Rainy Season......Part Two

 The last time I wrote about the rainy season, it was just in the south. 

Now it's started here. Rain, then more rain, and even more rain.

I've had enough, and this is only the 2nd day!

According to the weather app I use, it's going to rain until next week, then have one day with no rain, and then rain every day for 3 weeks. 

I don't know how accurate the app is, but it sounds about right!

This was this morning.

One problem is that the air pressure is very low.  At the moment, it's 957hPa. David and I have really bad headaches. I've noticed that the cats seem unsettled. I wonder if it affects them as well.

Another problem is the humidity! At the moment, it isn't too hot, just 21C, so the humidity isn't too bad. Once it gets warmer, however, humidity becomes a problem!

I've bought a load of dehumidifiers to put around the house, especially in closets and on bookshelves.

Dehumidifier

This uses calcium chloride to absorb the moisture in the air, which is collected in the bottom part of the container.  They need to be replaced every three to six months. The only problem is that the contents are poisonous, so I have to be careful not to put them where the cats can get to them.

I usually start running air conditioners at this time of year. The newer models have a dry mode that not only cools the air but also makes it drier. Feels very nice!  But we have no air conditioners as yet!!!  Can I survive? Do I have a choice?

Visiting Hannah

 Yesterday, Mikey and I drove to the city to visit with Hannah!

Even though it was raining on and off, it was a nice drive.

I wanted to visit a new supermarket, buy a few things for Hannah, then have lunch and spend some time with her.

We got to the city just after 10 o'clock and picked up Hannah.

The supermarket wasn't that far from Hannah's apartment, within walking distance, but walking back with heavy bags is hard, especially it's starting to get hot and humid.

The supermarket was rather disappointing. There's a branch near here that I like to go to as they have a good meat and bread selection. The branch near Hannah's seemed a bit more expensive; there wasn't a good choice in meat, and the obento looked awful.

 I managed to buy a few things. I got a few large packs of meat that I shared with Hannah. I think Hannah has enough meat, fish, and vegetables to last a week. 

I really wish I could support Hannah more! But I guess every bit helps.

I planned to buy an obento at the shop, but they looked very unappetizing, the hamburgers were grey!

Mikey dropped us off, and he went to meet his fiancée for lunch!

Hannah ordered sushi through Uber Eats!

Sushi for lunch

That was nice.

Hannah's apartment is really nice! It's small, the entrance goes right into the kitchen, with the toilet and bathroom off that, then just one room with a large walk-in closet.

From the entrance

I think she has more storage in her small kitchen than I have here.

At the entrance, the genkan in Japanese, there's a shoe box, next to that, as you step up, is a pantry. Plus, all the storage under the sink and stove top, and above it as well. Best of all, it all can be used, no strange smells wafting around!

Her main room

She only has the basics in there at the moment. She wants to buy a desk and more bookshelves.  But every time she thinks she has enough money, something comes up that she has to pay for.  Also, she has to save to pay for her tuition and a new computer.

We spent the afternoon just chatting. I thought Mikey was coming back earlier, but he didn't get back until after 5 o'clock!  

On the way back, we noticed a very unusual vending machine,

Vending machines are big in Japan. Apparently, there's one vending machine for every 30 to 40 people. That's a lot of machines!

With almost all machines, it's easy to see the brand that's being sold. The most common ones are for drinks, so Coca-Cola machines are everywhere. There are machines for snacks, alcohol, cigarettes, and even ice cream!

But the machine we saw wasn't selling any of those things. It was selling Insect Food! At first, I thought it was food for insects, which is weird enough, but this was selling insects as food!

A vending machine selling insect food

The red light indicates that it's sold out!!!!

I can't imagine eating a Tarantula.

I know that in some countries this is normal, but not in Japan!

Mikey and his fiancée were trying to figure out how to trick people into eating this!!

I had a really nice day! Just hanging with Hannah, meeting with Mikey's fiancée, and having a laugh at the strange things we can find!

Hisao's Birthday

 Today would have been Hisao's 64th birthday!

I just spent half an hour reviewing photos to include here. I was amazed at what I found. 

Somehow, my memories of our time together are of struggle. Of never having enough money, of having to teach all the time, and the kids being bullied in school.

All of that is true, and it did happen, but there were so many great times. Days out, trips to England, birthdays, and Christmases!

