Cold But Trying Think Ahead

 As I said yesterday, the winter here has been very mild, until yesterday!

Yesterdays high was 0 °C! Today it got up to 7°C. Still far too cold.

I really wanted to take a shower yesterday, I went to the bathroom, turned around and decided against it!

This morning, Mikey and then Christopher took showers. I asked them to leave the heater on so I could take a shower after! Even though the heater had been on for almost an hour, the changing area of the bathroom was still cold. There was ice on the inside of the window, even with the heater on!

I know I've said I prefer the cold weather, and I do, I also know that in a few months I will be moaning about the heat! But this year it's felt more difficult to deal with than before.

Last winter was a lot colder, but it didn't affect me so much.  I could get jobs done and do chores almost every day. I really don't know if it's being a year older, that my body has aged, and I can't deal with the cold, or more psychological, that I'm feeling colder because of this house and the state that it's in.

I really am trying to find good things here, even just Kevin outside makes me smile.

This is Kevin, in case you didn't read yesterdays post.

I'm trying to figure out what we can change, what we can afford. There is some help from the city. David said that it is mainly for elderly people to make the house safer. I know that I'm not that old yet, but surely making it safe now would be better than waiting until I have a fall or get heat shock because the changing room is freezing after the warm shower!

We have to make money. That is what I'm trying to think about. 

David wants to set up an English school here, and I think it's the best option for us. I can still teach, not little kids, I don't have the energy for that, but otherwise I'm alright!

David is going to start putting leaflets at the end of this month. The school year runs from April to March in Japan, so it's a good chance to get students. 

I keep telling myself we can do this. I'm trying to be positive about this, but as always, doubts creep in. All I know is that if we don't try, then nothing is going to change. At least we have to give it a good try!

Another thing I'm looking forward to is the spring vegetables that will be available soon. Japanese cuisine is very seasonal; each season has its own flavour. Winter is stews, one-pot dishes, ramen, foods that bring comfort and warmth. Yesterday, David made tonjiru, miso soup with pork over udon noodles, very warming and comforting!

Tonjiru soup with udon noodles

Spring foods are lighter somehow. There are a lot of popular sweet foods, like Sakura Mochi, a sweet rice cake wrapped in cherry leaves.

Also, spring cabbage becomes available, which is nice for quick stir-frys! Also, bamboo shoots, used in takenoko gohan, bamboo shoot rice, take a lot of preparation, but it's really nice.

I'm going to pull out some of my cookbooks and see what I can find!

Snow And A Cosy Afternoon

 According to the news, some areas of Japan have been hit by very heavy snow. The snow has been so bad that at least 30 people have lost their lives, hundreds have been injured, and thousands are without power in some prefectures.

When I look at the news, it's hard to believe it's the same country. The winter here has been very mild; temperatures in January broke records for the warmest January, some days it was up to 19C.

Of course, winter isn't over, but I didn't think it would get cold enough to snow! 

Snow has been forecast for the past week. Some days we would get a few flurries, one that lasted just a minute! So when I saw the forecast for last night, I didn't think it would be that bad, until I saw Mikey when he got home from his part-time job delivering newspapers.

Frozen Mikey

I looked out my window and saw this!

I think it snowed.

David sent me some photos from his trip home.

The roads were still clear, but you couldn't see the mountains! It feels very strange not to see the mountains. In Japan, even in the plains, you can see mountains; they are always there. When the weather is like this and the mountains are invisible, it is somehow surreal.

I stepped out to take a short video. I stayed on my front porch.

This afternoon I got comfortable on my bed. This house is awful to warm up. I had planned to do a few things, but freezing fingers put paid to that idea!

I have an electric blanket on my bed and another that fastens around my shoulders. I made myself a nice cup of tea, got my books and got comfortable! I want to do jobs, but I know that I'll just be miserable and in a bad mood if I try to do anything.  So, for today, it's hot tea, a few good books and maybe a movie, if I can find something good to watch!

I forgot to put a photo of Kevin. Kevin is a stone frog that is in the yard! He was covered in snow this morning!

Poor Kevin.

David found this when he clearing part of the garden.

Kevin on better days

I kind of like this!

Voting In Japan

 This weekend is a general election in Japan. The Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi announced this on January 19th, 2026.  Voting is set for February 8th, but you can vote before. David went yesterday because of his schedule.

The whole campaigning and voting system is a bit different here.

Campaiging is short, often just 12 days, because of this compressed timeline there is a burst of intense activity.

The first thing I notice are poster boards going up in various places. 

Board for candidates to put their posters

Each candidate is given a numbered square, only one poster per square is allowed. The boards are put up by the local election commission to make it fair.

