This post is a brief account of our family trip to Hakodate!

This was summer 2017, almost a year ago.

Previous post was on Aomori.

We spent one night in Aomori, and ambitiously thought about visiting Hakodate, Hokkaido, since it only takes 1 hour 6 minutes!!! That’s the time it takes from my home in KL to travel into town haha.

We left our resort, Aomoriya and headed to Misawa Station with the resort’s shuttle bus.

Transit at Hachinohe, bound for Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto.

Bought this salted scallop, I used it as topping for my Ochazuke, it was so good!

Reached Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto and wait for the local train to Hakodate station.

Two of them rest in one stroller during the ride. ^^

Hakodate Station

And… we are in Hokkaido!!! <3

It feels a little surreal, I haven’t been back to Hokkaido for so long, and it’s nice to be here in the mid summer! Best weather in whole Japan at that time haha.

View right outside of Hakodate station. Such a pretty city!

The danna brought us to Ajisai, a super famous ramen chain from Hakodate. Singaporeans!!! Now you can enjoy it at Hokkaido Marche in Orchard Central (next to Donki). Even though I live in Singapore somehow I still feel envious hahahha. You guys really have all the best of Japan!

Shoyu base.

Shio base. I love it!!

Ah gyozaaaaaaa my fav.

Karaage!

Stay

We checked into a ryokan with private in-room onsen! (Forgot the name, let me check and update again)

(updated: I have managed to find out the ryokan’s name!!!)

Nagisa Tei Hakodate

It’s a small, cosy tatami-style room, and…

Tada… a small onsen bath in the room, OVERLOOKING THE OCEAN!

View.

So so so so amazing.

Junya happy relaxing.

Hanabi Taikai

We are really so so lucky, we came here right in time for their fireworks festival, and the best way to view it is from Mt Hakodate.

Dinner was Jingisukan (Japanese grilled mutton). I usually don’t eat mutton but Jingisukan is not bad!

This is the limit of my photography skill haha. Lugging two children with no tripod, this was the best photo of the fireworks show. Needless to say it was super amazing in real life.

Two best night view in Japan checked – Mt Inasa in Nagasaki & Mt Hakodate. Next one to conquer is Mt Maya in Kobe!

Back to ryokan and everyone passed out haha. This is the best view in the world for me. ^^

Hakodate Asaichi

You can’t leave Hakodate without visiting the morning market!

It’s true that it has gotten a little touristy, but I totally don’t mind it, the food is still super fresh and affordable, even the touristy vibes is something to love.

300 yen Yubari melon ^^

Such a huge piece!

Uniiiiiiiiiiii. If i’m not mistaken this was 1000 yen. Can’t be any fresher!

The danna ordered abalone!

Super recommend the Hokkaido white corn! Eat it raw instead of steaming. ^^

Kaisen Don

The famous Hakodate specialty – Kaisen Don. You’ll be spoilt for choice! I’m usually the greedy one to order all-in-one bowl.

Hehe mine. ALL IN!!!

Danna’s bowl.

Sakura sharing mine.

Love all the children’s book in the restaurant!

This mini Salmon Ikura bowl is for Junya.

He finished the WHOLE BOWL. Ball ball (ikura) will never go wrong. The danna was so amazed that he had to take a picture.

Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse

Beautiful, relaxing, and great for shopping.

There are museums, restaurants, specialty shops, souvenir shops… The perfect place to hunt for omiyage to bring back home before leaving Hokkaido. ^^

I bought like over 10 Hokkaido Gotochi Kitty here! Haha the wordings in Chinese XD.

Kimono Hello Kitty. I bought a cute Kitty yukata for Sakura here.

Love the subtle placement of the friendly canine!

Stopped by the famous patisserie, Petite Merveille for tea time.

Mel Cheese dessert set at 900 yen I think. Very worth it!

Kaisen don again… anyone?

But it’s not the usual one you expected.

It is made of… sweets.

Walkabout

The canal is also nice to stroll about.

Lots of picturesque spots for Insta-worthy photography.

That’s all for Hakodate. ^^

Update again soon!

Because the previous post was a Cheat One™.

Hi. I’m back.

Here’s the account of @cheesiepetit in the past month. I finally had some time sanity to sit down and pen my thoughts.

Disneyland debut for Sakura.

For Junya

1st month , 2nd month , 3rd month , 4th month , 5th month , 6th month , 7th month,  8th month, 9th month , 10th month , 11th month , 12th month , 13th month , 14th month , 15th month , 16th month , 17th month , 18th months , 19th month , 20th month ,21st month , 22nd month , 23rd month , 24th month , 25th month , 26th month , 27th month , 28th month , 29th month , 30th month , 31st month , 32nd month , 33rd month , 34th month , 35th month , 36th month , 37th month , 38th month , 39th month , 40th month , 41st month , 42nd month , 43rd month , 44th month , 45th month and 46th month here.

Nihongo

We spent 3 weeks in Japan and suddenly his first language became Japanese. It’s really very cute because whenever he doesn’t know a word he replaces it with English.

“Mama watashi no leg wa ira ira suru” (My leg is irritated (?))

“Mama kore ii nioi kara smell shite!” (It’s a nice scent please smell it!)

Chatterbox before sleep

He can’t stop talking right before he sleeps. He’d lay in his bed and be yapping and yapping and yapping about his fantasy complete with exaggerated hand gestures  (“then the truck came down and just swooosh!!! like this fall on the shinkansen, and the shinkansen move up here, and everybody go down to the staircase and BOOM! and MELT the lion, so the blue color light is blinking and I close it and then….”) and I was just like oooooh, wow…. uh huh… and he doesn’t care he just kept talking until he is soooo tired and doze off. Haha.

