Tuesday, April 28, 2009

School Outing

Now that my husband takes both the children to school on his way to work my mornings are very relaxed. I am not a typical Japanese housewife who makes everyone's breakfast - it is very much a free for all here where everyone gets what they want for themselves. I am also not a typical Japanese housewife who makes her husband lunch every day - he buys it at work. Therefore mornings generally involve me getting up last and making sure everyone has eaten, washed faces, brushed teeth, practiced the piano and then shove them out the door. Of course once they are gone I don't sit around in my pajamas all day and am generally in the garden by 8:30am - but till then it is pretty lazy.
This morning I did have to get up a bit earlier than usual though as the kids had their school outing and therefore needed packed lunches. They were catching the train from close to their school to the next station (a total of 4 minutes) and then walking up the hill to the park where it sounds like they will be sliding down the grass banks on chicken feed bags before coming home again on the 4 minute train. Back to the lunches... in New Zealand you throw a sandwich, a piece of fruit, a muesli bar and perhaps some yogurt in a bag and you are done. If only it was so simple in Japan! It wouldn't be so bad if my son would actually eat some vegetables (he eats them all at school).. Notice the one tiny stick of broccoli and the cucumber hidden amongst the other things to give it a bit of colour. Oh well, I guess I shouldn't complain - they only need lunches about 4 times a year. Perhaps I should put in a little more effort next time....

6 comments:

  1. HI, GORGEOUS lunch, makes me hungry! Yes, the lunches in NZ were pretty easy compared to that. Not that I got to that much effort in Japan anyway, I had to make bentos the day after we arrived, so they got cheese sausages, broccoli, tamago-yaki, mini tomatoes and baby cheese.

    Anyway, we're free tomorrow if you want to come see us. Might be better that way as Amy's not the best today, I don't think she'd travel well so I have to save up the car rides as we are going to Miyazaki next Mon-Wed. YOu are welcome to come too!

    By the way, my computer finally died after a long illness, and while I did do an OE backup a month ago, I haven't got around to retrieving it yet, so can you please mail me at takajoliy at yahoo.com with your new email address

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  2. wow! Love the bentos.

    I had to laugh at the excursion. Meg's best 'ehhh?' excursion so far was a day when it rained and they spent an hour driving around the village on a bus then.... went back to hoikuen and ate lunch- on their sheets of course- in the gymnasium!

    Have you ever made your kids a NZ style bento? I made M one once and she thought it was kawaiiso and was really dark on my mum for not making me 'proper bento' when I was little.

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  3. Good Japanese mummy! Shou only needs one about twice a year, and his lunch box is so damn small it takes more effort to fit a decent amount of stuff in it than it does to make!!

    Back in the days when Maki got lunch to take to work I would do big club sammies some days - which actually took same amount of time as Japanese obento. Now, what with hoka hoka aben fifty metres away from work and specials for 390 yen, what is point in me making lunch :p

    Hope Masaki only has little cold.

    In a moment of over-hyped Japanese media crap weakness I ordered masks off the internet for when the swine influenza hits Kunimi. I amaze even myself sometimes.

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  4. Rachel: cheese sausages and brocolli sound perfect to me! Maybe I'll try that next time...
    thefukases: my kids had NZ style bento every day for 2 months when they went to school in NZ last year and were more than happy with them. To be honest I'm sure they would be happy with them here too - I am just worried about what the teachers etc. would say... I'm sure there would be a small note passed via my mother-in-law to me!
    GW: here's hoping the swine flu doesn't make it to Kunimi as it would have to pass through Yamaga on its way. I guess if that is the case we should borrow some of your masks first....you can never be too prepared!

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  5. You are incredible - give me NZ lunches every day - how long does that take you? You are a perfect wife - those parentsinlaw have no idea what they got in you! I love reading your blog - it is so interesting and awfully funny. Reminds me of the letters you used to send when you were on holiday! Queens reunion next year - coming? lol jo

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  6. Hi Jo, the lunches don't take tooooo long after you get used to it and to be honest a lot of what I stick in them is premade supermarket stuff! The main problem is that everything needs to be cold before you put the lid on - meaning an early start....give me NZ lunches anyday!
    Queens reunion... can't say I will be racing back for it, but if you go please say hello to everyone for me - it would be interesting to see what everyone is up to.

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