A Challenge

 A friend sent me a challenge yesterday evening: find seven things to be grateful for in this house, but not the kids or cats!

I thought it would be easy. Seven isn't that many things to find, but it's proved to be a lot harder than I thought!

What I've come up with so far.

I'm actually very grateful to have this house. If we didn't own this house, we would be homeless.

The biggest problem in renting a place in Japan is finding someone who can act as a guarantor, usually two different people or your company. In the past, we always put my mother-in-law and her sister as our guarantors.  They have all passed away now, and I don't know of any other relatives we could ask. The few friends that I have are foreigners, which is allowed, but it would make the whole process more difficult. I think David could use the company he is working for as a guarantor, but I'm not sure!

Also, we have cats. Most rental places don't allow pets! Some older properties allow maybe one or two pets, but not nine cats. Rehoming the cats would be difficult; they would end up in a shelter, which is no life for an animal. Most shelters in this area are kill shelters, even the ones that aren't get to be overcrowded and can't offer a good quality of life to the animals they take in!

This house was always the safety net, if the worst comes to the worst, we can live here. But I never thought it would come to that!

At least we have a roof over our heads! 

Another thing I'm grateful for in being here is that I'm starting to appreciate nature more.

We moved in the dead of winter. The garden was dead and I really wondered if it would come to life again but as the year has moved on the whole area is slowly waking up. Everyday I'm seeing new plants and bushes come into bloom.

Today, there was a very noisy bird outside my window.

This guy was singing his or her heart out.

It flitted from tree to tree, really singing and calling out. I was reading in my room and this was such lovely background music.

A couple of Japanese ladies I follow on YouTube make videos about their slow life in the countryside. They are about my age and are spending time on hobbies and just slowing down to enjoy things more. I watch them to study Japanese, but also because they have such a positive outlook and are really enjoying their lives. I think the idea of a slow life is becoming more appealing for me. Living here is giving more chance to just breath and be!

So that is two out of seven things to be grateful for!

I feel that this house has the potential to be very nice but I need a lot of money to make it how I want it.

When I asked Hannah what was good about this house, she pointed out that the kitchen is very big. It is, but very badly designed.  Having money to redo the kitchen, bathroom, and toilets would go a long way toward feeling better here. 

I have my reading nook, I'm grateful for that space but at the moment it's Mikey's bedroom. 

Once he moves out I want to change the tatami room into a living room.

For me, the tatami room is a wasted space. It's there to be a guest room and for the Buddhist altar. But we don't have the Buddhist altar anymore more and not using one room because you might have guests once or twice a year is a waste. 

I would love to pull up the tatami and put down flooring, but that would be expensive, so I'm looking a putting a covering on the tatami, something that is easy to clean because of the cats. Then, having a nice sofa and moving the TV in there. Yet another project to save for!

Maybe I couldn't find 7 things to be grateful for but today at this moment I'm content to be here. 

The weather is warming up, and there are signs of spring everywhere. 

We aren't homeless or living in danchi (social housing, some are nice, but most are very old, and I've heard that the cockroaches outnumber the residents), which would be awful.

This place has potential, but it will take a lot of money and time to make it really nice. 

I have to stop thinking I'm too old to do things. I need to find a way to make more money and have the life I want.

So I'm grateful for my friend who helped to stop and think about things in a more favorable way. 

I'll see if I can find a few more things to be grateful for. 

Am I Prepared?

 After watching the awful news from Myanmar, I'm wondering how prepared we are as a family for a major disaster.

Japan is home to many natural disasters, with earthquakes and typhoons being the most common.

