From museums to madness and the mundane in between

Tired. But still wanting to share. Resorting to lists today.

Things we've done this week that we've loved

• Disneyland
• Ueno Koen (park)
• For it's fun outdoor play ground

• For the somewhat tired and dated slot machine rides

• Natural History Museum (Ueno)
• Incredible interactive displays over 5 floors, and an informative Japanese section
• Friendly and engaging volunteers who were wonderful with the children
• 360 degree theatre show of dinosaurs and the deep sea
• Required two days to visit (with the children's enthusiastic consent!)

• Shopping at Uniqlo
• Updating our tired travelling clothes and replacing lost items
• So shopping there again, clothes that actually fit me!
• Japanese in public so stylish. Kiwi travelling family of 5 somewhat shabby, but not now!
• 8th story restaurant in Shinjuku next to Uniqlo
• Fantastic food

• Awesome view of trains (kept Master T and Master A 100% amused)

• Y2500 discount from free vouchers from Uniqlo for our big spend up!

• Meiji Shrine in Yoyogi (near Harajuku)
• Well, the MOTH and I loved this. So serene. Children not so serene.

• Commemoration of 100 years since the Empress' passing - amazing displays of Japanese History (Miss K enjoyed this).
• Dancing with Earthday group (Miss K and I)

• Kiddyland in Harajuku
• Five stories of everything kawaii (cute) you can imagine.
• Despite being absolutely crowded, the children were intrigued with all the characters and want to go back!

Things we've learnt:

• Catch trains between 9:30am and 4pm (before 5pm) in Tokyo
• Eat dinner in (so little people aren't exhausted on crowded trains post 6pm)
• Get early nights
• Say yes more and go slow
• Crowds make everyone tired
• Changeable weather (we've gone from short sleeves to merinos over one week) can make people temperamental
• Paper and pens are fantastic entertainment
• Work as a team
• Even when being together as a family, each child needs their own time and attention with Mum and Dad.
• Children are incredibly resourceful when it comes to play. Kids have been using giant bags of nappies as 'trains' and rearranging our meagre furniture for other games.
• Takeshita street in Harajuku is very crowded on Sunday!(Not my photo, but this is pretty much what it looked like. I was too overwhelmed to dare let go of a child's hand and photograph anything down this road!)

Japan reminds me to be grateful for:

• Space
• Our own rooms, gardens and a ground level washing line back home

Our washing line outside Miss K and Master A's room. That's an air-conditioning unit to the left.

• We think so many people go out in the weekends because it's too cramped to stay home
• My own kitchen
• There are certain challenges to cooking with minimal utensils, not to mention bench space (behind the boys, you can see how much bench space I have to work with - that includes a two element gas stove (of which only one works), and an oversized sink.

Our kitchen. The boys made a train!

• Having visited Japan on my own
• Travelling on your own in Japan, there is so much more freedom and ease to access stores, tourist sights and transport.
• Travelling with children is much harder. But it's wonderful to share my memories and joys with them and to see them respond to the newness, strangeness and excitement that is Japan.

More stuff we've lost

• Miss K's polar fleece
• Master A's polar fleece
• My sunglasses
• Am also sure some elements of sanity starting to erode...

But we're still smiling!

The Wonderful World of Disney - Japan Style

Apologies for the long post - I had intended to stick up a few pictures, but I thought more was needed. Thank goodness today is a down day - very much required after two Disney days...

Having been at a Steiner school for a good four years before home educating, our family had been somewhat (relatively) under-exposed to the World of Disney. But we'd had enough exposure (recently thanks Air NZ) to thoroughly enjoy the magic of Disney (although the kids had no idea who the Storm Troopers, Indiana Jones, most of the Toy Story Characters and Lilo and Stitch were).

Disneyland, Tokyo

On a Monday, Disneyland opened at 10am. We wanted to make the most of our day pass, but were a bit worried about commuter traffic (it's around an hour and a half train ride). Although we caught the 8:58 train to Tokyo, it was pretty much standing room only for a good 20 minutes. My biceps will put Rambo to shame after holding Tama for a good part of the past two days! Certainly something to experience and a bit intimidating for the kids. Still, nothing could dampen our spirits... we were off to Disneyland!

