DAY-TO-DAY LIFE
It has been quite a week - Seven days ago (or so) we were finishing up our packing to leave Cambridge, and now I'm sitting on the floor of our Tokyo living room - furnished with only a TV and some suitcases.
Ironically it snowed our first morning here. I say that because of in spite of all the weird weather conditions that went on this winter we actually missed the bulk of the snow somehow and the children didn’t miss a day of school. And here Japan, when the cherry blossoms are just over – it snowed! Fortunately, it has warmed up since. But the night we arrived – In the rain, no heating, the prospect of sleeping on the floor of an unfurnished apartment; the trepidation could easily have set in, but it was dispelled (somewhat) because we had to find food! Our excitement was aroused again by the by the immediate sights, sounds and smells of our new surroundings – the adventure had begun!– And my kids are real troopers!
Now, a few days later I’m only preoccupied with how to spread butter on toast with chopsticks and how to ask for a Gin and Tonic in Japanese - (oh and what to do in an earthquake)!
We are not living it up in Ryokan style (traditional Japanese (guest) houses) We do not have tatami mats or an indoor courtyard garden, which would be wonderful. Our apartment is tiny 38 sq meters; 3 rooms and eat in kitchen/entry hall. But we do sleep on futons on the floor and have (tiny) balconies off each room, each with a full wall of sliding doors/windows, but remember I did say tiny! Our balconies, which are generally meant for hanging out the washing and airing futons, have been filled with plant troughs stuffed with vegetables and flowers. Young plants are readily available in the local plant stores, together with fish and water lilies, much to my delight. Have also set up a terracotta bowl for goldfish on the children’s balcony. Now if only Alice could stay good, long enough, for us to be able to add the goldfish. Nothing like dangling a carrot (goldfish) for encouragement. Oh and I already have a tomato ripening (my 600 yen tomato that is)! eggplants and beans on their way. And of course I’m growing something that I have no idea what it is or what to do with it
It was almost quite liberating to have nothing, or maybe it was the enjoyment of being able to start over from scratch, or being able to live minimally! We have most things covered for now – beds, kitchen ware etc – although we are still missing comfortable chairs in the living room – but Japanese television makes up for that – anything is comfortable having watched a Japanese game show.
I do hang the futons out on the balcony to air periodically and folding the beds is a necessary action, in order to make the room functional. The apartment was unfurnished when we moved in, so the first few weeks we spent dumpster diving and frequenting the local 100 yen (dollar) store. Now we have shower curtains in the kids windows and make-do bamboo blinds in the others – as you can imagine, its all psychological, our apartment is as exposed as if we dropped down the walls down when the lights go on! We also feel we must be the noisiest in the neighborhood, but now that we have been here a while, we realize everyone is much the same level of noise – or maybe we just lowered the standards. The children have made friends in the neighborhood and they all fun play together in the street after schools out.
The language problem, or rather lack of Japanese hasn’t been too much of an issue, especially as very few words are written in Romaji (roman style). Generally sign language has a lot to be said for it, plus the willingness to help and politeness of the Japanese has been a great humbling experience. I managed to take Alice to the Dr the other day, get her seen to and got a repeat prescription for her asthma medicine, all without really any Japanese, English or even knowing where a Dr was!
I am having trouble in the supermarkets though, to tell the difference between salt and sugar for example, or deciphering all the different lovely sauces available. Buying all these wonderful vegetables is one thing – finding out what to do with them is another. The other day I sent the children to school with coffee flavored milk drinks – thinking they were chocolate milk. ……. Ironically Walker drank his fine! I think I should find some pea milk and tell him its apple!
And of course the instructions on the washing machine mean nothing, (fortunately they only do cold washes), as do the garbled messages I keep getting from our pay-as-you-go cell phones, could be telling me I’ve won a million yen for all I know – Or maybe there’s an earthquake coming…..
We have a Japanese style bathroom, which means a small deep tub in what we would call a wet room (the toilet is in a separate room). The idea being, you sit on a stool on the floor, outside the tub and wash/ lather yourself down, and shower off before immersing yourself up to your neck in the tub to soak all your troubles away (sitting up)! – Quite a process…..so we use it as a stand up shower!
We live in a low-rise neighborhood, within a warren of streets no wider than 3m walls to wall – ((You can see how small from the photo of a Honda driving down one)).
Every little nook and cranny on the street is utilized and tiny indentations between building facades are filled with potted plants or other decoration. (I will make a separate entry of all the garden spaces that are being created within the city).
Everything is so clean, quiet and the air is fresh and spring-like – It’s hard to remember we living in the middle of a city.
I am beginning to find my bearings –initially it was totally disorientating, and trying to find a reference point is a problem. It is a very bike friendly environment and I would love to get around that way, but I know aimlessly exploring I would get hopelessly lost! Even though John has armed me with enough phrases to ask my way, I know I wouldn’t be able to understand the reply.
((Check out our address on Google earth and you'll see what I mean, as you zoom further and further out you will see what a maze Tokyo is!))
There are lovely local stores close by and I’m making fast friends with the hardware store owner. I’ve got my pots and pans and bowls and teacups already.
Fresh vegetables meat and fish are readily available, although the fruit is expensive, and I generally buy daily (the fridge can’t cope with much more) I’ve learnt that most of the fresh meats and fish goes on sale at the end of the day, especially sushi items – so I can get beautiful salmon or tuna steaks etc and great value (Any questions as to local, organic, safe or ethical sources etc have gone out the window – again quite liberating).
Becoming a dab hand at California rolls etc and we are surviving well on noodle soups and dumplings. Children seem to be enjoying the adventure eating seaweed, squid and bean shoots readily too. No more bento boxes with PB and J sandwiches for us!
It’s been great fun learning to cook and eat in Japanese style. We had to invest in a rice cooker as I only have 2 gas burners to cook on. We are managing and its good lesson to learn. I was hoping to do a Japanese cooking class this month but if fell through. I fully intend to drag everyone to Tokyo fish market one morning – but we need to be there by 5am – maybe after schools out.
