My Hanko

I've been wanting a Japanese hanko (name stamp) for a while now. With the help of a few friends at school, who helped me choose appropriate kanji and who introduced me to a wonderful hanko-maker, I've got one, and it's gorgeous! I love the stone, I love the way my name looks in kanji, and I love the way Taki-san designed the characters.

Tami, my tea instructor, and Taki-san, the hanko-maker

Taki-san's different sketches of si-ri-ya (my name in Japanese). Which did I choose?

Isn't it gorgeous?

Kidzania

It's been a cool and wet beginning to summer so far, but we're still having a good time. We kicked off the holidays again this year with root beer floats on the last day of school. Although, it should be pointed out that none of the kids were brave enough to put the root beer in their root beer floats. A cup full of vanilla ice cream just isn't the same!Kidzania

Today we took an all-day trip to Kidzania, a bit of heaven-on-earth for kids. Denis got to don many hats:

A gas station attendant

A barber

A train conductor

A soft-serve server

A fireman

A pilot

And a flight attendant!