Living Slow in Tokyo

A friend and I were wondering how many countries we can cover by eating out in Shinjuku. Last week we did Thai and we started scoping out options that should last us well into next year. Today I am doing Spanish solo. I love that I can have a decent lunch out and it often costs the price of a
beer or two on a domestic flight. This is certainly an affordable way to tame my wanderlust.
Lizarran in Nishi Shinjuku has lunch sets for 1000 yen and it includes a soup, salad, drink bar and a tiny dessert. A glass of wine can be had for an extra 100 yen (too bad I have to go back to work, would have loved to have downed a red). I am stuffed and my meal was satisfactory, it really is a bargain. I prefer to eat al fresco and there is one outside table but it is not for solo diners like myself. The inside interior is cute enough with dim lights and a brick wall near the entrance. The space is quite narrow and it appears to be popular- noisy with lots of customers with a good pace of turnover so probably don’t need to wait long to get a seat or receive your food. Location is easy to get to, about 10min walk from the West exit of Shinjuku Station or a 4 minute walk from Okubo Station.

OH, before I forget- I didn’t see if they offer pinchos or tapas for lunch but they do for dinner! A bottle of wine can be had for 2400 yen so it is an ideal place to unwind after work.

Address: 〒160-0023 Tokyo, Shinjuku, Nishishinjuku, 7 Chome−7−25

東京都新宿区西新宿7丁目7-25

Phone: 03-5338-3353

Website: lizarranjp.jp/

Local treats: Sasadango and Chimaki

Prefecture: Niigata

Buy at: any train station and many souvenir shops in Niigata prefecture

Rumour has it that sasadango, a sweet Niigata treat, originates back 500 years to the time of daimyo Uesugi Kenshin. The bamboo leaves preserved what was inside for his travels; and man is the inside tasty- mugwort rice cake with sweet bean paste filling. The treat holds a special, nostalgic taste for my family after so many years living in Niigata prefecture.

Chimaki is the triangular bamboo wrapped snack. It too contains a rice cake but minus the mugwort and to be dipped into sweetened soy bean flour. This treat dates back thousands of years to China and is given to children to bless them with health.

My kids are walking around with rice cake filled tummies and sweet powdered faces thanks to the kindness of a dear friend who annually sends us a package. It truly is a thoughtful gift to get delivered to our home.

The Musashino Plains are blessed to me and happens to be where I make my home. So, on my rare day off I wanted to explore my area of Tokyo by making my way to Kokubunji. Tonogayato Garden is a 2 min walk from the South exit of Kokubunji station. I walked 75 minutes from my home in Musashino City because the street running along the side of the train line had some cafes and restaurants I was scoping out, I love the feeling of discovery when I go for walks, and primarily because I am plain happy to meander. This excursion was inspired by a dear friend/student who the other day, spent an hour breaking down the elements of a Japanese garden to me. I researched and planned to visit Tonogayato because of its status as one of nine core Tokyo metropolitan core gardens, it is nearby, and is a microcosm of the days gone by not in just the visual landscape but in the flora and geographical features; natural spring waters emerge from small, lasting cliffs. So precious was maintaining this space that the community rallied around saving it when it was proposed to be destroyed to modernize the area.

Origin: History is easy to find in Japan and Tokyo is jammed with its phenomenal share of it. The gardens are not very old; built in 1913 for Eguchi Teiji who became president of the South Manchuria Railway (which can cause discomfort when considering the part it played in Japanese colonialism), and then was bought by Iwasaki Hikoyata, president of Mitsubishi Goshi Kaisha, and was owned by his family until 1974 when Tokyo Metropolitan government purchased it.

Impression: It is a lovely contemplative place, I arrived shortly after 9am on a Wednesday morning and had the park to myself until 10:30. It is a small, circular walk that leads uphill to the azumaya, the viewpoint reveals the beautiful layers of the landscape and overlooks the koi pond. It is a 150 yen mental massage- can’t say no to that!

The Basics

Tickets: General, 150 yen/ Over 65 years old, 70 yen/ Elementary school students and Tokyo Junior high school student, free

Hours: Open daily from 9-5 (last entry 4:30) Closed     from Dec 29- Jan 1

Location: 2-16 Minami-machi, Kokubunji City, Tokyo 185-0021
Access: JR Chuo Line, Kokubunji Sta., South Exit (2 minutes on foot)
*No parking available
Tonogayato Garden Office Tel: 042-324-7991

Website: http://teien.tokyo-park.or.jp/en/tonogayato/outline.html

September was spent in semi-isolation and the quietness grew on me. Solitude decelerates time, which in turn gives sufficient pause to call myself out on things like how I tend to use internet or T.V as distractions (opposed to an activity that enriches or decompresses). It appears it is hard for me to turn things off so even though I intend to use T.V or internet for a brief, refreshing unwind, I usually fall into the black-holeness of it all and emerge hours later, wired and stressed that I neglected to do other things I wanted to do.

