Fujiiyama Mama

The doorbell rang, pin pon! Who could it be? I grabbed Yoshitora and ran to the door. The camera was ready. It was Santa and Rudolph! They were making their Christmas Eve rounds and decided to pay a special little boy a personal delivery for his first Christmas. The bewildered Yoshi didn't really know what was going on, but Santa didn't miss a beat. He informed Yoshi that tonight was Christmas Eve and that Yoshi had been a very good boy. So good that Santa had brought him a special gift. He reached into his sack and pulled out a large present. We took pictures, and I profusely thanked the incredibly wholesome Santa and Rudolph for making this night so special. Christmas isn't a huge deal in Japan. It's not a holiday and is celebrated more like Valentine's Day as opposed to what I'm used to in the west. Typically couples go out on a date while families keep it low-key with one or two presents for the kids and a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Jesus is largely a...

Photo: Ayana Wyse A few months before Yoshi arrived, I threw out this question on Instagram and Facebook and got a lot of questions in return. I answered them all individually at the time but thought I would compile a bunch of them here on my blog as well. Q: How is the health care? A: Really good! Apparently, it’s among the best in the world. This chair is next-level scary, though. Q: Are doctor’s appointments conducted in Japanese or English? A: 90% Japanese. My doctor speaks some English but the midwives do not so it’s been a combo of my Japanese comprehension, occasionally my husband translating or the helpful hospital translator when he is available. Q: What’s the hospital/birthing centre like? Have you gone on a tour of it yet? A: The hospital is new and really nice! So far I’ve only seen pictures of the delivery room and hospital rooms but they are fancy! (*and fancy they were!) Q: Are you going to raise your child mostly in Japan? A: Yes! Q: Are you worried about disc...

  We both sighed heavily. We were next in line but the senior woman ahead of us and the cashier were having a lively chat, disregarding the time it was taking to finish checking out. My husband, Yasu and I weren’t in any particular rush ourselves, but waiting was frustrating. Yasu mumbled something about them needing to hurry up before catching himself. “Wait.” He said, “they aren’t wrong. We’re wrong. We need to slow down, like them. That’s inaka life.” I nodded in wise agreement. It was the first of many times we’d been reminded to slow down since moving out to the Japanese countryside.  It’s been two months since moving to Eiheiji, Japan; famous for its temple and the slogan “Zen: Do you feel it?”. We arrived from Osaka without an ounce of zen in our bones and made the decision that needed to change. That wasn’t the only thing due to change though; two city folks moving out to the country meant a lot of adjustments were going to have to be made.  Our local train statio...

Missfit the Pug September 6, 2005 - June 18, 2022 She was at home, comfortable and I couldn't have asked for anything more from the Best Girl. She spent a very significant part of my life with me; most of my 20's and 30's including my move to Japan. In Japan, she got to spend her retirement in Osaka, eating delicious food and taking luxurious naps. She stuck around long enough to comfort me during my pregnancy, meet Yoshitora and bless him with her love. She was only a couple of months shy of turning 17 - quite the life for a pug.  Thank you, Missfit. I'll love you forever. Our last nap, about an hour before she passed Three of my greatest loves; Missfit, Yoshitora and Green Day Missfit at her Sweet 16 Birthday Party With Phil Spector our wonderful chihuahua girl who passed away the year before

It’s the best time of the year here in Japan - sakura season! Coming from Toronto where there are only a couple of crowded spots to see the cherry blossom trees, living in Japan has made me spoiled. Here, the cherry blossoms are everywhere; in parks to parking lots - I can see them no matter where I look. One of the most time tested traditions is hanami (admiring the blossoms) and this is usually done by gathering under the cherry blossom trees to indulge in food and drink. It’s one of my favourite leisure activities and this year I was able to bring Yoshitora to indulge as well. I didn’t explore as many places as I did in previous years but went to two pivotal spots in Osaka; Mt. Showa and Osaka Castle Park.  Photo: Brooke Fromm-Sarto First, Yoshi’s papa and I took him to Mt. Showa, a man made mountain not too far from us. Built in 1970, Mt. Showa is 108ft tall, offering a great view of the city as well as the nature within. This was Yoshi’s first chance to see the blossoms up clo...

What goes up must come down and what grows inside must come out. Yeah, I couldn’t think of a way to say that without it sounding weird but - Ebi chan had to make their way out eventually. I was well aware of what would happen but the physics of fitting a baby through *there* still eludes me. And doing it the Japanese way - meaning without any pain meds was daunting. But alas, as an athlete trains for the Olympics, I knew I too had to train my body and mind for such a monumental undertaking. This meant taking care of my diet, exercise, mental health and a bit of self indulgent self care. Here’s what I did: DIET Pregnancy was the excuse I’ve always needed to be as healthy as possible. Even now that I’m breast feeding I’ve been eating well and replacing junk food with a balanced diet consisting of all the food groups that are good for baby and I. I’ve always loved fruits and vegetables so those have been a consistent part of my diet along with plenty of protein by way of fish and tofu. On...