Mother and Young Children Cafe
MAMA-GOTO Club's Iishida-san and Yukimi Kono, illustrator of TIN TON TAM (sp?) are having special mother and child cafe days at AHIRU in Doho Park. The Cafe will operate from 1 to 5pm and you can find TIN TON TAM character goods and a special children's playcircle for young children (under two). The cafe is open on 10/21, 23, 28, 30, 31. 11/1,7,8,10,11. On 11/7 there will be a special event (reserved party) with a guest speaker there to talk about weaning and introducing solids to a baby. For more information on how to join that please contact me, Vivian. (leevivlee at yahoo dot com)
こんにちは。改めまして、同峰公園のあひるカフェが期間限定でままごとカフェになります。１０月２０日～１１日１３日まで。1pm~5pm。ティントンタンでおなじみのイラストレーター・コンノユキミさんとママ達のコラボレーションです。キッズやベビーの遊び場所があります。ユキミさんのグッズも販売しています。ドングリをつかったアートを作ったり、ままごとのプチイベントなどあります。ぜひぜひ遊びに来て下さいね。ちなみに石田は１０月２１、２３、２８、３０、３１ １１月１、７、８、１０、１１にいますよ。ままごとのイベントとして１１月７日（金）の午後はアヒルを貸し切り、食育＆食欲(持ち寄り)パーティーを開きます。食育の専門の杉田利美さんを迎え、実体験からお話や離乳食のサンプルなど紹介して貰います。食欲に関しては皆で持ち寄りましょう。こちらもどうぞよろしく。
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Margarine-Free Bakery
I loathe margarine - not only because it cheapens the taste of bread, but because it reportedly damages our health (due to free-radicals). Recently, due to the massive butter shortage and rising butter prices, many bakeries have resorted to using margarine. I was very disappointed recently, to eat croissants that tasted like they were made out of pure oil, ick!
I have written a review about Gris Gris bakery in Sakura (behind ex-Fujiya...) in the past, it is probably still searchable on this site. I recently go there to buy breads because I can be assured it uses real butter and not its cousin, margarine! In the past one might have considered it somewhat more expensive than other bakeries, but now that all the other shops have raised their prices, I found Gris Gris to be in fact cheaper (and definitely more superior in taste!). Croissant for 140yen, rustic bread with tons of chestnuts for 140yen, and so on.
Now with an 8-month baby, I want to make sure what I buy is not preservative and free-radical packed. Not too long ago I was told by a friend that PASCO chojuku (sp?) loaf bread does not contain 'unnecessary' ingredients and preservatives. Other major company's loaf breads, I was told, should be avoided. They might taste great but think about it - a week and still no mold? Doesn't that strike you as scary? Fresh bakery bread usually molds up in 3 days! (put your bread to the test: toss some bread into a small plastic bag...wait until you can see black or green mold growing on it - how long did it take?)
Have to run. Your thoughts? If you try the bread in a bag experiment, please let me know the results and what bakery's bread/supermarket bread brand you used.
QUICK NOTE: The bakery is closed on Mon/Tuesdays all August and September, due to the summer holidays.
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Very Cute Illustrations
If you have some extra time and can swing by DOHO park this week, try checking out this very cute exhibition. They have some artwork by Yukimi Konno, a very talented illustrator for children. The colorful
characters are perfect for young children under 5. VERY catchy and cute!!! My 8-month old baby loved the works feature the main character Tymtom, laughing and smiling.
Here is the artist’s website. I will try to include a picture too.
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Shipping Companies
Moving back to the US? I found this in The Japan Times: some information on movers.
Allied Pickfords — phone (04) 5651-2747, fax (04) 5664-7134 or check out www.alliedpickfords.co.jp
Economove — call (toll-free) (0120) 981-862. Web site at www.economovejapan.com/index.htm
Econoship — phone (toll-free) (0120) 222-111, mail info@econoship.net or check online at www.econoship.net
Japan Express — call (toll-free) (0120) 228-322. Online at www.japanexpress.co.jp/hikkoshi/eng.htm
Japan Luggage Express Ltd — phone (toll-free) (0120) 48-0081 or check www.jluggage.com
Nippon Express — call (toll-free) (0120) 150-422 or find them online at www.nittsu.co.jp/english/e_index.htm
Premier Worldwide Movers — phone (03) 6402-2371. Web site at www.premierworldwide.com
Quoz — call (03) 5932-7777. Web site at www.quoz.biz
Shipmates — call toll-free on (0120) 225-188 or check www.yourshipmates.com
Shipping will generally take a week to 11 days, depending on the destination, and cost varies quite a bit depending on various factors such as where you are shipping to, what you are sending and so on.
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Ladies Beware
Be sure to park your car in a well-lit area if you have to make a stop at a supermarket or other such store late at night! Someone I know had a close call with two foreign-looking men (maybe of Southeast Asian descent) in a dark parking lot. They watched her get out of her car and followed her in...at the time they pretended to buy things (all sorts of things men usually would not buy) - sensing something wrong, she made a mad dash back to her car and left. This was in a supermarket located in southern Tsukuba.
Watch out for yourselves, ladies. Don't go out alone late at night unless you really have to. If you really must go out, at least pick a busy place like the Kasumi supermarket or the Terashima drugstore in Takezono.
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