In my way of thinking, typhoons are easier to cope with. Weather reporting has become very accurate. Typhoons are watched from when they first form, there are tracking simulations so you know if your are going to be in the path of one. As soon as I'm aware of a possible typhoon, I make sure that our yard is clean so there is little chance of debris flying and causing problems. Here, the neighbour's houses are far away, in the last house we were living on top of each other. As much as I was worried about the typhoons, I was more worried that something from our yard would cause damage to the neighbour's house or car! I make sure we have enough water, filling the bathtub to have water for the toilet, to wash with, or for the cats, and for us I would buy bottled water and fill as many flasks as we had. Also, checking that we had food that didn't need to be cooked, and whatever medicines we needed.  These preparations take a couple of days. The hardest part is convincing everyone else that we need to do this. My way of thinking is that if we are prepared and nothing happens, it's okay, but if we aren't prepared and we get hit then it would be awful! Especially if we lose power!

Earthquakes are something else altogether. They hit without warning. Apparently, we had one last night, about an M1, so very slight. I didn't feel it! 

My fear is the megathrust quake that could happen because of the Nankai Trough off the Pacific Coast of Japan. This subduction zone fault line moves about every 100 to 150 years. The last big one was in 1944, then 1946.  Each time, the quake was M8.1. 

People who study earthquakes have said that the possibility of a megathrust in the next thirty years is very high. Last year, an advisory was sent out after there was a large earthquake near the Nankai Trough. The advisory was to let people in the area that would be affected to prepare. Not only are these quakes very large, but because they occur at sea, the possible tsunami would be devastating. One news report I saw said that a tsunami caused by the Nankai Trough could be worse than the March 11, 2011, tsunami.

So, what to do? Panic? I've talked to each one of my kids, and they all say if it happens, it happens, nothing we can do about it! Which is true, sitting around worrying about something you can't control is a waste of time and energy! 

But at the same time, there are things that I feel are important. We live at the foot of a mountain that might be inaccessible if there is a large earthquake, so having three or four days' worth of food is a sensible thing to do. We should be able to take care of ourselves until rescued. Alongside that, a good first aid kit would help, with things like bandages, alcohol, and some kind of painkiller inside.  Any important documents should be copied and kept at hand.

Making a plan of how to contact each other and a meeting point is a good idea. Also, what to do with the cats?

The only big earthquake I've experienced was in 2016. The two big quakes were both at night when we were at home, but after that we talked about where to meet if we were out and decided that the best was to go to Hannah's school. I think we need a new plan!!!!!

These things are always in the back of my mind, but after the Myanmar disaster and the fact that there have been many earthquakes recently I think I should take some action!

There are disaster kits that you can buy, but I always feel they are very expensive. They seem to become more expensive after a major disaster as well. Most items are available at local supermarkets and 100 yen shops. That's where I'm going to start.

The big question is what to do with the cats!  We have enough carrier boxes for them but I'm not sure we could take them all with us if we have to evacuate to a shelter! 

Also, I've seen several apps for disasters. I'm wondering if it's worth downloading them. I'll have a look. I know on the Line app we use there is a disaster mode that allows you to contact people to let them know you are safe.

Another thing that I think is important is my own health and mobility. I was talking to one lady who used to go for long walks, even in the summer heat. She said that her fear was not being able to help herself or others if there was a disaster. I think getting healthy and keeping my mobility would help with that.

Any other ideas?

Totally unrelated photo, just because the cats look cute!

Sam and Steve

Cutting Down On Food Waste

 On thing that drives me crazy is throwing away food, either because something was bought and not used or because I made too much.

Both David and I do food shopping. That's alright but we don't always communicate with each other. For example, at the moment we have too many carrots, there were some in the fridge, David bought some and so did I. So I'm thinking how to use all these carrots before they rot!

Another bad habit of mine is making too much. At the moment there are four people here, on some days only three of us eat lunch or dinner here but I'm still cooking for 5!  On Sunday I made a Japanese meal, oyako donburi (chicken and egg on rice), miso soup and salad. The donburi and rice were finished in one meal but there was a large pot of soup and a dish of salad left over, the problem was I didn't want to use rice the next day, I'm trying to cut down on our rice consumption. So Monday's lunch was a mix of Japanese and Western cuisine.