Patissier , cleaner, architect, rocket scientist…

He is so many things. Sometimes all at once.

Baker.

Cereal chemist. Experimenting with his newly hired cluless intern. Mix and match to see what will explode and what will not. (In most cases mama’s temper will.)

Engineer. He designed this “Kabocha Basha” (Pumpkin Horse Carriage). I am assuming that his cluless intern has been promoted to be his princess.

Fireworks scientist. He said this is the firework station where hanabi is about to launch. Made with a tripod, Magiclean mop, a plastic rose and a broken snorkel gear. I am assuming the Meiji milk stick is the gun powder to fuel the fireworks. Also the canned fish are… I dunno, explosives, I guess. There are just a lot of bombing going on in this house.  I’m not allowed to meddle with it because it is very dangerous apparently.

Today he’s just a… terrorist.

It’s one of those day I felt like saying to my captor – “don’t torture me anymore. Just… shoot me.”

Then I made him my slave.

Reflection Time

I try to practice a reflection time when I tuck him to bed. For me, for him. Usually when I had scolded him or became unreasonably angry, I try to make it up to him by ending the day positively.

We talk about the things that happened that day, what he did good, what he did not so good, and I thank him for all the things he did good. Thank you for being a good boy at dinner today, thanks for cleaning up the toys just now… etc.

But to my surprise, he does not accept all of them. I’m not sure if it’s in his Japanese genes to have this compulsory self-deprecation. When I praise him and thank him, he’d think about it for awhile, and then very factually reply, “No no mama, you don’t say thank you because today I spilled the cereal and I didn’t clean up. That’s why you don’t say thank you.” (And then I’ll have to explain to him “yea you didn’t clean up the cereal but you helped put the tomica back into the box. So I still have to thank you for that.)

For Sakura

My baby Sakura turned 2.

2 years old!!!

Read Sakura’s 1st month, 2nd month , 3rd month , 4th month , 5th month , 6th month , 7th month , 8th month , 9th month , 10th month , 11th month , 12th month , 13th month , 14th month , 15th month , 16th month , 17th month , 18th month , 19th month , 20th month , 21st month , 22nd month and 23rd month here.

Care bear

She’s a little care bear. I feel that she can understand a lot of complicated emotions now, and she shows that she cares.

Where papa? She asks me everyday after the danna goes to work.

Mama itai? (painful?)  She asks me when she sees a scratch or wound on my body.

Sorry mama. Sometimes even when I’m just quiet and looking a little not too happy, she volunteers to say sorry, even though it could be her brother who made me upset.

T_T

Dowan Mama

On the flip side, she could also be a mini devil when she’s unhappy. She splurts DOWAN MAMA!! in a sulky tone alllllllll the time, whenever things don’t go the way she wants.

(dowan nii nii)

When Junya doesn’t let her play with something, she grouches, DOH-WAN Nii Nii. And then when I try to explain to her aiding her brother (cuz she’s the one being unreasonable), she’d turn to me, DOH-WAN mama oso.

🙄🙄🙄

This one confirm is pick up from her brother. Haih.

But she changes mood much faster than her brother, so after a few minutes she’d come to me herself and be like “sorry mama. Don’t say dowan mama okeh?”

Sakura Says

DAAK!

She started talking sooooo much but sometimes I have no freaking idea what she’s talking about. And I can’t just simply 敷衍了事 just brush her off saying “ooooh I see!” She won’t buy it. She will insist that I repeat what she says to make sure I understand EXACTLY what she said.

Example.

“Mama, daak?”
“Hmm? (what?!) Oh I see. Yea!”
“No. Daak!”
“Err.. dark?”
“No daak!!!!”
“Duck?”
“Nooo. DAAK!!!!!”
“Truck??”
“Yes. Daak.”

😂😂😂

BURG

“Mama. Burg.”
“Burg?”
“AH. AH. AH.”
“Oh. Bird. Crow.”
“Yesh.”

Teeta Tetet

“Mama. Teeta tetet.”
“Ok ok ok. Take off jacket.”
“Yesh.”

ABUNAI!!!

She now learned how to abuse the word “abunai” (“dangerous” in Japanese).

Place her on her high chair, she screams ABUNAAAAI! So that I will carry her onto my lap to eat.

Place her on the edge of bed she yells ABUNAAAAI! So I will hold her and change her clothes.

Place her on any general platform of a certain height and she’d be like ABUNAAAIIII! so that I will have to continue to carry her.🙄🙄🙄

Mama? Mama. Mama?

It’s horrible. I think I’ll just give up weaning forever until she ownself feel shy or something. She’s back to waking up multiple times a night. I write in this blog on this topic until I sian.

She doesn’t even cry anymore, she just crawls next to me, and keeps calling, “Mama. Mama? Mama!!” until I lift my shirt to reveal my oppai T___T.

Sometimes during day time when she wants to nurse, she even dare to be shy!! And will just look at me wide-eyed and whine “hmmmmm~~~”. I pretend not knowing what she wants then she’ll be a bit louder “HMMMM~~~!”. It keeps on going until I give up and ask her, “oppai?” and she gives the biggest smile, “yesh.”

Haih.

(Oh but still there’s something awesome about it!! Being addicted to oppai makes it almost impossible for her to be angry at me for a long time. Every time she says “DOHWAN MAMA”, and I’ll be like, “you mean you don’t want oppai?” then immediately her face changes and softens down, and there she goes, “sorry mama.😞”. Yeap. I still hold absolute power as long as there’s oppai.)

