That Japan Railway provides women only carriages on major train lines, doesn’t mean you can do the women’s routine in it.

Multiple choices:
a. Japanese urban culture’s no-no
b. Make-up application’s offensive level is par with cell phone usage in public. (But how about those ojisan who read porn manga in the train!)
c. The shaken of the carriage can disturb your application process and JR doesn’t take responsibility for uneven eyelines.. or mascara accident to your neighbour’s blouse? well, never happen, Japanese girl really sharp.
d. Be pretty right from your door step.
e. It’s okay if no time for make-up. Beauty is from within.

Fine line reads:
Please refrain from putting your make up in the trains.

One day over fifteen years ago, I couldn’t resist the temptation of tasting the fresh fried shrimp served in a famous seafood restaurant. Huge size of fresh water shrimp, brightly orange colored, hot from the pan, yummy smell. So I had one of them. Not much, only one. Just to fulfill the carving in me. But at an instant, even after I swallowed the antihistamines pill, my face started to itch. Reddish dots appeared everywhere. My throat swollen inside, I hardly breath. I went to emergency room and get a shot to control the allergic reaction. That was shrimp allergic reaction. I had it since I was a child.

But, that was a history. I don’t know the science of human body, but years after living in Japan, I started to try to eat shrimp. Start with an accident which result no reaction, then very little bite at the beginning, until now, I can eat as much as shrimp as I want. All type of shrimp, including the tiger shrimp imported from Indonesia! The allergy just gone. Without treatment, without medication.
That is the good story.

The bad story is, just years after living in Japan, my body develop a new kind of allergies I never had before. Strong allergic of pollen. Specially the yellow cedar one. Once I counted, I sneezed more than 400 times in a fine Springs day. That, plus swollen teary-ichy eyes.
Allergy to dust, outdoor and house dust (can’t imagine if I had this when I was living in Indonesia, would be so terrible).
Allergy to certain types of grass.
Allergy to morning.

Anybody understand how this happens?

What we did in the Golden Week:

Saturday, May 3 (Cloudy, Rain)
Inaka drive Day. Inaka mean country side. One of our favorite thing to do is drive out of our busy town, go inward to the deep of Chiba Prefecture. No special target, just thru some small towns and villages, stop at any spot we find it interesting. So off we went to the green side of small towns like Honda, Mobara. It’s a wonder how a 50 minutes drive away, brought us to middle of nowhere. Big open farming land. Bushes and many tall trees. Houses with big lawn (scarce in Tokyo). Had a sushi lunch (which I think was crazily expensive, for Inaka standard). Stopped at a local store and bough pairs of socks (just for fun). Stopped for two hours at a huge hilly park called Showa no Mori (Jungle of Showa). Children had a blast there. The park hosted some children outdoor game/activities (like outbound), we will definitely come back one day. On the way back, we found a poultry farm sold fresh egg. So I bought dozens of fresh eggs that make friends and neighbors smile and open their recipe book for egg-based dish.
Back just in time to see the American Idol.

Sunday, May 4 (Cloudy, Drizzle)
Shinjuku Day. When all people go out of Tokyo to spend their four-straights-days of holiday, jamming all the out of town route, we went to the heart of Tokyo. The jungle of sky-scrappers of the city: Shinjuku. One night stayed at a junior suite room, courtesy of corporate rate at Hilton. Children happy jumping up and down the king bed, bubbles game at bathtub. Lazying around after checked-in. Late afternoon we decided to go around Shinjuku. Went to Times Square by hotel’s bus (Ken loves loves the bus). Bought good books at Kinokuniya. Strolling around under the sky. Amazed by the super long line to enter Krispy Kreme. It took at least two hours of line standing to get the doughnut!!! What’s so special with this doughnut?! It opened up the store last year in Tokyo and at an instant create the three hours long queue. Today, a year later, the line was still two hours! So we are not that crazy craver to stand in the line and waste hour precious two hours for some buns with the hole in the middle….
Made a come back visit for dinner at El Torito, our family’s favorite Californian-Mexican restaurant… (should write a review on this one day). Walked around between the giant concretes which beautifully lit-up at night. Back to hotel and everyone went straight under the blanket…. too tired of walking, too full stomach.

Monday, May 5 (Cloudy)
A lazy morning. Won’t leave the bed if not for catching the buffet breakfast time which end at 10:00. Had big but healthy breakfast (bread selection was extensive! All great except the waffle. Fruits and cheese was so-so). Checked-out just minutes after noon and as today is Kodomo no hi (Children’s day) we head to the place children love the most: park. Ueno park was crowded as expected. But we promised Raisa for boating on the park’s pond. The row boat can only handle three persons max, so we rode Swan paddle boat. Paddled, paddled. I never like boating, but I am a mother. Spend the rest of the afternoon in the park, ate typical Japanese matsuri (festival) food: choco banana (banana dipped in chocolate, sprinkled with another colorful chocolate), jagabata (hot steamed potato topped with butter and mayonnaise), bake corn, soft cream (ice cream). In the car, kids slept all the way back home.
Evening, did two pages of scrapbooking with Raisa.

Tuesday, May 6 (Sunny, at last!)
The only sunny day of the golden week holidays. It was hot. Temperature reached 27C, so we decided to go to the neighborhood beach. Before that, stopped at Plena Square to see some live entertainment. Local band and magician. Surprisingly, there was a monkey show. First time for me to see "topeng monyet" in Japan. It is just the same like the one I saw in Salatiga, Indonesia, when I was an elementary school girl. Monkey is monkey.
Many people at the beach. The para surfing club was in full action. Hubby and I enjoyed to see the kite-and-surf actions. Children wet at an instance. Building sand castle, collecting shell and wakame (seaweed for miso soup dinner at home). Though the water was bearable cold, the chilly wind was not. We left the beach at four and went for hot latte and croissant at out local fave cafe.
Did groceries at Carrefour (sign of back-to-real-life), cooked fish curry and dined at home.