Today I returned to Facebook after a 5 week break and even though the benefits are plentiful, my lack of self control made me feel like I was losing myself so I fled into the arms of  my journal. The comfort and control of writing on paper balanced out my high-wired Facebook day and I started reflecting on the past 4 weeks, wrote goals for this new month and realized how this simple act offers perspective and second chances. Daily journal writing is one thing, but a monthly written “check-up” is another. And so I will try to experiment with this idea by writing a monthly report to myself on good old fashioned paper.

My central goal for October is for ME to not use the internet or watch T.V when my children are at home/awake unless these technologies are being used as an activity, together as a family. Together as a family… the quality of this along with my long conversations with myself and the universe made my September remarkable. Today my husband and I took our younger two on a bicycle ride and then played in a park for awhile, we had dinner as a family, the guys all have a Sunday night ritual of watching a particular show so they bonded over that, I have been reading the kids a book that they love so their day ended with storytelling that had them rolling around in laughter. ..yet, truth be told,  I was fighting my need to look at my cellphone throughout the day. The contrast in how I felt about the quality time with family and the feeling that I was addicted to the internet was strikingly apparent. So in the spirit of a new month and the feeling of another new start, I am going to try to slay this dragon and find a way to enjoy Facebook and the companionship it brings but not let it interrupt the time I spend with myself and my family. This girl is going to have her technology and her intentional life too! How does it get even better than that!

Although I find bathing in outdoor hot springs one of the most relaxing things to do, I never understood the Japanese love affair with their bathtubs…that is until last Christmas when I moved into my own home. My previous abodes just never had appealing ofuros but this place is different…maybe it is because I got to choose how I wanted it with the wider space, the little shelf that can balance a cup of tea or a glass of wine, perhaps it is that I splurged on the flooring and it feels lovely beneath my feet, whatever the reason, I get the obsession with taking baths now.

That said, all summer I showered . Soaking in hot water was the last thing I wanted when  my body was marinating in my own sweat all day.  Alas summer is coming to  close, the last couple of days with all members of my family sniffling with a cold and the humidity seemingly gone, our bath has been officially been beckoned back into business and it feels luxurious! Last winter we got into the habit of buying different bath salts and take turns choosing from our selection of onsen style, herbal healing ones, a stock that a friend spoiled us with of bubble baths from Lush and tonight’s choice- some medicinal salts to ease our sore muscles. My bath environment is so relaxing that I don’t even miss going to hot springs…something which I use to spend a lot of money and time doing.

A friend of mine taught me that an evening bath ritual can be very productive in other ways aside from the obvious of wiping tension away. She claims she learned how to speak English because of her bath…after her kids were in bed, she would study in her ofuro as it was her quiet, uninterrupted time. Taking a bath has been hailed by others for:

• opening pores and releasing toxins
• weight loss
• bringing down high blood pressure
•  better circulation
• better sleep
• steam therapy which is what I need now to open my clogged sinuses and ease my rough throat

…and a quick google will find dozen more proven and unproven benefits of a nightly bath.

Cautions include:

• drinking and drowning (don’t worry, my wine with my bath is something I seldom do and it is just a glass)
• sleeping and drowning
• of course electrocution…electrical safety folks!
• heart conditions, pregnancy… if you have a condition that you think will cause adverse and dangerous effects due to 20 min in hot water…please consult with your physician before starting a nightly ofuro ritual

Ooops, dropped some wine in the tub? No worries. There are hot springs here that intentionally add it to their water. In fact, many things you can find in your fridge can be thrown in to spice up the bath and supposedly add some health benefits to you…you probably remember the oatmeal baths from when you had chicken pox. But consider some olive oil, milk, honey, citrus fruit, herbs…you know I am sure if you search this you can find many surprising ingrediants to make your bath more relaxing, invigorating, healthful, whatever your objective is. In fact, bathing has a long history that goes beyond hygiene so you can draw on the inspirations of the Greeks, Romans, Turks, Japanese and try to learn how they used/ use bathing for spirituality and healing and even socializing.

