I thought that having a lot to read would keep me occupied while I waited for Mikey, but there is only so much I can read in one sitting. I love reading and can easily get through one or two books a week, but I felt I needed something different to do.
I thought about knitting or crocheting, but wool is difficult to find; there's a knitting boom at the moment!
So what else can I do as I sit and wait while Mikey teaches? No wi-fi at the community center, so I can't do anything online. I thought about downloading videos from YouTube, but my headphones are broken.
A stroll through Diaso, the 100 yen shop, gave me a couple of ideas!
One is coloring. There are these lovely books for adult coloring. I chose one that seemed easy to do, just pictures of flowers. I was amazed at how absorbing it is. I haven't really colored since I was in elementary school and thought the idea of coloring rather childish. But making the pictures come to life is a lot harder and requires more concentration than I thought it would. I only do a few minutes at a time because my back starts to hurt but I'm really enjoying it.
The other book I found was a Japanese number puzzle book. Actually, this was Christopher's idea! You have to figure out where the numbers go to complete a grid. The catch is not repeating the numbers in the small grid and not repeating them horizontally or vertically on the page. Rather challenging but fun, I was rather surprised the other day, I got so into it that 45 minutes passed without me realizing!
My coloring and puzzle book
Also, I try to walk around the gym if it isn't being used, I can do up to 3000 steps, it takes two or three times to get that many. It helps with my knee and hip, if I'm just sitting for the whole 3 or 4 hours I get very stiff!
I'm on the look out for more portable hobbies, but am very happy with what I'm doing now!
According to the Japan Weather Association, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom where we live. Today is the start of the full bloom and the start of Hanami, cherry blossom viewing.
I haven't been to a hanami picnic in many years. When the kids were little, we would try to go somewhere with a picnic to see the cherry blossoms and enjoy a nice family time. Most years, we found it difficult to find a place to set up a picnic, and when we did, the time would sometimes be ruined by drunken elderly gentlemen! After a few years, we gave up. My idea of sitting under the cherry trees, enjoying a quiet family time, versus the reality of having someone come up and yell at me, "Hello, hello," or just acting obnoxious because they were drunk, left me with a bad taste in my mouth for cherry blossom viewing.
The last place we lived arranged a cherry blossom party every other year (until the pandemic). That was nice. The community leader would order obentos, and even if you couldn't attend, the obento would be delivered to you! We went a few times! It was a good chance to meet the neighbors!
For me, seeing the cherry blossoms means that it really is spring!
This year we've had a few false starts to spring. A few days of lovely warm weather followed by winter temperatures again. Today it's nice and warm, the high will be 24 °C, which is very warm for this time of year! It's usually in the mid-teens!
I've been trying to get out in the garden, just pulling weeds and sweeping up dead leaves. I can't do much but at least 15 minutes everyday, it all helps!
We have a few trees that are still blossoming. Not sure what, this is part of the learning curve!
beautiful camillias
Maybe azaleas, but I think it's too early!
Some other blossoms
being watched by the cats
The tape on the screen is to stop the cats from opening it. We will have to find a better way to fix this problem, but for now, it's alright!
The idea that the Japanese are very polite often comes up on some of my Facebook groups. Tourists who spend a few weeks here see Japan and the Japanese as examples of how societies should work. There's this idea that all Japanese have wonderful manners, that services in hotels, restaurants and shops are always top notch and that Japan is a country where nothing bad ever happens!
I will admit that I've seen more polite behavior than impolite behavior. In most stores, you are greeted by staff shouting "Irrasshimase", which basically means "Welcome". At checkout out you are asked if you need a bag or if you have a store card. The tone of language is usually formal and polite, and the staff will smile, even if you are the last customer of the day and all they want to do is go home. This is standard and part of the training for the staff. In my 34 years here, I've never been shouted at by staff or told to hurry up because the store is closing. In restaurants the wait staff are polite and are willing to answer questions, they are clean, not chewing gum or leaning on the table, both of which I experienced in England!
