Autumn Festival - Japan Style

Last Sunday we did a little sightseeing in the nearby town of Nikko*, in time for its annual Autumn Festival. We also checked out the Toshogu* Shrine, which is dedicated to the spirit of Ieyasu*, the first shogun of Tokugawa. Ieyasu* founded the Tokugawa* Shogunate, which ruled Japan for over 200 years. We got to watch a big parade that is a re-enactment of the Ieyasu*'s funeral ceremony. Very interesting stuff, although it makes you sad to become so aware of how deeply engrained false beliefs are in this culture.

The highlight of the trip:
I had put a pull-up* on Josiah and had packed a bag full of extras, because although he is now "officially" potty trained and doesn't miss a beat around the house, we had a (very) long drive there, plus I wasn't sure of the availability of public restrooms once in the town. He had used the potty maybe twice on the ride up and kept his pull-up* dry. However, upon arriving at the shrine, my brain just forgot that I have a newly potty trained kid. Forgive me, but it's been about 6 years at least since I had to think in that mode. You know, scoping out where every bathroom is ahead of time, constantly asking if they have to go, so on....

Well, there was a bathroom right by the front door, but I TOTALLY missed it - I wasn't really looking. About 30 minutes after we entered, Josiah starts doing his little dance and saying URGENTLY - I have to PEE!!! I really didn't feel like running around like a madwoman searching for a bathroom, so I reminded him he had a pull-up* on, and he could just go in THAT.(Oh -don't judge me. You know you've told your kids the same thing). And he gave me a weird look, but he did it.

So, instead of scoping out the bathroom now, to be ready for next time, I just forgot about it again. We proceeded to climb about one million steps to the top of some massive hill, where they had this magnificent statue thingie. It was like the center of this entire shrine. We are WAY up there, surrounded by all these locals who consider this a "sacred" place - and he yells again "I have to PEE". Definitely NO bathroom anywhere near us. So I cooly say - "Hey, you've got your pull-up, just go in that." To which my way too smart for his own good two year old replies "Did I ALREADY go pee???" Because, you see, he can feel the wetness already there and that causes him some concern. So mother-of-the year says "It's OK, you can go again" So he does. And it all just completely flows right down his leg, soaking the ground beneath him.

And then mother of the year did the only thing left to do. I tapped Daddy's shoulder, pointed at the two year old, and ran as fast as I could in the OPPOSITE direction.

"Speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil" monkeys originated with this carving.