Old Photos

 Yesterday was very hot!

In the city, it was 37℃, even here it was 34℃, that's at the foot of a mountain. I always thought it was a lot cooler here, but just 3℃ different.

I'm so glad that we got a new air conditioner put in; it really helped yesterday and today. I'm now on my summer schedule, get chores done early, before 8 am and put lunch ready. It makes such a difference.

After getting chores done yesterday, I decided to tackle a couple of boxes that I have in my room. These were full of odds and ends that I threw in when we were moving. I keep saying that I would sort them out, but it was one of those jobs that was easy to put off!

The first box I pulled out was full of a strange mix of memorable things, tickets, leaflets of places I visited and receipts for bills paid. That one was easy to deal with.

The second box had me wondering. I came across a load of photos that I found in the outside storage area. These are photos that belonged to my mother-in-law. 

I had a look through some of them. I can guess who some of the people are, but there are a lot where I have no idea who's who. It's sad as there are no relatives on my husband's side of the family to ask.

It's also fascinating to see the way people lived. Some of the photos are from the 1960s, I can recognise my mother-in-law and my father-in-law from the photo that was in the tatami room. In Japan, after people pass away, their photo is displayed in the room where the Butsudan is, the Japanese family Buddhist altar. I call them the dead photos; I'm sure there's a special name for them.

This photo made me pause.

The child in front of the man is my brother-in-law. The baby is my husband, Hisao, and the man is my father-in-law. On the back, it says that this was taken at the New Year, so I think it must be 1962. Hisao was born in 1961. According to what is written on the back, my brother-in-law was four and Hisao 6 months old. Hisao told me that his father died when he was one year old. Maybe just a few months after this photo was taken, my father-in-law passed away. He looks happy in this photo; it's sad to think that his life ended just a few months later!

This is my mother-in-law, very 1960s style. There's no information on this photo. I wonder where she was going or doing.

This is another interesting one. From what I've been told and figured out, the house in the background was not built on this land. The family lived further up the road before the 1960s. The original house built on the land where we are now was built when my husband was a child. The two boys are my brother-in-law and Hisao; the old lady was Hisao's great-grandmother. 

I'm not sure who these ladies are or who the child is. I think the lady on the right is my mother-in-law. I love what they are wearing, very typical working clothes. I think they all worked in the fields.

This is a photo of the storage building being erected. There's another photo like this somewhere. 

These photos give a snapshot of a bygone era.

It's sad to think that there are no relatives on the Japanese side of my family to pass these on to or to ask questions of.

I'll have to find a way to curate these and all the other photos that I've found, make some kind of story of the family, a small history of the family. 

There are very few photos of my family from so far back. I think in the 1950s and 1960s, cameras were expensive and considered a luxury, not something to buy unless you had a bit of extra money, which I know my parents didn't have. I think it's great that my kids have these photos of their Japanese family to look at and talk about!

Now it's so easy to snap photos, plus we always have a camera handy on our phones. I know that I take 100s of photos every month. I'm glad that we can do that. When Mikey was a baby, I used to take 36 photos a month. I felt it was important to document as much as possible, and I would send a lot of photos to my Mom. I think part of that is the fact that I love history, especially the history of ordinary people. I know that understanding the history of a country, the wars, the development of the country, the kings, queens and leaders is important, but whenever I read that kind of history, I'm always wondering how did the common man live, what he did to make money, to provide for his family, what kind of house did they live in or what did they eat.

Does anyone else have interesting old photos?

My New Air Conditioner

 Before we moved to this house, I was watching a series of videos about a man who had bought 3 Akiyas, empty, abandoned houses, in Japan. He got a good deal on these houses, but they all needed a lot of work. One thing that he did caught my attention was that he was working on houses in the summer. He said that he wanted to replace the air conditioners, but other, more urgent repairs needed doing, and he didn't have the money. When he checked the air conditioners, he found that even though they were old, installed in the late 1980s, they were in good condition. He turned them on and found that they were working all right. After I saw this, I thought that we could use the old air conditioners here. The air conditioners were put in when the house was built, about 34 years ago. I thought that if air conditioners from the 1980s work, then surely ones from the 1990s should work.

I forgot that my mother-in-law never took care of things. For example, the extractor fan over the stove was cleaned once, when we lived here before. The same with the windows, cleaned once! The bathroom tiles came up after a year and have never been replaced, just a few examples of how she didn't take care of the house!

Last summer, I opened the air conditioner in the dining/kitchen area and gagged at what I saw. It was thick with dust, oil residue and mould, which actually looked like it was moving. I thought about cleaning it, but realised that I would have to take it to pieces, and I think some of the pieces would have dissolved if I had moved them. David didn't know how bad it was. I told him it was bad, but he thought I was exaggerating. He turned it on, and the smell was just awful!

