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Little girl in the big city

June 3, 2009 by Grace 17 Comments

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We left Japan to relocate to Dubai when Pristine was just three years old. I don’t know how much she remembers the place but I am betting not much since she is awed and wide-eyed and “open-mouthed” when we were in the big city of Tokyo.

Pristine in the big city

She’s overwhelmed of the trains, the station and all the people.

Pristine at train station

It’s her first time seeing trains come every minute. In the place where she was born and where we lived before coming to Dubai, trains come only 4 times per hour, maximum. Life in rural Japan is simple, so simple that I didn’t have to do this:

mom-and-baby-in-station-3

Tokyo is a big bustling city, chaotic to say the least. People are always running, as if on a round the clock deadline. On weekdays, you could be lost in the crowd so easily but not when you’re wearing something exquisite.

Woman in kimono

It was summer when we were there and during summer time, there are a lot of festivals. The Japanese love to wear their traditional summer kimono called “yukata” during this season.

There was one lady in kimono inside the train as well.

Lady in kimono in the train

I had to be discrete when taking these shots or else I’d be in trouble. The Japanese value their privacy so much or maybe too much. Hey! I caught Pristine’s eyes and they look scary, had to take a photo again.

There! No more horror-type eyes in the background.

Lady in kimono in train

Summer in Japan is hot and humid.

pristine-summer-umbrella

No, not as hot as in Dubai but with almost the same humidity. We all know that it’s not the heat that kills, it’s the humidity factor. Top to that, the Japanese love the environment too much that they have set rules not to lower down aircon temperature to less than 28C! In that sense, Dubai is more thrivable!

tropicana

This Tropicana juice is Pristine’s favorite drink when we were there. She got it in the vending machine inside the train station. The vending machine experience delighted her so much and she has fallen in love with Japan’s juice fridge (as she calls it)  ever since. Ah, if only the juices and other drinks were not three times as expensive as those we buy in Dubai!

* One 500 ml bottle of Tropicana orange juice in Japan costs 15o yen (US$1.6) while the same in Dubai only costs 2 dhs (US$0.5). *

We had to transfer three times to get to our destination and Pristine got hungry. I am too glad there’s an Onigiri-ya san (onigiri shop) inside the busy station.

Onigiri

Yes, those are rice balls in so many different flavors. The Japanese love rice very much – it’s still a wonder to me how they stay so slim (most of them at least!) while they devour these carbo bombs on a daily basis!!

Pristine loves them so much and I always carry them whenever we go. In fact, we have one in my bag but when she saw these varieties available, she was sucked into another world.

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Filed Under: Japan Tagged With: Japan, Tokyo

Mock them and they’ll mock you back
What they’re talkin’ – again

Comments

  1. Joy @ Mommys Joy says

    June 3, 2009 at 9:44 am

    Wow! What amazing shots! Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

    Happy WW!

    Joy @ Mommys Joys last blog post..Wordless/full Wednesday #11

    Reply
  2. Melissa says

    June 3, 2009 at 11:20 am

    seems you enjoyed the trip…i wish to visit Tokyo but was told they don’t speak English…is that so?

    Melissas last blog post..wordless wednesday

    Reply
  3. Rob says

    June 3, 2009 at 12:56 pm

    AWESOME pictures. Looks like a cool trip.

    Robs last blog post..Shae Napping

    Reply
  4. Shelly says

    June 3, 2009 at 4:05 pm

    What great pictures! I love getting glimpses of other cultures like this! Thanks for sharing!

    Shellys last blog post..The Post In Which I Talk About Nothing And Everything

    Reply
  5. mannequin says

    June 3, 2009 at 5:04 pm

    It looks like Pristine enjoyed the trip very much. She looks adorable in that little pink dress.
    So fortunate that she was able to see and live the culture if only for a short while. Surely she will remember this one!

    mannequins last blog post..Cinema Sunday winner

    Reply
  6. Jinxy says

    June 3, 2009 at 7:02 pm

    Those are great shots. I love the first one especially.

    Jinxys last blog post..Wordless Wednesday 6-3-09

    Reply
  7. Dexie says

    June 3, 2009 at 8:15 pm

    great shots. your little girl is too cute for words.

    Reply
  8. Tiff@ThreePeas says

    June 3, 2009 at 9:16 pm

    What an amazing place!!! I love all the great pictures. And Pristine is so beautiful!

    Tiff@ThreePeass last blog post..Wordless Wednesday

    Reply
  9. Maria@Conversations with Moms says

    June 3, 2009 at 9:22 pm

    Loved looking at the pictures and taking the trip with you. She is absolutely beautiful. I love her eyes.

    Reply
  10. JuliaA says

    June 3, 2009 at 11:16 pm

    wonderful pics! your little girl is gorgeous, and i love the pic of the woman in the yukata. i have two yukata but i wear them as bathrobes. they don’t look nearly as striking without a beautifully-tied obi!

    Reply
  11. willowsprite says

    June 4, 2009 at 5:46 am

    Wow, I can’t believe the price difference!
    That poor baby in the carrier dosen’t look to comfortable…

    Reply
  12. janil says

    June 4, 2009 at 12:16 pm

    Thanks you for sharing these photos. I’d love to travel to Japan one day… I’d love to eat all in the Oigiri!
    your daughter is so beautiful!!!!!!!!

    hugs!

    janils last blog post..Gracias, gracias, gracias… ¡y sorteítos!

    Reply
  13. Hollie Steel says

    June 7, 2009 at 2:04 am

    Great post. Thanks for the photos and story. What a nice day.

    Hollie Steels last blog post..Hollie Steel Returns to School

    Reply
  14. cartridge says

    June 7, 2009 at 4:23 pm

    this is a great story and i like this type of photoes.

    Reply
  15. Indore@Bible College says

    June 13, 2009 at 11:17 am

    wonderful pics!I love this type of snap shot. your little girl is looking so beautiful.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Sandier Pastures » Blog Archive » Japanese hot spring experience says:
    June 10, 2009 at 8:02 am

    […] you enjoyed this post, check out Little girl in the big city and other upcoming posts where I document our trip to Japan last summer (I know it’s been a […]

    Reply
  2. Sandier Pastures » Blog Archive » Experiencing Dubai’s first monorail says:
    June 22, 2009 at 3:01 pm

    […] The train arrived on time, which, honestly, I did not expect. Pristine asked, “where are the other people?” She remembered the rush of the crowds at the train stations in Tokyo. […]

    Reply

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