Mochi Cream

Today, from a favored vendor at Meguro station, I brought home the amazing Japanese sweet delicacy called mochi cream. Mochi is glutinous rice pounded into a paste. It appears in different forms, and of course, my favorite is the dessert version. The first time I sampled a mochi cream shortly after arriving in Japan, I wasn’t all that impressed. My sweet tooth was still accustomed to American treats which are extra sweet. Now, I can’t help but think of mochi cream when I pass through Meguro. Unfortunately my waistline is carrying the burden of this acquired desire. I do manage to restrain myself, which isn’t all that easy considering the studio where I do yoga is across the street. I suspect it’s difficult to make in the home, requiring an artisanal skill that is passed from older generation to new. Even if I could read the manual, I doubt my rice cooker can pop out a yummy mochi cream. With that in mind, I’ll indulge every so often while it’s available to me!

The Pure Land

by Alan Spence. A fictional story about a non-fictional character, Thomas Glover. He was an adventurous Scottish trader that braved the complexities of dealing in pre Meiji Japan. The main story starts during the period when Japan is reluctantly opening to the west and the environment is hostile towards the European and American “barbarians“. Thomas Glover has been called the “Scottish Samurai”. He was instrumental in uniting the enemy clans to dismantle the Shogunate and restore authority to the Emperor. While the story is fictional, it’s full of description and historical reference. What I found fascinating, and the book helps make this point, is the speed at which Japan transformed itself and embraced modernism. For a culture that’s stereotypically considered slow to change, the reality is quite the contrary. It transfigured from the medieval to the modern in a century. Adding to the drama, the story connects the tragedy of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. It, and European militaristic engagements in the mid 1800’s paints a subtle and quiet reminder of all that Japan has endured to achieve it’s transfiguration to modernism.

The Piñata Process

This month Roo’s class has been studying Spain, and Friday the unit will conclude with a fiesta to celebrate. The teachers sent a notice communicating the day’s planned activities, which will include the breaking of a piñata. Most children relish in the excitement of swinging a big stick at a hanging object. Roo doesn’t. We’ve been to several parties with piñatas and it’s always the same, he wants to leave the room. The lure of candy isn’t strong enough for him to participate. I can’t blame him. He’s smart enough to know a toddler or preschooler with a big stick can be dangerous. And, I remember the view at one party of either Diego or Dora hanging by their neck, the torso already obliterated, only the precious head with the candy remained. Gruesome? Yes. So, as I’m typing an email to forewarn his teachers, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the silliness of my words explaining Roo‘s fear of the “piñata process“. I didn’t suggest that he be asked to leave the room, but rather given adequate notice of the event. This way he can decide for himself. It may be a good opportunity for him to tackle his fear. He may not want to pass up the chance to “be tough” with the other boys, since that seems to be a topic of conversation these days. Stay tuned, we’ll find out on Friday!

Basic Buddhism: Law of Conditionality

Today I attended my first session of the Basic Buddhism course, offered by the International Buddhist Congregation of Rissho Kosei-kai, conducted by Reverend Kasuji Suzuki. Today’s lesson was an explanation of the Law of Conditionality or Dependent Origin. My summary of understanding of today’s talk is two fold. First, Buddhism teaches that all we are or experience is a result of cause and effect. To me, this is much different than Judeo-Christian tradition that teaches the concept of an omnipotent god who creates and controls good or bad. This conditionality can be demonstrated by something as simple as tonight I decide to drink too much, tomorrow I feel sick. Where it becomes complicated is the second part of today’s discussion which was about the interdependence of all things or the concept of Anatta, the absence of self identity. Or as they instruct in yoga, “letting go of the ego”. Simply, each individual is an inseparable component of humanity and if an individual decides to act in a way that is for self instead of all, the delicate balance is disturbed and conflict created. Therefore, an individual may be the cause of an effect experienced by others. One woman explained that anatta is less about suppression, but rather more about harmony. I liked that, a focus on the positive. All in all, a very interesting discussion today and a lovely group of people. I’ll be attending twice a month.