But what about other people? People who aren't being paid to put up with customers. That's a whole other story.
In the news over the past few years, there have been more and more stories of kasuhara, customer harassment. Customers who refuse to leave the store even though it's closed. Resorting to violence and threatening to sue individual staff members. I thought this was just in the bigger cities, but I've noticed that even here in the countryside, staff name badges now just say "Staff". Japan has the philosophy that the customer is king, unfortunately, a lot of customers interpret that as meaning "I can do what I want". It's sad to see how bad this has gotten. I'm sure there have been isolated incidents for many years, but it's gotten to the point that in any city, there is enough of this happening to fill up a news segment!
The other thing I hear a lot on Facebook is how well-mannered kids are in Japan. Again, there is some truth in that, but I've taught some very bad-mannered kids, and I've also encountered some kids and parents who could do with a crash course in manners.
One thing that I've noticed is that kids don't line up their shoes properly in the entrance. In Japan, shoes aren't worn in the house. My husband told me that as a child he was always told to place his shoes together facing the door, so they are easy to step into when leaving. This is especially true when visiting someone. When I first started teaching, all the kids did this, but over the years, fewer and fewer kids were taught this manner. They would race in and leave their shoes thrown about. I would tell them to go and line up their shoes properly. It's a small thing, but it shows that manners in younger kids are getting worse. In my English school, one of the first English words I would teach was please and thank you. If I offered the kids something, they had to say thank you, in English is best (because it's an English class), but even in Japanese, and repeating the English is alright. Small things like that really help.
I think that Japan as a whole is a very polite society. It's built into the language, using different forms depending on the hierarchy. I think being bowed to, and smiled at when you are out shopping or in a restaurant is nice and makes life a bit less stressful. But the Japanese are not perfect and painting all Japanese with the same paint brush can lead to disappointment. Japan is a wonderful country, full of exquisite places to visit. The people on the whole are nice and polite, but there will always be someone who got out of bed on the wrong side and couldn't be bothered.
I've had my run-in with very bad-mannered people. I was elbowed in the stomach when I was pregnant with David by an old lady who wanted to get on the bus before me. The driver came to my rescue and told her off!
I've had kids stand in front of my table and just stare at me because I'm a foreigner, their parents not bothering to tell them that they are being rude.
I've even had kids from the local junior high school outside my house at 3am yelling "Gai jin!" (impolite word for foreigner).
So, yes, things happen, but on a day-to-day basis, things aren't that bad here.
As a foreigner I try to be polite, I don't want to stick out. But at the same time I have no problem saying something if I see people being rude!
One last thing I would like to point out is from Hannah's graduation last week. Children here go through graduation from kindergarten. The ceremonies are basically the same. One thing that is taught is how to receive your diploma. You walk up to the table, and you bow to the teachers and guests. You stand in front of the table, bow to the headteacher, who bows back, you receive your diploma, right hand first, then left hand and bow again. It's all very formal but very beautiful to watch. There is something in this ceremony that teaches the kids the importance of the educational institute and the importance of the education they have received!
I took a before photo, but the after photo looks the same!!
Before
After
Maybe the after photo looks a bit better.
I really wanted to get as many of those weeds out as possible. But after about 20 minutes of bending and crouching, my knee gave out, and my back was screaming at me to stop! I hoped to go tomorrow, but it looks like rain. Good excuse!
While I was out, David made lunch!
He makes his own karage, Japanese fried chicken. He also cooked up some green peppers with tinned tomatoes and served them with avocado! Very nice lunch!
Nice lunch
After lunch, I went upstairs in our storage place. I realized this week that I have very few T-shirts, so I went hunting for the ones I had put in storage! Managed to find a few but after looking at them I think I might have to buy a couple of new ones for summer!
We just had a surprise visit from one of Hisao's friends!
