June 11th, the second day in Tokyo

Kids make your world smaller, but they grow your imagination. Sometimes, on our way to a nearby subway station, – a 3-minute walk but with 2 children, more like a 20-minute event – I think of Haruki Murakami novels. About how all of his protagonists are normal people, with average lives, and little social outings. (Like me, since I became a mother?)

Until one day, on their way to the subway station, they bump into a strange cat, and that cat wants them to follow. And they are still hesitant to the adventure that is waiting for them, but they have to go. The cat seems really persistent and they are unable to tell it to leave them alone and let them continue their monotonous lives. They are simply too polite.

While waiting for the kids, crawling towards our next destination, I watch cats I normally wouldn’t have noticed, watching me from small cement walls. Tokyo, and Japan in general, breathes a kind of magic. As if one of those cats could start talking anytime. Especially if you move with attention to details. As if you were a bit of a kid yourself.

Yoyogi Park 

We walk towards Yoyogi Park. After waking up around 10:00 we gave the kids some rice, got ourselves ready and left the house at once. We are meeting my friend Tetsuya, who I studied with, in Nakameguro for lunch. I. is grumpy and seems tired, so we decided to walk towards Shibuya Station, through Yoyogi Park, in the hope she takes a nap. 

It’s interesting to me how I., who is the good sleeper in our family, seems much more flustered by the jet lag than L., who is normally the bad sleeper. L. slept deeply, for 12 hours straight, without moving almost. I. slept later than L.. Restless. She woke up a few times and is now sleeping again in the stroller. 

“From one moment to another you leave all concrete behind and you are surrounded by abundant green and noisy animals.”

In Tokyo people seem to wake up late. In Harajuku, the shops don’t open until 11:00. We couldn’t even get a coffee on our way to the park. Yoyogi Park too is calm. A few people are running. The air feels cool and clean. It smells like nature. We hear the calls of birds and insects. The parks are insane in Tokyo. From one moment to another, you leave all concrete behind and you are surrounded by abundant green and noisy animals. A complete different world. 

I want to show L. the dog runs and watch the dogs play for a while. It’s a fun activity, especially because dogs in Tokyo often wear something small. Shoes to protect their paws from the heat, or a little bow in their poodle hair to keep the curls our of their eyes. All the dogs are all well manicured and loved as if they are human children. Being a dog mum myself, I completely understand and share this love, even after having human children. We miss our dog Michi, and always think she would enjoy living in Tokyo so much. 

We walk towards Shibuya Station. L. is sitting on the board now and enjoys her ride. When we almost get to Shibuya I. wakes up and asks for her cuddle. We lost it in the park! That’s very sad. Day 2 in Tokyo and we are already lost one of the most cherished objects: I.’s bear. Luckily, I do have another one at home because I came prepared for this kind of accidents. Two years ago, when I was pregnant with I., L. lost her monkey in the airport on the way to Japan and it was quite a drama.

Soba in Nakameguro 

We take the train to Nakameguro and finally get a coffee close to the station. There is a playground next to this place, so we bring our drinks out there. The kids play together and we slowly wake up. There is a milk accident – L. – and a cloth change, but luckily I came prepared. It’s a beautiful sunny day, around 27 degrees. Quite warm, but nothing compared to what is coming by the end of the month. 

Around 13:30 Tetsuya arrives at the playground and we have another soba around the station, in a small restaurant. It seems too small to fit us all at first, but it’s almost 14:00 and after a short wait, we can sit at an empty counter table in the back. All next to each other. I use my kids harness for I. again. So useful! 

I have a cold tororo soba, sticky yam soba, and Tetsuya and Julien both eat something different, but meaty which they seem to enjoy. It smell spicy. I share my noodles with L. and I. gets some of Julien and later more of mine. She always eats like a champ. 

There are few good side dishes, like tofu and a deep fried egg that L. says she enjoys, although she only eats one bite. She also doesn’t finish her soba. It must be the jet lag and she just had rice and natto for breakfast, so I try not to be too bothered by it. 