Here are some of the photos, in no particular order.

Outside the storage place here!

Top of the mountain overlooking where we live

I think these were taken when we first came to Japan. About 34 years ago!  Before kids.  I remember my plan was to stay here for 5 years and then go back to England. I don't think I told Hisao that!

Mikey, still in the hospital

Mikey is about a year old here.

Nice photo!

After the appointment to confirm my pregnancy, Hisao backed the car into a pole in the parking lot! He was so excited! I was excited, but so sick!

Hisao was a real hands-on Dad. I never gave the kids a bath when they were babies. Hisao always took care of that!

The caption with this photo says "Dad's birthday."

Maybe at the zoo

We went to different places a lot when the kids were little. The zoo was always popular. We didn't go to the movie theater so much, I'm not sure why, but we preferred to get videos to watch at home.  Some weekends we would get a couple of movies and have a nice movie evening.

The year with a beard

We went to England this year.

As we entered England, the kids and I went through the British passport control. Until they were 21, the kids had dual citizenship. Hisao had to wait and go through passport control for visitors to the UK.

This year, his passport photo had him looking very sinister! 

The kids and I were waiting near the counter. Hisao handed over his passport, the officer looked at it, then looked at Hisao. The officer asked the purpose of Hisao's visit. Hisao said he was visiting his in-laws with his wife.  The officer asked where I was. Hisao pointed at me, the officer called me over!  He asked if we were together. I answered yes, and then added, "And he has all the money". The officer laughed and stamped Hisao's passport!

With Hannah

I love this one

Hannah was almost a year old here.

As much as he loved the boys, Hannah brought a lot of joy to Hisao. Having a girl after three boys was such a different experience. Again, he was very hands-on with her. Being the youngest and only girl, he spoiled her. While he was alive, that was alright, I could be the strict parent, and he could be the parent who spoiled her. After he passed away, I had to do both, and that was hard. 

I often wonder what Hisao would be like now. What would he think of us living where he grew up? Would he be happy to be back here?  I know he would be happy at not having to pay rent!

I found a photo of the original house that was here. I think this was the first time I visited here.

The original house

The house now, well, last year!

I hope to have time to go through the photos, finish putting them into smaller albums. Maybe looking at them, I can remember the good times more!

Decluttering

 And how I failed at it!!

I was talking to David about how I used to be able to declutter when we lived at the other house. 

David said that it was all an illusion. I would pack up boxes, then put them in the storage room here. It got so bad that after my mother-in-law went into a care home, I turned the whole of this house into one giant storage place.

 I wanted to tell David that he was wrong, but I know he wasn't. So what's going on? Why didn't I get rid of all the stuff that we had?

Part of it, maybe a big part, is emotional,

I hold onto things to hold onto memories. To hold onto people that have passed away, onto times that are finished.

That might not seem too bad, but when we finally started to sort out the storage room, I had this idea that most things were from just a few years ago, maybe 10 years ago or so.

That illusion was shattered when I found boxes of clothes that I had from before I came to Japan, and I've been here for 34 years! Clothes from the 1980s!  I would never wear them again, I don't think I would ever fit in them again! Why was I keeping them? I felt some attachment to them, seeing them brought back memories, but I have a lot of photos from that time that bring back memories. Those I could get rid of, not easy, but I did it!

Other boxes that I opened had baby clothes. Mikey is now 33 years old, so why do I still have his baby clothes? Again, memories, but again, I have photos. These were harder to get rid of!  So I decided to choose two items from each child that I really loved and kept those. I kept all the knitted baby jackets and hats that my Mom made; those are too precious to throw away.

Other boxes had books, school books, toys, so many toys! Those were easier to let go of, again, I chose some that held special memories, the rest went!

Part of keeping things has to do with the feeling that I will never get things again. If I throw out this T-shirt, I don't have anything to replace it with, and I might not be able to get another one! I know that doesn't make sense, but because I'm obese, getting nice clothes is difficult. It's easier now as there are catalogues that cater to plus-size people that aren't too expensive, but I still have this feeling that I won't be able to buy anything else! In my closet now I have a load of clothes that I don't wear, either they are the wrong size or they don't suit me, but I won't throw them out because I might need them.

Also, there is this feeling of mottainai, another good Japanese word. It means what a waste. It has the feeling of regret over wasting something. I think this might be another blog post!!

