All posts by TF Tribe

  • Looking further afield from Japan’s chances

    • Posted May 28, 2010
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  • Understanding what Mom means

    Understanding what Mom means   Fine: Use to end an argument when they are  right, and you need to shut up.   Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means half an hour.  Don’t be mad...

    • Posted May 27, 2010
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  • Child-proofing your surroundings

    Photo © Elena Derevtsova   Having a kid in the house changes the way we should arrange our surrounding to ensure the safety of our children.  Kids are by nature curious and are often in danger of...

    • Posted May 27, 2010
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  • What is Fibromyalgia?

    • Posted May 27, 2010
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  • Tokyo: my 2nd home

    Photo © Elena Derevtsova   I live in Tokyo, and I have never met Jackie Chan. I do not eat sushi for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I don’t have any close personal friends who happen to be ninjas,...

    • Posted May 27, 2010
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  • Raisin’ the bar

    Photo © Elena Derevtsova   As is the case in many households, we often buy more bread than we can finish and it always ends up being trashed.  Before it become stale, there are a hundred ways...

    • Posted May 27, 2010
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  • Will Japan make it through to the finals?

    Excitement is building up among the football fans in Japan as their team face a big challenge at the World Cup games this month.

    • Posted May 27, 2010
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  • Deco’s Dog Cafe

    The Tokyu Square Garden Site in Denenchofu is home to this canine hot-spot! Deco’s Dog Cafe is a one catering to the furry, four-legged members of our family, offering a varied fresh, health-conscious doggie menu sure to...

    • Posted May 8, 2010
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  • Pokemon Center

    Pokémon Center Crazy about Pikachu?  Hop on the train and promise your kid a day of fun at Nintendo’s Pokemon Center,  still very popular and the longest-selling anime series in Japan and all over the world. Pokémon...

    • Posted May 8, 2010
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  • Silent night?

    Photo © Elena Derevtsova   QUESTION My wife  talks and gnashes her teeth in her sleep.  Is there a cure for this? I need a good night’s sleep!   Teeth grinding (bruxism) can be caused by stress...

    • Posted April 29, 2010
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  • Helping out

    Photos © Elena Derevstova   Can a four-year-old cook and play? Naaah!  Well, four-year-old kiddie chef Marina proved us all wrong when she recently hosted a cooking party for little friends at home.  With the help of...

    • Posted April 29, 2010
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  • The thrill of rappeling

    We never imagined what great outdoor adventure could be had until we tried rappelling!  Last weekend, my fiancée and I hopped in a bullet train from Tokyo to Annakaharuna station and headed for Mt. Haruna in Gunma...

    • Posted April 29, 2010
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  • Tochigi treats

    Photos © Elena Derevstova   Historically Utsunomiya has been through some tough times.  Twice burned down (first in feudal times, then in World War II) the city has managed to rebuild itself and is now home to...

    • Posted April 29, 2010
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  • The time of revelation

    Benjamin Creme has been telling the world that the great teacher known as Christ, Maitreya, Buddha, Khrishna, Imam, Mahdi, Messiah, World Teacher is coming. Only a totally new approach to the economy and the Earth will...

    • Posted April 29, 2010
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  • Foreign homeowner’s advice

    Photo © Elena Derevstova   Foreign homeowner’s advice Father of 3, homeowner of a detached house in Tokyo.    What is your overall advice in choosing the lot to build a house? Although foreigners will want to...

    • Posted April 29, 2010
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  • Family home building, home improvement

    Houses in Japan are generally built to last no more than 20-30 years from a Japanese perspective.  Homeowners therefore have to put up with home improvement costs against wear and tear on or by its thirtieth year....

    • Posted April 29, 2010
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  • Families in transition

    Photos © Elena Derevstova   Not all knowledge workers or skilled professionals feel positive about relocation in general because it means packing, selling a house, saying goodbye to friends, relatives, and places they are close to.  Nearly...

    • Posted April 29, 2010
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  • 20 tips for bonding with your family

    Photo © Elena Derevstova   The bonding period for you and your baby begins long before birth.  As your baby grows and develops within you, the special relationship between you and your child is already beginning to...

    • Posted March 30, 2010
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  • Emotional differences

    Question I come from a Latin family where being demonstrative is part of an expression of affections.  Growing up, "Good morning", "Hello", and "Goodbye" were expressed with an embrace, kiss, or hug.  My wife, being Japanese, had...

    • Posted March 30, 2010
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  • Yoga for pregnant women

    ISHTA, an acronym for “Integrated Science of Hatha Tantra and Ayurveda,” was created in South Afriva during the late 1960s by Yoga entrepreneur Alan Finger and his father Kavi Yogi Mani. “Yoga invites transquility and stability into...

    • Posted March 29, 2010
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  • Another side to the 2010 FIFA World Cup

    The FIFA World Cup in South Africa kicks off its first match on 11 June 2010, an eagerly anticipated event promising great fun and sporting thrills until the final match a month later. For South Africa, hosting...

    • Posted March 29, 2010
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  • Tokyo Helps Haiti

    On January 12, 2010 a devastating earthquake shook Haiti, killing over 200,000 people and leaving hundreds of thousands more injured, homeless and facing a bleak future.  It has been called one of the worst disasters in history....

    • Posted March 1, 2010
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  • Coaching kids through spring cleaning chores

    Photo © Elena Derevstova   On the surface, coaching kids to do chores seems like no more than getting children to pick up around the house. Coaching kids to pitch in regularly with household maintenance instills important...

    • Posted February 27, 2010
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  • Rhythm fun: family bonding through Japanese drums

    You live in Japan, so you want to get yourself and your family involved in lots of traditional Japanese cultural events and practices. A great way to learn more about Japanese culture is to participate in an...

    • Posted February 27, 2010
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  • Tips toward an agreeable lease agreement

    Photo © Elena Derevstova   Making the most of your move may mean making the most of your new lease agreement.  Here are some things to watch out for in your next move. Who pays the broker?  Many...

    • Posted February 27, 2010
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  • Veggie delight

    Photo © Elena Derevstova   Is your family vegetarian? Here are two simple recipes that everyone will love.  Light, tasty and low in calories, it is a hearty meal by itself. Being a working mom, cooking healthy...

    • Posted February 27, 2010
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  • Shore ’nuff

    Photo © Elena Derevstova   There have been few places in Japan that could really satisfy my family’s often irreconcilable definitions of a “good vacation”. The mountainous Izu peninsula, a few hundred kilometers from Tokyo, did exactly...

    • Posted February 27, 2010
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  • Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto

    Two robots are gently lowered into two adjacent corners of the competition ring—a square area divided by a central wall—by the students who built them. Facing them on the other side of the wall are two similar-looking...

    • Posted January 30, 2010
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  • Valentine’s Day treats

    Valentine’s Day is upon us!  It’s a global day of love and affection, and the customary practice is to express that sweet emotion with… well, sweets. And yes, the candy companies are making it easy for us...

    • Posted January 30, 2010
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  • Making meaning: The Project Approach

    The most important job of a young child is to make sense of his or her world. Our job at school is to aid the child in this quest. One way that we can be responsive to...

    • Posted January 30, 2010
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