Land of Cute-- At the Children's Hospital

The pediactric ophthamologist...

Since my little Teddy Bear has wonky eyes, we pay a visit to the Yokohama Children's Hospital every three or four months for checkups.  He had surgery for strabismus when he was three--just when they opened the new building.  From a crowded, dark, sad old building to a huge, light, bright place that's kind of fun to go to-- especially since the children who go there have chronic conditions and have to spend a *lot* of time in the hospital. 

We've been going for six years now--four years in the new building--and I just noticed that they have a different animal sign for the different departments.  The owl up there is, naturally, for the opthamologist-- eyes, get it?

Here's the sign for the pediatric orthodontist-- Mr. Alligator with his rows of teeth:

Mr. Alligator for the Orthodontist

  Cute for kids, if a little obvious.  I walked around looking at the different signs (a seal for the dermatologist, an Akita-ken dog for the Kensa/lab room). 

Then I got to one that mystified me at first:

Don't forget to wash your hands...;-)

This one is for the Urologist-- any idea why it's a racoon?

I had to think about this one-- and I didn't get it until I sat thinking about the Japanese word for 'racoon' and how it's exactly the same as the German word (English is the odd one out;-). 

Japanese and German call that critter a "Wash Bear" (Araiguma in Japanese, Waschbär in German) because they wash their hands (paws). 

Then it hit me-- the Urologist see patients with bladder or urinary tract problems.  He's the pee-pee doctor, if you will.  And what are you supposed to do after you go to the toilet?  Exactly-- wash your hands.  Just like a Wash Bear;-))

(p.s.-- will be responding to comments forthwith!  Everyone should be off to school tomorrow...)

Japanese Commercials Rock--Kitties

Why are commercials on Japanese TV so much better than commercials on  American TV (I speak generally, of course)?  Their commercials involving animals-- usually cats or dogs-- are just *adorable*. 

"Watashi wa Nyaran"--  "I am Nyaran", the white Japanese bobtail spokeskitty for Jaran travel service (his name is a play on the name of the company and 'nyan', which means 'meow').   Recently, we've seen him featured in a series of 'mu mu mu!' travel shorts shown on Animal Planet at five minutes to seven.  Here he is trying to do Zazen (sitting meditation)... and doing it all Rong.  He comes in and sits on the zabuton cushion...  distracted by first one thing and then another-- "Ducks! Ducks! Cute!"-- Return to position!  Hm.   And then starts thinking about how great it would be to take a nap.....




Finally-- my favorite kitty commercial ever is from YKK AP, an architectural products company (mainly windows, I think--which is what this commercial is about).  A simple commercial demonstrating the power of windows to make a house more livable, as shown by kitties following the light over the course of a day.




The white kitty watching a ladybug progress slowly up the window, eyes crossing, nose nearly touching the glass.  That commercial just slays me every time I see it.  Enjoy:-))

Land of Cute-- Erasers II

Wagashi erasers-- the set of Japanese Sweets

Wagashi-- Japanese sweets... but you can't eat these because they're all erasers:-))

Last time was the Going To School Set of erasers; today-- the Set of Japanese Sweets, most of which I think you've seen!

O-Dango!  And green tea, of course, which matches the taste somehow of Japanese sweets (coffee or black tea taste... odd with Wagashi.  *No* idea why.  Anybody out there have any theories about that?)

The real thing-- Sanshoku Dango (three-color dango) which I've posted about before.

Kashiwa Mochi (Oak Leaf Mochi-- wrapped in the pickled oak leaf that you can eat)...

...naturally that goes in the set, too.  The set came with the little tray.  The Japanese have the *best* trays...

And the other leaf-wrapped mochi sweet-- Sakura Mochi (cherry blossom/leaf mochi)...

...which in the eraser set is the roll-version-- pink Sakura Mochi wrapped around sweet azuki bean paste, then wrapped with the cherry leaf (which you're supposed to eat;-)).  And green tea.

Itadakimaa---su!

...And the last one is NOT a pancake.

And that's all I'll say about it for today:-))

Stay tuned!

Mata asobou, ne!

Land of Cute-- Erasers

My kids get cute erasers every time they go to the dentist-- that's an eraser in the photo at left.  Came in a pack of erasers I found at the snacks-n-stationery shop at our Daiei.

Please bring color pencils, tape, and stapler by Friday!

As a matter of fact, it came in a set-- the "Going to School Set" of erasers.  I bought it and have taken pictures of it, because it struck me as a mini-pack of Cultural Differences.

What do you think belongs in the pack of  "Going to School"?

Well, the scissors, of course.  And the pencil sharpener (the handle turns around:-))  The tape and stapler (yes, they have to take those things to school--mostly for art.  They are kept in the students' desks).  So far, roughly the same, I think.

