Catfish

Apr - Bath time

Friday

Today Rika has a bad back so I stayed at home to help look after Hannah

Hannah's breakfast.



As you can see Hannah is much more enthusiastic about solid food than before. So now she is generally easy to feed.



Although she has discovered a new game - blowing into the spoon.




Standing practice.


In the 'solitary confinement' holding pen.


I think Rika bought this orange jumpsuit on 'G-Bay'


Played together with the Xylophone. Once or twice I even let Hannah have a turn.





Rika has put a 'separation barrier' across the living room to keep Hannah from the cats litter tray etc. But that is no obstacle to the determined escapee.



More of the same from Saturday

Apr 08 - 8 months old

This is Hannah at playgroup with some other children who were born at the Red Cross Hospital in July.



Kaho-chan, Hannah-chan and Rey-kun.


Hannah teaching Kaho-chan how to share


This is Hannah witha bandage in her head - part of the Red Cross first-aid training





At Home - Hannah is exploring energetically and practicing getting into places she really shouldn't.





Hannah and Rika


Mealtime - our little 'elasta-girl' somewhow manages to stretch her arms a few extra centimeters to grab things that you thought were safely out of reach.



Breakfast.


Musical appreciation - listening to music together in the weekend.




Hannah conducting the 'Ode to Joy'


Hannah and Minimi










Hannah and Minimi playing with the buzzy-bee.




Family bedtime scene

March / April - 'Hanami'

These photos are from mid-March when the cherry blossoms were beginning to come out. All around the neighborhood there are cherry trees, often squeezed into tiny gaps between the houses and carefully tended.





This is Shinjuku Goen again.













A surburban road a few weeks later.



Flower viewing ('Hanami') at Yoyogi park. These photos are from a couple of weeks ago in early-April when the blossoms were at their peak.





As you can see blossom viewing is a Japanese ritual activity. The idea is to sit under the tree with friends, appreciate the beauty of nature, and meditate on the transitory nature of existence and the intoxicating powers of alcohol.

March - Ikadaba

At the end of March we went down to Ikadaba for the rice seeding with Rika's family.

This is Mt Fuji from the Shinkansen (bullet train), around Odawara.


This is Hannah, me and the 'Izu no Odori-Coach' at Shuzenji.


On the bus to Rika's mum's house. Hannah is wearing a jumpsuit in the co lours of the Otago University rugby club.


Working in the fields




Hannah at Rika's mums house.


Hannah with her cousin Masumi


Playing the piano with Masumi


Back at home with Minimi and Hannah.

Tokyo - Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

Although spring officially started in early-February there had been no real sign of it in Tokyo until recently. It was only in the last week that the weather has begun to get a bit warmer and a spring-feeling start to emerge.



Last Sunday we went to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. This is a 58.3 hectare park which was originally a residence of the Naito family in the Edo period, and then a private garden for the Impreial family until 1949.


The park contains gardens in 3 styles - French Formal, English Landscape and Japanese traditional. There are more than 20,000 trees, but it is still too early for the 1,500 cherry trees which bloom from late March (Shidare or Weeping Cherry), to early April (Somei or Tokyo Cherry), and on to late April (Kanzan Cherry). The trees that are beginning to bloom here are plum trees.


This is a panorama the western end of the Japanese garden from the tea house. The tall building in the background is the NTT Time Square tower which we often see from our neighborhood.

This is 'Rakuu-tei', one of 2 tea houses in the garden.



A panorama of the eastern side of the Japanese garden. I believe that the main area of cherry trees is further east, which is a famous location for 'hanami (花見) or cherry-blossom viewing parties.


Wikipedia also tells me that "with its proximity to Shinjuku ni-chome, Tokyo's best-known gay village, the park is also popular among gay men, and mass cherry-blossom viewing parties are organized in the park by local gay bars."



I guess it is also a good place for seeing spring daisy-chains.