i was up dumb early again. but it gave me time to shower and soak in the onsen for a bit. i even got to blow dry my hair without someone clinging to my legs. which got shaved. what miraculous things can be accomplished when your children are asleep and you’re awake at 430.
up and yukata’d for breakfast, we slammed that delicious food down and packed up to try and explore around the ryokan a bit before catching our train to kyoto. a couple of wrong turns, some beautiful side streets, and some acorn collecting later and it was time to get the train. trains are pretty peaceful when the baby sleeps the whole time and you plug the toddler in. we arrive in kyoto incident free.
we’re met by our driver (way too much shit for a taxi) who’s kinda incredible. he’s great with the kiddos, his english is awesome, and he’s pretty funny to boot. we have time to kill before going to our machiya (small, rental townhouse) so he suggests a department store that has diapers and groceries. i already had a grocery store picked out, but who am i to argue?
doc/big fish is getting really cranky. not napping is having its typical effect. we realize on the way that iso might be able to help us find an equivalent to children’s dramamine. he’s now on a mission.
this “department store” is intimidating. it’s not the size, which is substantial, but the sheer activity. it’s more like a mega mall. the little monsters immediately start to get squirrely. we find the equivalent pretty quickly, but the active ingredients are different. iso begins to act as an interpreter and consult with the pharmacist. both kids are grabbing everything they can from the shelves and i have to get them out of the drugstore section of this behemoth. (have i mentioned that both boys are going through an extreme mommy-only phase? even though i’d like some help, adding daddy only makes things worse.)
i try running them up and down the hallways – yeah, this place has freaking hallways. it works for exactly two minutes. i check on derek’s progress with the pharmacist as the children create a wake of chaos. i go back to the hallways. there are just too many people they’re almost running into… back to the drugstore. where thing-one flips. as i’m dealing(?) with him, thing- two is actively trying to get all the razors off the shelves while laughing his ass off. so, he gets scooped. thing-one is still in the throws of his meltdown so, he gets scooped. i can’t physically hold both of the flailing monkeys so we plop down on the floor and become an instant circus attraction. no big deal.
needless to say, we skip the grocery store and just head to the machiya with our meds that, after all that fuss, aren’t approved for kids under 12 in the US. doctor says no. at least we’ll be prepared for puke this time round? sheesh.
everyone calms down, we walk to an international grocery store, pick up dinner ingredients, and start our lives as people who cook in japan. staying vegetarian at the ryokan/hotels was easier. the fucking pesto i bought has seafood in it? the mustard salad dressing contains chicken? and the tomato sauce has pork? the. fuck.
welp. luckly i bought two pestos because my kid is picky af and i promised him green noodles and the second one had, you know, basil, oil, and garlic. but i fucked up again and ate the damn salad dressing because i only thought to double check the ingredients once food was made and i just couldn’t go back out there. i had reached my limit. sorry chicken.
the kiddos were ecstatic with the food, being able to be themselves while eating, and getting out those magnet blocks. and, i’ll tell you a little secret: turns out travel days when kids just have to sit don’t go so well. but green noodles and strawberry cake seem to put it right.
Travels with Larson and Co 