Married and Moved to Japan

Playoff Champs!

2015-05-05T12:33:00.001+09:00

The last few weeks have been fun, exciting, and a little sad. On March 24th the Tohoku FreeBlades swept the Anyang Halla team and won the Asia League Championship. We were all thrilled. These games were all played in Korea so the FreeBlades fans watched the games streamed online.

Champions!

FreeBlades #1

After the celebrations and parties our family packed up our things and took a vacation. It was very sad to say goodbye to everyone but it was time.

We miss you!

We wanted to go somewhere in Asia that would be fun and safe with a one year old. We thought about Bali and the Philippines but decided that Singapore would be the best destination for us. We had a great time and our favorite sight was the Gardens by the Bay light show.

Hachinohe Toddler Time

2015-03-27T13:30:00.000+09:00

I arrived in Hachinohe with a 6 month old and leaving with a 1 year old. Our apartment was average size, therefore small, and we were always looking to get out of the house so I thought I'd share where we went.

Japanese cities are great for low-cost play places. Inside the city's indoor fish market, on the second floor is a free jungle gym for kids and two smaller play areas for toddlers. If you have older kids there is also an adjacent arcade. http://www.849net.com/map/index.html

Another option is our city museum located downtown. The play place is called Kokomo Hachi. Entry is 100 yen and is located on the fourth floor and open 9:30-16:30. There's toys, books, and play furniture (houses and grocery store). I recommend bringing kids ages 6 months to 7 years old. http://hacchi.jp/floorguide/4f/index.html?f_number=4&no=9

If it's warm outside you can also visit the kids park and botanical garden. It's open April through October. Entry is free. There's inexpensive carnival rides, a small zoo, picnic areas, and gardens. http://usaandcaninjapan.blogspot.jp/2010/09/hachinohe-park-and-botanical-garden.html

Free Blades in the Finals!

2015-03-20T15:21:00.002+09:00

Game One of the Asia Hockey League Finals are on Saturday, March 21st! The FreeBlades are playing Anyang Halla in Seoul, Korea. The puck drops at 5:00pm local time. I'm currently in Japan so I'll be streaming the game and watching it at home. Halla has been streaming their games online so I hope they continue to do so for the playoffs. The link is usually on Halla's facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/anyanghalla

The first three games are played at Halla's rink and the last two games (if necessary) are being played in Koriyama, Japan. Games 4 and 5 are the FreeBlades 'home' games but they are a 6 hour drive from our apartment (with stops). The fans in Hachinohe are really upset. I'm upset too. I wish the final games of the year were being played at our home arena but they aren't.

The organisation has done this before (schedule the championship games in Koriyama). Four years ago the team played the semi-finals and finals in Koriyama. The finals were cancelled though due to the Major Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami that struck the day before game 1. I can only imagine how happy the fans in Koriyama are to get another chance to see the FreeBlades in the finals. The arena will be packed and loud with excitement.

If there is a game 4 I will be traveling to Koriyama to cheer for the team. Since traveling with a toddler is stressful and unpredictable I'm going to take the train. This will cut my travel time nearly in half and I can safely stand and walk around the train if my daughter become fussy or restless. Goooooo FreeBlades!

The Final Stretch

2015-03-05T20:18:00.002+09:00

It's March and I'm excited! I'm excited for my daughter who's turning one. She'll be tasting cake for the first time; yum! Sugar! I'm excited for my husband because his team is starting playoffs and I'm also looking forward to us wrapping things up so we can see family soon.

My husband is in Russia for the first 3 games of a 5 game series which unfortunately lands during her birthday. In fact 3 little girls (and a wife) have their birthdays while their dads are in Russia. Never fear, mama here and we'll throw a party. Cupcakes and coffee, or juice if you're a little one. I cleaned the house and started baking when I noticed my little one coughing. Then I noticed her wheezing. Uth oh, this didn't sound good. I watched her carefully, let her go to bed hoping she'd be better in the morning and... no, she wasn't better so we went to the doctors. Doctor said she is SICK. Darn it! I'm more upset we have to postpone the party than she is; oh wait, she's only one and doesn't understand birthdays yet! Solution: I celebrate her birthday with a mimosa while the sick birthday girl takes a nap. I survived one year of being a parent and deserve a glass of champagne, right?

Playoffs for the Asia League Ice Hockey begin on Saturday, March 7th. The FreeBlades tied the Russian team for 2nd place in the regular season standings but with the tie breaker for home ice advantage, Russia came out on top. This means 8 days on the road before game 4 and 5 (if necessary) in Hachinohe. I'm really happy for the FreeBlades. Last year the team just missed playoffs so it feels great to be part of a winning team again. I'm also proud of my husband for being named best defensemen in the league.

Clinched Playoffs!

2015-02-17T15:05:00.004+09:00

The FreeBlades hockey team has clinched playoffs for the 2014-2015 season! They have 3 games remaining in their regular season then Playoffs begin in March. Depending on whether they finish in 2nd or 3rd the FreeBlades will have home ice advantage. It's a 5 game series and the first three games are played at home so finishing in second is key.

