We took a trip to the beach yesterday, joined by a couple that lives in our building and their 2 year-old daughter. Our destination this time was a new beach we’d never visited, down past Zushi and Hayama near the bottom of the Miura Peninsula. We tried a different day trip format this time around, mostly owing to the plan proposed by our companions. Instead of heading out “whenever we’re packed and ready” (noonish, typically) we instead had a firm 8:30 AM meeting time in the parking lot to keep. That found us up at 6:30 Saturday morning (ouch) and on the road by 08:45. 私たちにとってはけっこう珍しいことだけど… Pretty rare for us.

Nonetheless, we’re sold on the format and might even put it to use going forward. The roads were wide-open, and it took maybe an hour to get from our place to the beach, making the ocean seeming for perhaps the first time truly accessible. Better yet, the place we went to is off the beaten path, and offered FREE (!!!) beachside parking. Incredible! Our favorite beach in Zushi (一色海岸, isshiki kaigan) has 3500 yen parking 300 yards from the beach, creating are a far less attractive Pay and Schlep situation.

Waves were perhaps the only thing missing, but the calm waters meant the girls could get in there and play with no threat of being kocked over by the surf. We all had a great time and are looking forward to going back. We stuck around till around 12:30 then went to a local restaurant for lunch that specialized in local ocean fare. Should have taken pictures, and not sure why I didn’t, but it was all exceptional. Boiled crab, thickly-sliced sashimi, steamed fish in a light ginger sauce and all the Japanese trimmings you would expect: miso soup, hijiki and tea. Vry fresh, very tasty.

We were amazed to find ourselves back home at around 16:00, with the whole late afternoon and evening still in front of us. When the last time that happened? Normally we’d just be packing up now, looking forward to a long and crowded road home. Add another adherent to the Starting Early school of thought…

From Blog Photos

Stumbled across this while scrolling through my local Picasa library of photos and remembered by how much I like it. While it looks like the bridge of some massive vessel, this shot was actually taken from the observation deck of the 海ほたる (umi hotaru), the artificial island built atop one end of the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line. It’s the longest underwater tunnel for cars in the world at just under 10 kilometers and quite a bit of fun to drive, unless the idea of all those millions of tons of water overhead makes you feel uneasy.

The Umi Hotaru is a great place to stop and take a break, offering great views to Tokyo Bay on all sides and a variety of restaurants and shops. We had kaiten sushi there while watching the sun set and thought it just great.

From Blog Photos

We spent Golden Week this year in Kumamoto (where R is from.) and  had a swinging time. I was informed that this–unlike some of our other vacations–would NOT include me hovering over my ThinkPad tappity-tapping away in the name of work. No sir, this was going to be a PROPER vacation complete with lots and lots of Fambly Fun and entertainment for the girls. I followed the rules and we had a great  week-long break in Kyushu.  Visiting Kumamoto always means lots of good stuff like daily trips to the onsen and dining on tasty fare, but this time we also make it a point to get out and take the girls around to different places like the zoo and the mountains, which they enjoyed immensely. We also made an overnight trip to Kagoshima (my first) for a bit of outdoor fun and domestic tourism (= visiting temples and steeping in hot springs). I shot scads of photos and have put them online, have a look if you’re interested in seeing a visual summary of the trip.

Rowan Muir Duff-Rollins was born yesterday, at 6:30 PM Portland time. Weighing in at a hefty 9.5 pounds, I’m sure he was ready to move on to more spacious accommodations. We’re all very excited about welcoming him to the world, and will look forward to meeting in person for the first time later this year. Congratulations to my brother and his wife. We’re so happy for you!!!

I found a little park near our place equipped with basic necessities: slides and swings. It was Shione’s first time there, and she made a beeline for the really long slide built into the high slope at the edge of the park. In seconds she clambered up the few steps to the platform, dropped into position, and shot down the chute without a moment’s hesitation. This kid, she knows no fear! Mia was happy to have a playmate, and they must have gone down the slide together 20 times before running off for the swings. Glad to have a decent park nearby, and with Spring on the way we’re going to lots of opportunities to go back.

I’ve uploaded pix from our end-of-year foray to Guam, find them at my Picasa site.

