Well we went off to the horse racing on a very sunny day. The place was large and very impressive. No great money was made but we met some great people. Of course Dominic bumped into someone who is the son of a guy that Raymond knows really well....

After a tasty Italian meal just at the end of our street we went to a sports bar to watch the Irish game. Painful!

Dominic faced his first full week at work. 

Whilst I went out and about meeting people.  Done a bit of teaching, had a yoga lesson and took part in rice cake making. It started over 25 years ago when a priest gave his breakfast to someone who was homeless. So now every day rice cakes are made at the church and then distributed.

Went to see a flower show over in a park. A company called something like Tokyo window box services was doing a great job of creating wonderful looking things in various containers. I was particularly inspired by one in a plastic water bottle. On the way home I bought some plants and created my own version. When I told Dominic how great the displays were he had difficulty suppressing his laughs at my attempt.

On Saturday we headed off to a Frank Gehry exhibition. And then for pancakes. OMG the crepes were so good we could've been on the market Square in Ile de Re !

A journey out north-west to buy a second hand bike was fruitless. I almost bought a blue one for 30 quid until Dominic told me it didn't have any gears!

Out in the evening to a gathering at someone's gallery in their apartment - ticket price was either with or without wine tasting. Went without otherwise I would have been tempted to get value out of my tenner!

Tokyo celebrated Halloween on Sunday so loads of people were dressed up and we stayed to watch a bit of the procession in town. Then back home to cook the thing we learnt in our first week here.

But of course the important news Back to the Future!  Liz and I had dressed up for the Red Cross Christmas party as the Doc and Marty with the car!  Chris Evans was apparently talking about the film and so Liz sent in the photo of us and a text and apparently he read it out. The text not the photo! 

So off we went to Hakone – where bods go to glimpse Mt Fuji and enjoy the hot springs.

Arrived into town and went straight to the onsen – male and female separate facilities. Basically take your kit off and then wash yourself to within an inch of your life and making sure to rinse off any suds.  Then go outside and sit in the pools from where you can look at the trees and see the kite birds gliding. Big porcelain bowl full of water – was I supposed to get in it or drink from it?  Decided to get in which was the right thing to do!

Off to our hotel – a bit confusing.  Get off the bus and go into a posh hotel – go to the 7^th floor and then go out of the building which rejoins the steep road and then go up it 50 yards and into our hotel.  I had a craving for chocolate and was regretting not getting some in town– but at reception they had a bag of mini kit kats for less than £2 – perfect product placement!

Next day decided to walk some of the Old Hakone Way – only problem was no one knew where it was!  Eventually we found it and shortly after we headed across the river walking along some bamboo poles tied together which balanced on the rocks at a 30 degree angle – a bit like it’s a knockout but we weren’t wearing the costumes.  Of course having crossed the river we then noticed a sturdy bridge!

We stopped at the tea facility, one has been there for over 400 years and the tea provided is for free!

Our walk ended up by a lake.  I headed into the posh bakery whilst Dominic got the coffees.  He’d grabbed a couple of chairs at the counter outside overlooking the lake – and it had a foot bath!  So there we were in glorious sunshine enjoying the view, our feet bathed in warm water eating a chestnut and chocolate pastry.  Delish Marge!

A couple of great art places in town – an open air sculpture park and a private gallery the latter set up by a rich bloke.  He’d been overcome by a panel showing trees, snow and ducks and from this decided to set up his own collection and bought the work that inspired it.  Another coffee and foot bath, thinking about it finding a café in town without a foot bath could be tricky!

Ryokan owner and her mother - Dominic must have grown with all the sushi!

Dominic went off to work on Tuesday and I pondered what I would do the next day for my first English lesson in Japan!!  Yikes!  Group of  4 x 7 year olds. 

Thursday I headed out to a fabric shop.  It was brilliant, but now think my sewing machine won’t work out here.