Tonight (February 17th) they play the Russian team in Morioka. It's about an hour south of Hachinohe where we live. I won't be going so I'll watch and cheer from my couch at our apartment. You can watch the game on FreeBlades TV. Try these links.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/freeblades
http://twitcasting.tv/freeblades

In other news... we've had a few earthquakes today; big ones. We haven't had an earthquake for a few months so we knew one was bound to happen. The first one lasted a long time but wasn't too aggressive (6.9 at epicenter). The second large one was loud and strong (5.7 at epicenter). We even grabbed our coats in case we needed to escape outside. Things are fine though. No worries. To be safe though I have my cell phone charging!

Mama's Night Out

2015-02-04T20:36:00.002+09:00

I enjoy the occasional adult beverage but since becoming a mother I haven't had the opportunity to 'go out'. I've had a glass of wine at home or a beer at a restaurant but I missed going to the izakayas and karaoke bars with friends.

Two weeks ago over dinner I said to my husband I wish I was at the bar with our friends. He said well why don't you go; I'll drop you off. I quickly texted my American friends who were downtown getting beer and burgers to tell them I was on my way! I was so happy. I had a great time and didn't even realize how long I stayed out. When I got home I asked my husband how'd it go and what'd he do while I was out and he said, nothing, you were only gone an hour. haha

A few days later my husband suggested I plan another night out with the local girls. Most of them are mothers and don't have the opportunity to go to karaoke very often. So we picked a Saturday night that the husbands would be home and could watch the kids. Dads could go out on Friday night and moms on Saturday night. This was perfect because couples rarely drink together in Japan anyway.

The ladies were excited and before the night even happened they wanted to plan another 'night out' the following month. About half of our group was able to make it and we all had a fun time. We cheers-ed, we gossiped, we laughed, and we sang. Now we're in the final weeks of our hockey season so we'll have to see how the team finishes and then plan our next trip downtown.

Most Valuable Player

2015-01-27T16:18:00.001+09:00

My husband's birthday was last week and we planned to celebrate the following day. On the actual day was a hockey game so a steak dinner followed by birthday cake at 10pm didn't sound ideal. Birthdays and holidays are celebrated on different days for us, that's the norm. Scheduling and traveling seem to always get in the way. Back when he played in the USA his birthdays were usually spent in the airport, alone, either being sent to the AHL or flown back to an ECHL team. He'd eat dinner at the airport and order a sad dessert off the menu.

This year was different. He had a home game and he played amazing. So good that we was named the game MVP. He had a goal and three assists. I was so happy for him (and happy for the team, they now have a 4 game winning streak). After the game he led the team cheer and one of the goalies skated out to dump water on his head (a birthday tradition). Everyone clapped and cheered. In the after game interview they asked how this birthday was different from others during his hockey career and he said it's been a long time since I've had a good-hockey-birthday. Cheers to another year!

Currently the FreeBlades are in second place. They are one point behind Halla but have played one less game then them. In third, is Russia. They are six points behind the FreeBlades. The last 8 games will be exciting as we prepare for playoffs. The next home game is... Valentine's Day! Guess we'll be having our romantic dinner the day before haha

Japanese baby food

2015-01-15T18:00:00.000+09:00

In a perfect world I'd make all of my daughters baby food at home and it'd be all organic. Well it ain't a perfect world folks. I make some of her food and some of its locally grown but I have no clue if its organic. I live in Japan and don't know the kanji for organic yet.

Making baby food is relatively easy and very affordable. All that said it's very frustrating when you put the time in to prepare this meal and your baby HATES it. So to make me a happier momma I make some of my Daughters food and buy the rest.

While the flu wreaked havoc on our house I especially relied on store bought food. There's no time to boil and puree when you're baby and husband both have fevers. (this happened a mere two weeks after my baby and I had the throw up bug for three days)

Our daughter usually eats baby cereal mixed with breast milk, a banana, and some store bought food. We love the organic food pouches by pumpkin tree called Peter Rabbit Organics. I found it so helpful Starbucks sold them in the states too. Brooke has also enjoyed eating a Japanese brand called kewpie. They sell glass jars and foil pouches but the pouches don't have the handy spout yet.

The kewpie flavors are interesting.... They mix a lot of ingredients. In Canada and the USA mothers are taught to introduce one food at a time and to watch for allergies. That's not the case in Japan. Our daughter was eating rice snacks with peanut, eggs, diary, and shrimp in the ingredient list at 7 months! Thankfully no allergies thus far. (and by ingredient list I'm referring to the helpful picture chart on the packaging because my Japanese reading level is that of a 6 year old and I still rely heavily on pictures)

Our baby still doesn't like chicken (10 months old) but she'll eat smoked salmon and codfish with potatoes in a cream sauce. This girl likes her fish. She is a Pisces and named brooke, coincidence?

