We took our first ski venture in Japan this past weekend to a small town about a hour outside of Tokyo via shinkansen called Karuizawa. Up until this point, Miyako still talked about the "bubble water" from our beach adventure in Malaysia. While reading books, she would see people walking away and say, "bye bye." When I asked her where they were going she would respond with, "Bubble Water!" I think Kan was getting a bit nervous that she would turn out too much like her mother and hate the snow. So, we decided to introduce her to it this past weekend.
On Saturday, Kan spent the morning skiing and I attempted to play with Miyako at the kids park. She enjoyed hanging out at the small amusement park type rides but we only went down on the sled twice. She did not like the snow getting in her face and I do not say I could blame her. I love the beauty of snow - from inside a nice lodge by a fireplace with a good book and a cup of hot cocoa. I have tried skiing and I can enjoy it, especially out in Colorado where the trails are long and wide and I do not have to worry about running into anyone. But even in Colorado, if you gave me the option to ski all day or hit the spa for a massage and then grab a cup of coffee, I would probably choose the latter of the options, provided I had child care. The basis of this is I really hate to be cold. I can appreciate God's creation both at the beach and in the middle of snow-capped mountains, but I would much rather sweat than be cold. For my Tokyo friends, remind me of this next August when I am complaining of the heat.
Saturday night we met up with our friends and enjoyed a fabulous dinner at a natural food buffet - lots of fresh veggies and a kid friendly atmosphere - it had to be considering we had five toddlers! Thankfully Miyako was wiped and slept well Saturday night as Friday night she was up quite frequently. I on the other hand had insomnia from 2-5. It turns out two other moms did as well. If we had known, we could have had a party in the hallway. Sunday I took Miyako to the outlet malls while Kan went skiing in the morning. She was a trooper staying in her stroller. Karuizawa is known for their jam so I bought some of that, a Starbuck's mug to add to my collection, and I enjoyed browsing the outlets of Gucci, Burberry and Kate Spade. Thankfully for Kan there was not a Louis Vuitton outlet so I did not buy anything. Ever since I came to Japan, I want a Louis Vuitton purse - we will see...
We met up with Kan after lunch and he took Miyako sledding. She instantly became his snow bunny. They played in this bouncy house type thing for awhile and on some slides that were in the snow. Then he got her on the sleds. He is strong enough to hold her upright so she is not facing forward looking at the snow, so she thoroughly enjoyed herself. She did ride face forward one time but went back to being held so she was not facing the snow. She kept asking for more, and he was in heaven with his little snow bunny. I am glad she had a good experience with the snow and sledding. I imagine next year she will have skis on her feet. At dinner tonight she said, "mama take pictures and you go on sled with daddy real fast." (She refers to herself as "you" right now as she often repeats me - "Miyako you need to pick up your toys" becomes "You pick up toys.") If we get to go to Hokkaido in February I think she will have a fabulous time in the snow with daddy, and Mama may not take as many pictures every day as she may find herself in front of a fire place with a nice cup of hot cocoa and a good book.
2 comments:
I'm so happy to hear your trip was a success! Now, where's a picture of your new mug?? (Obsessed, remember??) ;)
These are darling pictures! Every kid has to have pictures from when they were bundled up like eskimos with their hat practically over the eyes. Her jacket is very stylish!
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