Ah, Is That An Ice Cream Truck I Hear?

Even after two years in Japan, I can still almost taste the neighborhood ice cream of yesteryear when I hear this jingle (click on arrow beneath first photo) from the end of my driveway.

But as the tune draws near, and I almost smell the neighborhood garbage of yesterweek, I am disillusioned. Alas, it is not an ice cream truck, but a garbage truck...

"Let's Do Lunch"









Miranda and her first, best, and only friend Julia (Kathleen's daughter) dined out for lunch at Cantina restaurant across from Zushi beach last week. They have a lot in common; they were born in the same month, they have the same cup (and the same strollers), they both love to eat, and they both have an older sister named Sydney!

Sydney's a Model!

Sydney made her modeling debut in a Japanese magazine called Shortcoco. Last month, I took both girls to the photo shoot one morning while Brian whisked Dave and Danielle around Tokyo. I didn't mind missing Meiji Shrine for what would've been my seventh visit. Plus the location was convenient to the New Sanno Hotel, where we were staying. And more importantly, it only lasted a couple of hours and all she had to do was play with Legos and hold a doll. Fun!

Here are the Lego pages:

And here are two more pages in which Sydney's holding Tottemo-chan, the doll mascot for a milk tea company called Tottemo.













Behind the Scenes:

It wasn't too difficult to get her to play along. Although she kept wanting to turn her back to us to delve into the dollhouse (not shown above, it's on the opposite page). And in between her photos, the trusty video mp3 served its purpose (read: Dora) well.

And actually getting to delve into the dollhouse provided at least 30 minutes of self-directed play between photo shoots.

Miranda and I were a little jealous (just look at her expression), so we started taking photos of ourselves and then Miranda took the floor... (well, only literally!) Sydney stole the show that day!

It's Official...









I outrank Brian. No, just kidding. But I did receive a Navy Meritorious Public Service Award at the USNH Yokosuka Change of Command ceremony last week.

It was an honor for developing a welcome guide (with my friend Kathleen) for incoming hospital command families and creating a website for the Oakleaf Club of Yokosuka, (which is the hospital spouses' group).

Left to Right: Vice Admiral Robinson (Surgeon General of the U.S. Navy), Melissa, Kathleen, me, Captain Krentz (outgoing CO of USNH)

Cooking with Keiko and Noriko
Lesson 2: Sukiyaki

Brian and I agree this was one of the best meals we've had in our two years in Japan. Of course we couldn't help but enjoy this special meal when, 1) our Japanese friends made it for us, and 2) the meat alone was $30 (i.e., psychologically it "must be good")!

Regardless of the reason, we really enjoyed the sukiyaki Noriko-san and Keiko-san made for us last week. I only hope we can replicate it! Of course, I was too busy socializing and watching to remember to take photos of every stage. Not that it would've helped, since they used a "little bit" of this and a "little bit" of that. But here's my best guess at recording what we did.

(And for the record, sukiyaki is usually made in the winter, not in July. It is also supposed to be made at the dining table using a gas burner under a special sukiyaki pan. But after much Japanese debate between Keiko and Noriko--presumably about the authenticity of the resultant sukiyaki--we improvised and made it on my gas stove and brought it to the table. Sacrilege? Maybe. Delicious? Definitely.)

Here's what you need:

• 1 pound of sukiyaki beef (tenderloin thinly sliced)
• 1 piece of beef suet (usually comes with the sukiyaki meat)
• about 3 long onions (similar to leeks)
• 1/4 of a head of Chinese cabbage
• 1 package of shirataki (jelly-like noodles made from starch of a vegetable root called "devil's tongue)
• 1 package of shitake mushrooms
• 1 block of grilled tofu (can use regular, but it may fall apart during cooking)
• about 1/2 cup soy sauce
• about 1/2 cup mirin (Japanese sweet wine)
• water
• about 4 to 5 tablespoons of sugar
• raw egg for dipping
• 1 package fresh udon noodles

1. Prepare all ingredients before beginning. Cut long onion into diagonal 2-inch slices. Cut off stems of mushrooms and make a criss-cross incision on the tops of each mushroom. Cut shirataki noodles into 3-4 inch lengths. Cut cabbage into small pieces, slicing the stem portion very thinly so it cooks evenly.







Cut grilled tofu into bite-size pieces.

2. Heat pan. Place beef suet in the pan and cook until half-melted.

3. Add some beef, spreading the thin slices. When beef begins to turn brown, add about an equal amount of soy sauce and mirin, a little water, and about 4 to 5 tablespoons of sugar. The liquid in pan should be about 1/4 inch deep at all times.

