It’s been a while since the last posting. The early life of a parent revolves around sleep, and when that isn’t working, the whole center of gravity goes off balance. Kai has been having a bout of dry skin, which leads to scratching at night, which means either he is waking up or waking us up. So less time for posting. In any case, Kai doesn’t seem too much worse for the wear — his good humor continues. As for the parents, it’s a good thing there is lots of love, patience, and every now and then a joke that keeps us going.
So rollover wasn’t and still isn’t Kai’s favorite. But first he loved to stand. Then he started walking with his left foot. And then one day (after multiple practices on top of our feet) he finally ventured into lifting his right foot too. It was amazing to watch how excited he got when he did it the first time, and then kept going. Now he is a real pro, and someday when he is stable enough he’ll be too fast for mommy and daddy to keep up. For now, we will enjoy being the only mobile bodies in the house.
It was our first weekend after Japan — a long week of work and jetlag. But now we were back into our routine cruising Berlin on a Saturday afternoon. We had decided on following up on a lead for a good burger, which believe it or not was built in a converted public toilet under the U-Bahn in Kreuzberg. Usually packed with people, this cool afternoon was fairly empty. The experience was good overall, tasty well proportioned BBQ burgers and cheese fries. That was until about 20 minutes later on the metro when my stomach started roiling and continued for the next 24 hours… I survived (barely) thanks to my patient and loving wife Chika. Arigato baby!
It’s amazing how the perception of travel has changed. Previously, a trip traveling back from Japan was something to look forward to. Duty free shopping. Snacks and drinks in the lounge. Watching new releases and old favorite movies. Reading magazines and books. Having a beer or cocktail in the middle of the day just because you didn’t have any responsibilities.
No responsibilities… How that has changed. We were worried about our experience on the flight over to Tokyo. The screwed up seat assignment. The breakdown halfway through the long flight… But fate shone upon us. First, we got upgraded to business class seats (although not the food — somehow Finnair still likes to separate the cattle from the front of the plane). This even included the bassinet — so Kai could have napped. That is if he hadn’t fallen asleep at take-off, and then slept for 4+ hours. A good thing yes, but Chika’s left arm was unfortunately trapped under Kai. But we made it through the long 10 hour flight + 1 hour delay relatively unscathed.
The second shorter flight was a bit harder. It basically took off at midnight Tokyo time, meaning we were all quite tired. Kai started getting fussier as well. But at last we made it, and how good it felt to be back in our own place. It wasn’t long before the 3 of us were happily asleep in bed.
I love getting together with long-time friends in Japan. And there is no one more long time than my friends Anri and Yass. I think I met Anri around 1994 or so on a plane ride returning from Tokyo (basically I passed out for the first 12 hours, and then we chatted for the last 2 hours before landing). Every since then its been good times both state side and in Tokyo. Last night was no exception. Yass picked a fantastic fugu (a.k.a poisonous blowfish) restaurant in Ueno park — Innsyoutei. Everything was excellent — the ambience, service, and the food (from first course to dessert). Highly recommend it.
Izakayas are local establishments where you go to unwind with a few beers and some light snacks or small meal. Beer is cold and fresh, food is hot and tasty, and the service is efficient and friendly.
We spent a fantastic two-day stay at the Kagaya onsen in Wakura (on the west coast of Japan). There are two primary activities — relaxing in the thermal baths and eating. Probably more the second than the first. The Wakura area is famous for its fresh seafood and the elaborate meals bring almost every conceivable variety and preparation one could imagine. Some highlights below (but there was much more in only our 2 days).
While Kai intently watches us eating, he is still not ready for cheesesteaks or the like. But in Japan, there is a traditional eating ceremony or okuizome which symbolizes the hopes that Kai would never worry about food in future.
The contrast between the start of 2010 and 2011 is representative of our own transformations. NYE 2010 was spent skiing in France with 20+ friends in a rented chalet, with huge dinner, drinking, dancing, etc. 2011 was spent off in another continent in a sea town on the West coast of Japan. A small cozy dinner at Chika’s aunt and uncle’s house and later a trip to the temple.
The temple ritual focuses on ringing the ceremonial bell around midnight, and its meaning is about letting go of our wants and desires, 108 to be exact. Kai had finally gone to sleep around 11pm, so Chika decided to stay home with him while I went with Yukie, Megumi, and the uncle’s family to the temple.
After queuing and ringing the bell, we went into the temple for a quick trip into the sanctuary, followed by a traditional bowl of noodle soup. We sat in the communal area around the fire, enjoying hot soup, some sake, and interesting company. The monk of the temple came over for a nice chat. As he seemed quite young, I am sure we will meet again for many more New Years in the future.
In reflection, it is has been a great year for us to grow as a family, in many ways. Both Chika and I have had fantastic adventures travelling and enjoying many things around the world. But now the center of our universe is changed with Kai. We will not completely stop travelling or exploring, but will do it as part of Kai’s growing experiences as well. He is fortunate to have loving families and rich traditions from both East and West to start experiencing early on in his life. And Chika and I will now focus on enjoying the ride alongside him. So begins 2011.
Although a bit dark, you can at least hear the bell ringing here.