Osechi-Ryori

2015-01-08T10:57:00.000+09:00

Holidays can be a lonely time for expats. Family is far and traditions can be difficult to replicate (turkey dinners and fresh Christmas trees are hard to find in Japan!) So when we were invited to a friend's home for the holidays, we were excited. We shared the New Years day holiday with friends in Yamagata, Japan. It's in the middle of Japan's main island and located in the mountains. It's close to Mount Zao which is the most active volcano in the area.

The house we visited was very special because it is a traditional home with a thatched roof. Every year a small portion is replaced to keep it strong and sturdy. Very few people live in homes like this because of the expensive maintenance. In order to warm the rooms there was stoves built under the tatami mats as well as 'modern' kerosene heaters. Using kerosene heaters worries me as I didn't grow up using them but they are very popular in Japan.

New Years (shogatsu) is the most important holiday for Japanese families and is spent together at home eating special foods. These foods are referred to osechi-ryori and we were able to try the various dishes that make up this meal. Traditionally the small portions are packed in lacquer boxes or small pottery dishes. Here are some of the dishes I tried:

The colors represented in the meal are important. Yellow dishes symbolize prosperity and bean dishes represent good health. Pink/red and white foods represent celebration and shrimp is for longevity.

I tried two winter vegetable soups and one had a ball of mochi (gooey rice paste) in the bottom. Kurikinton, which was referred to as melon but I think there's some sweet potatoes in the mix. Kazunoko was tiny yellow fish eggs which was paired with Liam beans. There was also black sweet bean (Kuromame). Datemaki was an egg custard cake item and that was served with Kamaboko, a dense cake of fish paste colored pink and white. There were also various pickled vegetables, fish, and marbleized meat, tofu, udon, and onions served hot. The meat was locally sourced and almost all the vegetables were grown by the host and prepared by the host. It was delicious! I think we ate and drank for 4 hours!

We brought dessert. Cupcakes are gaining popularity in Japan so we thought we'd bring fancy cupcakes from Tokyo to Yamagata. The bakery we chose is actually a New York bakery (fitting because I'm from NY) and located in the Omotesando shopping area (under Chanel). I selected 4 different flavors, carrot, chocolate, snow cap (devil's), and strawberry. All desserts are made daily at Magnolia Bakery.

Spending this holiday with friends and their family was very special for us and we cannot thank them enough. We had a wonderful time! Thank you for sharing your holiday and traditions with us!

Otoshidama

2015-01-02T21:06:00.001+09:00

On New Years day in Japan there is a tradition of giving money. Otoshidama is the practice of giving money to children (under 20 years old) in beautiful envelopes. Parents, relatives and older siblings all give money on January 1st.

money envelopes

This year we had the pleasure of joining a friend's family on Shogatsu (New Years) and experienced otoshidama. Our daughter was given cute envelopes and also given the chance to grab money in a pottery bowl. It's a twist on the tradition. You must grab as much pocket change as your hand can hold but you must also be able to pull your fist out of the vase's small opening.

Our friends : )

Even though most of us were older than twenty, we were all were given a turn. The biggest winner pulled out over 9,000 yen!

After some reading online, I learned this practice is also done in China and Korea. I also read that toddlers to kindergarden age usually receive 1,000-2,000 yen, elementary school age receive 3,000-5,000, and older kids receive ~10,000 yen.

Otoshidama from Kathy F on Vimeo.

My KFC Christmas

2014-12-26T14:51:00.001+09:00

This was our daughters first Christmas so I was very excited to celebrate this year. Unfortunately my husband had to get on a bus at 6:45am with his teammates so we opted to make the 24th our special day.

We put the tree out (it was banished to our bedroom because our daughter eats Christmas ornaments) and Santa put out the gifts. I made sugar cookies for Santa and a roast chicken dinner for our family . It was wonderful. Brooke got a ton of cute clothes, a few toys, and a sled from Santa.

On the 25th all of the hockey wives were 'alone' so we planned a party. We had a baby shower for the coach's wife. The kids played while the moms ate cake and sipped tea. The party exhausted me (chasing brooke to ensure she didn't swallow a toy) so I didn't feel like cooking. I thought that since I live in Japan I might as well celebrate Christmas their way. So we got in the car and went to KFC. I bought myself a fried chicken meal and enjoyed the convenience.

In the 70s KFC made a campaign selling the idea that western countries celebrated Christmas with fried chicken and the custom stuck. Thousands eat KFC on Christmas in Japan. They even order their holiday meals in advance. Another difference is its treated as a date night versus a family night. Cheap date eh? My only question is how do the ladies eat their chicken daintily? I look like a cave man eating mine!