For Mama

1

A couple of weeks ago Junya had an accident. It was completely my fault. Sakura had had fever for days and I was major stressed and was already moody. We were fighting because I insisted that he can only eat snack after proper dinner. He was very upset and tried to snatch the snack from me, I resisted, and by the force of pulling he slipped and fell of the chair and knocked his mouth onto the metal part of the trampoline and before I knew it he was crying with blood all over his mouth and I was crying because I panicked not knowing what to do AND BECAUSE I HURT HIM. IT WAS MY FAULT.

He fractured his front tooth. Both of us were in shock. The feverish, wailing Sakura became super quiet because she was shocked too seeing our reactions. Everyone was in shock.

The danna rushed back and calmly brought all of us to the dentist to have him checked. He is ok now. It’s lucky that it was just his milk tooth which will drop in a couple of years time anyway.

But I repented. I spent days and days repenting what I had been feeling and unknowingly doing to all my family members. I was angry, moody, irritable and stressed out the whole time. I didn’t realized how much negative energy I have been spreading to everyone in the house.

For many months now I had been quite cold and impatient especially with Junya. At almost 4 I expected him to behave more civilized and less drive-me-up-the-wall. I kept my distance because I knew that I was like a time bomb that could explode any time at the littlest things that tick me off.

At the dentist I couldn’t stop crying not because I was worried, but I was shocked at how unbelievably brave he was. The dentist asked him to open mouth, he opened. Dentist touched his wound, he just laid there quietly. Dentist asked him to gargle to disinfect, he did it so obediently. Although I know it must have hurt A LOT. Dentist took X ray to check his teeth bone, he was alone in the X-ray room without a sound. Even I cannot imagine myself being this brave. And he is not even 4 yet. How dared I expect so much of him?

I repented. Greatly.

And then I realized how much a good boy he has been. At the dentist, in school. I just didn’t understand why the moment he comes home he’s a completely different person. This wild, uncontrollable mini terrorist. But now I know. It is because kids do have stress too. They are forced to do what they are told by many many different adults. They are trying their best to be their best self outside. They have to do things that they don’t like, just because they are told to. They have to be brave. They have to be strong. They have to put up with lots of things that they don’t understand. And when they finally come home to familiar faces, they just want to manja a little. Release a little. Be a little wilder. Act a little more willful. Have a little more love from us parents. And I had been depriving him of his little indulgence. I didn’t give him love. Everyone needs to de-stress, right? Outside stress, come home also stress, anyone will go crazy, right?

I was so ashamed of myself. I remember when I gave birth, all I prayed was that he was born a healthy baby. 4 years later, suddenly I have so many extra expectations. Must be obedient. Must have good manners. Must learn to clean up toys. Must eat vegetables. Must this must that…

Whatever happened to “just wish he is healthy”? If I’m god, I will just tell this greedy mommy off to stop expecting so much. Your son is already healthy. Whatever is more, are bonuses.

I will atone my sin. Less anger, more patience, more love.

2

Last week I mentally collapsed. Lots of things happened, I couldn’t eat or sleep and I was 37KG. The lowest since secondary school.

I didn’t celebrate mother’s day because I forgot about it. I sometimes do wonder why I had kids. I hated kids before I had any. It’s a lot of work. It makes you lose sleep, lose weight, lose focus on work, lose all the happy things you used to love and enjoy when you were childless, lose sanity, and worst, lose yourself.

Having kids also put a tremendous test on your marriage. Now you have to work on both your kids and your marriage. Sometimes you just want to pack your bags and just disappear for a few days because F it you’re done with all these mothering bullshit so you don’t F care anymore BUT YOU CAN’T BECAUSE YOU ARE A MOTHER AND YOU CAN’T JUST DUMP YOUR CHILDREN AT HOME AND F CARE ABOUT THEM.

I think this is the shittiest part of motherhood. It’s not the cooking, changing, bathing, coaxing, threatening, paying attention when you just want to black out, cleaning up spilled cereals cookie crumbs hot soup sandwich bits and vomit that is daunting. It is that you have nowhere to escape to or fall back on when you are about to collapse. When you feel like shit, you can’t really be really feeling like shit because you still have to care for other people and pretend that you’re not feeling like shit. That’s the WORST.

I wanted to just really allow myself to truely feel like shit for once without caring about other people’s assorted shit anymore. So I hurled myself at that oncoming speed train. I jumped right down.

(Luckily only in my mind.)

And then I mentally blacked out for days. Some of me is still broken, to be honest. Lots of things needs to be fixed inside. You can’t heal from a mental train wreck in days.

I don’t have a solution to this, and I don’t think I ever will. But one step at a time, even though it looks to me like a fkcing Batu Caves staircase. To exercise your heart. Make it tougher every day. Give it some serious muscle.

To try again the next day. Because you are a mother.

Today Junya turns 47 months old and Sakura turns 2 years old.

It’s been 4 whole years of logging their monthly milestones and update.

I really have a lot to update, but right now I’m not quite in the shape to write a full blog post.

But I want to document this important moment, Junya turning almost 4 and Sakura 2 years old now. I hope they will bring lots of joy and love to the people around them, and receive lots of love from people around them.

Till then, I will be back again.

The more I get out of the city, the more I develop a longing to try living in the suburbs.

I recently just finished reading the best-seller – Ikigai, the Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life. The book introduces the island of Okinawa, whose residents live longer than people anywhere else in the world. Many of them lived as long as over 110 years old.

A healthy diet, a simple life in the outdoors, lots and lots of green tea and shikuwasa, and one that I yearn the most – clean air. You have probably heard me say somewhere before that I want to “retire” (by the way Japanese people never retire. A lot of these longest-living people work until the day they die, and believe it or not that’s what help them to live that long!) in a small village in Japan planting daikon haha.

