Blog vs Vlog

 I enjoy writing this blog.  I enjoy the process of writing, ordering my thoughts so they make sense to others, finding photos, and seeing the end result.  I also enjoy the feedback and help I've gotten from people.

Recently, however, I've noticed that vlogging is becoming very popular.  Maybe it's just me as I know vlogging has been around for a while but I haven't been so aware of it.

There are a few types of vlogs that I like to watch.  One is about Aikya, which, means an empty house.  These are properties where the owner has died and either there are no relatives to inherit the property or they aren't interested in the property.  Even though Akiya are found everywhere in Japan, the videos I have been watching are about young people who have bought these houses in the countryside, wanting a slow lifestyle after being burnt out in corporate Japan.  The houses themselves are cheap to buy but the new owners have to spend a lot to renovate the house.  The end result is a nice house in the countryside.  I like the time-lapse videos, one year in half an hour.  They also make the process look easy, which it isn't! 

The other ones I watch are Japanese ladies, two are closer to my age and the other is a mother with five young children.  The lady with five children has interesting recipes and I have gotten a lot of new ideas from her videos.

The two older ladies are living a slow life, enjoying gardening, cooking, and life in the countryside.  Again many ideas for cooking and gardening.  Also, they seem so happy and grateful for their lifestyle, something I need.

Yesterday when we went to the other house I decided that I should take some videos, maybe make a YouTube channel.  I mean how hard can it be?  A lot harder than I thought.  My first attempt had me tripping over things.  So I asked Christopher to do the video, while commentated.  That worked out a bit better but I really don't like my voice.  I've watched the video but turned the sound down.

Here is that video.

 A few things to point out.  The tatami room has the Buddhist altar in it, and the dining room has the Kamidana, the Shinto God Shelf.  Also when I'm showing the kitchen/ dining room from the bathroom there is a wall fan on the right-hand side that looks gray/black.  It's actually white!!  That's how much dust and dirt has accumulated in the house.  The piles of stuff in the dining room are about a quarter of when we started.  It took me ages to figure out what to do with the stuff that we can't burn.  Smaller things I've put into the city trash bags and bought them back here to dispose of.  The larger things we will take to the dump.  But I want to wait until after the Golden Week holiday.  April is the month that a lot of people move house so the trash place is very busy, up to an hour wait!  The last room is what all the rooms looked like when we started, so I think we've done well.

I also like the idea of having a record of what we are doing and how things are progressing.  Every time I go there I feel as if nothing has been done so being able to look back and see how far we have come might help!

This is going to be a learning curve but I think it will be good for me!

I took a few photos as well of the yard, as there are some beautiful flowers!

A lot of color!