There is something magical about Disneyland. The music, the parades, the characters that have come to life. My first ever visit to Disneyland (in Tokyo) was when I was 28. I loved it and this time I loved experiencing it all with my family. MOTH had to dash off a few times (not for grotty-potty lurgy thank goodness - that's gone) to grab a few thrill rides using the Fast Past. This is a pass that lets you 'book' a ride at a later time in the day with a MUCH shorter queue. This is only on some rides (usually the less family friendly ones), but good for MOTHs who want to experience a quick thrill and their waiting families!

Recommendation for Disney with small people #1
Be prepared to queue


This, I have to say, is one of the downers of Disneyland. We stood in a queue for at least half an hour for Peter Pan's flight - lovely ride, done in about 2 minutes and almost a disappointment for such a long wait. The best times to do rides is about half an hour before and during parades (they run at least twice a day - except the light parade- so catch one and ride during the other). Often there are also long lines to meet and greet the characters. When there aren't there doesn't seem to be any rules about letting others who are already waiting go first - it's every person for themselves, we started to get bolshy by day two!

Recommendation for Disney with small people # 2
Rides worth riding
 Most rides are very child-friendly. Master T (age 20 months) sat alongside us on everything from the Spinning cups to the Snow White ride (NOT recommended - it's entirely from the witch's perspective and a tad scary). The rides (usually with the shortest lines and longest durations) we enjoyed the most as a family were: 'It's a small world', the Western Steam Train and the River Boat Paddle Steamer. Toontown is great for little people, as is most of
Fantasyland and the Swiss Family Robinson tree-house absolutely appealed to our children's sense of adventure. The MOTH and Master A bonded over a few little roller coaster rides and one big one (Space Mountain)!


Recommendation for Disney with small people #3: Do the parades
Because it is close to Easter, Disneyland put on a special Easter themed parade, complete with 'bunny dance'. The music just makes you wanna join in and jiggle and jive. Disney Parades are awesome and I love a good parade. Most spectacular is the Disney Light Parade that starts at 7:30pm. The MOTH disappeared off to some thrilling attraction (vacant because everyone was waiting for the parade, so he rode twice and ended up standing on the opposite side of the parade from the rest of us), while the kids and I waited 30 minutes, with front row seats for the parade. It was worth it. The parade is a visually thrilling spectacular. Master T was so excited by the Chip and Dale float he gave it a standing ovation! It's a fantastic high to leave on.
 

Chip and Dale from Master T's perspective

Disney Sea - Tokyo



Recommendation for Disney with small people #4
Spread out the fun if you're doing two or more days....
Being penny conscious, we opted for the two-day pass (one day Tokyo Disneyland, and day Tokyo Disney Sea), which saved on average about $20 per person. Great savings but not so good for tired small people, as the pass must be used on consecutive days. We certainly could have benefited from a few days between 'lands' to recover, particularly as it's a bit of hike from Shin-Nakano (a metro ride to Tokyo, then a good 10 minute walk to the Keiyo JR line before another train ride. In, all about an hour and a half traveling each way).

 If doing both Disneyland and Disney Sea is on your wish list in Tokyo, with little people in tow, consider either staying in Mahaima (or Chiba - close to the Disney Resort) or swallowing the cost difference and going on different days. The cost-benefit will be having children who aren't so exhausted by the end of day two that the magic could almost be lost...

View from monorail

 We started off an hour later to Disney Sea so train seating was more available and the children definitely needed the sleep in. From the JR station at Mahaima, you need to catch the Disney Mono rail to reach Disney Sea and that also has a price tag, but we saved a little by buying a round trip. Akira loved sitting right up the front and we got a good perspective of the size of the Disney Resort.

Waiting for a carpet ride

Recommendation for Disney with small people #5
Best attractions at Disney Sea 
I had heard mixed things about Disney Sea, in particular that it was not so suitable for small children. Yes there are some amazing rides there for the more adventurous (the MOTH actually admitted he screamed for the first time on a ride doing the Tower of Terror), but we had a fantastic time exploring the Little Mermaid's World (absolutely no queue for that attraction) and other associated rides like the puffer fish; Sindbad's Tales of adventure was so amazing and queue-less we went twice; the electric train and riverboat rides were fun and Jasmine's carpets also thrilling.

One of the highlights was seeing the Big Band Show with Mickey and friends in a fantastic revue of the era. A first class show (although Master A said it was too loud, so his recommendation is to take cotton wool). We had to wait a good half hour before it opened for decent seats, a relatively short wait for a brilliant show. We came across people waiting, in the heat, then the cold, almost three hours before an outdoor performance!
 