All outdoor shoes go in the shoe boxes by the entrance-- heaven help anyone who walks into school with, *mercy!*, Outside Shoes on!

The Uabaki--the indoor shoes (scroll down to the bottom of that post to see Cici's uabaki).  Not what you'd find in an American (or European, I think) version of this set-- but since I've written about these before, you may have been expecting them.

So what are these last two?...  Note that they are not in proportion to one another...

These are important!

Ah-- the Landosel (left). The iconic Japanese school backpack (in which the eraser version has the straps upside-down, but... oh well.  You get the idea.)  All textbooks and notebooks are sized to fit in it, every elementary school child has one--traditionally black for boys and red for girls, although that's changed over the last decade.  Cici's is yellow:-))

And that other thing?  It's actually close to actual size--you would see one dangling from the side of a child's Landosel.  That's the All-Important O-Mamori (mamoru-- vt, to protect).  A protective charm--usually to do with traffic safety, or traveling safety, although the one above says "accomplish goal"--clearly an academic charm:-)  It's the thing that made me smile when I looked at the pack of erasers--at what they think is included in the Set of Things You Take To School.  Of course you have to have an O-Mamori--who in the world would go to school without one? ;-)

Land of Cute-- Backhoes (Really!)...An Update

Awwww.....

Isn't that just the most *adorable* little backhoe you've ever  seen?  I know-- backhoe isn't the word you expect to follow "adorable".  But-- this is The Land of Cute.   Backhoes can and will be Cutified, according to Federal Cute Code, Sec. 109b.05 effective 02/14/50.  The Ministry of Cute, Division of Public Construction, which oversees construction sites and equipment has recently ruled that turquoise is henceforth an acceptable color for use on backhoes, in addition to teal, lavender, and purple.  Magenta and orange may be used as trim.

Purple backhoe--in accordance with FCC109b.05

Hello Kitty stickers optional... ;-)
(I checked all the way around that backhoe for a Hello Kitty sticker, or at least Sugar Bunnies--but there wasn't one.  I think it was vandalized...)


____________________________
 An Update...

Riding down the road a day or two ago on the way to the post office, I went by the road construction that's been going on for some time.  In fact, I'd avoided going to that post office because it was a bit difficult to get to.  Part of the road has been re-opened, though, so I decided to use that post office....and got a close-up view of the construction equipment...

awww...in two shades of purple plus magenta!

   One of those darling diggers--with stickers!!  Not Hello Kitty, but nearly as good:



From the bottom:  a handicapped sticker, a Beginning driver Over-75-Driver sticker, and a Baby-On-Board sticker... (rly? Baby-On-Board-A-Backhoe?;-))

Land of Cute--Cici's Notepaper

"This town is a happy!"

Just when I think things can't possibly get any cuter...my daughter has a birthday and gets presents from her friends.

...she got adorable notepaper.  "Lucky Animal" and "This Town is a Happy!"  How is it that they are able to draw small characters that are simultaneously innocently cute and well-drawn? 

...she also got some stationery-- "Moco Moco Sweets", sweets falling under the more general rubric of Cute...

But cakes and sundaes and doughnuts alone aren't enough--not nearly enough...

...I mean, pink and white strawberry cakes are cute, but they're so much cuter if they're also sparkly and decorated with rhinestone-encrusted bows!

Sparkles, and rhinestones, and paste jewels shaped like cherries...

Dazzling pave bows, diamond-trimmed sundae cups, glowing hearts and twinkles... and--

What's that?  You've lost your appetite?  Well, I can see how that might happen...;-))

An Afternoon at the NekoCafe Leon

Leon of the eponymous NekoCafe in Yokohama

At the request of a regular reader here, I have betaken myself and the kids (intrepid reporter that I am) to the Neko Cafe Leon in Yokohama.  Yes, there really is such a thing--a coffee shop with a separate room filled with kitties to play with...for a sizable chunk of change ($6 each for 30 minutes, and an additional $2/10min each after that--and you have to buy at least a drink).

click any photo to enlarge!

 The main attraction of this particular cafe is a Munchkin Cat named Leon (right and above).  He was asleep when we were there, but I could see that his legs really are that short.  I had no idea that there was such a thing as a Wiener Cat...  Leon appears to be a Scottish Fold Munchkin, given his short, folded-back ears.  (The short legs are the result of a naturally occurring mutation similar to the one giving dachshunds and corgis their short legs.)

...this poster of Leon was hilarious.  It says "I turn into a Prairie Dog when I stand up!",  and the white cat is thinking "Now you're the same size as me!"

Leon, in fact, is more than an attraction--the cafe website lists him as Ten Cho--Store Manager, whereas all the other kittehs are Staff...