(I started to reach for the cabinet to get the sugar bowl while asking how much sugar we needed. Keiko laughed and said we needed "big sugar." She wasn't kidding, so I pulled out the canister of sugar. Now I see why most Japanese desserts aren't very sweet; dinner has enough sugar!)

4. Then add some vegetables, shirataki, and tofu and let simmer a few minutes. As the ingredients are cooked, remove them from the pan. Dip the cooked food in a raw whisked egg before eating. (Alternatively, Noriko's husband likes to make a well within the sukiyaki vegetables and adds the egg to poach in the sukiyaki liquid).

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all ingredients are cooked. After meat and vegetables are eaten (or removed from pan if saving for leftovers), add fresh udon noodles to the remaining sauce in the pan, cook, and enjoy!

My Little Patriots

I'm Miranda.

It's my first 4th of July.

This is my sister, Sydney.

It's her third 4th of July.

So, then why are you wearing this outfit, too?

"Because 'Mena' (Nana) gave it to me!"

Sydney's Potty Train

Now that summer's here, I have a looming deadline of August 21st--the day Sydney starts preschool and must be potty trained. This isn't an unrealistic expectation, but since the cut off date for starting preschool was October 31 and her birthday is October 30, she is basically the youngest kid in her class, potentially presenting more of a potty training challenge.

So, I started to potty train Sydney two weeks ago with no real plan except to stay home and quit diapers cold turkey. I drew an eight-car train, letting her put stickers on it each time she used the potty. (I figured we are potty training, although I knew the pun would be lost on her.) And of course she was allowed to drink juice all day long for three days straight--a real luxury. (She didn't even mind that I diluted it and she began to ask for "juice and water," since she saw me mixing the two all day long!)

Surprisingly, by the fourth day, she was "on board the potty train" with no accidents! Good thing, since the Toilet Training in One Day book arrived 7 days too late...

We've had an accident every now and then since then, but mostly while getting onto the potty. So, I can't complain. In fact, once we got past day 2 and the continual carpet cleaning, it has kind of been a rewarding experience seeing her enjoy her independence..and her rewards.

Her favorite colors are pink and purple, so the last car of the train was purple (only because I didn't have a pink marker). I told her when she got to purple, she could have a toy. I had one toy on hand, and it's a good thing since she went on the potty eight times the first day. So, day 1 she got some purple princess dress-up shoes.

We faultered a little day 2 and 3 because I didn't prebuy toys and didn't feel we were ready to go out to a store to buy one. But when I brought the prospect of a present back on day 4, she had renewed interest. So, the second gift she earned this week she picked out herself at the store. A cash register, which she dubbed her "money toy." She is my daughter! I would've loved this toy as a kid, with the electronic scanner for groceries and the credit card, which you can actually swipe through the machine and it makes a fun sound. But alas, she doesn't let me use it when we play store. Only Sydney gets to be the "store lady." She helps me pick out the groceries and perhaps as a consolation prize she doles out extra money to me from the cash register rather than depositing the money I give her. If only this was the way real stores worked!

"We Are Not Smart People"

This became the mantra of our travels with our friends Dave and Danielle, who recently visited us in Japan for two weeks. Despite the fact that Dave and Brian went to med school together at Boston University, and Danielle and I have our share of higher education, we continually found humor in our inability to think all things through. Of course, this mainly had to do with the fact that we're all gaijin navigating in Japan. That's our story and we're sticking to it...


In addition, Dave repeatedly walked into the doorways in our Japanese home, which excused him from any cognizance of his Japanese surroundings. But since Danielle came armed with her own Frommer's, she more than made up for any of his deficits.


Of course, our minor foils couldn't keep us from having a great time. We led our friends around for all but four of the days, which was quite a feat for us with two small kids in tow. We visited five cities together--after which they were likely ready to visit the sixth (Hakone near Mt. Fuji) without us. But here are a few of the new things we enjoyed together.

After spending one night at our house in Yokosuka (city #1), we took Dave and Danielle to Kamakura (city #2). We went to the usual spots (think "Great Buddha,") and Hase-dera, which is one of the great Buddhist temples of Kamakura that we had not yet visited. It is famous for a massive wooden statue of Kannon--the largest (30.1 feet) in Japan. But the main reason I was excited to visit this temple is because it's famous for its hydrangeas, which bloom in June and July. The magnitude of the blooms on the hillside was impressive, even though they weren't yet in full bloom.

The next morning, we whisked Dave and Danielle away to Tokyo (city #3) by train for two nights. After visiting some of our usual must-see spots, we enjoyed a child-free and delicious dinner at Wellington's restaurant in the New Sanno Hotel. (It's a small price to pay for a hotel room on a Saturday night.)

