are really expensive at the moment. So Japan it was. Since we had already visited Okinawa down south, we headed to Hokkaido up north this time. 

    From Tokyo, you can travel to Hokkaido by Shinkansen or by airplane. The Shinkansen takes over four hours and stops at Hakodate, located in the south of Hokkaido. We wanted to go to Niseko, which is really far from Hakodate, so we flew. As our second time flying domestically with the kids, we knew what to expect. Plus, M is now more toddler and less baby, making travel (mostly) easier. Here are some differences I noticed between air travel here and in the U.S. 

    Airport parking costs less in Japan. If it is an option, it's totally worth it to have a family member or friend park and help you with the luggage and children. Once you are at the airport, the going is easy. Even when it is crowded, as it was during our trip, the staff is organized and willing to help. We traveled during Obon week, which is the peak week of summer travel in Japan. Even then, the lines at both baggage check and security were controlled and orderly. 

    Airport amenities in Japan are incredible. There are plenty of dining options that extend beyond fast food. Most airports have convenience stores that stock the same things, at the same prices, as their non-airport stores. You will never have to dehydrate yourself to save $5 on a bottle of water. I do wish there were more water fountains and bottle refill stations in Japan. Of course, if traveling is an opportunity to indulge, there are options for that too. I found a Baskin-Robbins vending machine! There was another ice cream machine placed strategically next to the kids' play area - a strategy of which I am not a fan. 

The child seat even reclines. 

    For parents especially, there is a lot to be optimistic about. You can find free luggage carts with child seating at various stations in the airport. Bathrooms are clean, and there are dedicated family bathrooms as well as changing/nursery rooms for babies. Although it varies, most airport bathrooms are touchless so that you can flush and open the door simply by waving your hand in front of a sensor. It's hard to take that for granted in year three of the pandemic. 

    As in the U.S. and anywhere else, families with young children receive priority boarding. Maybe I've gotten lucky, but the time between boarding and takeoff seems shorter. It's entirely possible that they really are faster here, as it is the land of punctuality. Oh, and if you are hoping that the airline will wreck an old stroller to get it off your hands, you won't be lucky. The airline staff handle things with utmost care. They lovingly wrapped our old stroller in plastic to be shipped to the destination. The care they took was nice of course; the plastic was unnecessary. 

   The actual plane ride is the same as anywhere else: a beverage service and maybe a toy gadget for the little ones. I would say that air travel with children is easier in Japan simply because there are fewer delays: the airport lines are well-managed, the processes are streamlined, and the staff is always helpful. In my next post, meet us at our destination in Hokkaido. We will drink mountain water, go to a public bath, and get bitten by an Ostrich. 

Uniquely Japanese Foods that My Kids Love

Kabocha

Kabocha, sometimes sold as "Japanese pumpkin" in American supermarkets, is a type of squash. Compared to the more conventional sugar pumpkin and other squashes such butternut and acorn, kabocha has a denser, creamier texture - probably why my kids love it. 

In Japan, the classic preparation is by simmering with soy sauce and sake. Kabocha is also a great substitute for potatoes in croquettes. I always use kabocha instead of sugar pumpkins for things like pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread. Muji cafe serves mashed kobocha mixed with some chopped greens. This  tones down the bitterness of some greens, and my kids enjoy it a lot. 

Natto

Natto is the infamous slimy, stinky, fermented soybean dish that is a fixture in Japan but hated by nearly all non-Japanese people who come across it. Natto is not considered delicious per say, but it is definitely a refrigerator staple. It typically comes with a soy-sauce based seasoning packet and a packet of Japanese mustard. Natto is a nutritious source of protein (especially good for gut health I've heard) that involves no cooking, so it is easy to see why it is popular. You can top it with different things. Common toppings include scallions, sriracha, mayo, chili powder, mustard, and nori. 

The thing with Natto is that it smells worse than it tastes. It makes the dishwasher and garbage smell horrendous. Its slimy texture - a detraction for many but a virtue for some (mostly Japanese kids)  - is a familiar texture in Japanese cuisine and one that kids seem to be fond of here. Although I didn't grow up with natto, I've learned to like it, unlike my kids, who adore it. When dinner fails to completely satiate, we pull out the natto. And it is never eaten by only one person. Once the natto is out, both kids clamor for it. As E says, "it's a natto fest." 

Nikuman

Technically Chinese, nikuman has become a popular part of Japanese cuisine. Its basic form is a steamed yeast-leavened bun with a filling. In Japan, that filling is usually minced pork ("niku" literally means meat in Japanese) with a few variations. 

When I was a teenager, I spent summers in Shanghai with my grandfather. He lived in an old part of the city where street vendors sold freshly made baozi, the broader Chinese name for it. There are endless varieties of baozi in China but my grandfather's favorite vendor sold ones filled with Chinese mustard greens and shiitake seasoned with sesame oil. This too became my favorite. 

