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Amy
From the suburbs of Toronto to the suburbs of Tokyo.
Interests: travel, food, cooking, photography, crafts, nature, parenting,
Recent Activity
Moving on
https://stillafishoutofwater.wordpress.com/ Continue reading
Posted Feb 12, 2015 at A Fish Out of Water
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Good-bye Summer
Posted Sep 16, 2014 at A Fish Out of Water
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Fifteen Years
So as of September 3rd we've been married for 15 years. FIFTEEN YEARS! I just cannot look at these pictures... Continue reading
Posted Sep 14, 2014 at A Fish Out of Water
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Mom
Posted Sep 6, 2014 at A Fish Out of Water
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First Day of School
Here's Shuma this morning, before his first day of school! Well not really his first day, but it kind of... Continue reading
Posted Aug 31, 2014 at A Fish Out of Water
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Canada
Posted Apr 11, 2014 at A Fish Out of Water
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Christmas in Canada
We celebrated Christmas with my family in Canada last year, a first for Shuma and the first in 15 years... Continue reading
Posted Jan 9, 2014 at A Fish Out of Water
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Happy New Year!
Here is this year's nengajo (new year postcard). For the first time ever it doesn't feature this year's zodiac animal... Continue reading
Posted Jan 1, 2014 at A Fish Out of Water
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Jamaica
Way back in February, while Shuma and I were visiting my family in Canada, we took a trip to Jamaica.... Continue reading
Posted Dec 17, 2013 at A Fish Out of Water
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Hoikuen
Posted Oct 17, 2013 at A Fish Out of Water
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Birthday
Shuma turned three earlier this month. The actual day was rather low-key, as it was a weekday and Hideaki was... Continue reading
Posted Oct 11, 2013 at A Fish Out of Water
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780 Yen
Posted Oct 3, 2013 at A Fish Out of Water
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Cucumber
Posted Sep 30, 2013 at A Fish Out of Water
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Birth Story, Part Two
Shuma turns 3 today. I thought maybe it was about time to finish writing his birth story. I have forgotten... Continue reading
Posted Sep 19, 2013 at A Fish Out of Water
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Messy Bed
Posted Sep 19, 2013 at A Fish Out of Water
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Oh god Jen, the tampon bag! Some of the feminine product packaging is so discrete nobody would ever know what they were, but that paper bag is a dead giveaway! But more importantly, why am I supposed to be ashamed of buying a product that half the population uses?
Thanks Aelith and Alan!
Oh, Japan
Oh Japan, sometimes you're so weird. This morning when I dropped Shuma off at his home daycare, a playmate came up and said "Wow, Shuma's wearing sandals!". He's been wearing sandals every single day since he started in July, but looking at the shoes lined up at the front door I noticed they w...
Jonathan, I think our our most recent visit to the Honda plaza last December was when I realized he needed to get his license. He just looked so happy sitting on the bikes.
Thanks Aspasia!
Motorcycle
So much has happened since I stopped posting regularly. This, for example: It's a 2005 Honda CBR600RR and my husband went and bought it last weekend. It's pretty much his first time on a motorcycle since he raced professionally 2 decades ago. Did I ever tell you about that? He was a pro racer ...
Jennifer, one of the things I kind of like about Japan is the relative lack of the hyper-safe mindset currently prevalent in North America (which results in playgrounds being deemed "unsafe" and taken down, never to be replaced, or Kinder Eggs being banned as choking hazards). But you're right, a fountain flowing down steps is a shockingly unsafe design.
It gets worse: the steps are in a square pattern so each level has four sharp corners sticking out. I don't have a picture that shows it well but you can kind of see one of the corners here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluelotus/9756183295/
And the steps are slippery as hell. Shuma loves them, of course. He learned to crawl up stairs on them actually :)
How Hot and Wet Do You Like It?
Very hot, and very wet. Summer, that is. This is the first time I've spent an entire summer in Japan in ages and it was so hot that I've had to rethink my favourite season. It's always been summer, I love the heat and the lushness of summer greenery and not having to wear socks and eating fresh...
How Hot and Wet Do You Like It?
Very hot, and very wet. Summer, that is. This is the first time I've spent an entire summer in Japan... Continue reading
Posted Sep 15, 2013 at A Fish Out of Water
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Canada
In January this year Shuma and I went back to Canada for a seven-week visit. While there we went to... Continue reading
Posted Sep 13, 2013 at A Fish Out of Water
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Beatriz, I'm so glad you liked it! It is a very cool place, if only it was on a nicer beach. Definitely the beaches to the south are nicer, and there are some great ones. We've been trying to find one for over a decade that we came upon- not an official named beach, but just gorgeous. Big sand cliffs and no facilities, so no people. We found it once and have never been able to locate it again.
The beach I mentioned in this post, Haraoka, is pretty good. It doesn't look great in the pictures but at low tide it's great, and not too many people. Just one Umi-no-Ie, and it's not a rip-off- very good fries and the coldest beer I've ever had on a beach. Of course it's probably already been packed up for the year.
Tripping: Uchibo
This weekend we rented a car and drove to Futtsu City in Uchibo (the Tokyo Bay side of the Boso Peninsula) in Chiba. It was a repeat of many trips we've taken in the past, most recently three years ago when Shuma was just a hiccuping little otter in my tummy. We went to most of the same places...
Jonathan, that is so nice to hear. Thank you. Let me have an Old Person Moment and say: Oh to be 23 again! I hope you are enjoying it as much as I did (or as I think I did, possibly with some rose-tinted glasses on).
Joe, there actually is an official day where students and office workers change their uniforms, and I think it's October 1st. This footwear thing is new to me, and seems to be more of a common knowledge thing than an actual rule. Judging by the comments on Facebook, some Japanese moms find it just as confusing.
Yes David, Shuma and I are big Mr Donut fans. They are doing away with their point cards at the end of the month- just a warning if you've got a card you're eager to use on your next visit.
Thanks Lil!
Caroline, fascinating and frustrating sums it up pretty well!
Oh Suzy, I'm so glad my eikaiwa days are over and I no longer need to wear beige stockings! Ugh. I never minded those rules for myself, and pretty much wear sandals from spring to fall as long as it's about 15C, but I can't get over the fact that Shuma's peers are noticing his transgressions.
Thanks Nicholas!
Oh, Japan
Oh Japan, sometimes you're so weird. This morning when I dropped Shuma off at his home daycare, a playmate came up and said "Wow, Shuma's wearing sandals!". He's been wearing sandals every single day since he started in July, but looking at the shoes lined up at the front door I noticed they w...
Motorcycle
Posted Sep 12, 2013 at A Fish Out of Water
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Oh, Japan
Posted Sep 11, 2013 at A Fish Out of Water
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Tripping: Uchibo
This weekend we rented a car and drove to Futtsu City in Uchibo (the Tokyo Bay side of the Boso... Continue reading
Posted Jul 23, 2013 at A Fish Out of Water
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