Sakura Season

If you visit Japan when the sakura trees bloom, be prepared to be amazed by their beauty. Also be prepared to swim through crowds at prime locations. The good news is that these blossoms are ubiquitous around town, so you can see and appreciate them anywhere. The sakura blossom is so exalted in art, literature, culture, and tourism that it has become iconic. Its image is larger than life. So it seems both odd and remarkable that, for a couple of weeks, I am surrounded by them in my daily life. For example, today I was biking to the grocery store on a small street lined with unassuming, unattractive even, buildings. Then, out of the blue, there is a large and beautiful sakura tree that looks more like art than real life. 

Sakura season is fleeting, though there are multiple varieties that peak at different times from early March to mid-April. The flowers from early March, for instance, are a darker shade of pink. Near my home there are a few popular places for blossom-viewing: the Meguro River in the Nakamegura neighborhood and the park near the Midtown shopping plaza, though the ambience there is more curated. In fact, all the major parks will have blossoms. My favorite is Shinjuku Gyoen, which becomes unbearably crowded during these spring weekends. If you visit without a membership pass, you will need to make an online reservation at least one day in advance. 

Shinjuku Gyoen

The sakura squad studying the map to strategize crowd control.

Even though this was a weekday, there were a lot of people and picnickers.

Passing by on a morning run.

Alas, there is always a balance to things. And the balance to all this beauty is hazy air full of pollen, unleashing hay fever on its inhabitants. 

Spring haze: usually you would be able to see Mount Fuji. 

This weekend will perhaps be the last one of full blossoms. We plan to take a lot of walks, maybe have a picnic, and snap a few photos. Happy spring!

Year Two: What I Miss and Don't Miss

It was funny to re-read my old blog post about "What I Miss After Two Weeks." A year in now, I have found happy alternatives to little things and gotten over other things. When my brother-in-law visited last summer, the only thing I asked him to bring was floss and face moisturizer. A lot has changed since then. It took a year for the dust to settle, and now this is my Nora Ephronesque list of what I miss and what I don't. Of course, there are the things I like and have learned to like - love, even - here in Japan. But I think my every blog post reflects a little bit of that. So here are the two lists: 

What I Miss

Cheese, especially the stinky ones.
Butter, Kerrygold in particular.

Girl colors that are not pink.

REI.

Our pediatrician and family physician, mostly because I knew them well and they, me. 

My dog.

The Montrose Dog Beach on a cool day.

Neighborhood ice rinks.

Trees outside my window.

Snow-covered trees outside my window.

Experiencing sunshine at higher latitudes.

Uncrowded places.

Cafe Istanbul and the general abundance of Middle Eastern food. 

Organic produce. 

The bulk section at Whole Foods.

Ovens.

Autumn walks in Bucktown. 

Halloween with kids in Bucktown.

Chicago Public Library. 

Taller counters. 

Putting things into walls, like shelves. 

Mrs. Meyers and Method All-Purpose Spray. 

Generous return policies, though I realize this is a double-edged sword. 

Bagels. 

What I Don't Miss

The mind numbing stream of sales and discounts.

Online shopping.

Receiving an invoice for $1000 six months after a doctor's appointment.

Calling my health insurance for clarification. 

Big cars, though the trend is not promising here. May the narrow streets of Tokyo prevail. 

Car-centric infrastructure.

Deep dish pizza.

Gun violence.

Being afraid to go out at night. 

The news.

Shoes inside the home by default.

The CTA.

CTA elevators. 

Range hoods that are connected to nowhere. 

Public toilets. 

Tipping.

Anything that has to do with American football. 

Small talk in elevators.

Small talk whilst checking out at Trader Joe's.

The massive discrepancy in the quality of primary education.

The incessant blast of air conditioning.

Vaccination debates. 

And since sakura season is so fleeting, I leave you with a couple photos of blossoms around town. They haven't yet reached their peak, so more photos to come next week. 

Karuizawa in March

    We took a quick weekend trip to Karuizawa. It's been our go-to for skiing with the kids (or the kid, for now), because at two and a half hours away via car and an hour away via Shinkansen, it is relatively close. The slopes there are also great for beginners. Winter is shorter in this part of the world, and with the effects of global warming, there are precious few months left for skiing. With warm weather having already reached Tokyo, we packed our bags for one last ski adventure. 

    We departed in the late afternoon and aimed for a dinnertime arrival. For a small resort town, Karuizawa has an astonishing number of good restaurants and bakeries. Our favorite soba restaurant Kawakami-an also has branches in Tokyo, but their Karuizawa restaurant offers more variety and nearly double the portion size. I mean this in a good way, as this is more a blessing than a curse in Japan, particularly with my two hungry girls. The catch right now is that it is low season for visitors. Many restaurants are now closed until the summer, when people flock to the mountains to escape the city heat. The restaurants that remain open now fill up quickly with reservations. We opted for takeaway from Kastanie Rotiserrie, which makes amazing roast chicken. 

