Local History

 There is little information in English about this area; there's some tourist information, but no real history. Fortunately, my kids like history and they know that I'm interested in the history of this area. The only problem is that I can't verify what they tell me! 

The other day Mikey went for a walk to Hoshin Park, the site of the old Kusano Castle. For a long time, this has been a favourite place to see cherry blossoms. He took these photos; it was early morning and there was still mist over the area.

With all the mist it looks very mysterious.

Mikey went on to explain that there is a poem by Yukichi Fukuzawa on tablet there. Fukuzawa was the man on the old 10,000 yen banknote. He was a writer, educator and philosopher who was one of the key figures during the Meiji era (1868 to 1912). According to Mikey, he was good friends with one of the teachers at Kusano Elementary School when it was founded. Fukuzawa and this teacher hiked the mountain range near here. That's why one of his poems is inscribed here.

I decided to see if I could find information about the founding of the local school, but I could find the year that it was founded: 1877! This one of the schools that will be closed over the next few years. I was shocked to see that there are only 62 students in all the school. When Hisao attended there, back in the late 60s and early 70s each grade had about 100 students, divided into smaller classes. Mikey went there, that was in the 1990s, there was only one class per grade but about 30 to 35 students in each class. I didn't think the school had gotten that small, so fast!

Today, when we went shopping we had to take an alternative route because of road works. We got to drive through a Tori Gate. Tori Gates are usually at the entrance to shrines but I don't know where the shrine is. I'll have to have a walk around the area to see if I can find it, maybe closer to the mountain. I took a little video.

Now What?

 I've recovered from my sinus infection, only to end up with a sore throat and headache. I've been feeling rough; all I want to do is sleep. All I have been doing is sleeping!

This is driving me crazy. The weather has cooled down, and I want to get the house cleaned up as much as possible. I've spent the last week cleaning floors and other surfaces because the cats are sick. Looks like they all have some kind of respiratory virus, which means a lot of hacking and drooling all over the place. I know there's no choice, but I don't like finding it all over. I really hope they recover soon. The only good thing about them being sick is that it's very quiet; they have all lost their voice.

Sad, sick cats.

Frodo was the first one to get sick. From what I understand, most cats carry a dormant respiratory virus. Last week the weather suddenly changed, from up 30℃s to lower 20℃s, almost overnight. This sudden change stressed the cats' systems, triggering the virus. At first, I thought that Mama cat had caught something from her last escape; there are a few cats around here, but she wasn't the first cat to get sick. I couldn't figure out why Frodo got sick first, as he rarely escapes; I don't think he's been out since we moved here. The dormant virus idea makes sense.

Sick cats, sick me; I hope that this passes soon. If I still feel bad on Monday, I'll have to go to the doctor again. I have to teach Tuesday through Thursday; it's hard when I feel so run down, even though I don't have many classes and the ones I have are easy enough to do. Just going to the next city makes me tired.

I'm going to make myself some ginger tea and get back in bed!

I will get better!!

Hospital

 Yesterday was my 3-month check-up for diabetes and blood pressure.

The main test for diabetes is the A1C test. According to the paper I was given, the range is between 4.8 and 6.2. When I was diagnosed with diabetes two years ago, that number was 7.6. Through lifestyle changes, cutting out processed food, sugar and carbs, I managed to get that down to 5.7. I've maintained that for the past two years, until this visit. Yesterday, that number was 5.9.

So, back to being a bit more strict with what I eat.

The one thing that has helped me to lose weight and keep my diabetes at bay is not eating carbs in the morning or at night. I have some at lunch, but about half of what I usually eat. Lunch is our main meal, usually something with rice; once or twice a month we have pasta, and now that the weather is cooler, I'll start making potatoes. 

This morning I made a nice spinach omelette, with some salad, and miso soup. I had a small banana and a spoonful of plain yoghurt as well. Very filling.

Breakfast.

Lunch is chicken; David is cooking. I'll have a large salad and a bit of rice with that. This evening will probably be more salad and maybe some steamed sweet potatoes. 

I'm going to start making more soups; the weather is lovely and cool at the moment, so soups are nice.

I need to get more exercise in. The other evening I walked up and down our driveway for about 15 minutes; that was nice. I have to do it in the early evening or late afternoon. There are wild hogs about; we saw one on the road the other night- massive animal! I don't want to run into one while I'm outside!

The weather has been a bit strange. It suddenly got very cool. The past week, it has been cloudy every day but no real rain, just a few showers. Some very interesting skies. I took this little video yesterday. I love how the blue sky is peeking through the clouds and how the opposite side is just grey.

In one month, I'm going to Kagoshima with Hannah. Just a couple of days away. Hannah suggested that I focus on my diet until then. One month is enough time to build up better habits, then enjoy my trip, then set another goal when I get back.

Wish me luck!

I Need Ideas

 I'm still trying to come up with new designs for my Etsy shop. 

I can think of a lot of designs for cats. My problem is finding unique Japanese-themed designs.

Mikey suggested using Japanese idioms, which is a good idea, but they can be very wordy. 

These are a few of the Japanese designs I've come up with so far.

I like this as it's very simple. Just two koi fish.

Cat eating ramen is a very popular design; this is a bit more playful than other designs I've seen.

Again, nice and simple.

One problem I'm having is that every time I search for ideas for Japanese-inspired designs, almost everything has cats on it! I want only Japanese ideas!

I'm trying to study design and drawing. I never realised how much thought goes into designing clothes. Everything from the fabric to the colours to the logos or prints has to be thought out. Even though I'm cheating by using AI, there is still a lot of thought that goes into it. How to make the image look natural on the T-shirt, not like a picture just ironed on the front. What colours to use, what fonts to use for the lettering. Then there are copyright issues. I search for what is popular on Etsy, but of course I can't just copy and paste another person's ideas. I have to give everything my personal twist. Also, copyright can be a problem when using pop culture icons. One of the first T-shirts I tried to design had a picture of Godzilla on it. I thought it was alright, but apparently the owner of the Godzilla brand is very strict about using the image.