I made pork patties with chopped green peppers, french fries, salad from the day before and miso soup. Sounds strange but actually worked out!

Monday's mixed lunch

 The pork patties are made from the thin sliced pork I buy. I chopped it into very small pieces, chopped some green peppers, seasoned with salt and pepper and used potato starch to pull the meat together. One good thing about this recipe is that it's very versitile, by changing the seasoning I can make it more Japanese style. It's also very quick to make!

My challenge for this month is to really cut our food bill! I picked up a few vegetables, tin of tuna and a pack of shredded cheese yesterday at one of the cheaper supermarkets, just 15 items came to 3000 yen ( about £15), I actually checked the reciept as it seemed a lot for so few things!  I don't buy anything fancy, not even fruit, unless it's on sale, but 3000 yen for a few staple items is ridiculous!  So it looks like menu planning, making shopping lists and sticking to a tighter budget!  

How are you dealing with high grocery prices?

Any tips or ideas?

Let me know in the comments!!!!

Five Months

 April marks five months since we moved to this house!

I still don't like it much. It's still far too cold, even with the weather warming up outside, the house is still cold and dark. 

Also. we've been finding a lot of probelms. The kitchen sink constantly stinks, smells like damp laundry. I've cleaned out the sink and poured liters of bleach down the drain but the smell comes back. I have no idea why this is happening. The cupboards underneath smell strange as well, I've cleaned them and put baking soda inside but there is still a strange smell. I need more storage in the kitchen, a built in pantry would be wonderful but the space is so badly designed that there's no space. I've thought about buying a tall stand alone cupboard but the room is already dark and putting something like that would make it feel cramped and darker. I dream of having the kitchen riped out and a new one installed but that would take money that we don't have!

Another problem is the bathroom, it's too big, with a massive window and an external door. It's always cold, even running the water for ages before getting into the shower doesn't warm up the area. I have a small heater in the changing area, which helps, a bit, but the electric bill is sky high!

In my bedroom and David's the floor feels spongy. I wonder if the foundation is okay, we need a profesional to come and look at it but again costs money! 

The only time I've felt happy in the past five months are on the days I get to go out! I don't feel like I'm going home, just to "that house!".  It's sad that I don't feel like I have a home, just a place to survive in!

The garden is nice and could be made a lot nicer but as I said in my last post the weather has not been cooperating! I hope we can get some done this month. I'm not sure how accurate the monthly forecast is but it looks like it will get a bit warmer over the next couple of weeks. I have to get some done! I'm determined to grow some vegetables.

A few of the trees still in bloom.

March

 I was hoping that March would be a good month.

I was hoping the weather would be nice, not so cold!

But March came in like a lion, a very wet, cold lion! And it's leaving like a soggy, cold lion.

We had a few days of lovely weather, it actually got very warm for about a week, up to low 20Cs. Now it's back to cold weather, I'm sitting with the heater blasting at the moment!

I really wanted to clear part of this garden and get planting. Unfortunately our schedules and the weather didn't match up. On the nice days, everyone had work, on the rainy days we had free time!  We did a bit, but not enough.  

I'm getting used to going to the other city to teach. I only have to go two or three times a week. I'm hoping that we can get more students in April!  We need the money! I know that is a bad motivation, I should be thinking about how we can help people with their English study, helping kids in school, or adults who need English for work. But we are broke! So a few new students would really help!

The highlight of March was Hannah's graduation!

She worked very hard during the past four years to graduate. She got the top mark on her thesis. She learned a lot about herself and what she can do. The course she took was in education, focusing on elementary school education and special needs education. She is now a licensed teacher for elementary school and special needs school.  During the teacher training, she realized that being an elementary school teacher wasn't for her. In Japan elementary school teachers are moved from grade to grade, so one year you might be teaching first grade, the next year sixth grade. The changes are made during the two-week spring break, and teachers have about a week to prepare for the new school year. It's really hard on the teachers! Also, the curriculum is constantly being revised, and new subjects are being added. Plus, the demands made on the teachers' time are ridiculous; most teachers arrive at school at 7:30 am and don't leave until 8 or 9pm. In addition to working all day teachers have to work as social workers, which they aren't trained for. When Hannah saw the reality of this, she decided that, for her, doing another 3 years of study to get a junior high school license would be best. Her graduate course is divided into two parts, one is graduate study plus university study to get a license to be a junior high school English teacher. She is already researching her thesis! April 2nd is her entrance ceremony!  I think she's really excited about this course. She thinks part of it will be studying English literature. I think I would enjoy that course!