Why, when people turn up, is the house a mess, not too bad, but not as clean as I would like! I guess that's a hint!! I should clean up more!
Husband's friend with his wife and their friend!
We sat and talked for a few minutes. That was a nice surprise!
It was Vernal Equinox Day, the day when the night and day are the same length.
The holiday goes back to ancient times, when the spring equinox was tied to agricultural rituals and crop planting. Later, when Buddhism had a strong influence on society, the day became associated with Higan, a week-long period where people honored their ancestors, usually visiting graves to clean them and offer flowers and incense. The Vernal Equinox became a national holiday in 1948 when Japan secularized a lot of its holidays after World War 2. For most people, it's a chance to get back to nature. Where we live, the weather suddenly changed yesterday, from freezing and snow to warm breezes! David said that on the news the last effort of winter to hold on is usually called "General Winter's last march", kind of poetic!
When my kids were little, we watched one of Winne the Pooh's movies, I have no idea which one, but the story centered around having a party on the first day of spring. I thought this was such a lovely idea that for many years we would have a party on this day. Schools finish for the year at the end of March, so this party was also to celebrate another year in school finished. Just before starting school in April, we would have another little party to get the new school year off to a good start!
I really miss those days! When cooking up a few treats made the kids excited, it was so simple!
I guess this season of graduating and moving on has made me a bit nostalgic for the past!
The photo is from Christopher's birthday. But this would be how we would have parties, lots of good food, and usually a video to watch together.
Christophers birthday
I'll have to look at my photos to see if I have any from our spring parties!
Yesterday I was exhausted from my trip to the city for Hannah's graduation. I knew I was going to be tired so I planned a nothing day. I did a few things, but not much. I went to bed at 11pm, thinking I could get a good sleep then today I could do all these chores that are niggling at me. But the cats decided not to cooperate!
Steve and Alfie were practicing for Britain's Got Talent, and they decided that the acoustics outside my door were the best.
Steve and Alfie!
And I think Fred and Frodo were preparing for a mixed martial arts competition!
Frodo
And Fred
So this morning I was tired and had no energy to do anything! Another day of resting!
I know that I could of pushed myself to do things but I would end up feeling ill and being rather grumpy!
So two wasted days.
I've also been thinking about the amount of time I spend on social media. I did a quick search, and the average time is two and a half hours a day. I don't think I'm that bad, but I do know that sometimes I start scrolling through Instagram and find that half an hour has gone without me realizing it.
The other two sites that get me are YouTube and Pinterest. They are so easy to get lost in them. So many interesting ideas, so much information and so much misinformation!
I'm trying to be more aware of how I spend my time. There are things that I have to do, chores, teaching, and hopefully gardening, if the weather decides to cooperate! There are things I want to do, reading, studying, baking, and trying some new hobbies. I should focus on those things instead of mindless scrolling through other people's lives. I've realized that I watch a lot of videos of how people are living in Japan. A few ladies who are a similar age to me, living slow lives. They are Japanese, so I watch with subtitles but also try to listen to what they are saying. I can justify it as a way to study Japanese. Other videos are foreigners living in Japan. The foreigner videos seem to have similar themes, setting up an apartment or shopping! I was watching one last night, halfway through I was wondering why am I watching this, I go shopping in Japan every week!!
So I'm going to be more mindful of how I spend my time. Try to get things done when I don't have to travel to the other city for lessons. We've been in this house since December, and it still doesn't feel like home. As we settle in I'm finding more problems, more things that need to be seen to or fixed. And a lot more cleaning, things that were missed the first time round! So a lot of work, no more wasting time!!!
Christopher and I traveled to the city by train and then made a mad dash for the bus! I got to practice my speed walking!!
Unfortunately, the weather was bad, very cold, rainy, and windy; it actually snowed later on!
