5:30 AM – Wake Up
The day started early at 5:30 AM. Today was my younger son’s district tournament for his tennis club. The morning was hectic as we got everything ready and drove him to the venue with my husband. Fortunately, there was no need to prepare a lunchbox today—what a relief! My older son had an exam in the afternoon, but I left him to manage it on his own for now.
9:00 AM – Cheering at the Tournament
From the morning until 1 PM, we were nervously cheering for my younger son’s matches. He did an incredible job and came in second place! 🥈 The best part was that he defeated an opponent who had beaten him before—and this time by a large margin. His consistent practice truly paid off.
By the way, the tournament was for tennis, and in Japan, there are two types: hard tennis and soft tennis. Hard tennis is a globally recognized sport, but in Japanese middle schools, “tennis club” often refers to soft tennis clubs. Soft tennis is unique to Japan and is particularly popular among middle and high school students.
In Hokkaido, winter snow makes outdoor play impossible, so securing venues and organizing tournaments is always a challenge for the teams and event organizers.
1:30 PM – Grabbing Lunch
After a morning full of excitement, both my husband and I were completely exhausted. We didn’t have the energy to cook, so we picked up hamburgers for lunch. On our way home, we stopped by the supermarket to grab ingredients for dinner.
3:00 PM – Taking a Nap
By the time we got home, my older son had already left for his exam. We ate our hamburgers and took a moment to relax, but we ended up falling asleep from exhaustion.
6:00 PM – Dinner Preparation
When I woke up, it was already evening, and I hurried to prepare dinner. Tonight’s menu included fresh sashimi and lettuce hot pot.
The sashimi—flounder, herring, surf clams, and abalone—was an amazing deal at less than 1,000 yen from the supermarket we visited earlier. That store is going on my list for future shopping trips!
The lettuce hot pot, made simply with lettuce and pork belly, is a quick and satisfying dish. I’ll definitely be making it again.
8:00 PM – Family Dinner
My older son returned home around 8 PM, just in time for dinner. After eating, we reviewed footage from my younger son’s matches together as a family. Seeing his improvement compared to six months ago made us all proud. His ultimate goal? To follow in the footsteps of Kei Nishikori!
10:00 PM – Wrapping Up
After dinner, I tackled the dishes and laundry, finally taking a moment to relax. Just then, my older son told me he had morning practice the next day and would need a lunchbox ready by 6 AM.
I scrambled to prepare some side dishes in advance so I could simply pack them in the morning.
1:00 AM – Bedtime
By the time I finished everything, it was already past 1 AM. With only a few hours of sleep ahead, I’m glad I managed to take a nap earlier. Time to rest before another busy day tomorrow. Goodnight!