The old air conditioner, even the outside, was dirty!

Last summer, I endured not having an air conditioner in the kitchen/dining and thought to do the same this year. But I couldn't envision another 3 or 4 months of not being able to do anything in the kitchen or hurrying through meals because it's too hot!

Yesterday, David and I went to an electrical store and bought a new air conditioner. It's not the best one, or even a really strong one, but it was what we could afford. The one I wanted costs 300,000 yen, about £1,300. We got the cheapest one, 70000 yen, about £300. 

This morning, the electricians came and installed it! 

My new air conditioner

It took just over an hour to put it in. They ran a series of checks to make sure it was working alright. It was so nice to sit and eat lunch in a comfortable room. 

The unit is on the opposite side of the room from the kitchen, so I think the kitchen area won't get cold, especially if the burns or oven are on but it will make it easier. To make it better for me, I've decided that as far as possible I'll do lunch in the morning while I'm making obento and breakfast, also I'll start to do the chores after that, so everything is done before 8am, when the heat starts!

I'm glad that we got this unit. Just changing one thing has made a difference to how I feel about this house.

By the way, when I checked my blog yesterday, I noticed a link that I hadn't put in. It didn't show up on Christopher's computer, and I have no idea why it was there. If I put any links, I explain what they are for, if a random link pops up, it's not from me!

My Survival Kit For Summer In Japan

 Summers in Japan are brutal! Today was 33℃, with humidity at 55%. That isn't too bad, but this is just the beginning. I always hope that the summer won't be extreme, but it usually is.

To be honest, the best way for me to survive is to stay inside with the air conditioner on. But, unfortunately, I can't do that. Two days a week, I have to go out to teach, which would be alright, but the air conditioner in Mikey's car doesn't work. The drive is about 40 minutes, by the time we get to the community centre, I'm melting! Also, Hannah and I are going to Tokyo next weekend, where, from what I've read and seen on various videos, it feels a lot hotter. Tokyo is a heat island because of all the concrete. Also, just seeing the crowds, I feel hot!

So I've bought a few things to help out.

Summer survival kit.

The bottle in the back is Aquarius, a sports drink that helps with dehydration. It contains electrolytes, which help in the heat. The bottle in the photo is a big 2-litre one that I keep in the house. I buy a smaller bottle, plus some water, when I'm out.

I have two fans, the pink one is really great, it fits into my bag and isn't heavy, the only problem is the battery doesn't last that long, so I have a folding fan as well!

Next to the pink fan is a pack of wet tissues that has a cooling effect. These are great when you feel sweaty and sticky.

 

The front of the package promises that you'll feel 3℃ cooler when you use them. I don't know if that is true, but they are very refreshing!

The spray bottle is a liquid to spray on your clothes; it cools them down. It helps if you have to be outside for a long time.

The grey scarf is a thin, gauzy scarf. Every year, I get sunburnt on my neck. This year, I'm determined to get through the summer without sunburn, so I'll be wearing that scarf a lot.

The last thing is a small hand towel to wipe the sweat from my face. I sweat a lot, especially from my face. I'm looking for some kind of deodorant that I can use on my face. At the moment, my face is very red and sore because of constant sweating and wiping. I use a very mild moisturiser, but even that is stinging at the moment.

This is my basic kit; I'll probably buy other things in Tokyo; it's hard to know what I need now!

After my trip, I don't think I'll be going out that much!!

Does anyone have any tips for surviving summer?

Tanabata....Star Festivalbata

 Yesterday was the Tanabata Festival, I forgot until I saw the decorations at the community centre where we teach.

The entrance to the community centre and the Tanabata Festival decoration.

At the heart of Tanabata is an old Chinese folklore that made its way to Japan during the Nara period (710-794).

The story is of Orihime, the weaving princess and Hikoboshi, the cowherd. They were so enamoured of each other that they neglected their duties. These two lovers were separated by the Milky Way and only allowed to meet once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month. Their reunion depends on clear skies; rain is said to represent the tears that keep them apart.

The festival is celebrated by people writing wishes on coloured paper called Tanzaku. These are then hung on bamboo branches. In many places, the bamboo is later set afloat or respectfully burned, to send the wishes to heaven.

When my kids were little, and I had a lot of students, I would have them write their wishes in English. It was a fun thing to do, write the wishes and make the decorations. Lots of giggles, lots of mess, but lots of fun.

This festival endures today because it is simple, heartfelt, and universally relatable. The idea of wishing for something and then sending that wish out into the world, and believing in the possibility of connection, resonates across cultures and generations.

What would you wish for?