But the reality is, I need my dosage of city life. Right now, all I need are instant meals from the combini, household hacks that will cut my cleaning time by half, 5G internet, good air purifier and… lots of Owarai variety shows to de-stress.

But the price to pay for this modern-day living… I could really feel it. The moment I returned from our 2-month holidays mostly in suburb Japan back to KL and Singapore, my dreadful sinus immediately came back again.

And since I (and many of you reading this) can’t escape this urban dwelling lifestyle, we can only rely on modern technology to counter all the stress-inducing factors and external threats, such as air pollutants, pollen, dust and dirt that will weaken our body’s natural defence. It feels like a never ending battle haha. Now I’m also trying to focus more on a healthier homecook diet, more light exercises and good body care.

I have introduced THREE Cosmetics , a holistic skin care and cosmetics brand from Japan in my blog last year. I reviewed their make up products earlier, and this time around I would like to introduce their new skin care line, THREE Line, formulated with a luxurious blend of organic essential oils and botanical ingredients, and specially developed to enhance overall skin and body immunity against all the environmental and lifestyle stressors we face today.

Thank you, THREE Singapore, for the most gorgeously and thoughtfully put together skincare gift ever.

Junya helped me unbox it.

I love how each little item provides a useful tip for de-stressing and relaxing.

The calming scent of lavender.

Low maintenance and adorable, it’s nice to add a little green in our home.

Pray that the haze never comes back again.

Did you know that laurel leaf and bay leaf are the same? The leafy spice you use in your stew actually has superb healing effects!

Reading up all the amazing ingredients found in THREE Line.

The Line-Up

There are a total of 5 products in this range. I’ll introduce one by one.

The first time I used THREE’s product (balancing series) last year, I was pleasantly surprised at how different it is from many other skin care I have tried before. I could understand now what THREE means when they says that they consider mind, body and skin together as a whole. Because whenever I use the products, whether removing my make up or putting on lotion, it gives me a spa-like feeling, and I feel so completely relaxed.

I think it is the scent of essential oils, which plays such a huge role in giving me that sense of relaxation. To be honest I was quite against any fragrance in my skin care, so usually I only use fragrance-free products and thought that the less smell it has, the purer it must be. But THREE has changed my mind completely, I didn’t know that the scent in a bottle can bring so much calming effect into your skin care routine.

It is reassuring to know that as a holistic brand, THREE does not use any artificial fragrance or coloring, and of course no paraben either. They make full use of raw ingredients, using essential oils in their whole form instead of using extracted aroma components. So what I’m sniffing all these time is really pure essential oils that’s healing to the mind!

Taking particular note on their quality, THREE uses Japanese ingredients as much as possible. They use and incorporate ingredients sourced in Japan so that they can see with their own eyes how and by whom they were grown. THREE also uses ingredients that conform to organic certification standards whenever possible. So you can be sure that every drop of essence is carefully and responsibly made to care for you.

Here’s my THREE Line routine:

THREE Cleansing Oil

If I have make up on, I will first remove it with the Cleansing Oil, which contains 98% naturally derived ingredients such as the highly nourishing Sapote Butter. It removes accumulated impurities such as makeup, excess keratin and air pollutants and brings back the skin’s innate glow and clarity.

I love to pour a few pumps on my palms, put it close to my face and inhale deeply before applying and massaging onto face. I really love the whiff of invigorating botanical goodness!

Sometimes it is not until I’m using THREE that I realize that I haven’t breathed properly for the entire day. Now I know why it always felt like spa-time, because you are always told to breathe deeply during spa, right? I’m really glad that this skin care routine has helped me find some peaceful time after a whole day of chaos.

THREE Clearing Foam

The new packaging really sparks lots of joy too. The bottles and tubes come in cute triangle shape, and simply blends into my minimalistic dressing table. This is an anti-inflammatory facial wash that thoroughly washes away impurities in a rich and fluffy lather.

 THREE Treatment Lotion

All the products smell so good that I am really enjoying every step of the skin care routine even though there are quite a few products to go through. It’s true pampering time for your mind and body.

This rich lotion guards against dryness and damage caused by UV rays when we go out in day time. It contains watermelon and eggplant fruit extract to boost skin’s moisture-retaining ability.

THREE Treatment Emulsion

A light, fluid emulsion that soothes weakened skin.

I love using this in the morning as it’s not at all heavy for make up afterwards.

THREE Treatment Cream

Made of 99% naturally derived ingredients, this cream is luxuriously smooth and rich in antioxidant to support skin against environmental stress.

(Haha Sakura hijacking my pampering time)

The active ingredients in this cream also helps raise immunity of our fragile skin. Again, I have to comment that the scent is gorgeous and I’m happy to go to bed smelling this good and feeling completely winded down.

This is my Me-Time, a little daily luxury to keep the next day (and my skin) looking bright. The THREE Line is also now available at all THREE stores and boutiques in Singapore.

You can find out more from THREE’s website, they have full information on each product and even massage tips!  Follow them on Facebook too for all the latest updates. ^^

Many people have told me that some of their favorite blog posts from all the 2000 over that I have written, are from the “The Meaning Of…” series. I have written a few so far:

1. The Meaning of Itadakimasu

2. The Meaning of Mottainai

3. The Meaning of Umami

These are some of my favorite too. Recently I read the trending book called Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life. I have my very own definition of Ikigai, but let’s reserve that for another time. What I want to say is that, sometimes I really learn so much from just researching about one single Japanese word that carry such profound, sophisticated meaning.

