The first night in Tokyo we were treated to a cozy Christmas Eve dinner, with champagne and homemade strawberry shortcake (courtesy of Megumi). A perfect end to the journey.
As an surprise bonus, I also got to play Santa in the morning to present Kai with a new set of books. Amazingly, he seems to love to be read to.
Our paradise lay ahead of us — over 2 weeks in Japan away from work just to enjoy with Kai and family. There was just one obstacle — getting Kai through the 19 hour journey from door to door (including connection via Helsinki airport) at the tender age of two months.
1st leg went more smoothly than expected. Got all the 4 suitcases down and into the cab. Checked in smoothly. Even completed the duty-free-refund without a hitch. A few hours in the British Airways Lounge with a few snacks, and even a bloody mary to start the trip with a relaxed state of mind.
On the plane, the nice Finnair attendants helped to switch the person in our row so we could put the car seat in, and from then on Kai cruised right through to Helsinki even fitting in a small nap.
In Helsinki, we enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the airport. Some duty free browsing, a few more snacks and drinks at the lounge, and then off to board the plane. As we were checking in at the gate, there seemed to be an issue with our seats. “We changed it so that you are sitting together.” was what the attendant said. An omen that almost completely derailed the second flight.
While we had confirmed our bulkhead/bassinet reservation over a month ago, we all of the sudden found ourselves in the second row in two middle seats. Multiple words with the cabin attendants led to a flurry of conversations in Japanese with the couples in the bulkhead seats. Chika translation — they were really pissed they were being asked to move, because they already had their seats messed up on the way out. In the end, we were able to get the seats, but all the tranquillity built up over the first 5 hours of the journey had disapated.
The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful, except for one point while Chika was sleeping and I tried to give Kai a bottle that he complete lost it. Just too many new things and stimulations for a two month old that hadn’t travelled more that 10km in his life.
At the end, we made it safely to Japan and now really ready for some R&R.
A friend suggested that I capture Kai’s early days in video — these times will go so fast, they will pass before you know it. So this is the first in a series of little snippets of life with Kai.
After all the college parties, New Year’s parties, and margarita parties, you would think that we should have things down pat by now. But yesterday’s event was the most complex yet, and Chika had even dealt with most of the details and hired a helper too.
What we didn’t realize was that all the planning activities which used to fit into small breaks in the days had become overtaken by Kai. There are just no such things at free moments in the way that they used to be.
It was still a great time, with lots of tasty food and great friends from near and far. And yes we had a few drinks too, just no afternoon brunch high-dose margaritas.
Thanks Chika for a great birthday celebration. XOXO
The ancient legend says that a man’s power is linked to his mane. But in reality, I think the real power comes through a different channel, i.e. the woman’s new haircut. Somehow a fresh new look sparks the soul within. Chika and I joked that the “self” had gotten trapped a bit with motherhood taking over. But with a fresh new cut, my lady is back. And already using her new found self power to send me a few action points. I had gotten a haircut too but it had little impact — as Samson realized, less hair means less power.
On a side note, if you are looking to get clipped in Berlin, I would recommend Link Hair Design on Prenzlauer Allee. The Japanese know what they are doing in this art. Plus they are very baby friendly — kids 10 and under are free with their parent. Kai isn’t quite ready to be cut (still is growing in), but he was resting quite well during the whole event.
Yes it’s one of those global chains that seems to creep up everywhere and destroy classic local establisments, like Barnes & Nobles with books (funny how these 2 companies seemed to even team up like in wrestling). But I just have to make a few contrarian opinions.
1. If you’ve never been to places like Houston, then you don’t understand that a good coffee experience is highly subjective. Back in my consulting days, in some cities you’d be lucky to get a cup of brown water with ground up chalk from a gas station driving on the way to work. Starbucks was an oasis of civilization often in those territories.
2. It is consistent and it works (most of the time anyway). Anywhere around the globe — grande soy caramel machiatto. London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Berlin, etc. etc. Even with crazy lines, things get done, and you get what you ordered.