That's the emotional side of things, and I'm really trying to deal with that! 

The other part is the practical side of disposing of stuff. Where does all this trash go?

Recycling has caught on in Japan, but it is so different from the UK. In the UK, there are a lot of charity shops that take your unwanted items and then sell them on to make money for their charity! Japan has recycle shops. The big ones near here are Hard Off, 2nd Street, and Flys. Hard Off takes most things. I sold most of my mother-in-law's clothes; 90% of those clothes were never worn, and still had the original tags on them. I didn't get much money, but it felt good to let them go to a place where somebody else could use the items. But most recycling shops only take name-brand goods to resell. So, what to do with all the stuff that I've kept over the years?

There are some collection places where you can just dump old clothes, but you have to sort out anything that might have plastic on it! I think these are sent to landfills or burned at the local trash incinerator!

We are lucky because we can burn things here. When we were cleaning out before we moved in, we would have a big fire at least 4 times a week. Even now, we are still burning stuff.

Another problem is getting rid of large items. In Japanese, this is called sodai gommi, large trash. You have to get a sticker from the city hall and make an appointment for a truck to pick it up. It does cost, but each city is different! I think here it's about 5,000 yen, about £25.

Electrical appliances are another category. I usually ask the shop that I'm buying from to take my old appliances. 

One category that I haven't figured out is plastic. We have piles of plastic buckets, bowls, crates, boxes, etc, that I have no idea what to do with! I think they can go to the local incinerator, but we need some ID to show we live in this city!

So I failed at decluttering. Dumping everything here was good, out of sight, out of mind! Now that we live here, I'm constantly reminded of my failure.

We did empty out the storage room, but when we moved here, our extra things went into the storage room. Moving from a house that had 6 rooms plus a kitchen, living, and dining room to a 3-room kitchen, dining room house meant that there is a lot that just doesn't fit in this house.

I didn't think it was that bad until I took some of the heavy winter blankets up the other day!

This is our storage place now!

The scary stairs

boxes

Bit blurry, sorry, but so much stuff

more stuff 

And yet more

The drawers at the back are empty, so I'm planning on putting off-season clothes in there, which might save some space. 

I need to get in there with one of the kids to move things for me. Some of those boxes are very heavy!

I will get this done!!

Hospital

 Yesterday was my appointment for the "big check-up", at least that is what I call it!

Every 3 months, I have to check my blood for cancer markers, diabetes, and have my blood pressure checked. The doctor then prescribes me another 3 months' worth of medicine, sometimes changing my prescription if needed.

Once a year, I have to undergo a major check-up.  This includes a mammogram, CT scan, echo scan, blood work, and a pee test!

This year was year 7! I know that for most cancers, you have to be checked for 5 years, then if the cancer hasn't come back, you are considered cancer-free. But I had a special cancer that needs to be monitored for 10 years!

I don't like going to the hospital; it's "mendokusai", a lovely Japanese word that I use a lot, which means it's a lot of trouble! One of my students told me that life is mendokusai!! The tests aren't painful or intrusive, but the waiting gets me!

The hospital I go to is very efficient, you aren't waiting around for hours, unless there has been an emergency! The staff are good, they get you through the different tests are quick as possible.

One thing that always gets me is when I have the mammogram, I'm squished into this machine, barely able to breathe, when the technician says, "Please, don't move!" I'm thinking that moving would be impossible, and the last thing on my mind. Yesterday, she had to take the same image twice as she wasn't happy with the first image. I'm squished into this machine, feeling very uncomfortable. The technician says again, "Please, don't move!" I'm trying to distract myself by thinking about something else when the thought pops into my head, what happens if there is an earthquake!! Why? Am I the only one who thinks like this?

One thing I did yesterday was to talk to the doctor about my insomnia!  I told him that falling asleep isn't the problem, but staying asleep is! Most nights, I sleep for about 2 hours, then wake up. Once I'm awake, it's difficult to sleep again. If I do, it's a very light sleep, which means I don't feel rested! He prescribed me some mild sleeping tablets! He said to use these until I get a good daily rhythm.

Whenever you get medicine in Japan, you are given a paper with information about the medicine and any side effects. 

The list of my tablets

The first three on that list I've been taking for a while, so I know the side effects! The last one is the sleeping tablets. Using Google Translate on my phone, I read through it last night. One side effect of the sleeping tablets is that they might make you feel drowsy! I thought that was the whole purpose of sleeping pills!