Never will I ever

2014-12-14T16:55:00.000+09:00

When there are other options, I will never choose to fly on United Airlines. My daughter and I had the WORST experience flying from Albany NY to Tokyo Japan via United. It all started on Sunday morning in Albany. I was ready for my 24 hour travel day with my 9 month old. We had just used the bathroom and changed her diaper in preparation to board our first of two flights. Boarding was to start in 10 minutes. Then the news came. On the loud speaker we were told that our aircraft needed maintenance and that we were delayed more than 2 hours. The time kept getting bumped up. With this type of delay I wouldn't make my connection in Washington DC to go to Japan so I got on the phone and changed my flight for the following day. The same flight was fully booked so I opted to go to Newark, NJ then onto Tokyo. I called my parents to come back and collect us, looks like we'll be spending another day with Grandma and Grandpa!

The following morning, I woke up early and got us ready for another 24 hour travel day. Snacks, diapers, toys, and extra clothes all were packed and ready. Just minutes before boarding was supposed to commence the airline attendant got on the loud speaker and announced that our aircraft was delayed due to maintenance. WHHAAATTT? A light bulb that illuminated an important part of the pilot dashboard needed to be fixed. Thirty minutes later and they still couldn't fix the light bulb so we were told they were putting us on another plane. They also told us all the United flights out of Albany are full and not to bother trying to change our flights until we made it to Newark, NJ. I was so angry I called my parents to tell them the ridiculous news. Two days in a row my United plane was broken. I said a prayer and boarded the delayed plane with the other disgruntled passengers. We were an hour delayed and I had an hour and a half before my international flight was scheduled to depart.

During the entire flight I was checking my watch while keeping my daughter entertained. The flight attendant was constantly apologizing to everyone that they'd most likely miss their connections and also that we were now circling the airport, one, two, three, we've lost count...why aren't we landing?! Ughhhh. I finally got off the plane at 10:15 with my daughter in our Ergo and pulling our roller bag and diaper bag. Our flight was to take off at 10:25. I RAN to the gate. I even tried to catch up to one of those golf carts so I could steal a ride but wasn't quick enough. I made it to the gate at 10:20 and the United employee was sitting down. I screamed I'm here! She said- sorry the door has been closed. NOOOOOO. I looked out the window and there was my plane, they had shut the door five minutes earlier. We missed it by 5 flippin' minutes! Why couldn't they have used a computer and seen that their connecting passengers had just landed?!

I was told to go to the customer service counter to re-book. I of course got the newbie who took THIRTY MINUTES to tell me the best she could do is fly me and my baby to San Francisco that afternoon, sleep in a hotel, and then fly to Japan the following morning. I said FINE- if that's the best you can do I guess I don't have another option. BOOK IT. I then called my parents, AGAIN, and told them what was happening. I then emailed my husband to tell him it looks like I'll not be arriving 2 days late but actually 3 days late. The United customer service counter gave me $21 in meal vouchers and a hotel voucher.
bored on the plane from Kathy F on Vimeo.
My daughter loves to fly. She doesn't care that our flights are messed-up; she's dancing on the plane.

I then had to waste 4 hours of my life at the airport. At 2:00 we flew to San Fran, thankfully we had an empty seat beside us to spread out. In all of our travel chaos this was the only good thing that happened to us. We arrived in San Fran 6pm local time so it was 9pm Eastern and we were tired. I spent the rest of our food vouchers on dinner and we headed to the hotel. The following morning we went back to the airport to hopefully finish our flying nightmare on United Airlines. Once in the gate we were called up to the counter. What now? Oh, the newbie at the customer service counter just reversed our passport information so it looked like a newborn baby was traveling alone. They fixed our birth dates and passport information and I confirmed that we had a bassinet seat. Yes, but it's a middle seat so the stranger beside us would be knocking knees with out baby bed. Sorry, but I'm not sorry stranger seated beside us. We've had a hell of a journey. Hopefully they can be re-seated so we have another empty seat beside us. Oh, wait that's impossible because our flight is fully booked. Every seat is full on our flight because the United flight to Haneda yesterday afternoon had to turn back to the airport after one hour into their journey. The captain announced that one of their engines was failing and they wouldn't be able to maintain altitude. Online it was labeled maintenance. An engine failing is considered maintenance?! United Airlines is unable to keep up with their aging planes and therefore tries to complete this 'maintenance' on the spot thus delaying flights and ruining your travel plans. The company's marketing focuses on their friendly staff and yes, they are wonderful and friendly, BUT their planes are outdated and under-serviced to the point of being dangerous. This is why I will never choose to fly with them again.

I finally made it to Tokyo three days late. My bags thankfully arrived and I was able to ship my large suitcase back to our apartment and then took the train back to our city and reconnected with my husband. We are thrilled to finally be home.

Travel Tale

2014-12-02T12:02:00.001+09:00

I've been enjoying my time in the US with family and haven't had much time to write. I have a little less than a week left to soak up the shopping chaos that ensues after Thanksgiving and the delicious treats that are featured at every supermarket.