   Since we were there just for the weekend, we headed for the slopes on Saturday morning. The slopes were unexpectedly crowded. Super crowded. I thought it would peak around noon, but it just grew throughout the afternoon. The downside of a ski resort like Karuizawa is that it there are a lot of beginners. While there are a decent number of ski runs, some are quite narrow. It felt at times more like dodging people than skiing. 

    Despite this, E had a great time. We had enrolled her in a group lesson this winter. E is a cautious by nature, and I thought being around other kids would be more encouraging. The fun thing about kids is their ability to surprise you. E had no fear of the slopes. On the contrary, she preferred skiing with us to group lessons because the latter meant less action and more waiting around. Of course, skiing together was also more fun because we were doing it together. And she learned much more quickly on her feet. As my old school motto goes, discimus agere agendo - we learn to do by doing. 

    Kids, since they are small, don't lose control of their speed as easily as adults. This is one reason why E had little trepidation. I would love to introduce her to cross-country skiing, but that is harder to come by in Japan. Near my parents home in Minnesota is an amazing cross country course that winds through a national park. It makes you fall in love with winter. Maybe we will be able to return there next year. It seems cross country skiing requires a bit more coordination and strength than alpine, so waiting a year or two will be good anyways. 

For now, it's goodbye to winter and hello to spring. 

Blossoms, Ballet, and a Bowl of Ramen

As if on cue, the trees started blossoming on March 1. Just like that, from one day to the next, temperatures rose and spring began, though it feels like winter was hardly here. Spring in Tokyo is long and beautiful. Spring weather sustains from March until June. In the last week, trees and flowers have been blossoming at a frenetic speed. One day, you see one or two blooms. Two days later, the entire tree has blossomed. 

The first sign of spring: the plum blossoms.

Yoyogi Park

I went with my daughter, her friend, and her friend's mother to a viewing of the ballet Swan Lake. We had seen the Nutcracker by the same Tokyo-based ballet company a few months ago. The Nutcracker was a huge hit with E. She has a book that tells the story while playing bits of all the major pieces, and she has been reading it several times a week since November. I wasn't sure how she would like Swan Lake. The Nutcracker definitely lends itself as a children's tale more than the more melancholy Swan Lake. E ended up liking it just fine, especially the last couple of acts where all the drama unfolds. Still, the Nutcracker holds a special place in her heart. Anyways, it was a beautiful day to go to the ballet. 

Little people enjoying the park before the ballet.  

Not that winter is inhospitable here, but everything is relative, and now that it feels warmer outside, we have been spending more times outdoors. Longs walks and open patios trigger my appetite. So do the decreased number of Covid cases. All these things have pushed me to try eateries beyond my neighborhood. Last week, I went to a ramen shop in the Ebisu neighborhood that hand-pulls its own noodles. "Traditional" ramen is made with a fish base, pork base, or a combination of the two. This one specializes in a ramen bowl with a chicken base. The noodles were incredible - you can really taste the difference! The broth was salty, but I guess no one eats ramen as a part of a low sodium diet. You might think chicken offers a leaner, more one-dimensional flavor than pork, but the broth was rich and flavorful. 

Love the deep orange color of Japanese eggs

This weekend, we are off to the mountains for one last ski trip before the snow disappears. By the time we return and my next post, spring in Tokyo will be in full swing!

A Tour of Japan's Dollar Store

    Before moving to Japan, I could count the number of times I had been to an American dollar store: three. Now I have already lost track of the number of times I have visited a Japanese dollar store. The big ones are Daiso, Can Do, and Seria. They are marvels of consumer culture and innovation. I limit the number of visits I allow myself because it is too easy to walk away with things I don't actually need - in a word, junk. I made a trip yesterday to pick up craft supplies for my daughter. Some items are permanent inventory, but others are seasonal. Here are some interesting things I found at Daiso:

Insulated Lunch Bags

Note the insulated case made especially for onigiri, rice balls.

Mini Measuring Cup

Super cute and dishwasher safe. It measure in milliliters, tablespoons, and teaspoons.

Animal-shaped Sponges

Training chopsticks

The bottom row is Shinkansen-themed and attaches to any chopstick to create a training chopstick.

A Bun Cover

Possibly the most bizarre item I saw.

Baby Shoe Clips

In Japan, adults, kids, and even babies take off their shoes whenever there is the possibility of the shoe sullying a clean surface. This is the case for babies in strollers. I see these baby shoe clips everywhere - wish I discovered this a few years earlier!

Nasal Aspirator

Like Nose Frida, and just as effective, but much cheaper. I bought one for our travel bag, because vacations need not be disrupted by congestion. 

Kids & Travel Toys

Baby Drink Holder

Mask Holder

Crafts Supplies Galore

Just a fraction of the crafts supplies.

Arts Supplies

Craft Project Kits

These are the kinds of all-inclusive craft kits that I like to buy for school holidays.

Some things are 300 or 500 yen.

Origami Paper

Daiso is so large. These are a small selection of things I usually buy or find interesting. As a tourist, I could probably spend two hours here. It is the perfect place to buy souvenirs on a budget.