Click
to enlargeEmails from Kirsten and Naoto
May 2004
Date: Wed, 5 May 2004 23:13:00 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Hair and hostesses
Dear Friends and Family
Still waiting on baby #2. I was sooo hoping it would come during Golden Week vacation when Naoto was home, but no dice.
Naoto said the baby was waiting for the full moon. Of course, the past few days of the full moon about 2 or 3 other women I know gave birth (including my Earlham friend Susan Yoshimura, nee Lane- congratulations!) but not me. I know I'm not actually due until the 17th, but....
Meanwhile, Mia keeps asking me for "baby" stories at nighttime. I think I've told her the story of her birth about a zillion times now.
I have to admit I am much more relaxed with this baby. I drink coffee, I am not keeping track of my vegetables, etc. etc.
I also decided not to buy any new clothes or toys for this child until it is old enough to ask me for new ones. If any of you out there (and I am not angling for presents, just wanting to head them off at the pass, so to speak) are thinking of baby gifts, we definitely don't need blankets or stuffed animals.
Actually, it's probably Mia who needs new toys now that she is going to have to contend with sharing Mommy.
Hair and Hostesses
So, I live in probably the furthermost West you can get in Tokyo and still be Tokyo. We aren't part of the "boroughs" of Tokyo, but my address is Tokyo.
This means Higashimurayama is more of a bed town than anything else. We get all the traffic, noise, and pollution of Tokyo without any of the great access to cultural delights or foreign foods.
Also, the train stop (kumegawa) I live closest to is slightly notorious for having a preponderance of two things:
hostess bars and hair dressers
Hostess bars are that Japanese phenomenon of a range of bars where women work as "hostesses" to help entertain men who come to the bars. I've discussed this before from the male side when one of my Josai students got a job in a Tokyo host bar (see student number two from "Let me sum up..." http://www.lindamax.com/emails/nov2003/nov2003.html).
Basically, to recap, you've got a range of Hostess bars from where the girls just giggle and flirt to Hostess bars where they provide "after work care" (yes, let your mind run to the gutter, that's what I am talking about) for patrons.
Along with the mommies in their regulation English-branded shirts and tan, psuedo-fishing hats, riding around on bicycles with far too many children strapped to them, you get hostesses in their "down time" outfits walking around the streets.
It is fairly obvious from miles away which one is which.
Now you may wonder what hair dressers have to do with Hostess bars. Or maybe you already made the connection (it took me a while. I kept wondering how the Mommies (who all have the same hairstyle) could keep all the salons in business).
Yes, the hair dressers are supported by the hostesses.
One nice side effect of this symbiotic relationship for me is that I can go into a hairdresser in my neighborhood and not get all the scared looks, mutilated English, and too-heavy conditioners applied that I usually have to contend with as a Westerner.
Why? Because, oh yeah, lots of foreign women work as hostesses. A large percentage of hostesses are Asian, but there are also Caucasians, too. It's an easy-to-get-job with a seductive amount of money attached to it.
This may be one reason why many Japanese people have a somewhat racist view of Foriegners, especially Asian ones. I imagine it's kind of like the citizens of certain classes in the U.S. who have a tendency to think of Latin Americans as domestic help.
love and light,
Kirsten
p.s. here's a picture of my pregnant belly standing next to Mia. My Earlham friend, Susan's, daughter Ellie is blowing a dandelion.
Click
to enlarge
Date: Sat, 29 May 2004 22:32:46 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: the good, the bad, and the just plain yuck
Dear Friends and Family
Well, it's been a long time in between emails because I've been awaiting the birth of daughter #2.
Maika Lillian Suzuki is finally here, so I guess I can write an email about some of the (less yucky) details of her birth.
The bad
Maika was born 10 days past her due date. (okay, the due date wasn't that sure, but still).
I had a false alarm on Monday where we went to the midwife's in the middle of the night, but nothing happened except lost sleep. bummer.
The good (warning, semi-graphic birth description here. If you'd rather not know, just skip down to the part titled "the yuck")
Maika came out a lot quicker, easier, and without as much medical intervention as Mia. I gave birth at the home of a midwife here in Higashimurayama. She is really laid back.
I started feeling weird about 9 a.m. on Thursday the 27th, but didn't recognize it was contractions until about 10:30. Poor Mia, she had crabby mother until about 1 p.m. when I called Naoto and told him to come home from work. Then I called Baba to come take care of Mia (she was napping at the time.)
We ended up going to the midwife's about 3 in the afternoon when my contractions started getting a wee bit painful. It was so different being just in a bedroom with no internal checks, beeping machines, nor nurses running in and out of the room.
The midwife on duty at the time came in two times and massaged my back during the very painful contractions. Naoto kept up a monologue (at my request) about the interesting people at his company.
Around 6:30 or so I really wanted to pee, so I went to the bathroom. When I got back, the midwives were putting a sheet on the floor and getting ready for the baby! I was suprised because I thought I still had a long way to go. I knelt down, grabbed Naoto around the neck (poor guy) and pushed.
It seemed like only about 10 minutes until the midwife said she was out. Then I lay back and they put Maika on my tummy. I tore only a very little bit (where I had the episiotomy before). Naoto cut the cord and all was well.
The Yuck
So the next day, Baba and Jiji come over to meet their new grandchild just a I am being served my lunch.
After a while, Naoto walks in with this pained expression on his face. He says "I just ate your placenta."
I had to confirm with him several times in several languages that is what he actually said. Then it got worse.
He said "Baba and Jiji ate it, too."
I looked closely at my dinner tray. There was a suspicious-looking small piece of something sauteed in garlic.
YUCK! And just knowing my in laws ate the placenta makes me want to say DOUBLE YUCK!
And, what you've all been waiting for, here is the link to the pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/kblincolnsuzuki
(just click on the Maika Lillian Suzuki Link)
love and light,
Kirsten
Click on that face for a bigger view.