Everyone I've seen asked me how the traveling went so I thought I'd share... Narita airport was a little chaotic due to a large tourist group having errors with their bookings but we checked in right before them and avoided a headache. While walking away from the check in counter I saw a familiar face walking towards us. She was a fellow blogger. She doesn't know me but I recognized her immediately and stopped her briefly to tell her I love her blog. She was also traveling alone with her children so we wished each other well and carried on. Her blog is called Tokyo Urban Baby and she recently created a video blog about Narita Airport. Here it is:

I was worried about traveling with my daughter for so long on the plane (who wouldn't be?!) but was pleasantly surprised when she was cool and calm. On the 12 hour flight she cried only 5 minutes. She slept the majority of the flight because it was 'bed time'. She goes to sleep every night at 7:30 so two hours after take off it was that magical time and she went to sleep. THANK YOU sleep routine!

Washington Dulles airport was full of friendly people and I'm not being sarcastic. It was bizarre for me to experience. People were so nice I thought I was being tricked and robbed. In Japan strangers always swoon over Brooke but in the USA they apparently run to help mothers traveling alone- thank you friendly strangers!

I expected customs to ask questions but wasn't prepared for what happened. Since I was traveling alone with my daughter, I brought a letter of consent from my husband acknowledging that it was okay for me to be traveling out of the country alone with her. I didn't get it notarized but we had all of his contact information on it. We were sent to the 'back room' for further interrogation and I thought they'd be asking for this letter; I was wrong. I got a lesson in citizenship to the point of be scolded and that my daughter wasn't Canadian, she was American by blood and needs a American passport. She has already visited the USA once before and we didn't have this 'talk' so I was caught off guard. Immigration said we need to get her US passport ASAP and when we go to the US we show the US passport so she gets all the benefits of being American in America and when we enter Canada we show her Canadian passport so she gets all the benefits of being Canadian in Canada. Looks like I've got a big 'to-do' added to my list. Maybe this task can be my new years resolution.

Uncle and niece enjoying the snow storm in NY

My bags are packed

2014-11-20T14:42:00.001+09:00

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go! In fact, my bag has already begun it's trip.

My husband's hockey team has a long road-trip (10 days, home for 3, then gone 4 more days) so I decided to travel with my daughter to see my family in the states. Wonderful? Well, I hope so... our baby is 8 months old and we'll be traveling for 24 hours! We take 2 trains and 2 planes, fingers-crossed she sleeps the majority of the 12 hour trip from Tokyo to Dulles.

One thing I did to make our train travel more relaxed is to ship our suitcase to the airport. Japan has a great shipping service that includes shipping luggage. Many expats refer to the company as black cat but it's real name is Yamato transport. I used their website to find one of my city's office locations and brought my bag to the front desk. I also brought my airport itinerary. After a few uncomfortable laughs and attempts to translate via phone apps the woman at the counter took over and filled out the majority of my shipping form. Arigatou! (thank you!)

http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/en/

The top left is the "To" section and the bottom left is the "from" section. They are blurred out on these copies

I was charged 3,800 yen ($33) for a round trip. I paid the kind lady, put my receipt and claim ticket in the wallet and drove home. All done. Now when I go to the airport tomorrow I just have to go to the check in area and walk over to the shipping company counters. They are all along the far wall. I'll hand the worker at Black Cat my ticket and he'll roll over my suitcase. Easy! Then when I return in two weeks I'll exit the customs area and roll over to the shipping company counters located on that same level. I'll provide my receipt and say bye to my bag again. Then it'll arrive the following day at my apartment.

Without my large suitcase I still have a bunch of stuff but I think I'll be okay. I'll wear my baby in my Ergo, wheel my small carry-on, and over the handle Ill place my diaper bag and car seat. Surprisingly the car seat fits nicely over my carry-on.

Shichirin Village

2014-11-12T19:08:00.001+09:00

When our friends visit Hachinohe we always take them to the indoor fish market (Hasshoku Center). It's open every day, except Wednesdays. For this visit we decided to go at lunch time, that way we could purchase fresh fish and then grill it there. I had never done this before so I was excited to experience it with our visitors.

The grilling restaurant (Shichirin Village) is open from 10:00-17:00. You pay a small fee per person to use the cooking facility for 2 hours. If you want to stay longer you can pay extra. Adults are 300 yen, kids 100 yen, and infants are free.

We purchased shrimp, squid, and scallops. My husband said "shichirin" to the vendors and they understood that we'd like them to clean and cut the fish for us. This made things really easy! We also purchased rice and drinks from the bar inside Shichirin Village. In total we spent $45 for 4 adults to eat a FRESH seafood lunch. It was delicious.

For more information : http://www.849net.com/map/shichirin.html

Visitors!

2014-11-08T20:16:00.000+09:00

My husband and I love when people come to visit us during the hockey season. Every year (with the exception of last season) a couple have come to sight see and visit us. This month my mother-in-law and her sister came for 2 weeks. It was different than other times because this year we had a baby with us. Days in Tokyo would have to be less jam packed and dinner times would have to be moved up. Even with the adjustments I think we saw and did a lot, and our visitors definitely had fun.