Recommendation for Disney Sea with small people #6
Toilet stops are mandatory 10 minutes before show time
The pinnacle of Disney Sea is their light show set on the water, followed by the fireworks (fireworks were cancelled on our visit due to strong winds). People wait almost two hours before for a good seat. We waited 45 minutes, about 10 rows from the front for not great views, but we could see most of the imagery. In hindsight, we should probably have opted for a standing position slightly away from the front of the performance further round the port. About 4 minutes into what turned out to be a 10 minute show, Miss K had a call of nature, so she and I exited the seating area. We dashed madly to and from the loo, only to discover we were not admitted back in and had to stand on the side.

Miss K explores Ariel's world

As the grown up, I had the choice to bibidi-bob-ibidi-boo and make the best of the situation. As it was, I was tired and disappointed and muttered how unfair it was, which sent an even more tired and disappointed Miss K into a hysterical screaming fit (not ideal in a happy place like Disney. Not ideal in Japan. Not ideal in general). After the show ended a sobbing Miss K was consoled with some fairy magic from an attendant (to come back again) and another visit to Mermaid Lagoon, before we made a very late trip home.

Just a note - the 11pm Marunouchi subway line train is as crowded as the 9am train!

Recommendation for Disney in general with small people #7
Take a bag of all seasons' weather gear
Tokyo Disneyland resort is located close to the sea. It can be extremely hot during the day and it can be difficult to find sheltered spots. Thankfully we had sun hats and sunblock in tow, as well as rain coats and extra layers of merino for when the night set in. There is nothing more uncomfortable than waiting for something and being cold.

Recommendation for Disney in general with small people #8
Take your own food


Disney water

Disneyland/Sea is a wonderful place to spend money. There are dozens of stores selling every imaginable item of Disney paraphernalia and almost every Japanese person in the park has a Monster Inc. tail or set of Mickey's ears of a Donald Duck on their head. I don't know what they do with it once they get home. Thankfully due to luggage space being at a premium, we did  not succumb to this custom.

The children and MOTH are all rather partial to onigiri (rice cakes) so we stocked up on those, snacks, fruit and bottled water from the local convenience store and took them in with us for lunch. Onigiri keep you pretty full and we only needed a top up of churros and a hot dog in the evening, keeping our food bill very low. To give you an idea of costs, we ran out of water and had to fork out 220 yen for a 250 ml bottle; the 2 litre one we took in only cost us 100 yen (about NZ$1.10). I think the extra charge at Disney is for the art work...

Recommendation for Disney Sea with small people #9
Smile and feel that Disney Magic
There is no doubt that a day at Disney is exciting, thrilling, disappointing, scary, funny and exhilarating. It's unforgettable. It's surprising and it's magic, as Master A's face kinda aptly sums up...

Bye Bye Australia, Hello Tokyo!

As of tomorrow we will begin week five of our overseas adventure! This last week has

been a blur of hotels, airplanes and fast train rides.
Exploring Essendon
In my last post, the poor MOTH had been struck down by a horrible stomach bug which laid him low for the rest of our stay in Australia. This meant most activities needed to be undertaken either (a) on my own with the kids, or in pretty close proximity to our house in Essendon. On our last few days we discovered mega mall Highpoint and I finally had the chance to wander a Melbourne Market - St Kilda's with my dear friend Jo. She and her husband also took Miss K and Master A on a Tram ride, a special highlight before we left the land of dingoes and kangaroos.

Bye Bye Australia, Hello NZ (briefly)
On Tuesday, we set out from Melbourne to arrive back in Auckland. International flight logic made it cheaper to return to NZ first before flying onto Japan, and we found ourselves at the Jet Park Hotel. If you ever need a family friendly hotel, close to the airport, this is it. They run a free shuttle to and from the airport, have a swimming pool, free lobby Wi-Fi, a small outdoor play area and an excellent collection of indoor toys and books. The restaurant is very child-friendly (ensuring little ones are fed first so parents can enjoy their meal) and the food is top quality.

Next stop... Japan
At 4:30am our friendly 'wake up call' had us rousing sleepy children to head to the airport. We had been held up at security (with long lines) in Melbourne and were probably the last people on board our flight. While this has its advantages (no sitting about in departure lounges), from a stress-level point of view, it's not so advantageous and we ensured we got through security with about 10 minutes to spare before our boarding call to Japan.