NWA encounters turbulence

Narita is the international airport near Tokyo. Below is an example of why it's a good idea to have your seat belt fastened at all times.......

Published in the Japan Times online on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009

Turbulence hurts 43 over Narita

NARITA, Chiba Pref. (Kyodo) Rough air left 43 passengers and crew members injured, one seriously, aboard a Northwest Airlines jumbo jet Friday as the flight from Manila was in a holding pattern off Chiba Prefecture awaiting clearance to land at Narita airport, officials said.

The injured, who apparently were not strapped in although the seat belt sign had been turned on, were taken to hospitals near the airport. It was reported that one casualty suffered a broken neck.

The Boeing 747-400 with 408 passengers and 14 crew members aboard landed at Narita International Airport at around 12:20 p.m. Friday, the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry said.

The jet did not notify controllers about the accident or the injured before landing, the ministry's Narita office said.

Such notification is not mandatory, the office said. Even so, the carrier's inaction may draw criticism because it is de facto standard procedure in such a situation, according to aviation experts.

Ambulances and other emergency vehicles could have been mobilized on the runway much earlier if the pilot had declared an emergency before landing, they said.

Vincent Salazar, a 55-year-old American passenger, said he heard screams when the plane suddenly descended and then made an ascent about 30 minutes before landing. Some people who did not have their seat belts fastened hit their heads on the ceiling and injured their necks. "It really happened so fast and it was over," Salazar said. "We were flying and then the seat belt sign came on and when we were trying to get back to the seats, the plane dropped and so some people went up and hit the (ceiling). "I actually was pretty calm because I've flown a lot, but the lady next to me was screaming. . . . And unfortunately some people weren't in their seat belts. They were just flying."

Northwest said the "fasten seat belt" light was on when the turbulence hit.

More Hovercraft

Our project for Sunday was to build a realistic looking hovercraft from a kit I ordered at Home Science Tools. According to Roo, our last hovercraft made from a balloon and a CD didn’t look real enough. This hovercraft has two little motors driven by battery packs, and rotor blades which Roo finds fascinating. It worked, but our tub proved to be inadequate as the contraption moves fast. We’ll have to find a clean, calm stream for our next test run. I couldn’t help but think a Minnesota lake would come in handy for this project.

Roo helped with the punch outs and installing the copper brads.

Finally, the blades are in and the motor hooked up successfully. Roo confidently managed the battery packs by installing the batteries and attaching to the craft. He was a little disappointed there wasn't a real engine. More assembly. Playing with the craft on dry land, until we can find a large body of water. Roo's idea is to use a swimming pool.

The craft with the wave jumper hull, therefore reclassifying it to speed boat.

Business trip to Shanghai

Last week Ryan took a two night business trip to Shanghai. The flight is three hours and the time difference only one hour. A relatively short distance to a different world. In Japan we’re spoiled with cleanliness and safety. The view from the office spoke volumes of the transformation underway in this historic port city. On one side modern skyscrapers with architectonic gardens, the other side, shanties. While he enjoyed most of the food, he did manage to steer clear of the duck tongue. His hotel room on the 51st floor of one of the modern hotels provided a constant reminder of the ever present smog. It and a lack of sunshine made the trip a little dreary, but nonetheless interesting.

Modern buildings,

next to shanties.

Happy Birthday, Kari!

Today is my niece Kari's 13th birthday.

THEN

NOW

Yep, officially a teenager. Have a fun day!

