Playing with Kent

Today we walked to one of the community centers where Yuka takes Kent regularly.  Japan really encourages having children since they need a higher birth rate, and they provide lots of incentives to have babies: one of which is free activity centers.  (They also provide free health care and bonus payments!)

Our walk wound through some smaller streets, so I got to see what some neighborhoods in the city look like.  Many of the ladies use umbrellas to block the sun while out walking.

This community center is in an old elementary school and Kent played some in their gym and then in the classroom with toys for the younger kids.  Since this is a holiday week in Japan, there were only a few others there.  Many people are out of town on holiday.

After the playtime, we went to eat lunch at Le Pain Quotidien, a French-style bakery-restaurant in Midtown Mall, where we were yesterday.  We had an outside table so we could watch the people passing by.

Then, it was time for a nap for Kent and me!  We came back to the apartment, napped, and then played before dinner.

Kent is in the pre-Suzuki violin class, and they are very strict about their procedures.  He loves everything about music and is fascinated with all violins, especially his mother's.  He has learned how to stand and hold his "box-violin" and how to bow.  For some reason, in this school, the children are required to memorize 100 verses of haiku before starting in the class.  Kent has learned about half of them, and must finish them and submit a recording of them before he can "graduate".  We're not sure why they require this, but it seems to be the way it's always been done!   If he has a good practice with his haiku, he is allowed to "touch" Yuka's violin.

This is the toy violin.  It plays the Suzuki songs when you press a button.

In the gym

He loves the kitchen!

Tokyo street with a fire truck coming up the hill.

Alan says this is the most expensive condo in Tokyo. 
The top floor went for about $40 million!

Playing in the water cascade

Back to Midtown Mall

Yuka fixed another dinner...and this was a "simple" one!

Suzuki practice.
He has to stand still for several minutes with his feet on the blue foot-spots.
(Feet are on the pink spots for bowing.)
The "box-violin" has another box which has to stay balanced on it.
He stays in this position while the iPad plays "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"
(the first song for Suzuki.)