Door to door campaiging is banned, the idea is that it would be to easy to influence voters by meeting them face to face. The candiates rely on the poster boards, public speeches and the one thing I hate, sound trucks!

photo by Hustvedt

This is a stock photo but these are the type of trucks that drive slowly around neigbourhoods. They call out the candidates name, saying something like "Please vote for Mr Tanaka" or "Thank you for your support". The noise is incredible. I always feel sorry for people working night shift who need to sleep during the day!

To be eligible to vote you must be a Japanese citizen for both national and local elections. I'm not allowed to vote, even though I have a permanet residence visa. You must be 18 years old to vote. The age was changed in 2015 from 20 to 18.

You have to register in the local registry which requires that you have registered address in that municipality.

Voting takes place in elementary or junior high schools, community centers and muncipal buildings.

One distinctive feature is the ballot itself. Instead of ticking a box or filling in a bubble, Japanese voters have to write out the candidates name.

I often wondered why campaign posters have the names written very clearly. Most candidates use easy kanji and any kanji that might be difficult to read or write is replaced with hiragana.

I'll be glad when this election will be over! The sound trucks drive me crazy. 

Also, we use a community center to teach in so during elections we can't use it. This time was alright but last year there was a local election that was held on a Thursday, we couldn't use the center for three days!

A Bit Better Day

 Even if it started off rather weird.

I woke up at 5 a.m., or rather, I got up at 5 a.m. I'd been awake since 3 a.m.; my allergies have started for real! Two hours of sneezing and snivelling was not nice! 

I made obento and breakfast. I took my painkillers and allergy medicine, both of which make me sleepy, but having both was a double punch! I dozed for a while, but I was feeling very strange. I felt my bed was vibrating, at first I thought it was an earthquake or maybe some big machine in the field behind the house. After a while, I realised it wasn't the bed but my body that was vibrating, at that point I opened my mouth and perceived that I was snoring, and that was what was making me feel vibrations.  I was asleep but aware of things at the same time, very weird.

I did manage to wake up in time to do a few chores, which I'm very happy about. Not a lot, but I want to keep on top of things. I don't mind a few dirty dishes or a bit of dust, but when it builds up, I feel overwhelmed and just don't want to deal with things. Doing something every day really helps!

I made ginger pork for lunch. I got distracted while I waiting for David, yes, I will admit I was scrolling on my phone. David came in and asked why I had only cooked one piece of pork. I had done two, we found the culprit, Fluffy! 

She looks so innocent! I had extra pork, so it wasn't a problem. David washed the sauce off, so she got to eat everything!

After lunch, I had a little walk around the garden. It's still a mess, but buds are starting to come out.

Plum Blossoms, maybe!

I don't know what these are, but they smell nice.

The side of the house we need to get cleared.

These little flowers are blooming all over.

More of these flowers.

I took a little video at the back of the property, behind the storage shed. I was looking at the fields opposite, it all looks abandoned. 

This afternoon I went to a local store with Mikey. One lady approached me, asking "Jackie Sensei desu ka?" "Are you Jackie teacher" As I said yes I reconized her as the mother of one of my students from many years ago. I asked after her daugher, who was a high school student when I was teaching her, she is now 45 years old, with a son in university! It was really nice to meet her, be be reminded of my former student!

A Nothing Day

 Tuesday and Wednesday, I go to the other city with Mikey to teach. My schedule isn't hard; I have a couple of classes, a lot of my time is spent waiting around, which is when I get a chance to read. We get back between 9:30 and 10 pm. 

But, somehow, Thursdays see me exhausted. This week has been harder because of the pain in my neck and the new medicine I'm taking.

Today I rested. I know that sleeping during the day isn't good, but I was really exhausted. The problem is that I don't feel I do enough to be that exhausted to sleep deeply for 2 or 3 hours at a time. 

Until we moved here, I had lessons almost every day, at least 2 a day. Plus, I would go out more by myself, especially at this time of year, as the nearest supermarket was only 5 minutes walk away. I was active all day, waking up to make breakfasts, do laundry, do chores and then teach. I would cook two or three meals a day, depending on schedules.

Now I find myself constantly exhausted. I do the bare minimum, but there are always things that need to be done, but I tell myself, tomorrow!

I'm wondering if this tiredness is emotional, not liking this house, not being able to deal with the problems here, not having a reason to be out of bed except to fight this house and the constant cleaning that needs to be done.