Artist Allen West

This week I had the opportunity to attend a presentation given by artist Allen West. He is an established painter of traditional Japanese art (Nihonga in Japanese). More specifically, his style is from the Kano school and he has been referred to as the last remaining painter of the Kano school in Japan. Interesting given that he’s gaijin, a foreigner from America. His work is mostly commissioned and large scale, often Japanese folding screens called byobu, or hanging scrolls called kakemono. His demonstration revealed the arduous nature of his work. He spends most of his time kneeling on a wooden plank he’s placed on top of the piece on which he’s working, which is lying on the floor. He communicated it takes about two to three months to finish one screen. The materials are pricey as they contain bits of coral, precious stone, or gold or silver leaf. Well worth it since these characteristics cause the art to magnificently radiate in sunlight. His work is stunning and I hope to make it to his studio, which is an old car repair station with walls of glass, or visit his exhibit that will be in our neighborhood in May.

NPR's Health Care For All

Since I just did a post relating to health care, I'd like to share the link for reports I've enjoyed reading produced by National Public Radio (NPR). They've assembled a series that captures how countries in Western Europe have managed their health programs. They are insightful and varied. They encompass Germany, France, Netherlands, UK, and Switzerland. If interested, follow this LINK and scroll down. As an American, I find it helpful to read about more than just Canada's national health care since it's reputation is tainted with long waits and delayed access. Sure the reality is less than utopia, but some countries have achieved reasonable success, which is encouraging.

Hospital Bill

Our assignment to Tokyo includes global health insurance provided by Ryan’s employer. We are not participating in the Japanese National Health Insurance but can receive services from doctors, clinics, or hospitals that are part of the national program. We pay the expenses ourselves and file a claim for reimbursement with our US based health insurance company. This is what we’ll do for Roo’s recent tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. Going into it, we had no concrete information about the cost, but we did have a general gut feel. We initially thought we’d have to pay the bill prior to the hospital discharge, but while we were standing around waiting for someone to tell us where to pay, an English speaking nurse kindly explained that since we’re being discharged on a Sunday the bill will come to us in the mail. Today our curiosity was put to rest and we received a bill for 453,420Yen. At today’s exchange rate that is $4,944.16. I looked online and from what I can tell, this procedure in the United States would cost about $13,000. I understand without the detail of what’s included it’s hard to make a fair comparison. What I do know is that our bill includes a four night hospital stay in a private room in a modern facility that gives the impression everything clicks like clockwork. In the US we were told to expect the procedure to be outpatient requiring zero nights in the hospital. As America embarks on it’s journey towards a national health policy, I feel fortunate to have had the exposure to what success looks like. It can be done, and it can be done well.

Spinach & Basmati Rice Soup

I’m always looking for tasty ways to consume more vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables chock full of micro nutrients. So, this evening I’m relishing the taste of a surprisingly pleasant dish I prepared for the first time, Spinach and Basmati Rice Soup. What’s made me even happier is that I didn’t follow the recipe from my Moosewood Restaurant New Classics Cookbook to the T. Instead, I improvised to fit my families’ preferences, using the recipe as a suggestion. For some, this might not be an accomplishment worthy of a blog post, but for me it signifies progress in my quest for culinary skill. I learned to cook from a book. Oh, and I mustn’t forget seventh grade home economics. I don’t recall watching my mother cook and I’ve always been a little jealous of stories, real or in novels, where families convene in the kitchen for hours chopping, dicing, talking, creating. And, as a chemist I tend to value precise measurements. This helps to explain why my goal to cook more off the cuff is a bit of a stretch and why tonight’s sensation was a surprise. I don’t have any photos of the soup to entice readers. It’s difficult to make pureed green look appetizing. But, if you’re inclined to try, below is a rough guess recipe I‘ll use when I try to repeat.

Spinach and Basmati Rice Soup, served with naan
1 T vegetable oil
1 c chopped leeks
1 T garlic grated*
½ t cumin
½ t coriander
¼ t paprika
½ t salt
Pinch of cayenne
1 potato, peeled & diced
3 c water
2 vegetable bouillon**
1 large bunch of spinach, washed
½ c basmati rice, uncooked
1 small box of coconut cream***
Pepper to taste
Naan, warmed in oven
Saute leek and garlic in oil for 2 minutes. Stir in cumin, coriander, paprika, cayenne, and salt. Add water, bouillon, and potato. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until potato is tender. Add spinach, stems and all, cover and cook until wilted and stems are tender, it only takes a few minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Puree in two batches in the blender. Return to sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Stir in coconut cream. Add rice and more water, if needed, to achieve preferred consistency. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add pepper to taste. Serve with warm naan.
* I use a wasabi grater to grate cloves.
** I used a no salt added product by the German company Natur Compagnie.
*** Could probably use standard size can of coconut milk.