Today I want to talk about the meaning of Omoiyari. This topic actually came about when I read up on how the diaper which Sakura is wearing now – MamyPoko, is made with Omoiyari. But I’ll come to that later.

First, what is Omoiyari?

Omoiyari is a Japanese custom which means to be caring, considerate and compassionate towards others’ needs. It sounds simple as that, but just like Itadakimasu and Mottainai, this word carries a far deeper meaning, in every single aspect of a daily life and in all layers of society in Japan.

If you have been to Japan before, or even use a Japanese product, or visit a Japanese restaurant, or a Japanese hair salon, you will definitely have had experience the Japanese-style Omoiyari before in some form. I probably can write a book about this alone haha. Think of the plastic covers for umbrellas provided at the entrance of a shopping mall during rainy days. The basket provided in restaurant where you could put your bag instead of hanging it on the back of chair or place it on your lap. The shelf at combini cashier where you could rest your handbag while digging for your wallet. The blanket to cover your lap and keep you warm when you wash your hair in the salon. The arrows to indicate where people should line up in the subways. The people who automatically stand on the sides of the doors so that passengers from inside the train can easily alight to facilitate a smooth traffic flow. The people who wear face masks as so they don’t spread the flu bugs to other people…

They are all omoiyari.

And I’m really happy to know that some of these Omoiyari spirits have started to be practiced outside of Japan too! (I love SG’s subways!)

Sometimes it is overwhelmingly heartwarming, sometimes it is subtly inspiring, but it all comes from wanting to be sincerely considerate to the people around you and providing the best for your customers.

Let me illustrate a few examples of Omoiyari that I have encountered that left deep impressions in me…

1. Genius chair storage

Discovered this in my trip to Japan a few weeks ago. It’s not a new concept, though. Many Yakiniku shops provide bag and jacket covers so that your belongings don’t smell like a BBQ feast. It’s just that the ideas keep getting newer and more creative, I am forever inspired and excited to see to which extend Japan can go next with their Omoiyari practices.

2. Paper bags at retail stores

So once I went shopping in Franc Franc in Aoyama, Tokyo. I bought quite a lot of goods so the cashier placed it in a big paper bag and layered it in another paper bag for double protection, and before she passed the bag to me, she taped a soft, plastic wrap on the paper bag’s handle. I was like… why…? The moment I held the paper bag in my hand, I immediately understood why.

Have you ever held paper bags so heavy that your palms end up hurt from the roughness and weight of the handles pulling against your flesh? Yeap. This soft wrap is to prevent that from happening. I was so overwhelmed by this that I almost had wet eyes lol. Not exaggerating haha.

Of course other than this, the cashier also offers a plastic cover for your paper bag during a rainy day (so that it doesn’t get wet), and if you already carry a few paper bags with you, they will offer a bigger paper bag so that you can put everything inside!!! The level of omoiyari is remarkable.

3. Rain cover for Geta (traditional clogs for kimono wear)

I blogged about this in my previous blog post during my visit to Kanazawa.

How is this not a super genius innovation based on Omoiyari? Not only it prevents the wearer’s feet from getting wet, it also protects the Geta from water damage, WHILE preserving good aesthetic for the entire outfit as you can barely notice it. This is definitely first class Omoiyari.

4.The girls in the bus

Sometimes Omoiyari also means to be less self-centered and more aware of what’s happening around you.

I remember my girly trip to Tokyo with a few fellow bloggers many years ago. We landed in Narita, and excitedly took the limousine bus to get to our hotel in Shinjuku. A girl friend and I picked the seats behind two young girls (maybe high school students), and the moment we sat down, they carefully put their seat back up right from their original comfortably reclined position. I knew that it was so that the reclined seats won’t bother the passengers behind (although we would have been totally fine with it).

Omoiyari coming from two teenagers, I felt really touched and slightly ashamed at the same time. I used to be the person who, at the very moment the seatbelt sign turns off on an airplane, immediately reclines her seats to the very maximum. >.< So much to learn from this episode! Nowadays, I still recline my seat (imagine the torture if you don’t! haha), but I copied what other Japanese passengers do – to check if the person behind you is already resting, and is not using the folded table for eating/reading, before I gently and slowly recline the seat back. I hope more people can practice this simple act of Omoiyari because so many times I get a shock from the sudden jerk (I mean the action, not the person 😂) of the seat in front of me.

5.Tidying up your table in restaurants

This stretches beyond just putting back the food tray in fast food chains. The first time I saw the danna do this when we first started dating, I thought he was borderline OCD. But then soon I realized that every other Japanese diners are doing the same thing.

Well, he is one who savors his food without complaints (itadakimasu), and would gobble up everything without wasting even if he is too full (mottainai). As soon as he finishes a meal, he begins stacking all the bowls, plates, and beverage glasses (usually all empty, apart from fish bones, leftover gravy and squeezed lemon slice) back into the food tray (if there’s one). After he is done with that, he starts to wipe the table clean with the wet napkin provided earlier. At first I was puzzled. Isn’t this the waitstaff’s job??? Why is he doing all this on their behalf?? (And I am used to hearing justifications from people around me who habitually litter, saying that if they keep the streets too clean, all the cleaners will lose their jobs so they are actually contributing  job opportunities to the country by throwing cigarette butts on the floor 😱.)

Coming from the service line all of his life, I guess he should know best. Stacking the utensils is so that the waitstaff can swiftly bring it away and serve the next customer. Cleaning up the mess left on the table is… well, your responsibility as a well-mannered customer. Don’t you remember the sign you see in aircraft wash room? “Kindly wipe the basin for the comfort of the next passenger”. Yes we are the paying customer, but a little Omoiyari goes a long way, around and back to you.

