Our first full day in Japan - a day for exploring the wonders of a Japanese house, and our first 
trip into Kichijojo on our own.
The previous evening the kids had seen the shower and in particular the bath (ofuro), and were very keen to try them out. Japanese bathrooms and showers are a bit different to Australian/western. The whole area is a wet-area: there is no shower recess/stall, and the bath is also much shorter, but considerably deeper. So, the process is to sit on a low stool and wash yourself under the shower nozzle. Only once clean and rinsed off do you hop into the tub for a long, hot soak. The kids loved the process, and it made a big impression on them. Certainly its never been easier to get the kids clean - they had 2 baths this first day.
Yoriko's house is a wonderful experience in and of itself. A traditional design with sliding wooden shutters over the outside of the windows, a couple of tatami rooms, a beautiful traditional garden, and very spacious to boot - the usage of the house has been a massive gift which we
can't say thankyou enough for.
Anyway, after everyone had had a bath it was time to do our first exploration of the area. Equiped with the map Keiko had given us we set off - but not before I'd started the GPS; both marking the house's location and turning on tracking (so we could find our way back if necessary). After some confusion (mine) it was clear we were heading south towards Kichijoji - where we'd arrived last night, and where we were meeting Mari for lunch. So we called Mari (with the mobile Keiko is lending us) and kept going. In no time at all we were at the end of Sun Road and all the
memories can flooding back for Maria and I: Seiyu Depato - kind of like K-mart - where we bought a lot of our household items, various restaurants where we'd eaten, clothes and books we'd bought in the shops we were passing etc. Etc.
Then off to meet Mari and go find a typical set-lunch at one of the incredibly numerous restaurants in the area. That was good - honestly the quality, variety, and taste of Japanese food is one of the greatest aspects of a visit to (or life in) Japan. Lunches can be especially good because of the set menus - generally a main course, some rice, a small side dish, and maybe some soup - all for a very reasonable price (typically around 1000 Yen). Ohhh, and I should say that the kids were fascinated by, and loved the plastic food models in the windows or on tables in
front of the restaurants.
After wandering Kichijoji for a bit longer we went back with Mari to her place (again many fond memories were awoken) for a rest, a bit of the use of her computer, and a chat. We all seemed to hit the wall pretty hard by about 4pm and Mari saved us the daunting (simply because of the fatigue) walk-home, by giving us a lift in her car. Maria and Grant popped down to the local "supermarket" - about twice the size of Evatt IGA - and came back with various pre-packaged meals. But for this you shouldn't think cup-a-noodle or the disgusting hot dogs at ozzie petrol stations, but rather very good quality sushi, gyoza, and other dishes (considerably better than say the Chinese from the Belconnen Mall by way of example).
trip into Kichijojo on our own.The previous evening the kids had seen the shower and in particular the bath (ofuro), and were very keen to try them out. Japanese bathrooms and showers are a bit different to Australian/western. The whole area is a wet-area: there is no shower recess/stall, and the bath is also much shorter, but considerably deeper. So, the process is to sit on a low stool and wash yourself under the shower nozzle. Only once clean and rinsed off do you hop into the tub for a long, hot soak. The kids loved the process, and it made a big impression on them. Certainly its never been easier to get the kids clean - they had 2 baths this first day.
Yoriko's house is a wonderful experience in and of itself. A traditional design with sliding wooden shutters over the outside of the windows, a couple of tatami rooms, a beautiful traditional garden, and very spacious to boot - the usage of the house has been a massive gift which we
can't say thankyou enough for.Anyway, after everyone had had a bath it was time to do our first exploration of the area. Equiped with the map Keiko had given us we set off - but not before I'd started the GPS; both marking the house's location and turning on tracking (so we could find our way back if necessary). After some confusion (mine) it was clear we were heading south towards Kichijoji - where we'd arrived last night, and where we were meeting Mari for lunch. So we called Mari (with the mobile Keiko is lending us) and kept going. In no time at all we were at the end of Sun Road and all the
memories can flooding back for Maria and I: Seiyu Depato - kind of like K-mart - where we bought a lot of our household items, various restaurants where we'd eaten, clothes and books we'd bought in the shops we were passing etc. Etc.Then off to meet Mari and go find a typical set-lunch at one of the incredibly numerous restaurants in the area. That was good - honestly the quality, variety, and taste of Japanese food is one of the greatest aspects of a visit to (or life in) Japan. Lunches can be especially good because of the set menus - generally a main course, some rice, a small side dish, and maybe some soup - all for a very reasonable price (typically around 1000 Yen). Ohhh, and I should say that the kids were fascinated by, and loved the plastic food models in the windows or on tables in
front of the restaurants.After wandering Kichijoji for a bit longer we went back with Mari to her place (again many fond memories were awoken) for a rest, a bit of the use of her computer, and a chat. We all seemed to hit the wall pretty hard by about 4pm and Mari saved us the daunting (simply because of the fatigue) walk-home, by giving us a lift in her car. Maria and Grant popped down to the local "supermarket" - about twice the size of Evatt IGA - and came back with various pre-packaged meals. But for this you shouldn't think cup-a-noodle or the disgusting hot dogs at ozzie petrol stations, but rather very good quality sushi, gyoza, and other dishes (considerably better than say the Chinese from the Belconnen Mall by way of example).
Then it was a bath for everyone bar me, and off to bed after a great first day.
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