First Days in Tokyo

We've been in Tokyo about a week and a half now and things have settled down a bit. The girls got on time after only a week and we've been out walking exploring our new neighborhood everyday. I'm going to try to start posting things as often as possible because I would really love to keep these memories and experiences for the girls to look back on since they may not remember much.  My goal is to post weekly at a minimum, with updates and small snippets of Tokyo life. We'll see how it goes! And most of you have probably seen a lot of the pictures on instagram, sorry about that. 

So far we have been VERY pleased with our apartment choice, mainly because of the location. The girls and I have been frequenting Robot Park, right next door as well as the playground at the American School in Japan downstairs, which is only open to building residents. 

The girls love the big slide at Robot Park! Conveniently located next door to our apartment.

View of our building from the playground.

Domestically, it's been a little challenging but nothing too horrible. I had my first hurdle at the grocery store on the 2nd day trying to purchase detergents for the dishwasher and washing machine. Every single thing was in Japanese (imagine that!) so it was pretty much impossible to decipher what was bleach, fabric softener, detergent etc. I ended up just making some educated guesses and our clothes and dishes seem fresh and clean so I think I got it right!

Challenge one of many. Luckily the concierge from downstairs came up and put English labels on most of the buttons, but it still doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

As far as groceries, I've been doing most of my shopping at 2 Japanese stores, Gourmet City in Azabu Juban, a cute little shopping area near our apartment, and LINCOS, a more upscale store located in the Roppongi Hills complex. Both are very short walks from home, and the prices are reasonable. But, it's easy to lose sight of the cost difference from the U.S.  10 eggs for about $2.50 doesn't seem like a lot until I realize I usually paid $1.50 for a dozen back at home. At the same time, it doesn't help to analyze the cost difference, because it is what it is and we have to eat! 

The big challenge with grocery shopping is navigating the small aisles with a stroller AND a shopping basket. They don't make big carts that fit kids, and in Gourmet City I have to leave the stroller outside because the store is SO small and there is only an escalator itto access the 2nd floor. LINCOS is a bit easier because the aisles are wider and there is an elevator. So, shopping trips are small and daily since I can't carry much while pushing the double stroller.  For now, it works, and helps control the amount of waste.  Back home we were constantly dumping high chair trays full of uneaten food down the garbage disposal, forgetting about those half eaten boxes of cereal in the pantry, or those frost bitten chicken breasts in the back of the freezer. Here, we buy what we need and eat it pretty much right away.  We'll see if it continues that way. 

Gourmet City in Azabu Juban. Open 24 hrs.

 

Tiny shopping basket full of expensive groceries! This trip was $14.  Think I got a small head of broccoli, a can of mandarin oranges, a small bag of pasta, some garlic, some cucumbers, a small package of kraft cheese and a chocolate bar (how did that get in there?) 

Dinner! Bowtie pasta with broccoli and grilled chicken.

I haven't been brave enough to take the girls out to a Japanese restaurant by myself yet, saving it for our first dinner out as a family. Joe has had a work dinner almost every night since we've been here so maybe I will have him share his expertise on Asian cuisine, he is a big fan!!

So far we are really enjoying ourselves and the girls seem to be adjusting well.  Food wise, it's been a lot of pasta and grilled cheese at home, and maybe the occasional fast food meal, but we are really hoping to expand our culinary wings soon.  Well... maybe not too wide based on this article from CNN: 40 Japanese Foods We Can't Live Without .