Chocolate treat for chocolate day at ice skate

Burger lunch at Midtown

白味噌丸もちお雑煮 White miso soup with round rice cake

Kyoto style new year's dish from food truck at Midtown. Very sweet.

Brunch at Nan Nan, Azabu Juban

Before papa's flight to Seattle, we went to a French restaurant called Nan Nan in Azabu Juban shopping street for breakfast. 

Photos here.

Going to kindergarten in snow

Kids dressed himself warm for the snowy morning. It didn't last very long though he was excited!

Doughnuts with Takeru at park after the puppet show

There was a doughnut stand at the subway station, and we bought some and went to park for a break. Happy kids!

Coming up stairs at the subway station

Mo's kindergarten went to a puppet show at city hall, and they took subway both coming and going. They even took stairs, not escalators nor elevators...!

Short video here.

Bye bye Tokyo Kaikan

Tokyo Kaikan closed its main building for renovation at the end of Jan, 2014. This is my mother's favorite place as her father used to work back in the old days, and used to bring back cookies and breads they couldn't sell for shops. So their name is strongly connected to her sweet and bitter memory along with taste of their confectionery. Before closure, I run up and bought some table bread for mother, which I mailed her later that day, and cinnamon roll for kids, and this cake called Marron Chantilly, a cake with chestnut cream under whipped cream. It's not like sophisticated latest French style cake though an old school, somehow comforting sweet cake. We'll come back in 3 years when they finish rebuilding.

Mo shaving head

He wanted to shave his head to surprise teacher and his class mates.

While waiting for papa at Streamer Coffee

Weekend Bread Market

Went to check out a small Farmer's Market, Weekend Bread Market in Gaienmae.  Kids had ginger soup and meatball sandwich. Fun!

Boy cooking curry for dinner

He wanted to cook curry for dinner tonight. Because of sunglasses, onion doesn't make him cry. Video here.

Boy on ice at Midtown

Family lunch at Dean & Deluca, Midtown

Lunch at Omotesando Hills with Mari

At Kyo Oyasai Bar. Yummy!

Latte and Ton Yum baguette at City Bakery

While waiting for Ton to finish abacus class.

Lost another tooth!

It was wiggly this morning, and she pulled it out at school.

Ice cream break

Mochi pounding at NIS

Photos here.

Annual mochi pounding event at Nishimachi International School. I volunteered in Kimono and papa joined for the pounding part. It was much relaxed this year, and the weather wasn't too cold. Kids came over after schools, and enjoyed it, too, along with snacks and friends there.

Mochi Pounding team work

A friend of mine took this photo while we were teamed up on pounding and flipping mochi.

Block temple tower

Mo built this tower at preschool after kindergarten. Notice it's touching the ceiling. He's so proud.

Milk stick bread at City Bakery

Stamp rally complete!

Seven Eleven has 2 kinds of kids' TV show stamp rallies and kids did it twice, in the rain...!

Family lunch at City Bakery

 Boy with hot chocolate

Bánh mi Sandwich

Family lunch at Homework's Hiroo

Papa came to meet us for lunch.

Breakfast at Meisterwerk Foods

 Wagyu udon & eel rice ball combo

Checking out Meisterwerk Foods

After New Year's visit to a shrine close by, went to check out this new cafe/gourmet food shop next to it, which opened about a month ago. Kids had ice cream filled Baumkuchen , Ton with green tea, Mo with chocolate, papa had house blend coffee, and I had espresso from GIMA in Italy and ONIGIRI (rice balls) filled with eel. Kids loved the cake and ONIGIRI, and they want to come back for breakfast. Could be a keeper!