I was paid a lovely compliment on the plane by a fellow passenger while waiting for the toilet (as one does, particularly near the end of a 10 hour flight): he said he had no idea that there were young children on board, least of all a one-year old. Yep, our kids travelled beautifully! Miss K and Master A were entertained by all the movies and TV programmes we never let them watch at home. Master T had a collection of finger puppets, wind up toys, stickers and an etcha-sketch to entertain him; but his favourite past time was pushing the viewing screen sending Peppa Pig (which Mummy had to view all the way to and from Australia and for about 7 hours to Japan) into fast-forward frequency. My saving grace was when the MOTH took a sleeping Master T and I watched Saving Mr Banks - now there's a good movie!(Note MOTH somehow managed to watch 3.5 inflight movies.... hmmm go figure).

If you ever take this flight with small people, ensure you have a good supply of snacks. There is quite a long gap between being served 'breakfast' and 'dinner' (about an hour either end of the journey) and the in-flight meals are nothing to write home about - so I won't.

Hello Japan!
Our flight landed just before 5pm at Narita Airport. Rather than encounter rush hour traffic, by this I mean people, as much as vehicles in Tokyo, we opted to stay a night at the Narita Tobu Hotel and face the train system the following day. We also sent our luggage on from the airport to our accommodation to avoid lugging 3 backpacks, two car seats, a stroller and 3 children onto the trains. This hotel offered a free shuttle to and from the airport (a key criteria for me when booking), and while Miss K had her first 'oka-sama meal' here (meals designed for children), the food at the hotel was also nothing to get excited about. Suffice to say the hotel was clean and excellent value for money.

The boys on the Narita Xpress

Thursday found us navigating the airport and railways via elevators (the stroller is a necessity because Master T is too heavy to carry and his legs too short to go fast, but most of Japan travels on the escalators and stairs, and elevators are NOT very efficient), and negotiating with ticket machines. I had intended to buy a cheaper one-way fare for the Narita Express, but the queues at the JR office snaked out the doors with a half hour wait, so we opted for normal prices and speed, reaching Shinjuku by lunchtime, where we found a restaurant with Master A's name - of course we dined there. Hospitality 10/10, food well 6/10...

After full tummies we successfully conquered the Tokyo Metro and more ticket machines (thank goodness they have an English option) to finally reach our tiny apartment in Shin-Nakano (about a 6 minute ride from Shinjuku). We have been treated to fantastic hospitality by our host (this property was also found on airbnb) and for a little over $100 a night (a bargain for 5 people in Tokyo), we are in a cosy two bedroom, one bathroom and kitchen - known as a 'mansion' here. Roomier than the campervan at least.

Friday was supposed to be one of those 'recovery days' the MOTH and I try and build into the schedule, because three days being itinerant is exhausting (for me, never mind the kids!) BUT, we discovered our adapter for the laptops was not suitable and we journeyed into Shinjuku to find a replacement at a local department store. Here, the children had their first introduction to Japanese toys, gachapon and Akira acquired some new shoes. This was also the day the MOTH got himself a haircut. It included an ear trim and a 'vacuum' of his head all for Y1000! (see photo at end of post for his new, improved look).

Saturday became a rest day with exploratory walks around the area, visiting local stores and hanging (literally) with some children at the playground. As the children played with their new toys and poured over Japanese children's magazines for the afternoon, it became evident how important this 'settling' into their new environment was. We had all become a bit fractious with each other and this 'down day' helped rest the family kindness barometer.

The beauty of the Cherry Blossom
When I was in my mid-twenties, my mother and I arrived in Japan during early March. I was struck by the beauty of tentatively awakening cherry blossoms, surrounded by skirts of slowly dissipating snow. It took my breath away. Cherry blossoms were also what Miss K first commented on during the drive to the hotel when we arrived, but today's viewing at Shinjuku Gyoen park was absolutely breath-taking. Photos do not do justice to the beauty, tranquillity and sheer awe we all felt in that park. Late March to mid-April is a spectacular time to visit Japan.

Lunching like the locals do on a Sunday in Japan

Leaving you with some of the beauty we found today... tomorrow it's Disney Magic!

Big sister takes little brother on a bird hunt through the woods

Check out that dashing man!

Terrific Trains, Dashing Dingoes and Lingering Lurgies

Melbourne. We made it on Monday afternoon. Kudos to the MOTH for driving that hulk of a campervan all the way into Melbourne. More Kudos to him for managing to get one day's free rental out of Britz (after some pressure on his part; they were not forthcoming in offering it).

