Friday, January 10, 2014

Ishi & The Fuji Grand Playtime


So, let's get back to Japan... I'm going to go ahead and apologize, now that we're back in Holland I keep switching from present to past tense. It's all a jumbolaya in my head so hope it makes sense.

Fuji Grand in Ishi, about 30 mins drive away, was our go-to place to get groceries and sometimes to play. It's the closest shopping mall without having to go into Tokushima, and like most other shopping centers in this part of Japan, it has a grocery store, a department store and a bunch of other shops, all indoors, like an American mall. Which of course made me feel right at home. I really got my mall fix during our 3 months.

Usually those days fell on rainy let's-get-out-of-the-house days or after playgroup which is about half way there. They have a kick-ass kid play area next to the arcade which on weekends is a cacophony of parental weariness and kid-gasms. I would always try to fit it in between naps so he wouldn't have to sleep in the car, but if he did, I would stop at the farmers' market on the way back into town and enjoy a quiet vending machine coffee blank-staring at the mountains and see what local produce was on offer.

The amazing thing for parents is that these places are kept spotlessly clean since no shoes or food are allowed in the areas. We would mostly be there in the middle of the day so there were nary another person to contend with and have to share. Which, for Hopper, means that he will play without fear of being knocked or poked. A real plus.

Plus, he always loved these days as it usually meant he would get a 'present' and an ice cream, his favorite here at Fuji G being green tea. (And here's a little TMI, it would turn his poopoos electric green! A little disconcerting the first time.)

Herewith a little eye candy...

this enclosure had fans at each corner which would make the balloons dance around

different sized balloons made it fun to catch the big ones


this whole thing slowly spun around to music and you could knock the bags around


dancin to the groovy tunes





clear bouncy castle, little disorienting



Hopper & Chinami



When the theater group came through town, a dinner party was organized at Happy Restaurant. It's actually the chef's house with a massive long table in his front room, where everyone sits on a tatami mat floor and eats family-style from the myriad delicious dishes, beer and sake flowing at alarming rates. This wasn't the first time we were invited there, but it was the first time Hopper met Chinami.

She moved to Kamiyama from Tokyo over a year ago with her mom who works for one of the satellite offices that have opened here. We had been eating and chatting when she came over to say hello and it was as though lightening struck. She grabbed a car and joined Hopper and he didn't look away from her for about 2 1/2 hours. Love at first sight.

It was a shame we didn't meet her sooner, it was about 3 weeks before we left, because she would've been the perfect babysitter. (She's 24) There were so many things going on with events and Nik's work completion that we just didn't get a chance to take her up on her offer to "babysit, anytime". 

She's so sweet and adorable it's no wonder he became smitten and it was obvious she also thought he was lovely. Every time we saw her, it was as if no one else existed. He would give her hugs (which is so way out of his character for a 'stranger') and speak to her with Japanese words she would teach him. He would chase her and grab her and laugh with such glee that everyone could see just how special their connection was.

Still now, a couple months later, whenever Hopper sees a picture of her he smiles, cocks his head to the side, and says "Chinami" all breathy and sweet. And just yesterday, during a diaper change, he was talking about things he loves and out of the blue he said, "I love Chinami!" Nik said "Should we go see Chinami?" and he said "Yeah!". Here's to hoping we make it back to Kamiyama soon so they can hang out again.

Here are some of their highlights.


 1/2 of Happy table














Yori-Za & The Players



A theater group came through town and performed in the big parking lot next to the Yuri-Za theater (where Nik did his exhibition). It was a scorcher of a day so they thoughtfully put up a canopy for the audience; but man did they sweat in their costumes and makeup.

It was extremely theatrical, with lots of yelling and emotional outbursts. It was of course entirely in Japanese but translation wasn't necessary as characters were so absurdly funny that you didn't really need to know what was going on. I'm still not entirely sure what the exact story was (something about a teacher and his pupils) but it just didn't matter, it was dynamic and totally entertaining.

Hopper was not into it on any level and sat facing my chest. But even though he was too scared to face it, he still peeked out from the side, because it was, afterall, a bit too interesting not to watch. 

A dinner was organized to welcome the players to Kamiyama as well as celebrate the arrival of Susken's husband Benoit. The whole day was yet another special occasion to see friends and eat delicious food.

(Incidentally, I had seen a couple of the players at the onsen the night before. Nothing like being naked with someone before being introduced at dinner.)



Maki tending to the lead's daughter during the show

the MC

players came out from different hiding places


i just love that the community comes out to enjoy the different cultural events


this guy was hilarious with his bendable face









... and they all end up in jail! tadaaaaaa!

Thursday, January 9, 2014

The Howl, Lately



Hopper has made some serious strides in the last few weeks. He's talking non-stop in full sentences and started using past tense. He likes to crack little jokes and of course has finally figured out that when you say please really sweetly he will most likely get what he wants. He's even been more assertive at the creche and has impressed the carers with his new found "almost naughty" behavior. They said it's been great to see him come out of his shy shell. 

He's also started showing insights, like the other day we went to the library by tram. There was a man, probably in his 20's, sitting in a seat with headphones. Hopper looked at him and said to me, "Mama, that's a man." He paused, inspected him a bit further, and said, "He's a big boy man." He could see he was a grown up but still youthful in his hip way, and in his mind a young man is a big boy man. God these little things make me smooch him all day.

It's also been a lesson for us to realize that setting hard limits, on things like sitting at the table for dinner, really does work. He's such a resilient little dude, often accepting unwanted things without too much drama. But we're starting to see how the whole terrible-2 thing plays out so I find myself explaining things to him and trying not to feel sorry for him and his obvious disappointments. It's tough to find the line between doing what's right and giving in a little. They need to win some battles... don't they?

These days he loves playing restaurant, trains and reading books, and his new found passion finger painting. He's still into his cars, but the train takes first place. And if you ask him where it's going, he always says Japan! 

Here's a series of portraits I took between Christmas and New Years.