I haven't found anything similar in Tokyo, but nearly every supermarket and department store food hall here sells the pork-based nikuman. While it's not impossible to make at home, it requires some time and technique, so we buy it and keep it as an easy weekend lunch. 

Soba

Soba is a Japanese buckwheat noodle. Because it is made from buckwheat, it is though to be healthier than its relatives, ramen and udon. Whereas ramen and udon are more often served in fast casual settings, soba is a bit more refined, though it also exists as fast food. Soba can be served in a hot broth or it can be served cold alongside a cold dipping sauce, a popular summer option. 

My kids prefer soba over salty ramen and chewy udon. I usually do too, but I'm also considering how I will feel after the meal, and I doubt my kids think about that. It is common to serve soba with tempura. My kids like soba so much that they will abstain from eating more fried foods to save room for the buckwheat. I like it, but it is a mystery to me. 

Shishamo

Shishamo is a smelt fish (capelin) native to Hokkaido. It is a small fish about the length of long green bean and barely a finger's width wide. You grill, bake, or sauté the fish and eat it whole. The awareness of sustainable seafood is low in Japan, but the production of farmed shishamo has grown recently to lessen the burden on wildlife stock. It seems that Atlantic capelin may be more sustainable, perhaps due to lower popularity. 

My kids, who were introduced to it at an early age, also eat the entire fish. In Chicago, it was a treat because we could only buy it at the Japanese supermarket a half hour's drive away. In contrast, it is too accessible in Tokyo. Nearly every supermarket, even bodegas and convenience stores, carry shishamo. I still try to keep it a treat. 

Edamame

Until moving to Japan, I only knew frozen edamame. Then I tasted fresh edamame here, and as you might expect, it tastes a lot better. Edamame season runs through the summer. In June and July, you will see fresh edamame stalks in supermarkets. Perhaps surprisingly, edamame is a popular beer food here in Japan, and as such, it's sold at sports concessions and bars. 

As for my kids, they get a kick out of removing the beans from the pods. When edamame is on the table, it is difficult to get M to eat anything else. It is also super easy to prepare - just boil for a few minutes and sprinkle with salt. 

Tofu

Japan is tofu-nation, and Kyoto is tofu-town. Kyoto has many incredible restaurants, and some of those serve multi-course kaiseki meals specializing in tofu. In daily life here in Tokyo, tofu is not as exalted but just as versatile and ubiquitous. You can grill it, fry it, flatten it into a pouch and fill it with rice (inari sushi), or simply eat it cold with soy sauce and a squeeze of citrus. Both my kids prefer tofu over most meats, and I suspect it's because of the tender texture. Basically they prefer to chew as little as possible, and meat requires many more chews than tofu. 

When my kids were weaning, I blended tofu into ground chicken to make chicken patties. The tofu makes the patties more tender, fluffier, and easier to eat. Nowadays I keep packet of soft tofu in the refrigerator for an easy summer side dish - just cut, season with soy sauce or ponzu, and perhaps a sprinkle of bonito flakes, sesame seeds, and/or scallions. 

Digital Books, Eating at Muji, and a Chilled Saturday

    I received a Kindle for my birthday last year, but it took me some time to warm up to digital reading. In Chicago, we lived down the street from the public library, and it was easy to check out and return books. I liked physically browsing books and taking them home. Choosing a book via Kindle felt like online shopping - it should be easier but was somehow harder and took more effort. The enormous digital selection was overwhelming. Then one day, my spouse, an enthusiastic proponent of digital reading, bought Haruki Murakami's What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. I started reading it, and that got me into reading on the Kindle. I'm glad I did. In a Japanese-speaking world, it's a convenient way to access English-language books. 

   Because of that, I have been reading a lot this summer. I just read Ruth Ozeki's The Book of Form and Emptiness, which is a story about an adolescent boy who is navigating life with his mother after his father dies. He begins to hear voices from objects and is subsequently hospitalized in a pediatric psychiatric ward. I wasn't particularly drawn to plot, but I love Ozeki's other works, so I gave it a try. It's a fictional story, and not at all a treatise or critique on current issues. Like her earlier book My Year of Meats, it represents in a thoughtful way all the maladies afflicting our post-industrial society. It's also about the power and morality of objects and our relationships with them. It is fiction but relevant, absurd yet relatable, despairing yet hopeful. It's my favorite book this summer. 

    E has been in summer school. It is farther than her usual school with no efficient public transportation routes, so we have been commuting via mamachari. It is a 40 minute ride roundtrip with two roundtrips each day. And so, I have been treating myself to kakigori. Kakigori is shaved ice with condensed milk or syrup or both with various toppings. Its ice is usually finely shaved compared to other types of shaved ice (like the New Orleans snoball). It is a fixture of Japanese summers, especially this summer which has been brutally hot. 