Campervan space

The space we're staying in
Our first day in Melbourne was one of enforced rest (for me and the kids - I had a migraine and my intention of going to the Victoria Market for produce was foiled) while MOTH went off to file a police report for the missing money belt, get a NavMan and groceries. The kids spread out and enjoyed our two bedroom villa in Essendon; a contrast to their space in the campervan (note the photos showing them playing in the area that converted to the MOTH & my bed, and our new - proper- sleeping space).

Essendon space

 We've opted mainly for self-catering options on this journey, this makes meal times much cheaper, although if you are considering doing self-catering on a long international journey, start collecting salt and pepper sachets from cafes (sugar too if you need that) and soya sauce from the sushi cartons. I'm finding cooking without flavourings and fridge fixing (and my thermo-mix) somewhat challenging and it's quite difficult to purchase small amounts that will suffice for between one to three weeks. Jars of herbs and spices are not exactly ideal for transporting around the world in your luggage.

Self-contained accommodation also means no shared bathrooms, privacy, in some cases space to run around, and a chance to try out the suburbs. The downside is that hiring a car is necessary (and dragging car seats about), but with five of us, it generally works out cheaper than all taking public transport.

In Melbourne, we have wonderful friends that have kindly lent us their Toyota Yaris (another contrast to the campervan), which is fantastic. The MOTH has managed to get a botty-vomitty lurgy, which is not. The MOTH has convalesced all day in bed (dispelling any plans of a market visit again today), but before the bug really set in we managed two days of magic.

Terrific Trains

Master A drives a train at Trainworks

Trains are somewhat of a theme for us, spurred on by Master A's passion for all things rail. Trainworks (1.5 hours south of Sydney- mentioned in a previous post) was a world class museum of trains and well worth the visit on that campervan rumble down to Melbourne.




This Wednesday, we drove out of Melbourne to ride Puffing Billy - a steam engine with open air carriages and permission to dangle one's legs over the side. It takes about an hour to drive to Belgrave (Puffing Billy's departure station), and almost double that coming back in peak traffic - but the ride all the way to and from Gembrook was worth it, not to mention the dinner, another pair of friends whipped for us that night too :-)

Akira pretends we're going faster than 24km/ph

Dashing Dingoes
Wildlife and conservation also figure strongly in our family's travel activities. Featherdale in Sydney was great, but Healesville, about an hour out of Melbourne, is absolutely breath taking. Paying tribute to the Aborigine caretakers of the land, the santcuary is a blend of Aborigine creation stories, conservation messages and stunning Australian wildlife in a relaxed setting. The crowning highlight was the 'wildlife encounter' they offer.

At AU$12pp for a 10 minute encounter (children under 8 have to be supervised by a paying adult), the MOTH initially was a bit sceptical , when he booked for an echidna encounter. Ms Echidna was not co-operative in coming out to see us (mainly because the 31C heat we encountered on our arrival to Melbourne has dropped to about 20Cand she was cold ). We chose the dingo over a refund - all proceeds go to helping save the wildlife.

Originally named Tingo by the Aborigine (and misheard by the settlers...), these are beautiful cousins of the wolf. Our encounter allowed us to enter their enclosure with the ranger, touch and be photographed with the animals. At the same time we learnt a great deal about the plight of the dingo - it is anticipated that they will be extinct in ten to fifteen years due to in-breeding, and we heard many positive stories about them.

 Healesville will probably, most definitely, make our Top Ten.

Mother Musings -a list of random thoughts...
Things I'm glad I packed

The Mum who muses...

• Lavender oil - great for sore tums, disinfecting, relaxing baths
• imodeum (for obvious reasons)
• spare microfiber face cloths
• spare towels
• antibacterial wet wipes
• hand sanitizer
• cool-store lunch bag, extra zip lock bags and small plastic containers

Things I wish I had packed - but thankfully we can purchase

• Tea towels
• a few more pairs of socks
• scissors (I did pack some, but they've disappeared)
• salt, pepper and soya sauce sachets

Things we've lost so far

• Money belt
• MOTH's shower gel (at a camping ground)
• Master A and Miss K's pjs (one set)
• One of Master T's shoes (at Healesville - there's probably a wombat wearing it)
• scissors
• a piece of a magnetic puzzle which now renders it useless
• several coloured pencils

To date, children and sanity have not yet been lost (almost but not quite - sanity, not children).

Quiet day today. Visited local park, walked to shops, found Australian animal stickers and sensational patisserie. Nice just to wander around. Hoping the MOTH is mended tomorrow and that I can get to at least one market before we leave Australia on Monday!