The bus we got said that the stop was in front of the venue. The bus company's idea of in front of something and mine were very different! I was expecting to see the building and just walk through a parking lot. Instead, we got off at a busy street that was more residential than city buildings. Christopher had his phone, but it was difficult to read the map as the rain was very heavy then. We were dashing from shelter to shelter, trying to figure out which way to go. I was worried about being late. According to the map, it was a six-minute walk from the stop. I often wonder how they figure out how many minutes it takes to walk from one place to another. I don't think they use a 62-year-old woman with a bad knee as a model for walking speed. It took us more like 15 minutes to get to the building.
I thought Hannah would already be there, but she was still on a shuttle bus from her university.
She arrived a few minutes after us. I didn't recognize her at first. With her hair and make-up done and wearing a hakama she looked very different. And very beautiful!
Selfies from Hannah
Hannah's hakama
with me feeling very proud
with Christopher
ribbon on the back of her hair
Waiting to go in
outside the hall
The ceremony started at 10:30. The graduates sat at the front of the auditorium. Parents and guests sat behind.
The banner is the name of the university and the year of graduation
On the left are university staff, on the right (blocked by the lady's head) are special guests.
First they read out how many students were graduating from each department. Then, a representative student was called to collect their diploma.
This is the student who represented Hannah's course.
This took a long time.
Then came the speeches. I tried to focus and understand what was being said, but I was sleepy, rather warm, and comfortable. I kind of dozed off!! I have the excuse that I can't catch all the Japanese, as it tends to be rather formal, but I wonder what excuses other people had?! I noticed a lot of people dozing off during the speeches.
After the main ceremony, Hannah's course and another course were asked to stay behind to receive their diplomas and licenses. Hannah now has a license to teach in elementary school and at a special needs school.
Hannah getting her diploma
With two of her teachers
The sign says about the graduation
I had called Mikey while I was waiting for Hannah to finish. He was kind enough to come and pick us up, which really helped.
We took Hannah to the kimono shop so she could change out of the hakama. Of course, things didn't go as planned. The building where you change is separate from the kimono shop. You have to take off your shoes to go in. After Hannah changed, she called me. Somebody had taken Hannah's boots by mistake. Staff knew who went into the building at the same time as Hannah, so they could call her. A few minutes later, the girl came back and exchanged boots. We thought it was rather funny!
After that, we had a quick lunch. Nothing fancy, but we enjoyed it. Hannah said it was nice to eat something that she didn't have to cook. I felt the same way.
At lunch
Nice and simple
After that we dropped Hannah off at her apartment and we made our way back to teach.
The weather got really bad. The rain had turned to snow, and was really coming down! The video doesn't show how bad it was!
We got to the city in time to start our classes.
We didn't get back home until 10:30 at night, long day!
The course that Hannah graduated from had a party/dinner in the evening.
Hannah sent me loads of photos. I think it was a nice way to say goodbye to friends who had been together for four years!
From her class
With her teacher
selfies again
It was a nice day! Exhausting but wonderful. Happy and sad. On these days like this, I really miss Hisao!
I'm very proud of Hannah. The past four years have seen her grow up so much! When she started it was at the time of the pandemic. For the first year, most of her classes were online. We didn't know if she would have a real university experience, if all four years would be online or not. But as we got over the pandemic and things went back to normal, she started having classes and meetings at university. She did her one-month teacher's training. During that time, she realized that as much as she enjoys teaching elementary school children, the workload, the attitude of both parents and kids, and the way new subjects are added to the curriculum, that job wasn't for her. She decided to go to graduate school and get her license to teach at junior high school. She has managed to work part-time, usually two different jobs at the same time to make money for everything!
In April, she will start her graduate course. She is already thinking about her thesis!
I'm hoping the next three years will be good for her and she can go on to become an English teacher in junior high school.
I got lucky as my student today canceled her class, so I could rest a bit! I'm glad, as I was so tired last night! According to my fit app I did over 5000 steps yesterday! Good but exhausting!
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