A lovely room to bathe in is a simple way to make your home more of a retreat. A staycation can be had every night by starting a bathing ritual. Come to think of it, I have wondered how people can work such long hours in Japan and this may just be one of things that keeps that energizer battery inside salarymen/women recharging.

How would that look on a protest sign eh! But in all seriousness, I went to verify that making homemade pasta only took knowing the ratio of 100gms of flour to 1 egg and the ability to knead it into the texture of a bambinos butt, I did verify this but had no pasta to show for the effort as I ended up spending too much time gorging on information about the 20 year old Ramsey case that is back in the news. One article led to another and then another and… And every single time I fall for the garbage articles online my head hurts and I feel like I have been robbed…time and brain cells mercilessly yanked from me due to my own stupidity and lack of self-restraint.

Today I wanted to exert my power of choice and buried my cell-phone in another place that contains trash (my purse) and between errands ended up walking 6km with the boys, played in a park for a couple of hours, went to the library and basically told yahoo news to “stick it”.

Here is the thing, I read studies on this. I know the media cheaps out by resurrecting old news, I know that every click on things that cause mental-decay alerts the news outlet through article stats so they generate more and more of such content which in turn creates monster, nonsense, talentless celebrities who keeps oiling this cycle…wasting my time and getting rich off of me. I the reader am guilty, I indicate that I want it  by succumbing to headlines that I know contain articles that will add absolutely nothing to my life. And the recycling of news or what is chosen to be even considered news…AAAAAAHHHHH. Checking sources has never been more important than now considering how something tweeted on twitter today is considered a fact tomorrow and the fact that a whole news article, a whole news storm can be made because Gigi Hadid tweets she prefers to use children toothbrushes for her delicate teeth (I just made that up by the way). Often (not always…yes I am looking at you NHK (Cough, cough))public funded media presents more quality content and diverse view points. Choose carefully, support the real journalists out on the field and say no to those headlines that lure you in (and you know that they are doing it, you see the bad candy these strangers are handing out so don’t take it).

Yes, sometimes not thinking is what you need, it helps you unwind yadda, yadda but people somehow relaxed before the internet. People relaxed before T.V. Go back to the stone age and people could still find a way to relax after finding food and having a stressful day of dodging predators.  I am not there yet…I know too much about Kardashians even though I have seen zero episodes of their television show, I have never even heard their voices yet I can name them all. I know Black Chyna is pregnant with Robs baby and his family ain’t happy but I have no idea who the heck Black Chyna is. And this brings me to why does their lives matter in mine. There is a number of allotted days in my life and I am just handing it out like I can hop into a convenience store and add more to extend it. Swinging high up in the air on the swings and climbing on the playground, not looking at a screen but at the gorgeous smiles around me, now that is what I am willing to pay for with my vitality and breath!

I feel a bit spoiled to say that I haven’t eaten out in 3 weeks and it pained me a bit last night to the point that I actually feel frustrated today at the deprival. Point being, I eat (ate) out too much. But eating out in Tokyo is part of the fun of living here; throw a stone and not only will you have a Gucci wearing elderly person scolding you but you will hit a restaurant that serves reasonable priced, delicious and beautiful meals. I am not against eating out, in fact, I am enthusiastically supportive of local, small businesses and am willing to sleep with anyone who makes my life easier but I have a good reason that I am not being a denizen of any of these culinary establishments… I need to conserve time and money! This year’s summer trip back to my birth country, throw in taking my children to Hong Kong Disneyland and paying for the landscaping work (outdoor, not my body…I am so hairy that my stone walkway looks like a value when I think about getting “that” landscaping done). Anyhow, my wallet is just an accessory at this point. When I updated my bankbook it printed out a picture of tumbleweed instead of a number and then the ATM machine pleasantly said “Thank-you for banking with MUFJ and please stop wasting our time”. Sigh. But I see it as the universe forcing me into my “simpler” habit. I have deadlines but 4-weeks-ago-me would already have been dreaming and planning where to have my lunch by 9am. Staying home because I have no choice helps me meet the aforementioned deadlines. I am also off Facebook for the same “mental” time-saving reason.

Last night, I REALLY wanted to sit in a restaurant and not cook. But I didn’t and here is the awesomeness of my occasional stubbornness…I anticipated that this addiction would come for me and I had filled my freezer with an amazing amount of meals I had precooked. In my time of strength I convinced myself “I WILL NOT FAIL”. So, holding my 1st graders hand for support and keeping my focus on him and not the places lining the street that were emitting alluring meat smells, I pushed past. I almost crumbled when he said “oh that looks good, are they selling ramen in there?” but instead tried to flee (well pick up the pace). And I survived. I quickly heated up Gumbo and toasted some homemade bread but was exhausted from my inner struggle so didn’t even bother with the salad.