Sunday, while I took both girls to Sydney's Lego modeling gig (more on that later), it was up to Brian to lead the way to more Tokyo sights. Danielle was visibly anxious at the thought of laid-back Brian as navigator. But when I checked in half-way through the day, they'd actually accomplished more than expected without the kids and probably my commentary slowing them down: Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, Shibuya, Imperial Palace Garden, and Ginza all before lunch!


That night we were excited to try the Ninja Restaurant for dinner. After locating the somewhat hidden door, we were led through a series of dark, cavernous tunnels up and down steps and finally to our table, which was in our own little room.

I ordered the "Surprise Course," mainly because it came with "small Ninja magic" according to our Ninja waitress. This meant some foods were misleading in appearance. For example, you might think this photo was "cold tofu" served with bonito flakes on top. But it was actually lobster mousse. Good thing I didn't pour soy sauce on it.

There were also Ninja who came to our table and performed magic tricks involving sponge balls, coins, and cards. Sydney enjoyed participating and got to keep the card with her name on it.

On Monday morning, long after Dave and Danielle had risen with the sun to visit Tsukiji fish market, we all boarded the Shinkansen for Kyoto (city #4). I made sure we returned to Kiyomizu Temple for more Kiyomizu-yaki (ceramics) shopping--my kind of meditation. But Sydney tried her hand at meditating at Kennin-ji, an historic Buddhist temple (the oldest in Kyoto) in the heart of Gion. The rock garden here was beautiful.

But by far Sydney's favorite place in Kyoto was the Iwatayama Monkey Park in Arashiyama, which we ventured to by streetcar and then hiked uphill for about 20 minutes. She enjoyed feeding them pieces of apple from the fenced in resting/feeding area. I myself enjoyed the foot onsen (hot spring spa) in the train station.

Finally, we knew we must see Fushimi Inari Shrine with its striking 10,000 tori gates lined up one after the other before leaving Kyoto for the last time.

We boarded the "Shin" (when you've previously ridden the bullet train three times I think you can begin to call it that) and headed further southwest to Hiroshima (city #5). We somberly paid our respects at the A-Bomb Dome and the Peace Memorial Park and Museum.

We enjoyed eating okonomiyaki, a grilled "pancake" that Hiroshima is particularly known for. We were especially excited when we happened on the annual Yukata (summer kimono) Festival, where we also found a version of okonomiyaki on a stick! It seems Japanese people will put just about anything on a stick: all types of meat (yakitori), octapus, strawberries on a Ritz, candied Kyoho grapes, and now...okonomiyaki!

From Hiroshima, we spent a full day on the island of Miyajima, one of the top three scenic places in Japan. At first we enjoyed seeing the wild, tame deer on Miyajima, but after one tried to eat our map, and then eyed Miranda's blanket, we were no longer as fond of them."Oh, no! Deers!" Sydney said whenever we saw them.

I haven't seen the other two most scenic places in Japan, but Miyajima is certainly beautiful. The main shrine on the island is Itsukushima Shrine. Its red tori gate that appears to be floating during high tide is the most famous symbol of Miyajima, but the shrine itself is also built over water, which I found very tranquil and extraordinarily beautiful. In fact, it became one of my top three favorite shrines or temples in Japan. (The other two are Kiyomizu Temple and Hase-dera.) We visited all three on this--our last big--trip. I lost count of how many we've visited in total during the past two years. We may not be smart travelers, we are well aware. But we are well traveled!

See the photo album for all our photos from Kamakura, Tokyo, Hiroshima and Miyajima with Dave and Danielle!

We're Back!

We had a great (although tiring) 8-day trip to Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Miyajima with Dave and Danielle. Here are a few photo highlights to tide you over till I can dig myself out of the Mt. Fuji of laundry that is my living room and do my blog entry justice. Stay tuned!

All Seven of Us

Arashiyama Park, Kyoto

Sydney

Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto

Miranda

Shi Shi i Wa Ropeway Station, Miyajima

Sayonara USS Kitty Hawk!





























Today, the USS Kitty Hawk left Yokosuka, Japan forever. Here's a photo of it "turning the corner" (literally and figuratively) as it speeds past our neighborhood and leaves Tokyo Bay.

It's on its way back to the States to be decommissioned after more than 47 years of service. The USS George Washington, a nuclear powered carrier, is on its way in the next few months to Yokosuka to replace it as the nation's only permanently forward deployed carrier.

Although Brian's on a shore command at USNH, I enjoyed witnessing a little bit of American history as it happens halfway around the world. If you're wondering what it must be like living on a ship this size for months at a time, check out the great PBS documentary series "Carrier," which you can watch online.