I JINXED IT! I woke up with a bug bite, just one, not in pairs like they used to be. On my foot, right next to all the other ones, and it’s really messing with me. I feel like they’re all itchy again, and I fear that the bugs are back.
It’s Sunday, and because our upcoming Tuesday is extra special, the girls worked on Social Studies this morning. We headed out for lunch, and right off the bus, we stopped by a drug store. While Joe was paying, I was browsing. Placenta, anyone?
Our immediate goal was lunch, and we wanted to try something casual and Japanese today. We ended up at a classical diner underground, filled with lots of locals going out for their usual Sunday comfort food.
Maylin picked the fire truck kids set:
Téa was both hungry and feeling a little more mature this morning, so she picked the item she really wanted, over the toy and dessert that the kids set promises. What she was craving:
Joe had omurice, the runny omelette over ketchup rice, this time with demi-glace. I had the tomato sauce pasta with a crab croquette, fried chicken and fried pork cutlet. At the end of the meal, when Maylin’s ice cream came, Téa was a little sad that she didn’t get the same ice cream, but also actually full and satisfied with something other than a kids meal.
After lunch, we headed over to our favourite mall, the Abeno Q. We were on a mission to find pants for Téa, as the weather has turned this weekend. We are finally seeing overnight temperatures below 20 degrees, and since we will be outdoors all day Tuesday with a forecasted high of 18, she will need something warmer than shorts!
You can seriously find everything at this mall, but Toylo Park is something we’ve never seen before. It’s essentially half an entire mall floor, with toys, play areas, games, benches and feeding areas (rest areas are hard to come by in Japan), clothing for expectant mothers, babies and toddlers up to probably 3 years old.
For bigger kids, they have only the basics, but also school supplies like uniforms, shoes and hats. And then there are the backpacks, the amazing, bedazzled but very special Japanese student backpacks! Japanese students are given a very durable and expensive backpack in Grade 1, with the expectation that they take care of it and make it last until they are done with Grade 6. This backpack is sturdy enough to protect the students from falling debris (from earthquakes), and it can also be used as a flotation device in case of a flood. Imagine if our backpacks were this helpful!
While we might not have found what we were looking for at Toylo, we DID find pants for Téa in two different stores, and by the time we were in the second store, Maylin decided she needed some new pants too. All in all, we were very happy with our loot today, and both girls have warmer clothes for Tuesday’s outdoor adventure!
On our way to the bus back home, we found another awesome vending machine!
After we got off the bus, I tried to remember to take pictures of all the things I want to show you, and that some of you have messaged me to ask about:
Last but not least, I leave you with the prettiest entrance way in our cul-de-sac:
When we got home, I went down for a nap while the girls played and Joe cooked up a great chicken stirfry for dinner. After that, we had family movie night with some K-Pop Demon Hunters, and if you haven’t seen it yet, you’re now officially slower than me…
Loving your updates and how the schooling is progressing. You seem to have a good handle on it. Hope no more fleas tonight. 🤞I was wondering, how are the prices for clothing etc? The food seems to depend on where you choose to eat or shop, just like here but how is everyday clothing priced? Reasonable, expensive or cheaper?
Thank you, Ute! It sure is frustrating at times, and of course all the more respect to teachers who deal with many kids struggling, 8 hours every day… But at least they’re only trying to teach one part of one subject at a time, we’re in two different classes over here! As for comparing prices, I found this website great: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Japan&country2=Canada&city1=Osaka&city2=Windsor