After lunch, we slowly walk around Nakameguro River and look for another coffee. Nakameguro River is a must go! Its a very charming area and a great walk along the water. You find good concept stores, book shops and also a few modern and traditional Japanese clothing shops. Also: there are lots of mosquitos. I notice from L. who starts screaming and is bitten several times within minutes. I cover her with a light blanket and use a mosquito spray. Hopefully it helps. 

Kakigori and Taiyaki 

Around 16:00 Tetsuya has to get back to work. It’s late, although it doesn’t feel like that to us. We have a dinner planned at 19:00, somewhere in between Ebisu and Shibuya, not too far from here.

We decide to grand L.’s biggest wish every day: we find her an ice cream. She has been asking for it since she woke up. Julien knows a shop where they might sell kakigori, shaved ice. Its a shop that also makes Taiyaki, my personal favourite snack. Taiyaki is a fish shaped waffle filled originally with sweet red beans. Usually these stands offer many other fillings such as matcha, custard, chocolate, chestnut or black sesame. 

Kakigori is extremely thin shaved ice with syrup on top and condensed milk. We ask if they can make one without milk, but the milk is already inside the ice. We order one anyway – strawberry, of course. 
The kakigori looks amazing. Like a powder snowy volcano that is about to erupt red strawberry lava. L. is completely absorbed by it and eats it with love and care. Slowly, but dedicated.  

We snack our sweets while standing on Yamato Street, not far from Nakamerugo Station. I love being on this this street. I walked it so many times. Up and down towards Meguro Station. Or back in the days the other way around, towards Ikerjiri Ohashi Station, where I lived in my early 20s.
I often went out in Nakameguro, almost ever weekend. There was a nice bar called Combine, where I must have met all of my friends. There would always be one of them, if I wanted to have a drink and ventilate after a long week of studying and working.
Julien, at that time, had a space at Daikanyama, bordering Nakameguro. It was called M. He created exhibitions and events. I also went there sometimes. This street and its surrounding has so much personal history for me. For us. 
I’m sure many people look at Nakameguro in a nostalgic way. It was a magical place, full of creativity. A lot of gentrification has taken place over the past 10, 20 years. But today too, Nakameguro has plenty of good bars. For obvious reasons, I hardly go there now…

Yamate Street is filled with relatively old, often just 2-storey buildings. Inside you find (good) restaurants and shops. Lately, some modern places have been added. Good examples of the gentrification of the neighbourhood. Such as a cool looking Korean donut shop and an expensive shokupan shop. Shokupan is a fluffy, moist white bread, with a sweet, milky taste. The Japanese already started making bread when the Portuguese and Spanish came centuries ago, but it became big and took its original shape after World War II. When the Americans stayed in Japan and wanted to eat toast for breakfast. Recently it gained popularity, also outside of Japan. You see more and more shops popping up in Tokyo, but also in Paris. 

Sugukari Park and Organic Food

After we finished our sweets, we take the children to a playground in Sugukari Park. I. is tired and needs a nap, but she is also overstimulated, and doesn’t fall asleep while we walk. When she sees the playground, she is thrilled and we let her enjoy. 

Julien and I sit on a bench, relax and enjoy watching them run around. The sky has become cloudy and it feels good to cool down. After an hour the kids are done and I. starts getting a bit hysterical – which is quite rare – so we put her in stroller decide to walk towards Ebisu slowly for our dinner appointment. It still takes forever for I. to let go. When we are almost in Ebisu, 20 minutes later she finally gives in. 

I always feel so relieved when one of our kids in need of sleep, sleeps. Maybe it’s a result of all our struggles with L. who was always overstimulated and hyperactive because she just couldn’t find rest. It often made me feel like an overly worried mother, but since I have I., I understand even more how difficult it could be with L.. She needed so much care and physical reassurance. She got high on air. So sensitive and active. Still. 

In any case, I. sleeps, and I feel relieved. It’s a bit over 18:00 and we still have an hour. I decide to keep on walking. I go back towards Nakameguro, to a big organic supermarket, to get some more food supply for the coming days. There is one thing that gets me worried in Japan: regulation for food additives. I often hear people about that fact that there are very few rules regarding this issue. 