The danna’s Omoiyari is really on a whole new level. We often had to quickly finish our piping hot bowl of noodles in a tiny ramen shop (especially when we are with the kids as we are taking up three or four spaces for less than 3 pax’s order) because he sees a queue starting to form outside. After a night in ryokan or hotel, he will make the bed, fold the used towels, and put away all trash appropriately. After marrying him for 6 years, I have formed the habit of picking up every single food bits and wipe off spilled drinks on the table, sofa, sometimes even floor tiles that my babies intentionally or unintentionally fling off the dining table in various restaurants. At first it is a little tiring to have to care about all these little details… but you get used to it. I like having Omoiyari. It teaches us responsibility as a caring individual.

6.  The awesome packaging

Japanese packaging are so awesome that I wrote a blog post about it. These packagings are designed not just to be pretty or cool, but stem from the concept of Omoiyari for (let me quote myself from that blog post-) the convenience, comfort and happiness of the person who is using it. It is made with heart and love (and some mad creative skills).

Just to add one more awesomeness to that list – these are the socks for babies from UNIQLO.

(Sakura was 6 months old back then ^^)

Instead of the sharp metal clips that may accidentally hurt or the annoying plastic thread which you have to cut off (and breaks into two which more often than not you end up not being able to find either piece), it uses a soft paper sticker to tape the socks together.

Also, if you haven’t noticed already, all UNIQLO’s baby wear are individually sealed in a plastic cover. This is to keep the products protected from any external factors during storage and prior to selling. There’s also a warning seal at the opening with “DO NOT OPEN” written. This is to deter the products from being opened prior to purchase and being contaminated with any airborne chemicals. I like the care they put into their products especially for our fragile little humans.

Something so so small that seems insignificant, but I find endless inspiration from little things in life like this.

7. MamyPoko designs

And yes, MamyPoko!! In my previous post, The Secrets of Japan-Quality Baby Care, I discovered how MamyPoko are designed to make a baby happy.

Having most of the things in my home Japan-quality and after using Japanese products for so many years, I truly believe that when science and technology are guided by a heart that sincerely cares, the results will be special and inspiring. There are so many mindblowing products I have encountered based on this concept!

Coming from a Japanese company, MamyPoko embodies Japanese values, and Omoiyari is the key to the science and design behind this No.1 baby diaper in Japan. And extra Omoiyari is especially needed for babies since they can’t talk yet!

And because of this desire to care, a diaper that is effortlessly convenient for mommies and reassuringly comfortable for the babies is born.

Here’s how Omoiyari has helped design some of the key features of MamyPoko Air Fit:

Air Silky material

Did you know that a newborn baby’s skin is only half as thick as an adult’s? 😱 And to truly care for baby’s ultra delicate skin, Air Silky material is specially designed with micro-fiber that is luxuriously soft as silk.

Babies feel happier because they are in better comfort. And how do we know this? By measuring the baby’s cerebral blood flow using Near Infra Red Spectroscopy – when a baby feels comfortable, cerebral blood flow increases. It showed that babies’ cerebral blood flow is 6 times higher when they are wearing the new material!

(Sakura trying to help Stella Lou put on a new diaper before putting her to bed.)

2. 3D shape for all stages

MamyPoko Air Fit is also designed to fit your growing baby at different stages. The tape type has a 3D shape that delicately conforms to a newborn baby’s C curve and it prevents leakage without fitting too tightly.

From the tape-type for a newborn to the pants-type for active walking toddlers, they are designed differently so that the diaper follows baby’s movement and wraps around baby’s body snuggly.

I thought that as long as it absorbs well and maybe look slightly cute, a diaper has done its job enough.

After all it’s disposable, not something so precious that you can keep for years and make it your heirloom lol (a soiled diaper would indeed make the worst heirloom ever lol). But it looks like even for something as short-lived as a diaper, the Japanese can’t settle with less than immaculate. And designing the perfect diaper takes more than just good absorption and attractive designs. So much scientific research and caring thoughts were put into making sure that every minute that the baby stays in the diaper is comfy and happy.

I think that’s admirable. I want to thank everyone who has ever helped design good things that help make my life happy and convenient.

Happy baby, happy mommy.

Japanese dedication to providing ever-improving high quality products just never ceases to amaze me. I’m really happy that I’m supporting brands that truly cares for its customers’s wellbeing and happiness. ^^

Do share with me if you have encountered any Omoiyari from your experiences. ^^

Disney time!

Junya and I have been to the parks in Tokyo a few times (including when he was in my tummy!), but this April was our first visit as a family all together!

And… it was Sakura and the papa’s Tokyo Disney Resort debut. Yes. It was the danna’s first ever visit to a Disney theme park.😂

On the first day, we visited Tokyo DisneySea. It was their 35th anniversary with the theme “Happiest Celebration!”, I’ll talk more about that later on. ^^

(By the way, do you know that you can pre-book your Disneyland tickets here so that you don’t have to queue up on the actual day? :D)

DAY 1

Easter Spring Theme

Junya was looking impatient because he wanted to quickly meet Mickey. Didn’t have time posing for photos haha.

Spring is my absolute favorite season to visit Tokyo DisneySea because of their Easter theme! The entire park is embellished with the prettiest flowers in pastel hues, and all the Disney friends and cast members are dressed up in beautiful spring colors!

Look at how pretty the floral garden is!

Stella Lou

The first thing I did was to get a Stella Lou for Sakura (actually it’s for me hahaha. Buying for my baby girl is just an excuse.😂)

She didn’t seem too impressed haha. But right now, she asks for “Cellu” (Stella Lou) every single day! It’s really her favorite ^^

Ahoy captain JunJun!