Here's some video footage of Leon awake and walking around and playing with one of the Abyssinians:



(that's not my video--Leon was asleep while we were there...but it's a cute video, and it gives an idea of how munchkin kittehs move around.)


The NekoCafe was crowded the Saturday we went--we had to leave our name and take a walk while waiting to get in (about a 25 minute wait, though the waiter had said the wait could be up to an hour).  Fortunately Cafe Leon is just around the corner from Ishikawacho Station in the heart of Yokohama--and Yokohama's Chinatown is just on the other side of the station.

One of the Chinatown gates is pictured at right...

Fortunately (or unfortunately), we didn't have to walk around too long before the NekoCafe called me to say the wait would just be a few more minutes and would we please wait just outside the door.  The Chinatown Nikuman would have to be another time...

This was the first time we'd ever gone to a cat cafe, although I'd heard of them.  The first one opened apparently in Taiwan about a decade ago and quickly became a hot tourist attraction, especially among Japanese tourists.  A coffee shop full of cho kawaii kittehs?  It didn't take too long before similar cafes began opening in Japan--Tokyo now boasts almost 40 such cafes, Yokohama has maybe a dozen...and they can be found elsewhere, from Hokkaido to Kyoto to Kyuushuu to Okinawa.  According to Yokohama Walker magazine, February 22 is "Kitty Day"--2/22, the number two in Japanese being "ni" and the word for meow being "ni-yao" or "ni-yan", hence "ni-yan, ni-yan, ni-yan" (meow, meow, meow) Day... get it?

Cat cafes have become very popular on the weekends for couples and friends to go to.  Families with very young children, though, need to check before going, as some cafes have posted age restrictions (such as no children under 6, or that they must be accompanied by and held on the lap of an adult).

Most cafes charge a base rate for an hour (of kitty-time plus cafe-time), usually around Y1000 ($10).

Sometimes a drink is included, sometimes you have to purchase drinks separately.  Weekends seem to be particularly crowded, with waits of up to a hour and correspondingly higher prices.   And, like most places, be prepared to take your shoes off and leave them in the kutsu bako (shoe box) by the genkan.

Some Neko Cafes stay open fairly late (Cafe Leon is open 11am-11pm), maybe catering to business people on their way home from work.  Cat cafes have become a popular way for tired Salary-men and -women to relax after work, especially for those living in apartments where no pets are allowed.

NekoCafe Leon has become so popular that they've opened a separate Rabbit Cafe next door (the coffee shop part is the same, though).  Tell the waiter you want to visit both, and it's noted on your bill.  Customers can then play with the cats and walk through to the other room featuring Bunnies (petting zoos are also very popular here--my kids *love* the petting zoo at Nogeyama Zoo).  We didn't get in there this time-- mata kondo, ne! (next time)

Some Cafes ask customers to sit while staff bring a cat to you, or not to pet sleeping cats.  Cafe Leon is a free-type cafe, where cats roam freely around the room (which is separate from the coffee shop area--probably due to health regulations) and customers may pet or play with any cat they like (asleep or awake).

The main rule (the staff goes over the rules when they bring you the menu) is "Do not do to the cats what they do not like"...  a sensible extension of the Golden Rule.  All the cats at Cafe Leon were friendly and unafraid (most likely chosen for their personalities).  None of the cats seemed nervous of children, either--that's Cici and Teddy there on the left petting one of the "staff".  

At any one time, there are sleeping kitties...

...playing kitties...

...there are plenty of toys on the floor to pick up and play with any kitty who wants to play...

...taking-a-break kitties...

Ceiling Cat is watching you...

 ...kitties hanging from the rafters...

"...Neko wa kotatsu de maruku naru!"

"....Kitty is all curled-up under the kotatsu!"              (a favorite Japanese children's song about snow ends with the dog playing happily outside, and the cat curled up warm under the kotatsu, a low table covered with a blanket and an attached electric heater underneath--clearly the best place in the world for a Kitteh to be;-)

While we were playing, the waiter was fixing our order-- a Leon pancake (dusted with cocoa powder to look like that), and drinks...

...even the bill was appropriately cute, with a Kitty-mark in one corner and a Bunny-mark in the other...

...the kitty I spent most of the time petting--a silky calico kitty...

You wanted to see some video, too--right?  I thought so, so I did my best to walk around with the video camera without stepping on any tails or catching any of the other customers on camera (much)...oh, and no flash photography (so's not to startle the kitties).

 If you're ever in Yokohama--let's play at the Neko Cafe!   Mata asobou, ne!

UPDATE:
   Alert reader Jerry found an additional, not-to-be-missed, video of Leon getting a bath...in the sink where the customers wash their hands!  He also notes that Munchkin Cats come in four sizes--Standart, Super-Short, VW Microbus, and Rug-Hugger.  The smart money is on "Rug-Hugger" for Leon...

