Wind in the Willows

Last night Roo and I attended a children’s musical, The Wind in the Willows, produced by Tokyo Theatre for Children. I don’t recall reading this children’s classic as a kid. Not sure what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised by the delightful story of a group of woodland animal friends. Mr. Toad, full of folly, finds himself in a pinch. His best friends, rat, mole and badger, who love him in spite of his poor choices, venture beyond their comfort zone to rescue him. Allowed to interact with the actors in what was a very casual setting, the children enjoyed shouting answers to silly questions. Roo had fun!

School Performance

Yesterday Roo's class dazzled parents with yet another spectacular performance. The theme of study is the country of New Zealand. With their faces painted like NZ's indigenous Maori people they sang of Wanda the Whale and a Maori tribal song. As a side topic, they're learning about traffic safety. Nothing blocked Roo's face this time and you can see he's quite into singing and moving.

Wanda the whale, which the children clarified is not a fish, but a mammal.

You know your own street.

And everyone you meet.

You know which dogs bark.

The best way to the park.

It's your neighborhood.

That's where you feel good.

You know your own road.

You never can tell.

You got to be wise.

You could be surprised.

On your way home,

Stop, Think, Go!

Whoooooooooo

Frijoles

When we return to the USA in summer, both Ryan and I have a list of places we want to visit. Always on his list is Chipolte. The food in Tokyo is wonderful but a barbacoa-like burrito is tough to find. Until now! Friends informed us yesterday late afternoon of a recent opening nearby that mirrors Chipolte in every way, except the name. Friojoles in Azabu-Juban has on their menu made-to-order burritos and tacos with choices including chicken, beef, pork, pinto beans, black beans, cheese, guacamole, hard shell, soft shell, sour cream, and several salsas including the corn variety. In the salsa, the ingredient that seems to be rarely used in Tokyo cuisine, cilantro. After assembled, the food is wrapped in foil. Can you guess what we ate for dinner Sunday night? Yes, take out from Frioles!

Address: 2-3-5 Azabu Juban

Tama Zoo

Imagine the perfect fall day, sunny, still and just cool enough to warrant long pants and sleeves. This was our Saturday. We spent the day at Tama Zoological Park. It's 129 acres contain animals and aviary from around the globe. Some unexpected such as North America's gray wolf. The most notable attraction is the lion garden where visitors ride in a bus amongst the carnivores as they lick strategically placed meat off of the bus. We witnessed a massive bull rhino trying to ram his way out of his pen, eager to join or terrorize the other rhino monopolizing their outdoor area. While a performance for us was non existent, there is a high overhead non caged rope section for orangutans to swing and fascinate spectators below. In the Australian zone we watched adorable koalas munch eucalyptus. After a full but fun day, we chilled in the evening with family movie night.

Fall Ikebana Exhibit

This week I attended a Sogetsu School ikebana exhibit titled Melodious Flowers. One of the mothers from school had a piece of her work in the exhibit. In fact, it was her first exhibit! Inspiring and full of autumn's bounty, the show contained much creativity. Enjoy!

Milk

I enjoy learning about food, whether it’s cultural, historical, culinary or nutritional. I’m a big believer in nutrient dense whole foods. Food as it was before the age of over processing. This is why I’m excited about the milk I’ve finally found in Japan. Prior to leaving the United States, I was close to securing a resource for local “raw milk” or “real milk” as it’s coined by the Weston A. Price Foundation. After a couple failed attempts when I arrived in Japan, I put my search for raw milk on the sideline. Thanks to the assistance of my Japanese language teacher, we’re happily receiving weekly, fresh raw milk from the Omoiyari dairy in Hokkaido.

Crystals

Ionic crystals possess molecular properties that generate and conduct electrostatic forces. This is partly why computer chips are powered by silicon crystal because of their consistent conduction property. In the realm of alternative medicine, some believe crystals capable of producing energetic healing forces. The vibrational resonance is believed to influence mind and body. Besides being a geeky scientist who loved quantum mechanics, why am I writing about crystals? The simple answer is jewelry. I’ve come across a beautiful line of crystal jewelry called ENERGY MUSE. Regardless of what you believe, ENERGY MUSE has created some stunning pieces. Check it out for yourself at this LINK.