Named “Sole”, as in the Italian for sun, this community play center in Higashimatsuyama is particularly nice. In Japanese, these type of children’s community center are called either a Jidokan 児童館 or a Jido Center 児童センター. In Higashimatsuyama, they refer to them as Jidokan. More often than the children playRead More →
Named after the flower of Okegawa, Benibana Walk is a mall by the supermarket Apita. They have a better known sister mall in Higashimatsuyama called Peony Walk. Benibana is lesser in every way: smaller, less shops, fewer play areas and services. Benibana Walk It opened in November 2014 and weRead More →
Shoe Fitting Saitama – I remember the joy of finding a Clarks shoe shop in Tokyo, Omotesando, only to find out that they don’t do the children’s range in Japan. Like so many Irish (and British?) I grew up, figuratively and literally, in Clarks shoes! I wanted to be ableRead More →
Higashimatsuyama Swimming Pool and School in Saitama Prefecture with beautiful cherry trees and the ‘cleanest pool water’ in the prefecture! Good Swimming School in Saitama Higashimatsuyama Swimming School Saitama – When we were starting our oldest in swimming classes we looked at a number of pools in the Ageo –Read More →
Manhole Cover Art, Saitama prefecture, Japan Manhole Cover Art I used to think I was an observant person, until my cousin sent me an article about manhole covers in Japan. I was in Japan more than 10 years when she sent me the link about the ornate manhole covers here. MyRead More →
Cool toilets in Japan! The Irish in me can’t believe I am blogging about toilets. In Ireland, all things toilet are considered crude and crass. I think I may be in Japan too long, where neither the loo nor poo is considered taboo! A typical Japanese public family toilet reallyRead More →
Free resources for Setsubun – setsubun is on February 3rd annually, except for rare exceptions. For example, in 2021 for the first time in 124 years, it fell on February 2nd. Setsubun marks the end of winter. Most families celebrate at home, but there are also dozens of events carriedRead More →
Giving birth in Japan – Day 0 of a postpartum hospital stay with presents galore. Giving birth in Japan Day 0 is the day you give birth. Regardless of what time of the day you give birth, day 0 ends at midnight on that day. On day 0 the presentsRead More →
Maternity stay diary Japan – “Day 4” was the fifth and final day of my postpartum hospital stay for a vaginal birth on baby #4 (as the day you give birth is day zero). On the day you get released the hospital treats you to a hairdo in the hair salon onRead More →
Day three of a five day hospital stay for a normal natural birth in Japan, the last full day (as the very first day i.e. the “birth”day is counted as day 0). The day of the facial and foot massage. This is not fiction! Also, day three of the stay isRead More →