Ok, here it is. I am back at it. Sorry for the radio silence! Getting ready to move, keeping the kids busy with sports, school, doctor's visits and just the plain old fact that America makes me feel so "busy" all the time; all helped in making me just give up for a while. However, I do have a list of things to catch up on, and I reserve the right to go back in time here shortly.
The trip here was overall terrific, (another post of it's own here soon), and we arrived safely and happily in one piece- minus a small air-sickness incident at the airport on arrival; complete with a quick trip to the quarantine/health unit at Narita Airport. boo. After Porter was cleared to leave though, we excitedly headed home and enjoyed the drive into downtown and across the Rainbow Bridge (of Cars 2 Fame)! The boys were very excited about that!
It's funny how this all-consuming moving around the world thing works. You would think that arriving in the new country would completely be the most stressful part of the whole thing. And for many people, I think it is. Now, I'm not saying I have never had those "what the heck did I just get myself into" moments, and granted...we've had some pretty great postings so far...but anyway, for me, when we actually arrive and I get a few days to get settled I feel so free for a while! This huge weight has been lifted. And the weeks between arrival and when we get our stuff are just a nice little vacation from things. I love it. Of course there are the basic things of paperwork at the Embassy and getting cell phones, internet, etc. But other than that- all the other things on my to-do list are for once actually done! And, it's not yet time to put away all the rest of our boat shipment yet so I feel like I can actually relax and explore without feeling guilty that I should be doing something more productive!
So anyway, now on to the good stuff. We've been here a week now. So far, we LOVE it. Tokyo is awesome. The housing compound we are living on is terrific. It's got all the amenities we could dream of, and it is going to make living here a breeze I think! Noah has an awesome 10 minute walk to the Embassy, so the commute it fantastic! We can walk to nearly everything we could want- or just hop onto the amazing metro system! This will still take some getting used to, as we've really only done one trip- but I think it will be my new best friend. I'm just chomping at the bit to go explore all the Japanese Fabric and craft stores that I keep reading about on expat blogs! Once the boys are in school, then I'll get down to business:)
First impressions: It's hot here. yup. It's humid here. Yup. I was completely soaked through by 10:30 am yesterday morning after an hour long walk and stop at the park with the boys. That's ok though, we were prepared for it, so I'm not surprised or complaining. Just saying. Next, they have a Costco, AND the pizza and rolls taste exactly the same!! Who's got two thumbs and is THRILLED about that? Well, every member of my family, that's who! Next, lots of people ride their bikes here, which is wonderful. I've enjoyed watching them do it, however, as I've seen now at least 10 ladies riding their bike in super fancy stilettos! They have some serious skill. I'm very impressed. Now to the umbrellas. I've never seen so many umbrellas. Rain or shine. Don't leave home without it! After walking around in the heat for a few days I completely agree that a little shade goes a long way in helping to survive these summer months! Now I'm on the hunt for a good umbrella for every member of the family. They've got some really slick designs. The Bento boxes. Seriously, I am in love. And the last first impression for this entry is how beautiful the gardens and shrines are here. We've just explored a couple so far, and I can tell that they are going to knock my socks off in the Spring! Come on Cherry Blossoms!!!
I'll leave you with a few pictures of our first week here. Hopefully many, many more to come as we explore this awesome place!
Leaving the hotel for the airport in LA. The bellhop told us he'd never seen such a full luggage cart. Seriously? Well, I told him that we were actually packing "light" this time, we could have had like 8 more bags!
This was an all day, all sunshine flight to the Land of the Rising Sun!
(and before Porter started feeling sick)
Luckily, even with the sunshine, the boys all did get a little sleep!
Thank you to the flight attendants who let Miles sleep instead of making him sit upright!
Don't worry, he is still buckled in tight, just laying down.
First trip to Costco!!! wooohooo!!
Porter, showing off his pizza and soda-
and continuing his year long tradition of looking to the side.
Still have no idea why he has taken to that?
So happy I can still get my bagels!
Did you know they make a Toyota Noah in Japan?!
Now there's a car for us! Too bad we didn't know about it before we bought our other car.
Eating Frosties at Wendy's! Also, do you notice the Turkish restaurant right across the street?!
We can't wait to try it out!
The view from our balcony! The boys LOVE exploring all the rocks and trails. This is only a portion of the grounds. They are going to be amazing in the Spring!
The Shrine near our house. So neat.
And last but not least....the PARK!
We have spent a good chunk of our time so far at our little park.
Ronan likes checkin' out the construction worker's across the street...
And the swings....their very, very favorite spot!
My mobile command central....
This baby has seriously saved my life during this transition!
It is absolutely perfect for Tokyo too, with all of our walking , this baby fits great through all of the doors, sidewalks, and has proved to be Ronan's little "fortress of solitude" when he's feeling stressed.
I don't know if we could live without it now!
Oh, and we definitely can't forget the vending machines! They are EVERYWHERE!
It's astounding. They are super handy though, I think we can get used to this!
This treat looks particularly fun to me...
haven't tried it yet though. I'll let you know how it is.
We've had a terrific time here so far, and can tell that we are going to Love it here.
We are becoming fast friends with Japan.
