Last Tango in Tokyo

We loved our two years in Tokyo, but we just can't seem to stay put. We spent a good two weeks saying our goodbyes, and wining and dining ourselves until we couldn't take it anymore... then hopped on a flight and we are now calling Hong Kong home!

Sofie says a last good-bye to her beloved teachers...

Even more sad, saying good-bye to our helper, Cora, who we all relied on to keep the family sane. She truly loved and cared for our children dearly!
(Anyone looking for a helper in Tokyo?)

We've come full circle: the first time we visited Tokyo for a look-see, it was just the two of us, and we stayed at The Westin in Ebisu... Here we are again in from of the Westin, waiting for our ride to leave Tokyo almost three years later - now as a family of four!

Sniffle sniffle... about to surrender our Japan Alien Registration Cards...

All Sofie cares about is her cushy business class seat! Kids these days...

"I can't BELIEVE we're moving again..."

Sasha's first flight!! Luckily, aside from the time of these pictures, she slept the entire flight....

Potty Perspectives

Being the modern girl she is, Sofie passes her time on the potty using an iPhone rather than reading the traditional newspaper or book. Wasn't Daddy surprised when he discovered that she had thoughtfully left him a photo vignette of her perspective...

iHeart iPhone

Sofie is the family expert at the iPhone now - she has an entire page of her own Apps!

Azabu Juban Festival

Summertime in Tokyo means FESTIVALS (matsuri)!! We ignored the rain and headed to the Azabu Juban festival...

Last few weeks

Catching up on lots of pix from the past few weeks of playdates & brunches...
Ahh, the life of little kiddies who lunch!

Happy Anniversary

A belated anniversary night to ourselves - watching Elliot Yamin (one of our favs from Season 5 of American Idol) perform at Tokyo Midtown's Billboard Live!

Cinnamoroll

Sofie's favorite Sanrio character, Hello Kitty, has taken a backseat to Cinnamonroll. Coincidentally, here she is this past weekend, looking awfully similar to him...

Cinnamonroll's story...
"One day, while the owner of Café Cinnamon was admiring the sky, a tiny white rabbit came floating by, looking just like a small, fluffy cloud. She thought, "Maybe he caught a whiff of the cinnamon rolls and came to check them out." The owner of the café was correct. The curious rabbit took a shine to the café owner and her delicious cinnamon rolls, so he decided to stay. Since his tail was plump and curled up like a cinnamon roll, she decided to call him Cinnamoroll. Sweet, little Cinnamoroll was instantly popular with customers and soon became Café Cinnamon's official mascot. Now, when he is not napping on the café terrace, you may find Cinnamoroll flying around the town looking for fun and new adventures with his friends Chiffon, Mocha, Espresso, Cappuccino, and Milk. His birthday is March 6th."

Strike a Pose

Sasha strikes a pose in her gorgeous new sweater, knitted by Auntie Jessica

Baby Buddha

The Latest

Bonding

Sasha at 5 weeks

Sasha Updates:
- Tipping the scales at 7+ lbs now
- Talking and cooing
- Enjoying the baby gymini mat, kind of
- Still fighting the swaddle, despite our best efforts. Sigh!

Out & About

We took a long family walk this weekend, spending most of the day walking from Ebisu to Shibuya. We tested the limits of our massive double stroller, The Vibe (which, by the way, is not meant for the minamlist), as well as Mommy's stamina, since her atrophied legs haven't walked much in the month. Both Sofie and Sasha were happy to enjoy the sites of Tokyo, comfortably sitting and napping on and off and making for a very happy family outing. Mommy was thrilled to finally get some exercise before that 6 week mark, and Daddy was happy to be surrounded by his girls!


Here's one of those "only-in-Japan..." shops that we ran across: a swanky store all for RABBITS!

Sofie and what she calls her "computer set", which is really a magnetized drawing screen to learn Hiragana.

Since Japanese people don't really bring their babies out before 3 months, little Sasha certainly got her share of admirers and squeals from the Japanese teens.

Bon Odori Festival

We're trying not to let the heat stop us from heading out and enjoying our last month here, so we braved the summer sun, put on our yukata and celebrating at the Bon Odori Festival. Of course, it was a dance festival, so Sofie didn't let the heat stop her from dancing up a storm on stage! She had observed the traditional Japanese dance that was performed earlier, and had a great time showing what she learned. Sasha napped peacefully, for the most part, but we hope she enjoyed the music!

Iron Chefs

A few months back, we participated in a series of Japanese cultural activities, one of which was a course called "Everyday Japanese Cooking". It was pretty cool and we learned to cook a few dishes in a cozy little cooking school called "The Pocket Kitchen" - clearly in reference to the pocket sized quarters we were squished into.

Nevertheless, we found it pretty interesting and the dishes we cooked were very good - but we were disappointed that we ended up cooking CHINESE food! Since the instructor/chef was trying to teach us about "everyday" Japanese food, his point was that Japanese people don't eat the way Japanese food is typically portrayed as - it's not all about sushi, yakatori, soba and such... We ended up making a few dishes (squid salad, pork in a spicy red sauce, and even wonton soup, go figure) and walked away with a few new cooking tips.

Being the inaugural students of the class, we're now famous! Ok, not really, but a friend randomly ran across us on the tour operator's site...

(Don't mind the inappropriate mood-setting music):