It has been a long, eventful time.
Readers of this blog (though sadly not informed through the blog itself) will most likely know that our little family has grown. On February 29th (yes, we got a leaper) we welcomed Mariko Abigail Kemp to the world.
We were a bit worried about how the kids would react to the new addition, especially Kuri, but both were happy to meet her. Here they are while Marichan (our nickname for Mariko) naps inside.
Mimi has been particularly taken with her little sister. We'll be cooking or doing something else in the house when we hear Mari start to cry. Often, before we can reach her, we'll find Mimi soothing her with a pacifier or gentle pats on the head.
Of course, Mari being an infant, it doesn't always work.
Kuri has been surprisingly good about the new arrival, particularly for a two year old. Still, we try to make sure he has some one-on-one time with us, particularly Papa.
Mari's first few weeks were a bit of a wild ride (as bringing home a newborn always is), but we were about to try something even crazier than adding a third child to the family: we were all going to go to Japan. That's right, two parents, one five year old, one two year old, and one 5 week old were going to undertake international travel. Many of our friends thought us a bit nuts, but that was OK, because we basically agreed them.
We obviously booked the tickets for our trip well in advance (more than five weeks). This made for an interesting predicament: how do you book a ticket for someone who doesn't yet exist? Sumie thought I was a bit silly calling the ticket agent at United at first ("There's an extra fee! Why don't you just do it online?" she said. "Trust me." I said, thinking myself the Han Solo of airline booking). Two hours later, at 1:00am, I was glad I had called. We managed to book two normal tickets, two tickets using miles, and one reservation for the child still in her Mama's tummy. In addition to actually booking the tickets, something else special happened that night. We officially named our little girl. We'd been hemming and hawing for months, but when it's one in the morning and you need a name for a ticket you've spent two hours securing, clarity comes quite quickly.
Now to the flight. Sorry to all of you expecting to laugh at our travails, but it was just fine. Mari slept in Sumie's arms, Mimi watched movies, and Kuri made a bit of a mess but was far better behaved than I would've expected for a two year old in the same seat for 10 hours.
Being back in Japan felt a bit like coming home. It's amazing how comfortable the Tokyo area feels. We boarded the Narita Express (which made Kuri very excited) and headed for Sumie's parents apartment in Tokyo. We had a lot planned (which is why this post will be in three parts), but our first major destination was Hakone, a scenic and hot spring spot south of Tokyo.
Hakone (or as Mimi read it: Hack-wun) is a popular tourist destination. It's close to Tokyo, easily reachable by train, but still nestled in the mountains and crowded with onsen (Japanese hot springs). Neither Sumie nor I had ever been. She'd booked us a great little ryokan (Japanese style hotel) with hot baths and in-room dining. We were ready for some relaxation. Here we are outside the station, just getting into town.
On our walk to the ryokan, Kuri shouted "Firetruck!" And, lo and behold, there was one. Even better, the firefighters were out and offered to let Kuri and Mimi drive the truck.
Mimi was a natural...
...but Kuri was the one who really took to it.
Normally, Kuri wants nothing to do with strangers, but when it comes to firetruck access, he had no issues with the a stranger lifting him up into the cab and placing an official cap on his head. The boy has priorities.
Below is the tranquil river that ran in front of our ryokan. We stayed in the low, white building in the middle of the picture. Our room had a kind of balcony area overlooking the water, which made for some wonderful quiet time (once everyone was asleep).
We arrived in Hakone just in time to catch the tail end of the cherry blossom season. Many of the blooms had dropped, but there were still plenty to enjoy. The picture below was taken at 6:00am. Thanks to the kids, I was up before our hotel proprietors and found the only way I could contain the chaos was to take the kids for an early morning walk. We made for an interesting sight that morning.
The second day we were there we took a series of trams up into the hills. You can see some of the cherry trees in bloom off in the distance.
The trams ran through a series of switchbacks up the mountain, and then switched to a cable car, which climbed the seriously steep grade to the top of the mountains. Along the way, we stopped at a park to take a few pictures and enjoy the scenery.
Kuri is still figuring out how to pose...
...but Mimi has become quite adept and J-pop cuteness.
On the way home I spotted another Japanese-only wonder: a Trueno like the one from Initial-D! Sorry, being a car guy, I can't help it. We just don't have these in the states!
Back at the ryokan, Sumie and Mari assessed our travels...
...and Mimi got ready to go to the hot springs.
Our ryokan featured baths for men and women (hot springs are generally not co-ed in Japan, mainly because you have to enter them naked). There was also a large bath that could be reserved in the evening that everyone in your room could use at the same time. This was a real treat for us because it meant we could actually go in as a family. Here are a few shots of the bath.
And here's Mimi, already soaking it all in!
After a nice leisurely soak, we returned to our room for dinner, which was fabulous. In ryokans, you can often opt to have your meal served in your room. It's a tremendously relaxing way to spend an evening, especially after a long soak. The meals were traditional Japanese and simply wonderful.
Before long, though, the kids were completely tuckered out. They didn't even make it to turndown service time, and we had to pull out a futon for them before dinner was done.
Our adventure in Hakone over, Mimi and Kuri settled into Tokyo life. They watched the Yamanote and Shinkansen trains from the bedroom window of Sumie's parents' apartment...
...and played with their cousins whenever they had a chance.
It had been a great trip so far, but there was a lot more on our plate. More on family, Tokyo, and a special surprise trip to a "park" in the posts to come.
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