The doorbell rang, pin pon! Who could it be? I grabbed Yoshitora and ran to the door. The camera was ready. It was Santa and Rudolph! They were making their Christmas Eve rounds and decided to pay a special little boy a personal delivery for his first Christmas. The bewildered Yoshi didn't really know what was going on, but Santa didn't miss a beat. He informed Yoshi that tonight was Christmas Eve and that Yoshi had been a very good boy. So good that Santa had brought him a special gift. He reached into his sack and pulled out a large present. We took pictures, and I profusely thanked the incredibly wholesome Santa and Rudolph for making this night so special. Christmas isn't a huge deal in Japan. It's not a holiday and is celebrated more like Valentine's Day as opposed to what I'm used to in the west. Typically couples go out on a date while families keep it low-key with one or two presents for the kids and a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Jesus is largely a...
Photo: Ayana Wyse A few months before Yoshi arrived, I threw out this question on Instagram and Facebook and got a lot of questions in return. I answered them all individually at the time but thought I would compile a bunch of them here on my blog as well. Q: How is the health care? A: Really good! Apparently, it’s among the best in the world. This chair is next-level scary, though. Q: Are doctor’s appointments conducted in Japanese or English? A: 90% Japanese. My doctor speaks some English but the midwives do not so it’s been a combo of my Japanese comprehension, occasionally my husband translating or the helpful hospital translator when he is available. Q: What’s the hospital/birthing centre like? Have you gone on a tour of it yet? A: The hospital is new and really nice! So far I’ve only seen pictures of the delivery room and hospital rooms but they are fancy! (*and fancy they were!) Q: Are you going to raise your child mostly in Japan? A: Yes! Q: Are you worried about disc...