Heiwa no Mori Park

Yesterday it poured with rain all day so we couldn't really take Jazz and Dixie anywhere. We decided we would take them to a pet shop and then Costco but everyone else in Tokyo had the same idea and the line to get into the car park at Costco was too long to wait in. This morning we decided to try again and this time there wasn't a line up. After getting a few things we headed to Heiwa no mori Park as it was close by and one our way home. We have never been there before and found that it was in fact a lovely green park that joined onto a water front park and man made beach. The dogs were not allowed on the beach but we enjoyed a walk in the lush, cool clover and had an icecream so the girls were very happy. Next weekend is a long weekend and we are going on a reunion trip to meet up with Jazz' litter brother, Beat and many other beagles some of which are related to both Jazz and Dixie. I am really looking forward to the break.

Prime Land Dog Run

Its been another busy week as I am rewriting our cirriculum at school and I had a friends wedding to attend on Sunday. We did however manage to get out to enjoy this great sping weather with the girls on Saturday. Shin found a new dog run about 55km out of Tokyo. It was made up of three small dog runs and a pool area. Jazz and Dixie were the only two in the main run but the neighbouring dog run was playing host to a Newfoundland meet with 11 big black pups! I thought Dixie would freak out especially when all the neighbours were barking but Jazz and Dixie remained very quiet and stuck right by me when we were near the fence. We didn't use the pool area as you had to pay extra and Jazz and Dixie would not have stepped one foot in the water! We played around with the ball for a while until I cleverly threw it over the fence and down into some farmers garden! It was non retrievable much to Jazz's disappointment. After that the girls didn't run about much so I used the opportunity to get some close ups and posing shots. It is very easy to take pictures of Jazz but a little more tricky with the ever moving Dixie!

A Fantastic Weekend!

Today we went in search of a small pond for my turtles. The first pet shop we went to didn't sell them so we headed off to another pet shop near Senzoku Pond. They didn't sell them either but we did end up buying new harnesses for the girls. Then we started to walk to the pond and found that they were still having a Hanami Matsuri (Spring Cherry Blossom Festival) and had all the usual festival food vendors set up all around the pond. We stopped and ate yakitori (skewered BBQ chicken) and yakisoba (noodles with cabbage, shrimp, ginger and seeweed) for lunch. The girls were very happy with the things they scored from the lunch table! While walking around Jazz and Dixie caught sight of the turtles and koi in the pond and were very curious! A typical festival game here is catching goldfish with a small scoop and being able to keep the fish you catch - well Jazz and Dixie thought they would really like a turn at that game. The woman in charge didn't look so happy when Dixie jumped up for a closer look! We didn't end up finding a pond for my turtles but we certainly had a nice time at Senzoku Pond. In the days before Shin and the girls I used to live near this oasis in the surburbs and walked around the pond every morning before going to work. Its a little far to walk there from where we live now so it was nice to drop in by car today.

On Saturday the weather was fantastic so we decided to head down towards the Shonan Peninsula to Dog Garden Resort in Fujisawa. The "resort" has a cafe terrace, dog run with fake grass and swimming pool and a pet shop. It was quite funny to see Jazz and Dixie jump up and into the pool as it was empty. Obviously they could smell there wasn't any water in it or they certainly would not have jumped right in. It was quite hot and Jazz and Dixie were not to interested in playing in the dog run so we went upstairs to the cafe terrace for lunch in the shade of a huge palm tree! After that we went for a walk along the beach before heading back to Tokyo.

Happy Hanami

This weekend all around Tokyo people are out enjoying picnics under the cherry trees in various parks around the city. Many of them are so crowded that picnic mats cover all the ground side by side and many people flock to the best spots. Having Jazz and Dixie and not being lovers of such crowds we decided to opt for a less popular park to do our cherry blossom viewing (Hanami). Rinkai park near Oimachi has a very nice grass area and lots of cherry trees with low branches to sit under and not so many people as other parks Ive been to in previous years. Its raining now so I wonder how long the blossoms will last - such short lived beauty. This park also has a dog run that Jazz and Dixie had a bit of a run around in. When we got home we went to meet up with beagle friend, Nala and some of the staff who used to work at Pet Love Cafe in the dog run near our house.

A Reunion With An Old Friend!

Three years ago, in a time before Dixie, one of Jazz's best friends at Dog Inc left for London with her family. Jazz and Daisy loved to play crazy games together - in those days they were both younger and crazier. Daisy has returned from London and is back at Dog Inc. Both Jazz and ' Crazy Daisy' as she was affectionately know have calmed down a lot, they still like each other but don't play as they once used to.

Jazz and Daisy's last day at Dog Inc before Daisy left for London, February 2006

Three years on: Jazz, Dixie and Daisy, with staff dogs Soldier and Ingo at Dog Inc this week.