We spent the afternoon today driving around the sounthern part of the island, exploring different beaches and coves, hoping to find a good place we might return to later in the week for some good wave action. It was a relaxing change of pace after yesterday’s marathon day at the beach, and we are heading downstairs now to check out the New Year’s fireworks display from our in-laws’ ocean-facing hotel room window. Happy new year to to you all!!!!

About this time last year we sat huddled under the warmth of the family kotatsu in Kumamoto and talked about how nice it would be to be sitting on a beach somewhere instead of freezing here in Japan. By June we had firm plans and hotel reservations, and now here we are in tropical Guam, enjoying the sun, surf and a refreshing break from Tokyo’s Winter chill.

We spent a full day at the beach on Tumon Bay, swimming, snorkeling, and kayaking around the wide expanse of shallow water that forms this popular tourist area not far from our hotel.

We’re off today to explore the other side of the island by car and see if we can find a beach with good body-boarding potential. The girls have been a handful and I can’t say Rie and I have “relaxed” much at all in the three days we’ve been here, but we’re making the best of it with the help of the in-laws and looking forward to another week in paradise…

Had the folks over to Japan for the first time last week. We shink’ed around the country, stopping in Kyoto, Hiroshima and Kurokawa Onsen before joining the rest of the family in Kumamoto. Lots of good food, onsen, hanami and exploring in the 10 days they were here, some of which is chronicled in the photo album below. I think I may have run them ragged while they were here, but we all had a good time and it was good to have the different generations all together for a brief spell. Looking forward to a repeat very soon!!

Japan Trip

Hail all ye be a’wakin’! The naming be done, lads, and our wee sprite she does have… a name!!

On Friday, the 13th of October (!), at 17:43, was born unto the lot of us one Shione Ogata Rollins. 2960 grams and outfitted well, she is a welcome addition to our little nuclear family. Send her your best wishes for health and long life. She’s looking forward to seeing you soon.

For you Japanese-capable folks out there, her name is written:

渚音

（シオン、なぎさ＋オト）

Cool, eh? Kind of gives the fambly an oceanic, resort theme. However, this means my previous post now seems a bit, er, stupid, what with me showing up with a name that’s new in any langauge. (Actually, Shion is a fairly common girl’s name in Japan, but written with different kanji, 詩音.) I guess maybe uniqueness goes a long way after all…

Rie sent this today and what a great shot it is! Mia was worrisome at first, seeming to see Shione as a major threat, but now? A big sister at 26 months. 良かったね～。

This is a temporary post and will be removed promptly. I want to get your input via comments on the name we have chosen and, more specifically, how best to write it in English so the pronunciation is preserved. The name we have (very likely) chosen for Dear Daughter 2 is Shion (渚音、シオン), comprised of kanji which mean beach and sound. The pronunciation is shee-ohn, the syllables of which rhyme with tea and phone. Now, the questions remains: how to write it in English? Some options:

• Shion
• Shone
• Sheone
• Shione
• Seone
• Shyon

I lost the ability to be objective about these things a long time ago. What do you think? Which is the least ambiguous and best at conveying the pronunciation accurately? Or just looks best? Your vote counts! So please leave a comment and/or discuss amongst yourselves. We’ll be off to sleepyland shortly, but would love to wake up to some well-considered guidance! Anyone? Anyone?

It’s 2 in the morning and I should really be off to bed, but I just finished working and wanted to get some more photos online before calling it a night. Today (yesterday) was Rie’s birthday and we spent much of the day together at the hospital (she’ll be there for 5 days following the birth which is customary here) and then joined her parents for a take-out sushi dinner in the hospital cafeteria. (Sounds worse than it was, I suppose. The sushi was great and the cafeteria only serves our wing of the fouth floor.)

Dear Daughter 2 (still unnamed, sorry) spent the day sleeping and crying, with food breaks every three hours. She seems genki and healthy, but is at the same time remarkably frail and oh-so light. She is much smaller than Mia was at birth, and I find myself fretting for her well-being each time I look in on her or cradle her in the crook of my arm. Mia was so perfect and robust, muscular from day one, really, and her little sister seems to be in comparison little more than a wisp. Her skin is so fragile, and her long, thin legs seem almost warped below the knees. The hint of a rash can be found all over her tiny frame. I hold her and worry for her terribly, but most likely only because I’ve forgotten what newborns actually look and feel like.