    On Saturday, we went to an indoor play space for the kids. We braced ourselves for a long queue but it wasn't that bad. In fact, there were fewer people than there had been on a weekend during winter. This play space is located in an indoor shopping mall with grocery stores and lots of restaurants, making for an easy transition to lunch. It also has a very cute bathroom dedicated for kids. 

Everything is a smaller size - the stalls, toilets, wash basins, etc. Japanese kids are afforded so much independence, and the infrastructure makes it easy. 

    The biggest problem with dining out in Tokyo is not dining with kids but rather dining without a reservation. People make reservations by default. If a good restaurant has a reservation system, it will likely be full unless you book a few days ahead. If the restaurant does not take reservations (more casual lunch spots, food courts, etc.), be prepared to go early or wait in line or both. You must constantly think ahead. With this in mind, at 11:15 am, we headed to the Muji cafe, which does not take reservations. 

© Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd.

© Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd.

    Muji is a Japanese brand that is based on a philosophy of minimalism, recycling, reducing production, and having a no logo/no brand policy. Not a bad philosophy, but it is also a massive retailer, so who knows. In Japan, they also have a cafe that sells healthy cafeteria-style food. It makes an effort - unique among big Japanese brands - to offer alternatives to animal protein. It is also a great place for families. I really enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of cafeteria-style eateries. There are no kids sets per se, but you can pick and choose among daily dishes, salad sets, curry sets, and soup sets among others. Better than the typical kids set that comes with fries, juice, and jello. It cost less than $30 USD for our family of four with large appetites. 

    If you have small kids, you may well know that they start declining in energy after lunch. It becomes a countdown to getting home and taking a nap. So we squeezed in a trip to the grocery store, picked up donuts from Mister Donut, and headed home. It was a relaxing Saturday. 

Chasing Dinosaurs

Have you heard of the word Natsubate? It's a compound of the word for summer "natsu," and "bateru," meaning malaise. Natsubate is used to describe the condition of many people during the summer months: poor appetite, lack of sleep, and low energy. It is summer malaise. Our most obvious strategy has been to find fun things to do indoors during the hottest hours. Incidentally, E has been interested in dinosaurs. We actually have been reading the same book about dinosaurs every night for the past week. This gave me the idea of looking into a place where we could visit some "real" dinosaurs. That place turned out to be the National Museum of Nature and Science. 

One of the things I miss most about Chicago is Museum Campus, and the Field Museum was among my favorites. We had gone a couple of times with E, but she was still a bit young for most of the exhibits and in any case, she has no memory of it. I don't know what took me so long to visit the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno, Tokyo. Perhaps I was too busy mulling over what was lost that I failed to consider the new experiences that were available. 

Situated in the Ueno neighborhood and overshadowed by the Ueno Zoo, this museum doesn't get nearly as crowded as the zoo. Reservations are required, which is nice overall, as it guarantees your entry at a specific time while also limiting the number of visitors inside. The museum has two wings: the Japanese wing with the more Japan-specific exhibits and the more general and newer Global wing. The exhibits have loads of interactive features. I found them to be great for all ages, even M, who was particularly fixated by the Animals of the Earth exhibit. 

Before Covid-19, this Compass section used to be an interactive play space for young kids. Still nice for kids, but unfortunately not as interactive.  

There is an impressive collection of dinosaurs, which are scattered throughout the museum rather than concentrated in a single exhibit. 

There is both a restaurant and a cafe at the museum, but they are small so the lines can get quite long. Because I had read this beforehand, we decided to prepare some food and bring it with us. Of course, we then didn't have time to "prepare food" amidst the morning hustle and bustle. Conveniently, Ueno station, where the museum is located, has a lot of bento, snack, and takeaway options, so we were able to buy lunch there before arriving at the museum. 

The museum cafe. The menu looked pretty good, and the prices were reasonable. Just beware of the lines at peak lunch hour. 

Some of the food we bought at the station - tonkatsu sandwich, yakitori skewers - and, not pictured - onigiri, sandwiches, and yogurt.

The Evolution of Life exhibits were beautifully designed. While my kids appreciated the design and specific interactive components, like short videos, they will get more of it when they are a bit older. 

The Japan Wing is located an old classist building designed as Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government. It was built as the main building of the museum in 1931 until 2015, when the Global Wing opened. 

We saw a few exhibits on the geological history of the Japanese islands. There was also an exhibit on the evolution of the Japanese people, including a display of the taxidermied Hachiko, the Akita dog famous for waiting at Shibuya station for its owner, even after his owner's death. 

I had been worried that the exhibits would be too advanced for E and M, but we all had a great time. Although the kids didn't grasp the content in the same way as adults do, they were able to enjoy it in their own way, as kids do. We arrived around 9 am and left at 1:30 pm, because that was as long as their attention spans could handle. But there was still a lot left to see. It is a place they can grow into, and we are excited about returning.