Volcano experiment

With no school this week we decided to tackle our volcano project that I had intentionally set aside for after our visit to Mt. Kilauea in Hawaii. Waiting several days for the paper mache to dry was a test in patience but well worth the excitement. Friends were at our home during different stages in the project and Roo was anxious to share. “Pretty cool” according to Roo.

Roo building the cone shape with paper mache. It took several days to dry.

Yoshito helped to paint the cone dark brown. Later that night, Roo added the red for the hot lava look.
The next day he and Kieran played scientist and created fizzy eruptions with baking soda and red vinegar.

Then they dressed up as super heroes.

The kit was from a New Zealand company called seedling.

The Children's Castle

Today we visited Komodo no Shiro (children’s castle) with some friends from the neighborhood. This is an awesome, inexpensive, enormous, public play building for children. There are seven levels, including the two underground. We spent most of our time on the rooftop which has two large ball pits and a tricycle riding space. We made our way to the art room where the craft for today was cellophane vegetables. Roo constructed a carrot, which was quickly reclassified as a “rocket”, and Yoshito kun made a daikon radish. Another favorite is the art wall at which the children paint freely. No visit to the castle is complete without a stop in the music room to experiment with quality instruments including drums, pianos, and wooden xylophones. We didn’t even make it to the audio room, the open gym, or the pool. A day at the castle definitely ends with exhaustion, but the good kind that comes from playing hard.

Yoshito's mommy, Haruko, was a good sport in the ball pit.

Roo on a tricycle.
The painting wall.

Notice the look on Roo's face as he's pretending to eat the carrot.

In addition to these drums, there are several varieties of African drums.

Roo on the xylophone.

Our visit to Tsubasa's home

This week there is no school for Roo, and Ryan had off Wednesday because of a national holiday. This gave us a chance to make our way to near Chiba for an overnight visit with Roo’s friend that attended the same preschool, Tsubasa. Tsuabasa’s family has moved to a new home they built on property that has been in the family for many (at least ten) generations. It’s very unique in that it’s surrounded by acres of trees that have survived pestering developers. Buildings remain that were constructed during the edo period. Their home, designed by Tsubasa’s father, is bright and modern, two elements both Ryan and I love. We had a wonderful visit and enjoyed much delicious food prepared by Tsubasa’s mother. Of course the boys enjoyed playing. Roo was hesitant to trek through the forest, but soon became distracted by the abundance of sticks and dirt to dig, or “jack hammer” as he called it.

Tsubasa & Roo happy to see each other and play with toys.

A walk in the forest.

Digging & "jackhammering".


Delicious Japanese nabe and shabu shabu.

The boys chasing Tsubasa's papa.

Roo playing with Tsubasa's little brother.

Imagination - An Aircraft Carrier

If you can, imagine this construction of magna tiles is actually an aircraft carrier. According to Roo it carries “warrior airplanes” and is always out to sea, except when it comes back to shore for gas. The tall part, official name “the island”, is the command station from where the carrier is driven.