I feel that finally at almost 4 years old, he is able to truly enjoy the parks. He went there on his 1st birthday, and 3 months later. He had fun then, but I think this time around he knows the real fun!

Blueberry Popcorn

While Sakura… as long as her hand can reach the popcorns, she was happy. ^^

The Stella Lou popcorn bucket is super cute! It is blueberry flavor and can be found at the popcorn wagon in front of Liberty Landing Diner at American Waterfront. Remember to hold on to your Tokyo Disney Resort map, as you can find the locations of the wagon if you are looking to get a particular popcorn flavor!

I really love Duffy and friends more so than any other Disney characters. Sooo happy to find all the cute displays here at Sea!

Photo frame.

Golden Mickey. More about that later!

I remember the first time Junya saw a Disney mascot, Marie, he burst into tears haha. When I queued up a good 45 minutes just to greet Duffy, he also cried at the sight of the giant cute bear. But this time, he was so excited to meet all the Disney characters. He was so happy to be able to fist-bump Mr Incredible.

While Sakura… nap with her new fluffy pastel friend.

Mermaid Lagoon

It is Tokyo Disney Resort’s  milestone year, and it is also Junya’s many new breakthroughs. First, he rode a roller coaster for the first time, with papa! (Cuz mama is too chicken to go on any jet coaster at all XD) This is Flounder’s Flying Fish Coaster at Mermaid Lagoon.

He is eligible to go for most of the rides fortunately! If your child is over 90cm, get him to measure his height as one of the attractions and get an armband to qualify him for the rides with height requirement. ^^

After that he went on The Whirlpool again with papa.

Dining Aboard

It was evening time, we returned to the big ship at American Waterfront to wait for dinner. Junya went around exploring the deck like a true pirate. Haha.

And then we caught the most gorgeous sunset ever. It was so crazy because I swear the sun was sinking by the second!! It was fully still hanging in the sky and by the time I whisked out my camera, remove the lens cover and point at it, it’s almost gone.

All the Japanese girls around me were yelling excitedly because they too noticed that it was sinking way too quickly. And then they sighed in delight, “it was such a perfect moment. So glad we caught it in time!”.

Me, too. ^^

I love how kind the visitors are in Tokyo Disney Resort. Foreign tourist or not, everyone respects the rules, takes turn patiently, and helps each others out snapping photos, because we all know how much it means to have a nice group photo together. Thank you to the two young girls (I think they are from Thailand?) who helped us with this shot!

The danna was not around because he was waiting for our table at S.S. Columbia Dining Room. It is one of the best restaurants in Tokyo DisneySea and I was really glad we came here!

Disney-style fine dining! Seafood salad with lobster julee, I think. So yummy.

Mickey-imprinted round soft bread.

The roast beef was sooooooo good omg I wish I could order two plates of this. Sakura obviously had chupped her baby corn hahaha.

I usually skip dessert in a restaurant for course meal because they are usually meh but even the dessert here are super delicious! Lots of seasonal and limited edition touch to it too! We also bought a golden spoon that’s a 35th limited edition. ^^

Brighton Hotel Tokyo Bay

We spent the night a Brighton Hotel, a 10 mins bus ride away from Tokyo Disney Resort, and the best thing other than its free shuttle bus to the parks, is… the family room.

Four beds in total!! Super super spacious too. Big love!

DAY 2

As Tokyo Disney Resort is celebrating their 35th, Brighton is having its 25th!

The second day was the press day, we had media from all over the world to cover the 35th Happiest Celebration special features, and it was quite a activity-packed schedule!!

Tokyo DisneySea

Firstly we started at Tokyo DisneySea. I missed out this giant Easter Egg basket the previous day.

And got our favorite accessories and snuggly friends.

By the way the stroller Sakura is using is a rental from the park for 1000 yen a day! I really recommend getting one stroller for each kid because… well the parks are really big, and they are likely to want to take a rest or a nap in it. Haha.

Happiest Memory Maker

Along with many limited merchandise to commemorate this special year, Happiest Memory Maker is one of the must-haves for guests to enjoy the 35th anniversary in an interactive way!

There are a total of 35 Happiest Mickey Spots (as seen in the photo above) in gold color all over the parks, and you can use the Happiest Memory Maker when you are near these statues to activate the location, and the voice of Mickey or his friends will be heard!

Junya was holding on to his Happiest Memory Maker the whole time.

Love this photo spot. ^^

The scenery is replicated of a Venetian lanscape. You can go on a romantic gondola ride here.

Arabian Coast

Love this themed area! Usually slightly less crowded and full of unique ambiance.

Junya found another Happiest Mickey Spot installation and is using his Happiest Memory Maker to listen to what Mickey has to say!

Happiest Celebration on the Sea

At Mediterranean is a brand new show, featuring Mickey and his friends, including Duffy, Shellie May, Gelatoni and Stella Lou!!

Don’t miss out this special boat show when you are in the park. The performance happens 3 times a day from now until March 25, 2019.

A must watch if you have Duffy and Friends!

Appreciating the finer details

I have been to DisneySea countless of times, but each time I discover something new that I didn’t the previous times. No wonder so many people I know buy the yearly pass and keep on going back (I personally know someone who visits the parks EVERY MONTH. @.@), because true enough, you can never ever get bored of it!

I realized that the patterns on the ceiling of Marmaid Lagoon’s Triton Kingdom, is actually seaweed.

I also spotted hidden Mickey on the marble beams, and really delicate motifs of Ariel and her marine friends. I was very touched omg. These people who designed the Disney resorts really are meticulous with every single detail to the minute. T_T

Did you also notice something about the washroom signs?