3. It’s tasty. What can I say, I’ve been brainwashed/addicted to a hot package full of caffeine and sugar.
I see Starbucks like a treat or a reward. It’s not for regular usage. And it’s not where I particularly like to hang out if I’m in a cool town — I’d prefer being at Godshot which has the best flat whites in town and is a block from my house and let’s me bring the stroller in (Starbucks did too, but then again I was stuck in a mall). So I prefer to have my cake, and eat it too. And thus I support my local barristas, and every once in a while add a few more pence to the global Starbucks machinery so hopefully there will be some lost soul somewhere clamoring for a real cup of coffee who may get their own little oasis (BTW, Helsinki should be priority on that list… Sorry friends.)
Sundays without brunch is like baseball (or cricket) without beer — they aren’t that exciting to begin with, so a little extra is needed to make it worthwhile. And there is no place like New York — the Mecca of brunch which comes in so many forms and varieties that it is almost cruel to try to squeeze it in only on weekends. So transplanting to from New York to Berlin was going to take some adjustment. The good news is that compared to other cities (e.g. Helsinki) there is a thriving brunch scene which is all over Berlin. No one will ever go hungry on a Sunday. There is however a general pattern that brunch means buffet. While a bit of a change from the egg-benedict style plates we were used to, it’s allowed us to explore another avenue of the brunch family.
Today we went to Cafe Butter — a local Prenzlauerberg spot with a pleasant decor (high ceilings and classic fixtures) and good service. Unlike some of the other places which had ethnic themes (Russian, Spanish), this was a straightforward eating experience. Some eggs, some yogurts, some waffles, assorted meats and cheeses, plus an extra assortment of warm foods (chicken wings, meatballs, hearty meat & vegetable soup) and savory salads. All for 7.95 euro. Not bad and even could give New York a run for the money on the value front. But still the best quality remains back over the ocean. Hope to visit it soon.
With so many places its hard to keep track of it all. So just in case, I try to keep most of my favorite dining places on this shared Google map:
View Places to Eat and Drink NYC & Beyond in a larger map
Since the very first day, Kai has been a welcome guest in Chika’s and my bed, although sometime he treats the invitation into an “all-access-pass”. For a while, Kai’s crib was full of wonderful gifts from around the world (we will have thank you notes out, I promise), but today Chika converted it back into a bed, complete with freshly bought sheets.
I don’t think our days of sleeping with Kai are over yet, but at least he has a place to call his own “crib” when he feels like it.
Music, drinks (margaritas hopefully), maybe some snacks, good friends, late nights… That is what the houseparty scene in our lives used to be. But we seem to have a shift in our houseparty lives. Food not drink has become the priority. Daytime is the preferred hour. The music selection is definitely different. And the average age of guests is rapidly declining. But maybe there is still some hope — toga party?
It was supposed to be a simple exercise — exchanging a pair of Kai’s shoes for a bigger size. The store was all the way across town, and we already had one errand to run in the morning. Which leads us to a simple fact. Journeys out of the home going over one hour, and definitely over 2 hours, need to accommodate the calls the nature. And for Kai, this particular journey was beyond the safety zone. Which started off with clamoring for food during changing subways, and slowly degraded from there. But we finally made it to the shop with a very nice shopkeeper who was happy to change the shoes for the right size and even let us use the facilities for the necessary functions. It seemed like all the hard teamwork paid off well.
However, it turns out that while Chika had packed and extra undershirt just in case, Kai was in need of full wardrobe change. And as much as it was hard to bear buying brand new boutique clothes in the middle of the season (yes, the full retail), you had to just take a laugh at the humor of it all — Chika even joked that it was Kai’s plan all along. So my wife was happy, my son was happy, and at the end of it all, I was happy too.
P.S. Just a word of advice — I HIGHLY recommend the Japanese style nightshirts. Easy on/off, and as they are looser fitting around the bottom you can avoid the pressurized explosions which seem to be occurring with the more tightly fitted tops. You can check them out here or check out this example:
Familiar Newborn Wear