“There is one thing that gets me worried in Japan: regulation for food additives.”

Julien doesn’t pay attention to these kind of things, but I’m terribly scared of cancer since my mum and uncle, her brother, died, both at 60 years old. My grandfather also died of cancer, when he was 60 years old. I never knew him. There has been so much cancer in my families history, that I don’t wish to take any risk. Especially not with the children. I’m probably dead already, when it comes to additives. And maybe I’m being paranoid, but better safe than sorry, right? 

Julien think I’m insane walking back – we have done quite some steps today – but I. sleeps and I’m alive, so I go. I’ll sleep well tonight! I buy natto, tofu, furikake, a vegan Japanese curry powder, some veggies for a curry, and sweet konyaku jelly from an organic brand specially for kids. Julien loves these kind of jelly’s from the regular supermarket, but they taste like chemicals to me. Since he gives them to L. too, who adores them, I hope I’ll be ahead of him buying it to her. And without needing to have a discussion about the fact that I don’t to give the kids chemical food. I buy 3 bags of jelly’s in different flavours. For I., I buy some of those fruit puree squeeze snacks. She’ll be happy too. 

Tofu in Ebisu 

On the way back, uphill, I feel my legs burn. The stroller is super heavy, with a mum bag for a day in Tokyo, a full shopping bag and I. who is slowly waking up. But everything comes to an end and we arrive at Ebisu Park just before 19:00, where Julien and L. are waiting. 

We walk to the restaurant where we meet with Juliens brother and family. I have been to a place with the same name in Shibuya, where they have a second location. The restaurant in Shibuya is big and in traditional Japanese style. It’s very beautiful and an absolute recommend. 
The restaurant in Ebisu is much smaller and with a modern look. There are a few tables outside, which is quite a rarity in Japan. For this reason I would recommend it, other than that the location in Shibuya is easier with children. 

We move the tables together and make one long dinner table outside. It’s convenient with our kids, who are all over the place seeing each other for the first time since a year. The food is delicious. L. is too excited to eat and only eats edamame, cooked soy beans. I. is hungry again and tries everything. Sticky, nutty flavoured tofu, agedashi dofu – deep fried silk tofu -,  lots of colourful pickles, seasonable vegetables, rice, salad, matcha tofu and some other dishes. 

The kids are playing on one side of the table. We sit on the other side with I.. At some point, L. comes to me with the jelly’s. She has secretly been going through the shopping bag underneath the table. She asks me if she can have one and I tell her she can’t. But L. doesn’t accept no. 

“Why not?”

“Because we are having dinner and there is delicious food on the table, please try some of it.” 

“But I want this.” 

“You can eat the food that is on the table.” 

“But why can’t I eat this?” 

“Because we are in a restaurant and in a restaurant we eat the food of the restaurant.” 

She runs away into the restaurant with the jelly in her hand. For a split second I want to go after her, but I’m drained from the long day and I can’t bear a scene inside. I can see her in the restaurant. She walks to a staff member, a young  looking girl, who is just taking an order at a table and pulls her skirt to get her attention. I see her turning around surprised and smiling. The people sitting at the table look less amused. I see L. talking and holding up the jelly for the girl to see. The girl is laughing. L. returning outside with a smile of victory. 

“Mama, I asked the staff and they say its ok for me to eat this jelly in the restaurant.” 

“Okay”, I sigh with a smile. 

“So, can I eat it?”, she asks. 

“Yes, you can…” 

She definitely beat me this time and I feel a mixture of pride for my independent thinker and sorry for me for what is yet to come. 

For dessert we eat a tiramisu made with soy cream, which is absolutely delicious. We leave the restaurant after 21:00 and take the train back to Harajuku. We could have taken a taxi, but we are close to Ebisu Station, and our house is only 2 stops away. Besides, we still feel the jet lag and although it is dark and we are tired – exhausted to be honest- it’s doesn’t feel late. 

The kids sleep before 22:00 and we watch the last episode of Ripley. After that we sleep. Deep and without interruption.