Moving to Tokyo Disneyland

We then took the Disney Resort Line monorail and headed towards Tokyo Disneyland for more Happiest Celebration! It is also specially decorated to commemorate the event.

A large 35th anniversary logo welcomes you in front of Cinderella’s castle.

Lunch time! Junya picked his own desserts.

A display featuring Meiji dairy products, which I love!

Go collect your special edition popcorn bucket! This one is curry flavor, which I think is still one of the best ^^

Borrowing a Disney member’s anniversary balloons. She actually held the balloons and kneeled down behind me so that I could take this photo.I didn’t even buy the balloons or pay a single yen for it! So much omotenashi omg T__T.

Special Surprise!!

For this one whole year, the parks will have Happiest Surprises for the guests, and one of them is…

Surprise confetti rain!

Apparently this happens at a random time, so only the really lucky guests get to experience this. But it’s really a truly special moment of celebration!!

Everyone was cheering, laughing, jumping to catch the confetti, snapping photos…

It was a celebration for EVERYONE. Omg I love this concept so so much.

Just tons and tons of shiny rainbow sprinkles dotting the whole town and everyone in happy colors.

Sakura full of sprinkles haha. Like a cute donut lol.

A little girl collecting all her confetti in a bag.XD

I was thinking, omg this is really a lot of work!! Imagine cleaning this up, multiple times a day (it happens at random time a few times a day apparently!)… why the trouble!!

And then I saw a bunch Disney crew member swiftly swiped away the color pieces on the floor. They are all gone in minutes. My heart felt tightly warm. I have once read an article, about why Disneyland is the world’s happiest place. It may also be world’s cleanest place. The moment an ice cream cone is dropped on the floor, the next moment it is gone and the floor is spotless.

For me, the cute, familiar characters are secondary. Each and every time something touched me. The efficiency. That genuine smile on every single crew member’s face. The overwhelming helpfulness. The extra kindness towards small children.

I really wish to live here. I do feel like a princess. Except that the other hundreds of thousands guests are also princesses HAHAHA. It’s a place full of assorted princesses lolol.

Oh ya speaking of which, there’s another more amazing surprise waiting for you at the park. I don’t wanna spoil the fun for you. But if you must find out, I have posted a video about it on @cheesiepetit’s IG account a while ago. ^^

It’s A Small World

Arguably the most popular attraction in Tokyo Disneyland, it is now re-opened in a new enchanced version as part of the 35th anniversary celebration. The them of this is “the happiest cruise that ever sailed”.

Spot the mural at the boarding area, with a super cute Mickey and Minnie against the castle ^^

We were incredibly, ridiculously lucky to be able to experience this – an attraction that’s completely empty, because it was closed for public, and only open for press preview.

Sakura holding oniichan’s hand because she was a little unsure of where this world voyage is bringing her.

Anyway, I also don’t wanna spoil it for you, there are 40 over new characters added, so if you are a Frozen fan, or love the characters in Tangled, Moana, Finding Nemo… you have to go for this.

I posted a vide on my IG feed earlier. You can watch if you wanna find out!

Just a photo from one of my favorite world.

Special Menu

You can also find special menu in many places for the special event.

Here’s a special 35th anniversary set!

Mickey confectionery

This is a special bun, where 3 flavors are hidden in Mickey!!

On the left ear is strawberry, the right is choco, and the main body being blueberry cream cheese.

Mickey cream-filled cake and peach jelly dessert!

Mix and Match Chocolate Crunch

Chocolate Crunch has been a popular souvenir since 1986!!!

This is Pastry Palace, it has been transformed into a special shop to the concept of the Duck Family Chocolate Competition.

Pastry Palace will feature a new Chocolate Crunch experience where guests can select a tin design of their choice,, and fill it with their choice of different flavors of chocolate crunch.

Junya was definitely having a super intense fun time picking his favorite.

Stuff it!!!

At the end, bring it to the cashier and you can pick a ribbon with color of your choice, so it makes a great personalized gift! ^^

Splash Mountain

One of the activities for the guests were Splash Mountain. From a scale of 1-10 in terms of scariness, thrill ride fans will probably rate this a 0.02. But for someone like me it’s a full 10. T__T.

But… I really wanted Junya to experience it. So there I was. Forcing a smile when I knew my heart was gonna jump out soon. While Junya not knowing anything….

The drop!!!

You should have seen my face captured at the theme park’s camera. HAHAHAAHA.

We survived and Junya said it is “a bit scary”. He said he doesn’t want a second time lol.

Toon Town

I love this area. The houses are all so…. dreamy!

I wonder if anyone actually built their houses to look like this! There must be! Right?

Minnie’s House.

Chip ‘n Dale’s treehouse.

And Junya’s little shelter haha.

Dreaming Up!

Kicking off the celebration is the premiere of this grand day time parade.

Leading the Dreaming Up parade is Mickey Mouse and Pluto pulled by winged horses, and guides his guests into the world of dreams.

Goofy says hi!

Catch Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh and more!

I especially love the float where Lumiere and Cogsworth host Belle at an enchanted banquet.

Brand New Dream

As Tokyo Disneyland that day was closed early at 6pm to host the super VVVVIPs (Japanese celebrities and the like!!), we returned back to Tokyo DisneySea for the fireworks show.

Junya woke up to catch the show, and Sakura loved it so much that she kept repeating to me, “hanabi, hanabi yo mama.”

It was really the Happiest Celebration.

Thank you, Tokyo Disney Resort for making it a very special celebration for my family. ^^