We went down to Tokyo Friday afternoon so that we could meet them on Saturday when their flight arrived. With our 'open' evening we met up with friends and had a double date at a yakiniku restaurant. I'm always up for trying new things so when my husband suggested trying horse sashimi I was all in. The raw horse was served with onions and raw egg yolk. We all had one or two bites and enjoyed it. If given the chance to eat it again, I will enjoy some, just a small portion though.

Saturday morning we met up with another group of friends for brunch. It was wonderful catching up with everyone and enjoying a large meal together. Afterward we finished we walked around a neighborhood organic market before parting ways. We needed to head to Tokyo station to collect our family!

Sandy and Linda were exhausted after traveling for 12+ hours so we had dinner close to the hotel and went to bed early. Sunday morning we set out early to watch a sumo practice but unfortunately they weren't practicing so we jumped in a taxi and went to the Tsukiji fish market. There we were lucky and got to see a large tuna purchased earlier that morning. The restaurant workers loved Brooke and even held her for a few pictures.

After the fish market we met up with extended family (husband's second cousin, wife, and kids) in Shibuya for a yakiniku lunch. We also walked around a market, watched weddings at Meiji Shrine, and ate a crepe in Harajuku.

Our time in Tokyo was short but filled with food, friends, and family. It was a great time. We also really liked our hotel due to it's amazing location. We needed a hotel that provided a baby cot or had enough room for a pack-n-play. We discovered that Booking.com was the best at finding baby friendly hotels. If you're traveling to Tokyo with a baby I recommend staying at the New Otani Inn. It's just outside of the North East exit of Osaki Station (JR Yamanote Line) and over a pedestrian bridge. It's convenient and budget-friendly.

Baby Benefits

2014-10-30T20:49:00.000+09:00

In Japan you can receive a monthly check from the government to off-set the costs of raising a baby. It's called kodomo teate. The payments are between 10,000 and 15,000 depending on the age of the child and how many children are in the family. Checks are paid each month until the child is 15! All said and done, that's 2 million yen or approximately $21,000 CAD.

In Canada, families receive $100 CAD/month per child until the child is 6 years old. It's called the Universal Child Care Benefit. So over the course of 6 years the primary caregiver receives $7,200 CAD. People use the money to purchase diapers, baby food, children's clothes, or they invest it for the child's college tuition. We're putting our benefit money in a savings plan for college.

In Japan some cities also offer coupons or vouchers for diapers and wipes. Our city doesn't have this program but Nikko and others do. Families receive 20 vouchers in the mail for 2,500 yen each that may be used toward the purchase of diaper and/or wipes.

I really like Japanese diapers. I've been purchasing Japanese pampers and love them. In Canada the larger sizes lose the wetness indicator stripe, but all the Japanese sizes have the yellow to blue changing line. I love it! Something else that's different is mothers love pull-ups here. I even accidentally bought pull-ups for Brooke. She's just 19 pounds but they make pull-ups in her size and even smaller sizes too. They easily tear at the sides when you need to change the baby and they also have a handy piece of tape on the back so you can roll up the soiled diaper and neatly throw everything away.

Japanese baby wipes on the other hand, I don't like. They are very thin. I try to only use them to wipe Brooke's hands and face after eating versus her bottom after going to the bathroom. I'd need 3 Japanese wipes to be as sturdy as a Canadian or American wipe which is why I'm still using Huggies wipes from home.

For more information on Kodomo Teate:
http://www.tokyoweekender.com/2012/01/child-support-in-japan-your-questions-answered/

DIY Baby Halloween Costume

2014-10-23T14:24:00.000+09:00

I've gone back and forth a few times on what my daughter's first halloween costume will be and I've decided on an octopus. I also liked the idea of us both being kangaroos and wearing her in the ergo or both being Minnie Mouses. I even bought her a minnie mouse skirt so I guess she'll get to be Minnie on another day. : )

Materials Needed

4 pairs of poka dot womens socks (or 4 pairs of matching baby tights)
batting to stuff 6 'legs'
1 pair of baby bloomers
shirt that coordinates with socks (cannot be a onesie)
hat
white and black self adhesive felt
needle and thread
Two hours of your precious time

I picked up 4 pairs of socks, batting, and felt at our local dollar store (100 yen Daiso shop). I already had a pair of white bloomers she won't be wearing again because it's too cold. I had to purchase a blue shirt and hat from the nearby kids store. In total I spent $20.

Our daughter will be almost 8 months on Halloween so she is a strong sitter and has started crawling. I think this costume works great for boys and girls aged 6-10 months. If your child is walking the octopus legs may trip them and cause them to fall so this costume isn't safe for them.

How to make octopus costume

try on shirt, socks, bloomers, and hat to ensure they fit your baby
start stuffing your 6 'legs' with batting
once finished making your legs sew the top shut and then onto the bloomers. I placed one leg in-between the bloomer's leg holes and 5 legs in the back.
Cut two white circles for eyes and two black diamonds for pupils.
Stick the 'eyes' onto the top of the hat
Now dress your baby and take a cute photo!