Another thing the doctor was asking about was sleep apnea. I know I snore, I wake myself up, but I have no idea if I have sleep apnea. The doctor suggested that I get checked for that! To do that, the hospital will send a machine to my house. I have to wear the machine overnight and then send it back to be analyzed. The nurse who was showing us the instructions for the machine was worried because they were in Japanese. Christopher said it was no problem as he could translate for me. Just as we were about to leave, the nurse came chasing after us. She said that she had found the instructions in English and asked if I would prefer that! Of course, I said yes! I thought it was nice of her to check and see if they had English instructions!

Just a couple of photos of the hydrangeas.

Almost in full bloom!

Koromagae.....Changing Clothes

 It's June and I'm cold. This is so strange!

I'm not complaining! The longer it stays cold or cool, the better for me. I know that once the heat and humidity start, I'll be dying!

It's just weird!  I'm used to June being the start of summer, but it still feels like spring!

I remember when I first came to Japan, my husband told me that we have to change over our clothes from winter clothes to summer clothes. I was rather confused by this idea. In England, I was used to having a couple of cardigans or sweaters in my closet in the summer. English summers tend to be rather changeable. 

I soon realized that in Japan, you really don't need any winter clothes in the summer. Maybe a light cardigan if you go somewhere that has the air conditioning on high, Hannah always carries one as the classrooms in her university get very cold!

The changing of clothes to fit the season is called koromogae (衣替え). Which literally means "changing clothes"

This is done at the beginning of summer and winter.

In schools and workplaces, uniforms are changed in June, from the heavy winter uniforms to lighter, more breathable uniforms, and then back again in October.

At home, families clear out the off-season clothes. For me, it's a chance to send the heavy winter futons and coats to the cleaners. 

When the kids were little, I used this time to go through the clothes, check for damage, see if the clothes would be too small by next year, and basically declutter.  

A funny story! One year, I was sorting Hannah's summer clothes and was wondering if a dress would fit her next year. As I was doing this, Mikey came into the room. I looked at him, held the dress in front of him, and said, "Hannah, do you think this will fit you next year?" Mikey rolled his eyes and walked out!!!

This tradition came from the imperial court in the Heian Period, 794-1185. The aristocrats of that time had strict clothing customs; their clothes followed the seasons, and each season had its own rituals.

Samurai warriors in the Kamakura (1185-1333) and Edo Period (1603 -1868) adhered to changing their clothes with the seasons. This idea filtered down to the common people.

In the Meiji Period (1868-1912), uniforms were introduced in schools, government offices, and businesses. June and October were set as the months to change clothes.

There are so many products today to help store clothes, especially in the hot, humid summer. 

Breathable fabric storage boxes to stop moisture buildup. 

Dehumidifiers are essential during the rainy season. 

Moth repellents, very important. I had a student who had bought a very expensive cashmere sweater. She put it away for the summer but didn't put in the moth repellent. When she opened the box in the winter, her beautiful sweater had holes in it!

Every year, there are more new products to help keep clothes fresh in storage!

I was thinking of changing my clothes this week, but I think I'll wait a bit. 

Cats snuggled up together.

This is how I know if it's cold or not! Cats snuggled together means it's cold!!!

Ready

 I finally got my classroom set up.

This was the tatami room a couple of weeks ago. Just an empty space. I know that in Japan, it's common to have a room that's empty, essentially for guests to visit. This room was only used two or three times a year, for New Year's family gatherings, Obon, the festival to welcome the ancestors back in the summer, and for memorial rites of those who had passed away.

I always felt that it was a waste of space. When we moved here, I thought about changing this to a living room, but never got round to it! Which, I guess, is a good thing because I need a place to teach.

Today, David and Christopher got the furniture out of storage and set up the room for me.

Looks a lot better. I want to move the teaching materials into the cupboards. I think the only other thing to do is to tidy up the doors and screens that the cats have scratched up. 

The garden is going to take a lot longer to do, but I feel that is going to be an ongoing thing. We cut back the trees, pull up weeds, it rains, and everything has grown back!

I'm excited to start this little school. I really hope to get students!  This reminds me of the movie "Field of Dreams," where the farmer is told to build a baseball field. He is told, "build it and they will come!". I've built it, prepared my classroom, so I really hope they come!