Mia, predictably, has been more than a little traumatized by the new arrival, and balks at entering the hospital room each time we approach the door. When I start to change her sister’s diaper she’ll try to draw me away by grabbing my leg and shouting, “Pa-paaaa!” over and over again. We keep trying to re-inforce the idea that she has a little sister now and thereby induce some feeling of ownership and responsibility (her favorite thing), and that seems to have helped a bit. Nonetheless, the loss of her coveted position at the center of the universe has been unsettling at best. Let’s hope she copes with it all okay.

That’s all for now. I must sleep or pay the price tomorrow. Her are today’s shots of Mia and… her sister. Be well, speak soon.

I’ll need to keep this short as I’ve got to return to the hospital shortly. Wanted to upload a couple of quick pix for you, here they are. She-that-remains-yet-unnamed arrived on Friday, the 13th of October (two days before her mother’s birthday) at 17:40, weighing in at a svelte 2960 grams (6.5 pounds). Labor went smoothly, all things considered, and Rie is resting up at hospital now. Thanks for all the well-wishes and good thoughts. We’re happy it’s finally over!

Been at the hostpital here in Kumamoto since about 05:45 this morning. Off to a slow start but things are definitely moving forward now! Watch this space for an update later today sometime (I hope…)

Back now, sort of. We celebrated Mia’s second birthday this week and I wanted to get some pics online so you all can see what she looks like at 2 and what a little star she’s growing into.

This year the 20th arrived on a Sunday, and we invited Mark and Nanae over again this year to share in the festivities. Mia sensed something was up early on, and spent much of the afternoon whirling around our cramped Hiratsuka apartment like some crazed micro-dervish.

Rie dressed Mia in a yellow Vietnamese aozai for the occasion, which at two now fits her probably the best it ever will.

With the guests running behind schedule and Mia getting increasingly hungry, we decided to feed her a bit of pasta early. Penne pasta with cream sauce is one of her favorite dishes, and she punctuated the meal with regular sudden outbursts of victorious laughter, often also waving about a sinlgle pasta roll she had speared with her small fork and then plunging it into her mouth with a satisifed look and lots of exaggerated chewing.

We worked on the getting the food togther while she macked her pasta, assembling a hearty array of finger foods and other dishes to be enjoyed later with some select Spanish wine.

And what party menu would be complete without miniature whole crabs? Ours were deep fried to a crispy goodness that made them extremey hard to resist!

Top it off with a little bruchetta and you’re ready to go!

Mia’s hands-down favorite present this year was a small electric keyboard based on the Anpanman character, a cartoon figure with a ridiculously simple face and genki theme song. Nanae is showing her the basics here, in the past few Mia has more or less mastered all aspects of this complex little toy, or at least the ones necessary to make it play the same jingle over and over again, non-stop thoughout the day.

From Mark and Nanae she received a great, erasable picture book and some cool threads. Here she is enjoying the former.

Finally it was time for cake and candles, a birthday test she passed with flying colors (with a little help from her friends, that is…).

All in all it was great birthday party and Mia had a grand time. She’s been on the keyboard non-stop this whole week, and I’ve got a new song that fills my head during most waking hours. Yay!

Hope you’re all well. More later…

–>

Fortunately, it seems Mia inherited (well, sort of) the blue eyes of her father’s side of the family.

Unfortunately, it seems she also inherited his hairline…

母乳が飲みたいひと～！

…is never a chore because she sleeps the entire time.

Today we went “the other way” down our neighborhood 商店街 (shopping street) and explored some of the fine budget shopping available there. Far less cramped or crowded than the local indoor Ozeki market, you can just stroll down the boulevard and inspect that days catch, haul, specials, or street stall food as you go. It’s not as vibrant or stimulating as a good Hong Kong market, but it does the job for us anyway. And, hey, at over a kilometer long it’s the longest in Japan!

Mia drifts in and out of sleep as we ply the 街, overwhelmed perhaps by the bustle and cacophony of sounds. She’ll wake with a start to loud noises, then cast a quick spell in the direction of the noise before nodding off back to sleep. Here are some examples of some of her favorite warding off techniques.

‘Sup yo, heard you been messin’ wit my Mia. Bes’ check yaself, punk, cause that girl is dangerous…

Mia’s infant “mora reflex” of throwing both arms out to the sides has settled into a much more focused right jab. Note how she keeps a firm eye in her opponent and cocks the left hand for a follow-up knockout left. I wonder if women will be allowed to compete in K-1 in 20 years…?