The Big Apple

2014-10-17T14:52:00.002+09:00

The Aomori area is famous for it's apples. Maybe they should nickname the area the Big Apple; I guess that name is already taken... The area is also home to Japan's largest statue of liberty. Strange. Why did they build it? I don't know but I do know that it's perfectly proportioned to New York's Lady of Liberty from the torch all the way down to the base. It's located between Hachinohe and Misawa in a town called Shimoda. It's a beautiful park with walking paths, water features, playgrounds, picnic space, and tennis courts. Brooke and I spent an morning there and enjoyed a walk around the park.

I recently also got a local taste of NY. Have you ever tried the cronut? It's the croissant donut and now sold by Mr Donut in Japan. I love doughnuts so when I heard about these I had to go get one, okay two, FINE three, but I walked to the store so it cancels out the calories. haha

This one is hazelnut flavor also known as marroon. They also have apple, chocolate, cherry, and a few more. They are DELICIOUS. If you're in Japan and you haven't tried one yet- do it! You'll love them.

Mommy Aerobics

2014-10-09T17:13:00.000+09:00

Last year I went to maternity aerobics twice a week. My doctor insisted (because he thought I was gaining too much weight) but I had a lot of fun and made friends. I still keep in touch with these women and get to see them at a new class. This year I'm attending mommy aerobics!

Once, every two weeks mothers and their babies are invited to exercise at the Tomabechi Ladies Clinic. The class isn't very strenuous until you try to do it while holding your fussy baby. I've gone twice now and the first time Brooke played nicely with the other babies while the second time I had to continually pick her up and put her down. I was winded and tired by the end of the class.

The clinic makes these classes available at no cost to the mothers. It's wonderful. In Canada I was able to go to a informational mommy-baby class once a week and it was paid for by the government. I'm thrilled I've found something similar in Japan. The clinic offers mommy-baby aerobics, baby massage classes, and baby food tasting.

As a mother, getting out of the house is great and surrounding yourself with other mothers is even better. I breastfeed my daughter and have felt nervous to do so outside of our apartment. Breastfeeding is very popular here but I've still felt awkward. Surrounding myself with other nursing mothers has made me feel more comfortable. During the classes women nurse without using a cover because it's a safe and friendly environment. When babies are hungry they want milk immediately! This momma doesn't mind breastfeeding in public. :)

Japanese Monkeys at Hachinohe Gardens and Playland

Nikko's Famous Cakes

2014-10-04T20:25:00.000+09:00

While the men are away, the women will play... well we didn't really play but the kids did at the playground. This afternoon, although very windy, we had a picnic outside the hockey rink beside the playground. We indulged in cheese cake; make that 2 cheesecakes!

Our husbands just returned from a road trip in Nikko, Japan and that area is famous for their cheesecakes. Each area in Japan is famous for some food item and I wasn't aware cheesecake and Nikko went together. If I had, I would've made my husband bring me home a cake! I thought I ate a lot while pregnant but that's nothing compared to how much I eat while nursing. I sometimes eat more than my husband (100 pounds heavier) and that includes desserts. Yummy!

The girls brought homemade buns, a regular cheesecake, and a chocolate cheesecake which had a layer of chocolate on the inside. All were delicious.

Our husbands were home for 3 days and now gone again. This time they are in Russia- yes- Russia! This hockey season the Asia League has welcomed a new team from Sakhalin. That's 9 teams: 4 in Japan, 3 in South Korea, 1 in China, and 1 in Russia. A little bit about Sakhalin: It is Russia's largest island and one fifth the size of Japan but home to only 580,000 people.

The FreeBlades play three games while in Russia, on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. It will be an exhausting three days so I hope they get lots of rest so that they can win. The FreeBlades have been playing very well this season and have landed themselves in the top spot. Keep it up guys! Go FreeBlades!

Salmon Fishing

2014-10-03T10:53:00.002+09:00

My husband loves fishing, especially salmon fishing so when he saw that the local museum had a special exhibit featuring fishing we knew we had to go. Thankfully we went when we did because we caught the exhibit on the last day.

Hachinohe's Korekawa Archaeological Institution's permanent exhibit shows artifacts from the Jomon period. I've blogged about our first visit here: http://usaandcaninjapan.blogspot.jp/2012/11/korekawa-archaeological-institution.html

The star piece in their temporary Fishing exhibit was the totem pole. We also liked a 'Loon' bowl and mask. It was ironic to see pieces from British Columbia (where we live in the summer) displayed in Hachinohe (where we live in the winter).

Doctor Visits

2014-09-26T10:57:00.000+09:00

My daughter was born in Canada and we lived there the first 5 months of her life. Our birth and delivery were all paid for by the Canadian government. I may be American, but I'm a permanent resident of Canada, thus have Canadian health coverage. Horray for great government services!

