Osoji Big Cleaning

 It's the end of the year, which mean Osoji, big cleaning, here in Japan.

Toward the end of November cleaning products start to show up in shops all over Japan.  December 13th is the traditional day to start this cleaning. The cleaning is not just to clean the external home but part of the purification to invite the Shinto God Toshigami Sama.  This god is the god for new year and for good rice harvest. The traditional decorations that are put outside the front of the house are to invite him in.

I love the traditional idea of cleaning, to get ready for the new year, having a fresh feeling to the house. I think that today part of the cleaning is preparing for relatives to come. A lot of my students get so excited for the new year holiday, more than for Christmas. It's a chance to get away, visit grandparents, meet up with aunts and uncles and cousins.  I understand their enthusiasm, but at the same time wonder about the grandparents, especially the grandmother, working so hard to clean and prepare food!

The cleaning is not just in homes. The last day of school before the winter holiday the students do extra cleaning. The same at most businesses.  I think going back to a clean environment after the holiday is nice.

We are still doing the moving in cleaning. I'm getting so frustrated with this house and it's lack of storage, especially in the kitchen. I never realized what a luxury having a pantry was.  I would like to buy less, so I don't have to store so much but living in the middle of nowhere means that I have to buy a lot a few times a week. At the old house I could send somebody to the shop if I found I needed something. With stores just five minutes walk away it was easy. Here I have to wait for Mikey or David to go to the store or take me.

Today I made chicken, leek and mushroom pie for lunch!  

lunch

I usually do french fries but David forgot to buy them this morning. That was the kind of thing I would of sent Christopher to get!  Never mind it was a nice lunch. I have another small pie for Mikey and Hannah this evening!