Tofu

 In the cooler months I make soup to go with our meals. Either a simple consommé or miso soup. Soups are filling and warming. In the summer, however, soup loses its appeal, but I like to have something to go with our main dish, so I usually serve tofu as a side dish.

There are so many ways to serve tofu. I keep it simple, just with soy sauce, a few bonito flakes and chopped spring onions. I have to make sure the cats aren't nearby, as they love the bonito flakes. Bonito flakes are dreid fish that has been shaved, always reminds me of wood shavings!

Recently, I've been making a dish of tofu and avocado using a dressing that Christopher gets from his shop. It's a powder that you mix with olive oil. The dressing has a lovely, light, tangy taste, which makes it perfect for summer.

The advacdo and tofu dressing

If you are in Japan, check it out.

Today I made a chicken stir fry with bean sprouts and as a side I put some tofu with soy sauce and green onions.,

Tofu with soy sauce and green onions

Todays lunch.

I've found by having this extra bit of protien helps with my blood sugar. If I eat a protien heavy lunch then I don't get hungry until about 8 oclock, plus I don't have the awful blood sugar drop mid afternoon, which leaves me dizzy and shaking!

Tofu is a big part of Japanese cuisine. It's hard to imagine Japanese cuisine without tofu.

I was wandering when tofu was first eaten in Japan. Tofu originated in China over 2,000 years ago and was bought to Japan during the Nara period (710-794), carried by Buddhidt monks.

One of the earliest records where tofu is mentioned is in 1183, it appears as an offering at Kasuga Taisha in Nara.

During the Kamakura period (1185-1333), tofu became central to shojin ryori, the vegetarian cuisine of Zen monks.

By the Edo period (1603-1868) tofu was widely eaten by commoners. In 1782 a cookbook Tofu Hyakuchin, had 100 recipes and helped to popularize tofu nationwide. The cookbook was so popular that two additional volumes, a sequel and a bonus edition were released.

Today, it's still popular as it still one of the cheapest sources of protien. I've noticed that with prices going up on basic grociers tofu is becoming popular again. For myself, I've started to add a block of firm tofu, well drained, to mince meat when I make burgers. The price of meat has gone up a lot, so a pack that costs 700 yen, about £3.50, has a lot less meat in than this time last year. By adding the tofu I get just enough burgers!

Is tofu popular outside of Asia?

Sorry if there are any mistakes, my spell/grammer check app isn't working! It does that sometimes!

Rain, Rain And Then Even More Rain

 I know it's the rainy season, but the storms that are passing through are crazy.

Yesterday morning and this morning saw heavy rain, strong winds and thunderstorms.

Of course, the heaviest rain was at the time that Christopher had to leave for work. Today he could catch the bus near the house, so just a couple of minutes' walk. Most days, he has to walk about half an hour to get to the bus stop. I thought about asking Mikey to drop him off, but the rain was so heavy that I didn't think it was safe!

A news segment I saw earlier today was showing the city that we live in. The river has overflowed; some places are flooded, and there has been a landslide. Looks very bad in some areas. Where we are, we are alright, at the moment!

I went shopping this afternoon and managed to get a little video on the way back.

In the second video, you can see trees that are halfway submerged. The areas on both sides of the river are used as parks, there are sports fields dotted around and lovely walks. Most of the areas are public, but a few places are being farmed! I think this was planned that way; the roads on both sides are very high, but the areas next to the road are at the same level as the river. The idea is to have a big flood plain, with roads built very high so that the areas after that are protected from floods. Not sure that makes sense, basically there's a river, flood plain, high road, then the areas that are being lived in, some houses, lots of farmland.

This rain is forecast to last until Tuesday, when the heat will start. The forecast is for a temperature of  33℃. I guess summer has really started.

My Etsy Store

 It's finally up and running. 

Here is the link for it: JackiesNekoTales - Etsy Japan  

Have a look, any ideas or comments, please let me know.

I need this to work; otherwise, I have no idea what else I can do to make money.

I've enjoyed making the designs. They are AI-made, but it's not as easy as I thought. Somehow, the image in my head and what AI comes up with are totally different. It's then a case of tweaking the prompt, finding the right words to use to explain what I want to see. I used to think that using AI was cheating, but I've come to realise that my art is in words, not drawing or painting. 

Also, the designs depend on which AI you are using!

I used this photo 

And asked Gemini and Copilot to make a cute, Halloween image with a slogan on it. I copied/pasted the prompt, so both AIs got the same information, but the designs were completely different.

This is from Copilot

This is from Gemini.

I like both, but the Gemini one is a bit wordy! I'll change when I come to use it.

I now have to go down the rabbit hole of search engine optimisation. Help!!!!