Hiroo, From Tokyo!!: Yes, My Princess!!!!

Hey hey hey!! We are not even quite finished our fourth month and I am already an official Tokyo Princess!!!

If you need proof, just check out my stunning tiara and custom-designed personalized place setting.

9 Princesses at Butler's Cafe (see our bell?)

Butler's Cafe is not really about the food...it is a totally goofy experience, and the perfect place to go if you notice you are taking life too seriously.

With all the kids at school one day, a bunch of fun moms decided a lunch at the Butler's Cafe would be a hilarious way to get to know each other...between giggles.

First, we were individually escorted to our chairs. After we were all seated we were given "The Rules" which we were to read "very carefully." As soon as we were "sure" we understood, we were to ring the little bell, which was the only permissible way to summon our butlers.

Had I read the rules FIRST,
I would have understood why the butler in the above picture was giving me the look of "Really...are you an idiot?"

Rule Number 1. Taking photographs of butlers is forbidden.

Oops.

There were lots of rules. Don't make conversation with the Butlers. Don't touch the Butlers. Don't get up from the table without a Butler to escort you. The Butler must escort you to the Powder Room. Don't say "restroom"....gasp! You hillbilly!!! The proper term is "Powder Room."

Oh yeah, and don't take your camera into the Powder Room.

Oops again.

That rule just annoyed me. The warden...I mean Butler escorting me to the Powder Room would not let me take my purse inside, but he forgot to frisk me, so he did not find the camera stuffed under my shirt!!!

So HA! I got a picture of the pink toilet paper!

There was really nothing else in there except a wall of "foofy" looking pictures of cherubs....but I got that for you too!

(Be appreciative...I resort to crimes like this only to share with all of you.)

OUR MEAL

(I was granted permission to take pictures of food.)

Lunch was a very nice tomato and crab fettucine (we all ordered this, except Allison, who tried the panini), served with a goblet of chilled mushroom soup.

Dessert was a choice of chocolate cake, or a chocolate drizzed banana crepe with vanilla ice cream.

I chose the crepe, but think Allison's cake looked pretty good too.

Just another crazy place to go in Tokyo...fun...different...and worth doing just for the 2 hours of laughs shared with new friends!!!

Moving back to the not-so-royal-existence, here is my trusty two-wheeled chariot.

I had to add a basket to manage my grocery shopping...and a bell to get through crowds of pedestrians.

The nice part is everyone leaves your things alone here, so I can park my grocery-filled basket outside a store and come back later knowing it will all be there....
If you lose a credit card, no problem. Whoever finds it rushes it to the nearest police station (Koban), and within a few hours the police will track you down and either call you or deliver it to your door!!! Seriously!!

There is some sort of festival almost every week here,

so we often see Japanese men, women and children dressed in traditional kimonos.

One day I will have to pull out my cape for them...

Sorry, but some things about me are not ever going to change.

This has become sort of a "random thoughts" blog post today.

The kids are in midterms, so I'm not getting out as much.

I don't think I ever showed you the picture from my dinner party...

It was in August, but I just recently found the photo on a camera I rarely use.

(FYI the pictures are not on the dining room floor anymore...I finished hanging everything!)

See?

Another picture I just found on the same camera is of my baby girl with my wonderful mom. Our Granjane. Very special.

Tomorrow is Halloween....a very BIG day in Tokyo. Everyone has been preparing for weeks with stores fully decorated and waiters, bartenders and shop owners wearing costumes every day. I am going out to the school to watch the costume parade and help with the 5th grade class party.

JE will be a leopard, as seen here in a photo from last year with her talent show partners from Atlanta.

So, I am trying not to be sad that this is the first time in 15 years I have not covered my house with decorations and hung my giant purple spider outside for all my neighbors.

To cheer myself up, instead I am decorating today's blog with a montage of some of my favorite Halloween memories.