It’s been a while since I’ve written, for which, apologies. Life has settled gently into a pleasing routine of school, study and exploration of our local restaurants so I thought I’d gather a few weeks’ worth of stories to roll into one post.
For the last couple of weeks it’s been getting steadily colder until last Friday morning a few snowflakes actually fell. I’ve just realised that the last time I wrote a post was after we’d been to Kyoto, where it was so muggy that I kept having to peel off layers of clothing; now it’s most definitely about piling them on. I’ve invested in knee-socks with a snowflake design, leg warmers and gloves. Oh and Minnie Mouse ears, but more about that particular fashion statement later.
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Beautiful sun but spot the layers of warm clothing.
Believe me, if Simon's wearing a scarf it must be cold! |
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| My new favourite socks |
Autumn and winter in Japan are so far proving to be incredibly beautiful. The air is crystal clear, the sun is strong and generally the days are of the kind that make you want to get out and about doing healthy things. So a couple of weekends ago we once again headed west to Takao-san. This time we got to the top a little earlier than we had on the previous trip so we carried on to another couple of peaks. This was a very good idea as the further we went, the quieter it got, until there eventually remained only a handful of people, the bright red momiji leaves, the warm sunshine and the delicious sake. Perfect.
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| Even the shrine statues have their winter gear on. |
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| A trio of stunning momiji trees |
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| Quite possibly the best lunch ever! |
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| Breathtaking |
Back in the city the colours of the leaves are also changing; from our apartment we can now see an abundance of vivid yellow where a few weeks ago there was green. When the sun catches these trees it’s as if a ray has actually bounced right down to the ground.
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| Autumnal views from our apartment |
As Christmas approaches, Tokyo is being decorated and lit up to within an inch of its life. It’s really quite splendid. And for one who loves Christmas and all things shiny as much as I do, it’s a dream come true! We now have a giant tree outside the front of our apartment building. It plays music and everything! And last Friday was the Prudential Tower Residences Christmas party where we were treated to champagne, a live jazz band and a bingo game in the lobby – a very pleasant way to spend an evening.
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| The pathway outside our apartment building |
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It's not just any old Christmas tree, it's the
Prudential Tower all-singing, all-dancing,
bedecked-in-a-million-lights Christmas tree. |
To get in the festive mood, Simon surprised me with a trip to Disneyland on Saturday. Glorious weather, cartoon characters and Christmas things everywhere – I really was in my element. So were all the million other children there…it was completely rammed! Being Japan though, everything was beautifully organised and I got a good view of Father Christmas on his float in the Christmas Parade, as well as experiencing Splash Mountain, Space Mountain and, my favourite, Thunder Mountain.
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| No doubt as to where we are, then... |
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| ...or as to what season it is... |
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| ...yup, one certainly couldn't be mistaken! |
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| My new house. |
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| He definitely waved at me. |
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| It's true, they did. |
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| My house looks rather pretty with the lights on. |
I also bought, to my continuing delight, some Minnie Mouse ears. Awesome. Simon didn't seem too keen at first but I have caught him wearing them a couple of times when he thought I wasn't looking.
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| Busted! And he's smirking about it... |
Still to look forward to are the arrival of our Christmas tree later this week (courtesy of Amazon.jp, the most efficient website I have ever used), my school’s Christmas party for which I have to cook something to take (does buying a large bottle of sake count as cooking?), and the arrival of my brother who’s coming to spend Christmas here with us. A lot to be excited about! For now, I will leave you with my new look…
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| With these ears, the world is my oyster! |
またね!