Friday was Dominic’s welcome party at work (about 35 colleagues).  It was really good fun with an agenda provided!  We had to stand up and introduce ourselves.  There was then free time before the quiz started.  10 people got up and told us two things and we had to guess which of them was true about them.  We found out one colleague had flown to London to see The Who – left Tokyo Thursday, arrived on Friday saw the concert, got plane back on Saturday and home on Sunday.  Then Dominic had a few true and false questions about himself.  Joan will be delighted to know that people thought she was 10 years younger than she is.  All attendees had to pay for themselves and then between them they paid for Dominic and I.

Today we’ve been out in Tokyo with an American colleague of Dominic’s that he only met this week and his wife.  She loves a bit of crafting – I said I do too but more the grab a cereal packet, a bit of glue and make something that looks homemade rather than anything professional.  She said she was the same!

We are off to the races tomorrow!

Cill came to visit for the weekend. Her train was 90 mins late!!  Thought if we rang the restaurant and told them we were cancelling for this reason they would think we were lying! Bought some knock down sushi from a posh shop in the station.  Packed with ice blocks to keep fresh...Enjoyed with gin that Cill had generously bought with her.  

Saturday went to a farmers market. Japanese woman had a union jack flag and various British cakes. Plus Irish granola!  DK could not resist commenting and she said she had learnt to make it in Ireland so DK asked at Bally Malloe? yes she'd done the 12 week course. Took Cill to cookery class to cook Mick Jagger ( Niku Jyaga) much discussion as they weren't expecting non-Japanese speakers. Lots of huddling and phoning. I resorted to Google translate.  Still not possible and was given a date in two weeks time. More Google translate. "Please speak Japanese we will watch and learn.  We love Japanese food and cooking." Well that's what I hope it said and it worked. We got given potatoes, carrots, onion and meat.  We were making the first meal that a Japanese woman learns to cook for her husband. In our world it is Irish stew but with vinegar sugar and mirin. Found a cool restaurant bar which has a couple of big fish tanks. This counts as nature along with the puppies in the window in a nearby shop. (Calm boys it's not Amsterdam).  

Tokyo American Club - I signed up to do a "here and now" 2 day session. Basically advice for people living in Japan and especially Tokyo. 50 newbies- a lot of them on a return assignment to the place. 

Thanks to the Harpie set - you know who you are - for the delivery of the decaff tea bags!

I sat next to a Korean American who asked me where I was from. Instead of just saying the UK I said UK Lancashire from a town called Blackburn. Imagine my surprise when she said her husband ancestors were from there.  She was researching the family tree and had just found someone born in Blackburn in 1812! 

Signs
cafe le Landemaine think they may have meant le lendemain. But then again perhaps their coffee is explosive?
Fungus sandwiches anyone? Name of a local shop!

Long weekend in Japan. Have headed for onsen town of Hakone.  Was told getting accommodation would be very difficult but DK managed to book a couple of places. Clever sausage!  

Blimey!
Okay so here it goes.
A manic month spent doing stuff ready for the move and doing the intensive teaching English course. Hooray I passed!  Putting that amount of effort into something and not passing would not have been pretty.

Due to a change of plan we ended up bringing 16 pieces of luggage with us.  However we got a man and a van to take us to the airport - we travelled in the front rather than in the back.

Said goodbye to Victor.  Hope the new driver -you know who you are -enjoys him.  I won't say as much as I've enjoyed Victor as this would be tricky.

Managed to squeeze in a visit to the RA to see Ai Wei - very good.  Went to dinner at the Colony Bar and Grill.  Had starters which meant we missed out on the fabulous looking baked alaska.

Arrived here on Tuesday.  Yesterday was all the admin. and getting household stuff.

Today is first day at work for himself.  Meanwhile I at home am trying to stay awake and decided to try and create a blog to get things going.

Sorry no photo but yesterday saw a clothes horse type thing mounted on a moped parked outside. Wonder if the person rides it around town if it is now very windy.

Must go stuff to do, and want to see if this has worked!