Cheese comes home

Or as it’s pronounced in Japanese chi · zu. Cheese is the loyal dog friend of Anpanman, Japan’s popular anime super hero character for small children. Roo has a collection of the characters, each about 2cm tall. While we’ve managed to retain most of the complete set, a few have gone missing. Because they are small and easy to clean, they often accompany us to restaurants. There is a restaurant near our home called Burger Mania where you can enjoy a juicy American style “humbaga” . We go there often, but I wouldn’t call us regulars. Prior to our visit last night, we probably hadn’t eaten there in three or four months. So last night as Roo and I were leaving, I was surprised when one of the staff presented us with a 2cm plastic puppy and asked if we might have left it behind on an earlier visit. Why yes, in fact we are missing Cheese! I felt humbled by the thoughtfulness. Seriously, would that happen anywhere else in a major city in the world? Most restaurants cramped for space would probably pitch the plastic, or less intentionally, not remember which customer amongst many left it behind. And, as we were leaving the staff took a picture of Roo wearing his explorer hard hat with the miner’s light on top. We had pretended the trek was an exploration. I guess he looked kawaii (cute).

An Early Valentine

Since next week is mid term break, Roo came home from school on Friday with an early valentine. I believe it’s the first in which we can read his writing clearly and comprehend the “I LUV U”. Once again, his creative teachers managed to capture the children in a sprightly mood of silliness. Paired with a friend and wearing pink or red, everyone posed for a photo, the gift for their lovesome parents.

Photo of flowers

This is the beautiful display of flowers in our lobby that greeted me this morning when I left the apartment. Thank you Mrs. Okazaki for this splash of spring!

Artist Yayoi Kusama

During January the theme for study in Roo’s classroom was Japanese culture. He missed much because of his surgery, but was present when the children were introduced to the work of artist Yayoi Kusama. She is one of Japan’s most noted contemporary artists and her work is easy to spot because it’s filled with spots, or more correctly, dots. She struggles with mental illness and has communicated that her work is a product of hallucinations. Her storied life makes her achievement as the living female artist who’s work sold for a top record figure of $5,100,000, impressive. At Roo’s school, the children created a collage for the classroom inspired by her work, and they had the opportunity to create a room full of dots on the computer by visiting this LINK. In the collage below, Roo’s is the mushroom below the photo of the artist sporting blue hair.

Setsubun

Today, the 3rd of February, is Setsubun (literally meaning "sectional separation"). It is the eve before the last day of cold weather, or the first day of spring as noted in the Japanese Lunar calendar. On this night households partake in a ceremony called mame-maki, or soybean throwing. Someone, usually the papa of the family, wears a scary oni mask. While he’s pelted with the soybeans, other shout "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" meaning something like "Out with the oni and in with fortune to our home!" Oni, a demon of evil, highly resembles the caricature of the devil in Christianity. I find this oddly coincidental and someday will do the research to understand how traditions that were historically separated ended up with similar faces for evil. Anyway, at school this day Roo will get a chance to throw soybeans at the oni. If Ryan makes it home before bedtime, to be part of the custom, we may toss beans. However, I must admit last year it felt awkward. I couldn’t get my mind off the vacuuming and the fear of finding soybeans ground into the carpet, months later.

International Buddhist Congregation

Today I attended Sunday service of the International Buddhist Congregation. What led me to this event was my interest in meeting and listening to Dr. Gene Reeves, a Unitarian minister. As I’ve come to discover, he’s one of few Unitarians residing in Tokyo. The group was small and indescribably kind. I think the potential of my attendance must have been communicated prior to my arrival. The lovely woman welcoming me, who I had communicated with via email, introduced me only as “Darla-san” . The members quick response of recognition led me to believe “Darla-san” had been discussed. This group shares their Buddhist faith in English for the benefit of foreigners, regardless of nationality or religion. Their intent is one of knowledge sharing, rather than conversion per say. They’ve invited me back for Sutra discussion, which I will likely attend towards the end of this month. I’ll also comment of my discovery regarding a topic unrelated to Sutra, feet. As I'd expect, shoes must be removed before entering the worship space. For comparison, imagine leaving your shoes in the vestibule prior to nearing the sanctuary. I realized I had yet to be in a situation where I saw so many Japanese feet at once. Very small feet! I mentioned to Ryan later that I have a better understanding of why his clients are surprised by his big feet (size 14). The secretary at the client he goes to this week once did research to find a “big foot” store for him to buy a pair of slippers. He’s found slippers, but fat chance on finding shoes!