This really is a learning curve. I haven't made any sales yet; that will be another learning curve. I think that even if I don't make a lot of money just the experience has been worth it!

If anyone has any ideas, drop me a comment. What I've found is that an idea spurs another one. From one idea that Hannah had- cats in Halloween costumes- I came up with 4 different designs!

Autumn And Reading In Japan

 I remember being told that the Japanese associate autumn with eating more and reading.

The eating more I understood: appetites disappear during the hot, humid summer; cooler weather brings them back. Also, there are so many lovely autumn foods and dishes.

But why is reading associated with autumn? I read all year round; I always have two or three books on the go at any given time. I don't go out so much now, especially in the summer, so reading is one thing that I can enjoy. My idea of a peaceful place in the summer is an air-conditioned room, a cold drink and a good book. 

One phrase that I've heard a lot is dokusho no aki (読書の秋). Aki is autumn, dokusho is reading, so the autumn of reading.  As the temperatures drop, the evenings get darker earlier; the idea of curling up with a book is a welcome change from the busier summer days of going out. It feels cosy. 

There is a reading week, even though it's two weeks, in Japan, from October 27th to November 9th. This was established in 1947; the founding declaration stated that the purpose was to create a peaceful, cultured nation through the power of reading, which was a reflection of Japan's postwar aspiration to rebuild through education. During these two weeks, there is a national holiday, "Culture Day"; the last day coincides with "Good Book Day". I remember when the kids were little, there were events at libraries at this time of year; now I know why.

I'm going to continue with my reading of the classics; I managed Wuthering Heights last autumn. I've almost finished Pride and Prejudice and am struggling through "The Confessions of St Augustine". I'm wondering what to read next. Any suggestions?

Does anyone else enjoy reading? It was the one thing that I missed when I first moved to Japan. There are a lot of libraries, but very few English books. English books were very expensive, plus it involved going to the big city, not fun with babies or toddlers. Now I have my Kindle with thousands of books on it. David reads a lot, in English as well as Japanese, so I raid his bookshelves sometimes.

A few photos of yesterday's sunset. It was very beautiful; the photos don't do it justice. The colours were a lot more vivid!

Feeling Listless

 I'm glad I went to the doctor yesterday and got some medicine to deal with my sinus infection.

I know that it's not a big deal, but I feel so listless; I just want to sleep all the time! 

I went to bed early last night, had a good sleep, and woke up thinking that I could get a few jobs done. The first thing I noticed this morning was how cold it was. I thought I had left my air conditioner on, but I only had the fan on! I love cold mornings; getting a nice cup of tea, waking up slowly, taking a few minutes before having to start the day feels nice. In the summer, I don't get that feeling. 

I was so happy that it was cold. I planned on doing lots of jobs but only did two things. I took down the rack that I keep my pots and pans on and gave it a good scrub, plus I cleaned the stovetop. These aren't big jobs; they took about 30 minutes. I planned to do a few more things, but I was so exhausted after that that just making lunch was an effort.

I've slept most of the afternoon and could sleep again now, but I want to have a good sleep tonight, so I'll stay awake for a while longer. One thing that drives me crazy is having an early night, going to bed at about 10pm only to be wide awake at 1am! Then tossing and turning for the rest of the night!

I hope that this cool weather continues! I really suffer during the summer, even with an air conditioner. The cooler weather helps me to get moving, not just doing chores but getting out in the garden and doing more exercise!

Hannah has another trip planned for us in October. To Kagoshima, the prefecture south of Kumamoto where the earthquake was. The hotels in those areas are offering cheap accommodation to get tourists back after the earthquake. Hannah has booked up for two nights away! There's a lot to see in the area, so we need to make a good schedule. I'm looking forward to it; I just have to make some money!

The other evening, the moon was so low and very beautiful; I took some photos, but they don't capture how lovely it was.

Doctors

 I suffer from allergies; I've had this problem since I was a teenager. 

Most of the time, I take a couple of over-the-counter antihistamine tablets, and I'm fine. Occasionally, however, my allergies are so bad that the medicine doesn't help at all; I need something stronger, which means a trip to the doctor.

Yesterday afternoon was bad, very bad. My nose was just dripping; I kept on sneezing like crazy. I even had to cancel my online class; it was that bad. I couldn't sleep properly because when I was lying down, the pain around my sinus area was unbearable; I felt like I had been punched in the face. This morning I went to the local ear, nose and throat doctor. Not my favourite doctor, but no choice!

One thing I'm very glad about is the accessibility of doctors here in Japan. Most doctors, clinics and hospitals don't have an appointment system; you can just walk in. Even the medium-sized hospital I go to for my cancer and diabetes checkups has an appointment system; you can still walk in and see a doctor. You might have to wait a while, but I'm talking about hours, not weeks.

I'm glad I went this morning. Even though having a camera shoved up my nose wasn't the nicest of experiences, it turns out that I have an infection again. I've come home with some antibiotics, a very strong antihistamine, and a nasal spray. I hope these medicines work, as I have a lot to do. The weather has cooled down, and if the forecast is right, it might be cool for a few days! I'll have a chance to get some chores done before the weather goes to the opposite extreme and becomes too cold to do anything!

It's been raining all day, not too heavy but constant. This was the view of the mountains from the doctor's this morning!

Misty mountains!

I'm going to rest a bit more this evening and start on all the chores tomorrow. Christopher has a day off from work, so he can help!