Much to Eri's Dismay

He and the boys picked four or five ears of corn, and we shucked them right there.

Grandpa built an entire corn stalk enclosure by hand using spare pieces from around his house. The crows are pretty aggressive in his neighborhood. Scarecrows don't cut it. 

His garden is like a little farm, nestled on a backroad in a remote part of Miyagi about an hour north of Sendai.

It's easily the boys' favorite place to get away and do some serious play. It's one of my favorite places, too.

Our favorite lunch spot was closed for the holiday weekend, so we ended up at a chain family restaurant. The boys didn't mind one bit because, unlike the local place, the chain place has kids' meals that come with a jackpot coin. They could care less about their ramen and curry. It's the toys they are after.

Kenzo showed off his writing and drawing skills for grandpa.

This was just the beginning of his Magna Carta on what lizards eat.

My favorite thing about grandpa's house is this...

I went for a walk while the boys tried and failed to take a quick nap. As I walked I was curious what the wifi situation was in these parts, and I wasn't disappointed. 

Nothing.

Kenzo brought his two newly acquired lizards along for the ride, much to Eri's dismay. She somewhat abhorred the thought of sharing a car with a box of reptiles.

In the end it paid off for those lizards, though. When we shucked the corn there were about a half dozen caterpillar larvae who had gotten there before us and were feasting on the maize. Grandpa has zero problem with bugs, which is surely one big reason why Kenzo and Osamu love him so much. They're kindred spirits.

Grandpa picked all the caterpillar larvae off the corn. We were about to boil and eat it for an afternoon snack after all. He announced to the boys that the lizards were going to have a feast.

And they did. Those larvae were devoured like Cheetos.