Once our daughter was two months old we followed BC Canada's immunization schedule. Babies receive shots to the thigh and one 'drink' to prevent: DPT & Hib & Hepatitis B, Pneumococcal Conjugate, Meningococcal C Conjugate, and Rotavirus. We returned to the clinic to see the public health nurse at 4 months to get our second round of shots to prevent: DPT & Hib & Hepatitis B, Pneumococcal Conjugate, and Rotavirus. All of these were paid for by the government health insurance.

The third set of shots was due for Brooke on August 27th (approximately 6 months) but we were in Japan so before we left the public health nurse gave me a sheet with the details of what we would've received in Canada to bring with us. Our daughter only needed DPT & Hib & Hepatitis B. In Canada this is given in one needle made by Glaxo Smith Klein. Unfortunately in Japan 3 separate needles were necessary.

Shots are done in the arm instead of the thigh

With the help of the team director's wife (thanks Miki!) we found a great doctor that could speak some English. He was able to administer all three shots. DPT and Hib are free with government insurance. Your local government office mails you a coupon to bring to the doctors office. Hepatitis B is voluntary therefore it costs money, about $60.

Our brave baby

I'm so happy we were able to take care of our daughters health easily and affordably. It would've been nice if all the vaccines were covered by the government but Japan does vaccinations differently than Canada and the US, and I'm not just referring to the scheduling or timeline. Some vaccines are voluntary and others are part of vaccination law. And by law, they mean you must get these. At that time of writing this blog entry (September 2014) Japan insists all persons must get:

DPT
Pneumococcal Conjugate
BCG
Measles Rubella
Japanese Encephalitis
Hib
HPV

Voluntary vaccinations include:

Seasonal influenza
Chickenpox
Mumps
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Rotavirus

When I explained to my Japanese girl friends that some American and Canadian mothers choose not to give their babies vaccinations they were bewildered. They don't understand why the babies aren't immunized because it's always done here.

Autumn Festivals

2014-09-17T08:53:00.001+09:00

We recently went to an Autumn Festival and parade in the neighboring town, Nanbu. It was about a 30 minute drive and close to Bade Park (a water park we occasionally visit). We went with another hockey player as well as the team trainer. The trainer is Japanese so he was able to translate what some of the other parade go-ers were saying.

You see, Nanbu is a small town so seeing a North American baby is rare, thus all the grandparents were staring and playing with her. One group of women couldn't get enough and were bouncing her feet up and down. They gave us the advice that the tiger in the parade should 'eat' our baby for good luck. We obviously listened. :)

We saw musicians, dancers, drummers, and parade floats. In North American parades there is often candy thrown to the crowd but that wasn't the case here. One parade truck with young men ran around handing out produce! Yes- vegetables! This is probably boring for kids but the adults (including me) loved it. Check out my stash! The women obsessed with Brooke even gave us some of their goodies. The strange looking white veggie is called a Goya and is described as a bitter melon. We tried a stir fry recipe with it and unfortunately it wasn't very good. The goya was too bitter for our liking.

Speaking of produce and melons... this is the earliest in the Fall that I've been to Japan (I usually arrive mid-September) and I've noticed the produce costing less in the grocery stores. This is especially the case with seasonal fruit. I've bought watermelons for $3-$4 (usually cost $6-10), honey dew melons for $4 (usually cost $10-15), a large pineapple for $1 (usually cost $4), and corn on the cob for less than a dollar each. Okay, so corn isn't a fruit but it was the first time we've tried Japanese corn on the cob and it was very good.

After the parade and sampling some of the festival food we piled back into the car to head home. On the way I had us stop just beside Bade Park. I saw online that there was a small rice paddy art on display for viewing. It was on the road leading up to the water park. You just parked your car on the road, turned on your hazards and went up the scaffolding for viewing. It's free and easy to get to from Hachinohe. Here is our a best picture. It is a cartoon catfish and garlic character with the outline of the region in the background.

Rice Art (tanbo ato)

2014-09-13T21:03:00.001+09:00

The phrase 'rice art', does that make you think of a kid's art project? For many people rice art would be a piece of paper with some thoughtfully glued rice on it, but not in Japan. A small village (population 8,000) in Aomori wanted to create something wonderful that would boost their economy and tourism. The village called Inakadate is located in the Northern part of Japan's main island and the closest large cities include Hirosaki (known for their castle) and Aomori (capital of Tohoku). Inakadate invented what is known as rice art.

On land known to have grown rice 2000 years ago the community planted various species of rice to create a picture. This new tradition started in 1993 and has grown in popularity. Over 200,000 people visit each season! Harvesting is scheduled for October 1st so we drove the 2.5 hours from Hachinohe to Inakadate to see the rice fields.

There are three pictures at two separate locations. One location is at the town hall and the second is off the main road. The second location also has a ton of family activities including a petting zoo, bikes, mini golf, playground, and restaurant.

The work put into this art form is impressive. Hundreds of people plant the rice while following a computer sketch of which seedlings need to be planted within the grid. To get a good picture visitors need to take an elevator and stairs to the viewing point. Access to these towers is 200 yen (~$2) for an adult and worth every penny... I mean yen. haha