Yes, I am lucky that this is my struggle at the moment but how I handle this shapes how I handle everything else. I noticed that my oldest and youngest child are willing to see me break this commitment but my middle child is incredibly supportive and proud of how I have been so disciplined about it. He has the most posh tastes out of the 3 yet turns out discipline outranks his fancy instincts. I read a book about willpower which helped me call out how I make excuses about how “I deserve it” and then make concessions. Anyhow, first goal is to make it to the end of September (I do have guests coming and we will go to a festival so will eat out that day) but in fact I have to show restraint and caution until December because of shakken, house costs etc plus my main job at the University doesn’t restart until October meaning I won’t be paid until the end of November…I love it! I wanted to clear up my schedule to spend more time at home with family, writing this makes me see how the universe is rooting for me and helping me do this.  It may feel like a challenge on the odd occasion but in fact I am not in any dire situation. I am a budgeter, so there is an existing small stash if I need to draw on it (but I will fight that as long as I can…no way I want to go there because of my restaurant addiction). I got lost in the colourful glow of Tokyo and loved it. I have lived fabulously since moving here and now I am practicing the art of keeping that going but in a more paced and simple way.

So advice: Be alert for excuses you make for breaking promises with yourself. Some may be legit but some really are just excuses and need to be thought out. If you have a resolution, why not keep a pencil and paper on hand and tell yourself that you must write a couple of pages before deciding if you will go ahead and break it. Good chances your talk with temptation will reveal it as superficial and  discipline will be sexy once again. DON’T THROW IT ALL AWAY FOR A ONE-NIGHT RAMEN!!!!

I am sitting here gazing out the window. I do this a lot. I even payed the builder extra to have giant windows/walk-out installed at the back of my home so I can indulge in green-gazing. It overlooks my small backyard with a view of a home behind. This particular neighbour’s home is a tad on the dilapidated side and is overgrown with weeds and plants due to being abandoned for most of the week. I actually love it, this neighbour’s home makes me feel like I am deeper in nature than I actually am and contributes to me having greater privacy. Goodness, for me it is so gorgeous…wild, not meticulous but it is this uncontrolled lushness that does it for me. I sometimes sit on a mat in front of the glass so that my nose almost touches it. Looking at the butterflies, the leaves swaying and the little sprouts popping out of the soil puts my breathing on meditation pace autopilot.

My piece of land is small…tiny by many peoples standards but it is no matter, there is a voice in my head that sings “inch by inch, row by row, gonna make my garden grow. All it takes is a rake and a hoe and piece of fertile ground“, that voice is my own from when I was back in single digits. I loved this song I learned in school and my own small, distant voice filters into my brain when I look at my little “adult” garden, I hum it as I walk barefoot on my grass and poke at the soil, pull weeds. Don’t get me wrong, I am no farmer. I have just been attempting to grow things with both success and failure for a long time, including a high percentage of time living in an apartment (one particular year I had such great success with my cucumbers that I kept hitting my head on them when I would open the balcony door). Anyhow, I have learned to move on with the disappointment when things get eaten up by bugs or don’t thrive and I always plant leaves that are hardy and guaranteed to give me hope and satisfaction in my gardening pursuit.

Even one tiny plant that feeds you nourishes your heart,instills magic in life and puts appreciation on the brain. City dwellers, throw some lettuce seeds in a deep pot NOW and place it on the balcony where you can see it and it is exposed to the elements i.e rain (the deep pot is so you decrease your chances of letting it dry out). You will have fresh salad leaves over the next few months. It is so simple and  I cannot even say how many friends have come over and been overjoyed and surprised when I hand them a basket and tell them to go on the balcony (now backyard) and cut leaves for our meal. Just keep snipping what you need to eat and it will not only continue to give, it will actually give more and more.

This is more a PSA. Future posts will be more specific about what grows well here in TYO. I am blessed to have my own piece of land now and even writing about it makes my heart explode with love. When I see my kids snacking on what is out back, when I walk out there and pick things to cook with or when I just want to settle my heart by green-gazing in my garden I heal just a little bit more, become a tad more kinder and fall in love with the world just that much more.

(All pics are of my summer garden ending and autumn garden beginning.)