Or is it something physical? I've never had great stamina, but I have always managed. The past year, however, I've seen a decrease in my stamina. I'm wondering if I should ask for more tests when I have blood drawn in March, maybe checking vitamin levels and any other markers for fatigue. During my last blood test, my A1C number was down to 5.9, which is very good. So that shouldn't be making me tired. I've noticed that my blood pressure is a lot lower than before; most nights it's 119/60, but some nights it goes down to 115/50, which might be too low. I'm still taking medicine for both diabetes and high blood pressure. Maybe I can stop these medicines!

Is it just ageing? But I'm only 63! In today's world, that isn't really old, is it? 

I know that I have to get my act together. I have to get over my negative thinking and really try to focus on a better future, building it one day at a time. But on days like today, when everything seems hard, it's so difficult to feel positive!

Just to give you a laugh, an awful selfie with David. I never know where to look when taking selfies!

At least I'm smiling!

Doctors.......Again

 I don't know if it's a sign of ageing or just bad health, but I seem to be going to the doctors a lot more than I used to!

The pain in my neck, shoulder and arm is from a herniated disc in my neck. It slips out and presses on the nerve. Most of the time, it's okay, but every now and then it flares up, causing pain and misery. I also get very frustrated as I can't do all the things that I want to do!

David took me to the doctors yesterday, we arrived to a full parking lot, so I thought I would be waiting for an hour or so. I was surprised to see that the waiting room was empty, just two other people waiting. I think most of the patients were there for the rehabilitation clinic.

I was called in after 10 minutes. David is supposed to translate, but the doctor tries to use English; the problem is that he knows the words but not how to make sentences. Makes things very interesting! David jumps in when he sees I'm totally lost. My Japanese isn't great, but I can usually follow what is being said. With medical terms, there are words that I just don't know!

The doctor recommended a neck brace so I can rest my chin on it and take the pressure off my neck. As the nurse was fitting it, David said, "Now you know how Fluffy feels" She has to wear a collar a lot to stop her from over-grooming! I couldn't stop laughing at that!

With my neck brace on

Fluffy with her collar on.

I was prescribed three types of medicine. One is a strong painkiller, which has helped; another is to relax the muscles and to help with stiffness. The third, however, scares me, and I don't think I'm going to take it.

It's called Tarlige. It's for neuropathic pain and contains the active ingredient mirogablin. I was given a pamphlet just for this medicine with a long list of side effects. The side effects include dizziness, drowsiness, and blurred vision. It can also interfere with blood sugar control, potentially leading to a higher A1C number.

I'm supposed to take two tablets a day, so I took one last night, and I was alright. I took another one at 6am; the side effects were awful and scary. I felt sleepy, so I decided to doze for a bit after making breakfast. I fell asleep but couldn't wake up. My alarm went off, and I couldn't figure out what the noise was. David called me, but again I had no idea what was making the noise! I finally got out of bed to use the toilet, but had to hold onto the wall to get there. 

David made lunch, as I had no confidence that I could actually stand up or use the stove! Even as I was eating, I was falling asleep. It actually felt similar to when I had my operation and waking up after the anaesthetic. 

I want to get better, but I think those tablets will only make me feel worse. I'm going to try some simple exercises to see if that helps, and find a rehabilitation clinic near here! I'm wondering if a chiropractor or acupuncture might help!

I really need to be finished with all these health problems. I have much to do, and being sick isn't helping at all.

Risshun: When The First Breath Of Spring Arrives

 Last year, I wrote about the Setsubun festival that takes place every February 3rd. https://jackiesjapanjournal.blogspot.com/2025/02/setsubun.html

The day after Setsubun is Risshun. If Setsubun is the dramatic clearing-out of demons and bad energy, Risshun is the soft inhale that follows, when the world feels newly washed and ready for what comes next.

Risshun has long been seen as a kind of spiritual reset button. In the old calendar, this wasn't just a seasonal marker; it was the beginning of the year's energetic cycle. It's a time when farmers look for signs of warmth in the soil, housewives take the chance to refresh their spaces. Even if the temperatures haven't quite caught up, there is a sense that winter is losing its grip. 

I've noticed that the sunrise is a little earlier and the sunset is a little later, marking the promise of longer days to come. Also, the ume blossoms are beginning to bud; they are very resilient, defying the cold!

I've noticed these thick sushi rolls in the supermarkets; you are supposed to eat one, facing the year's lucky direction. This year, the direction is east and southeast.

I haven't made these, so I had to get a photo from the internet!

We live in a world that is always on the go, moving fast to the next thing, the next new trend. I like the idea of these older traditions, a way to slow down for a day, to reflect and notice how nature is changing. A quiet visit to a shrine, a walk outside to notice the very first buds, the chance to quietly renew our spirits and our surroundings. A gentle pause, a chance to breathe and redetermine ourselves for the rest of the year!