 
 

 

Land of Cute--Is Sometimes Cool

For those who dislike J-Pop in general or Amuro Namie in particular--no need to torture yourself.  You needn't watch if you don't like it:-))  This post, though, isn't exactly about J-Pop, or Amuro Namie (yes--I like some J-Pop...I have *very* eclectic musical taste.  I like classical and jazz because I play flute;  I like pop and hip hop because I like to dance:-)) 

What I noticed while watching this video ("Queen of Hip Pop" from the 2005 Space of Hip Pop tour), was Japanese Cool layered over Japanese Cute.  I came to Japan in 1997--the year Amuro's "Can You Celebrate?" came out (listened to that song in *every* conbini I went into for months), the song that rocketed her to super pop-stardom.  She is still arguably Japan's number one pop singer (though Koda Kumi is giving her a run for her money these days).

So why did this strike me as particularly cool?  Three things to watch for:

1) look how hard her back dancers are working it, and how Amuro manages to look twice as cool with far less movement or just a look at the audience,

2)  she *rocks* that hat,  and...

3) the boots.  Look at the spike heels on her boots (several centimeters higher than the boots her back dancers are wearing)...and watch the video, paying careful attention to what she does at 1:14



Did you see that?  She skips down nine (I counted them) steps in front of a live audience wearing the highest spike-heeled boots I've ever seen...without falling down.

...and that concert was in 2005--after she had her baby.  That gets Cool props in my book;-))

(p.s.--I keep trying to get the opening body roll right, and it ain't happening...)
(p.p.s.--I wonder how she goes to onsen with that tattoo on her arm?  Maybe she can pay to clear the place out for her own personal use...;-))

Land of Cute--Coffee Creamers

I don't usually post Land of Cute twice in the same week, but we were out of coffee creamer (and something else which I can no longer remember).  I sent my husband to the store.  This is what he came home with:

Can you tell what it is?  Start at the top--rabbit...dragon....snake.... the Zodiac!  Well!  I was utterly charmed.  The chinese zodiac on coffee creamers!  Last night I got the chicken (酉 とり--Tori);  this morning I had the dog (戌＝いぬ Inu)

うさぎ　(usagi) The Year of the Rabbit

Next cup of coffee--I want the rabbit...cho kawaii!  He's adorned with a plum blossom, too.  My oldest is a dragon (which means he'll turn 12 next year.  Already?!). (辰＝たつ Tatsu=Dragon)

...I'm a 申(さる)--Monkey (Saru).  Teddy (my itazura-ko) is the 午(うま), Horse (Uma), though it seems we ought to be reversed.  Cici is a Monkey with me, as is my mother-in-law, which means that all the women in my husband's life are Monkeys...
I wonder if that says anything about him? :-))

My husband is the Boar (Inoshishi)...

Rat (Nezumi), Cow (Ushi), Tiger (Tora)

Here are the rest...

Which one are you?

(p.s.--I always wondered why there is no Year of the Kitteh.  Legend has it that the Cat, who never woke before noon, was late to answer the call of the Jade Emporer.  Historians have this to say:

"Most historians agree that Cat is not in the list since the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac were formed before Cats were introduced to China from India with Buddhism."  (via Wiki)

Aha.  Mata asobou, ne!

Land of Cute--Construction Zone

The library is on the other side of the station from here, so we tend to reserve books online and only go once a week or every two weeks.  I don't mind going that way, though, because there's usually somebody in the river--Kosagi or Aosagi, pintail ducks migrating through in the winter, sometimes cormorants.

The other day I came up out of the tunnel that goes under the train tracks to find that the concrete sides of the riverbank were being torn out and re-done.  The open areas were carefully blocked off so that no one would topple into the river.  Blocked off with these:

Why they felt that the stabilizers holding the poles should be shaped like winking frogs was not entirely clear to me.  I also noticed that I was the only person who appeared to notice these 'tweet wittle pole-holders.  The Japanese simply expect that their construction sites will adhere to a certain level of cuteness.  When I lived up in Tokyo (just after getting married), I used to see the most adorable little...power shovels. I know-- "adorable" is not the adjective you usually see describing "power shovel", but, well,  this is The Land of Cute.  Power shovels must be two shades of teal with purple accents!  I used to wonder whether high school girls were in charge of decorating the power shovels of Tokyo.  The first time I saw one, I checked all around it--I was convinced that there *must* be a Kitty-chan sticker on it somewhere, and  was mightily disappointed not to find one.  I still think somebody vandalized that power shovel....

And those construction safety fences...you didn't think they only made frogs,did you? ;-))

The Year of the Rabbit