Check Out Who's On That Hog

I'm sure most of you have heard by now, but I bought a hog. Well, it's really just a bicycle - a Yamaha PAS Kiss Mini motor assisted bicycle to be exact. No big deal.


When we came to Tokyo on our house hunting trip, Stephanie told me the first thing I should do is get a bike with two child seats.  The thought of riding a bike with one, let alone two kids attached sounded terrifying. I started noticing mothers all over town doing it though (in stilettos, many with a baby strapped in the front pack), so I figured there must be something to it. We quickly realized that the bicycles all had motors to assist with pedaling - without that it would be nearly impossible to ride around hilly Tokyo with all that extra weight.

It took me a few weeks of pushing my Phil and Ted's double stroller loaded up with nearly 60 pounds of little girl to start to more seriously consider getting one of these terrifying bikes. The hills, heat and humidity are no joke here and I started to dread having to go on outings with my massive stroller/tank.

I asked around a little bit and posted a question on the Tokyo Mothers Group Facebook page about where to check out bikes and was directed to a bike shop called Motovelo that lets you test drive the bikes before buying. Joe dropped Annie and I off one Saturday afternoon and we took 3 different bikes for a spin. The first bike I tried had a standard sized frame and wheels and one seat mounted on the back of the bike. I immediately didn't like the feel of this, but it's hard to say whether it was due to the higher mounted seat or the fact that I can't remember the last time I rode a bike that wasn't stationary. I then tried a bike with a smaller frame and smaller wheels which meant the child seat over the back wheel was much lower to the ground.  Not only was it way easier to load Annie into this one, it felt much more comfortable and safe to me. I tried a third bike, similar to the second, this time with Annie riding in the front child seat.  This was the part that I feared the most - haivng the weight of a kid sitting between the handlbars HAD to affect the steering, right? Surprisingly, it was fine! The bike was specially designed to hold either a child seat or large basket in the front between the handlebars and I barely even noticed she was in there.  In short, small wheel radius + small, heavy frame = lower center of gravity, therefore less fear of ever tipping.

Long story short, I asked the sales person a LOT of questions about all of the different models trying to figure out what would be the safest and most reliable choice for us. I talked to Joe about it that night, then went back a few nights later and made the big purchase. It was somewhat difficult as the sales person helping me didn't speak the best English, and I of course speak NO Japanese. Kind of scary to think I was spending such a big chunk of money on something I basically knew nothing about. But, when in Rome! The Yamaha that I picked came with a battery that lasts up to 37 km before needing recharging, as well as the front child seat that converts into a large basket when not in use. I had to purchase the back seat separately for about 15,000 yen ($150), and since they didn't have that in stock I had to come back a few days later to get it installed for 2,000 yen ($20).  I also had to pay about 4,000 yen ($40 US) for a pre-ride inspection where they did things like attach the pedals (important to have those!), fill up the tires and make sure everything was in working order.  There was a significant amount of paperwork to go through and after another 1,000 yen ($10 US) for registration I was finally all set.  I decided to just ride the bike home that night rather than wait for the 2nd child seat to come in because I wanted to get some practice riding it on my own before I put the girls on.

 It definitely felt a bit like an impulse buy but I was worried that if I didn't just bite the bullet I would indecisively mull it over for weeks.  In hindsight, I'm really happy with my decision! It only took a few rides to feel comfortable on the bike and it really has made my life here in Tokyo significantly easier. I can zip around town with the girls and now look forward to our daily rides. I really was feeling pretty confined to a small radius around our apartment.  Despite the public transportation being excellent here, it's still a bit confusing and a somewhat stressful undertaking to try it with 2 kids. Especially by myself, as not all subway stations are stroller friendly.

The Battery. It comes off with a key and I pop it onto a charger that plugs into the wall.

Mounted on left handle bar - number tells you what percentage of battery is remaining. Up and down arrow buttons allow you to select electric assist level: low, medium or high. Another button turns the front headlight on (required by law!)

It really is amazing how much the motor helps in pedaling up inclines.  We live at the top of a pretty steep hill and I often see people having to get off their bikes and push them if they don't have a motor.While it still takes some leg power (thank goodness I've been spinning my face off for the past year) I can pedal right up the steepest of hills.  The motor also gives you a nice little burst of power when start up again after stopping, eliminating any wobbly factor that usually occurs in that situation.

My parking spot in our garage. Lots of bikes! Mine is the coolest by far.

Speaking of new rides and parking spaces, Joe's new Prius in his TINY space, right next to the world's worst parker.  Seriously. Every. Time.

Heading to the pool! Her?

There we go!

Lizzy enjoying an evening ride while eating a banana.

Commemorating our first ride as a party of 3 in the parking garage at the Tokyo American Club.

Helpers

We heard a little bit about "helpers" on our house hunting trip and since we've moved here have learned they seem to be a big part of most expat's lives.

To give you a little bit of background, here is an excerpt from one of my guidebooks:

"Domestic help is abundant in Tokyo. These resourceful and hardworking individuals come from the Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal and India, often leaving their own families and children behind in order to work to send money home to support them.  Many hold higher degrees and were once teachers in their home countries, but by working in Japan they can have a consistent job and earn four to five times the salary they would back home. You will find that many helpers are well qualified and that they will cook, clean, babysit and manage the household."

Basically, a helper is a babysitter/nanny that goes above and beyond. The going rate seems to be around 1,500 yen an hour (around $15 US) which seems reasonable.  You can either hire someone part time or "sponsor" a helper full time, which sounds like a complicated process involving visas and contracts.  If you decide to sponsor a foreign worker, you are guaranteeing their employment and wages. You also need to provide them with paid vacation, Japanese health insurance and typically one trip home per year. The minimum wage in 2008 (when my guidebook was published) was 150,000 yen per month ($1,500).  Some people have their helper travel with their family and I've heard of people leaving their children with their helper so they can travel as a couple.

So that is some background for you. Having full time help sounds like a real luxury! Since I am not working and able to stay home with the girls we won't be sponsoring a helper.  A friend who is leaving Tokyo kindly passed along the information for their helper, Vicky, who has grown to be a part of their family.  We have had her watch the girls twice now and she seems great.  She comes prepared with fun activities to do with the girls like origami and balloon animals, and seems to 'get' Lizzy's firecracker temperament. So far we have only used her in the evenings, once so Joe and I could attend a new member mixer at the Tokyo American Club and once for date night. It's nice because after she puts the girls to bed she cleans, does laundry, irons, etc.  I know it is the norm here but I just cannot get used to that!  So nice to come home to a clean house after a night away, and only be paying ONE fee versus paying a babysitter AND a cleaning person.

We don't have her regularly scheduled, but I think the plan for now will be to have her come over twice a month for date night and then maybe once or twice a month during the day so I can run some errands kid free.  We feel lucky to have found someone we like right away, Annie was so tired tonight but wanted to stay awake to see Vicky.  They also made me a bouquet of origami flowers that Annie said "would be a good present for mommy." :)  I miss my Burbank babysitting co-op but this is a good trade!

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 .