Hannah's graduation

April, I wonder what this month will bring?!

I'm hoping for warm weather. A chance to get the garden sorted and to do some spring cleaning. 

We will see!

New Start

 Hannah just sent me her schedule for next week! Her Entrance Ceremony for graduate school will be on April 2nd! A lot earlier than I thought it would be!

I've often wondered why April is the start of the school year, also the start for many people leaving university and starting work! I had all these poetic ideas. 

I thought that because April is the beginning of the growing season, when new shoots are coming up, cherry blossoms are still in bloom, the weather is getting warmer, and it feels as if the whole earth is coming alive again after winter's slumber. People want to get out and start new things, so beginning school at that time feels more natural.  

I loved that school started in April when my kids were in school, especially from junior high school, as I had to get up early to make obento. It was easier to get up early as the mornings grew warmer and lighter. By the time the mornings were cold again, I was already in the habit of waking up!

So why April?

Money, of course!

The early educational institutes were temple or shrine-run schools that accepted students year-round. After the Meiji Restoration (1868 to 1889), schools moved to having students enter in September.

The shift to April came in 1886. This was when the government fixed the financial year; one reason was to do with rice farmers. They harvest the rice in autumn, figure out their finances during the winter and are ready to pay tax in spring. Having the fiscal year end in March and start again in April made it easier for them.

This made it more difficult to fund and manage schools that had a different schedule. The government ordered "higher normal schools", a kind of historical teaching college, to change to April start. This trend then spread to other schools!

So, April 2nd will start Hannah's new adventure!

Starting university in 2021

Graduating in 2025

Just This And That

 I have a hard time thinking of catchy titles for my posts! I know what I want to write, but thinking of a title is hard. That's why this post is Just This And That!

Yesterday, I had to buy allergy medicine. I asked David, but he wasn't sure which one I use. I could have looked online and sent him a photo, but I decided to go out! Sounds so simple, just a 5-minute drive to the drug store, get the medicine, and be home to make lunch!

I got distracted! 

March and April are moving months.  Some companies still move staff from place to place every year or so. This means packing up everything and moving. As I know from experience moving time is a great chance to get rid of things that aren't used or not needed.  People buy furniture that fits in one house but maybe not right for the next place.  If stuff is old, then you have to pay to have it taken to the trash place, but if it's still in good shape, then recyle shops will take it. You might even get a bit of money!

So this time of year recyle shops are full. 

On the way to the drug store is a big recyle shop, I'm still looking for good storage for the kitchen. David and I went in to have a look round, there were some nice things but nothing that would fit in my kitchen. David suggested going to another shop, again lots of nice things but not what I wanted!

We then realised that it was almost midday! And I sill hadn't bought the allergy medicine. Two hours of just wandering around!  

We went to a store that sells groceries as well as medicine, we needed a few things.  Managed to get what we needed, by that time I was really dizzy. I hadn't eaten since about 6am, I think my blood sugar dropped very low. I left David to pay and went to the car!

One thing that made me sad was that there were no cherry blossoms. I thought they had all been blown down by the awful storm we had on Wednesday and Thursday. Today we went shopping in the opposite direction, into the countryside. There were a lot of cherry blossoms! I was happy to see them.

Lots of lovely cherry blossoms

But at the same time, the tree pollen is very bad.

Pollen from the trees

What looks like smoke is actually pollen. No wonder I'm sneezing and my eyes are burning!!