Good News

 Yesterday was my hospital appointment to check my diabetes and cancer markers.

Every six months, I have tests to see if there is any trace of cancer in my body. The December one is just a blood test. In June, I have a full workup, mammogram, CT scan and echo scan. It's now seven years since I had cancer. With most cancers, you are considered cancer-free after 5 years, but with the type I had, the checks go on for 10 years! Again, my blood work showed nothing out of the ordinary!

One thing I've noticed after having cancer, every little pain or twitch, or feeling a bit under the weather, sends me into a slight panic attack! The sensible part of my brain tells me it's nothing, old age, indigestion, or some such thing, that the strange feelings will pass. The emotional part of my brain starts to whisper, "What if....?" "Mom had terminal cancer at your age" " You aren't a doctor; this could be bad" Fortunately, as time has passed, I can quieten these thoughts, most of the time. Part of that is choosing to live more intentionally, to allow myself time to rest, to understand what I need, learning about nutrition and how exercise plays a part in being healthy. I'm reading and watching a lot of videos about growing old, how to deal with sarcopenia, the loss of muscle as we age, and what nutrients help with keeping my gut healthy! I'm diligent but slip up now and then, but it isn't the end of the world. Another thing I'm learning about is gratitude, but that is a whole other post.

The other test I had done and the one that has me shouting for joy is the test for diabetes!

This is the A1C test. According to my doctor, a normal range is between 4.2 and 6.00. When I was diagnosed with diabetes, my A1C was 7.2.  I managed to get down to 6.00, and I stayed there for about a year. Yesterday, the results came back, my A1C was 5.7! I know it isn't a big change, but it made me so happy.  I've tried so hard since September to lose some weight, to eat less carbs and cut sugar. But it's been a struggle. Especially with all the stress I've had, the extreme pain in my back and the expense of fruits and vegetables. Some days I felt everything was against me, including myself! But I lost 3kgs, which, considering everything that is great, plus my A1C number is down!

My next appointment for a diabetes test is in April.  I really want to push and lose at least 5kgs, which would put me just under 90kgs, still big, but better. It's going to be hard, between now and then, there is Christmas, New Year's, birthdays, and trips with Hannah. I'm going to have to plan things carefully. I want to enjoy these holidays, I want to celebrate, and part of the celebrations is food, food that is only available at that time of year. I have to learn how to control myself, have a taste of the cake or one cookie, and really practice moderation! Wish me luck. If anybody has any tips, drop me a comment!

Just to finish, a little video I took yesterday morning.

The weather here had been rather strange. Even though it's December, it has been very warm. December 1st, it was 21 °C! On Wednesday, the temperature plummeted; it didn't get over 10C all day! It actually looked and felt like winter!

Japan/Japanese Trends

 On my social media, I see a lot of posts about Japan.

Posts like: 

The Japanese Walking Method

The Japanese Morning Exercise

Japanese Secret Of Longevity

Japanese Cleaning Method

How The Japanese Kept Skinny

The list goes on and on!

Some might have some merit. When I first saw the title "The Japanese Walking Method", I thought that everyone knows how to walk, so what's so special about Japanese walking? It turns out to be interval walking: warm up by walking at a usual pace, then walk briskly for 3 minutes, and then return to normal pace for 3 minutes. Keep doing this until you've walked for 30 minutes.  I've tried it, and it feels good. I can't do 30 minutes yet, I'm up to 15 minutes, which is a good start!

The Japanese Morning Exercise is nothing new in Japan. It started in 1928, as part of the celebrations of the enthronement of Emperor Hirohito.

It is still broadcast today on the radio and TV.  Driving past some companies in the early morning, I've seen everyone outside doing the exercises.  When my kids were in school, they were supposed to go to school at 6am to do these exercises. They never made it, 6am during the holidays is far too early!

The other trends that I mentioned, I haven't looked into, so I won't comment on them.

What I'm wondering is, do people who have never been to Japan have an image of the Japanese as very healthy, living long, productive lives, with sparkling clean houses and never getting fat?

I will admit that older people in Japan do seem to be in a better shape than in other countries that I've had experience of. Sometimes it's a case of survival. The Japanese pension falls short of providing enough money to live on. Some people in their 80s have to work to be able to pay bills and have money to buy food. Japanese welfare is based on the family taking care of and being responsible for those who can't work. If you don't have any family, then the state will help, but it's not a lot of help. There was a case last week where a 79-year-old man killed his 100-year-old mother as he felt his health was deteriorating and he couldn't keep on taking care of his mother, who was bed-bound!  I thought that was so sad that a man, almost 80 years old, felt that the only choice he had was to kill his mother. They had some help, from my understanding (I'm watching this news in Japanese) care caregivers were going to the house a few times a week to help the mother bathe. Apparently, there is an increase in older people taking care of older relatives!

Some of the people around here are rather sprightly! I see them out in the fields, walking along the roads at rather a brisk rate. But when I go to the doctors, I see people who are alive because of the medicine they take. They leave the pharmacy with a plastic bag full of medicine, which is usually for one month! These individuals are usually non-responsive in wheelchairs, just drooling! 

The other trend that makes me want to throw something at my computer is the Japanese Cleaning Method.

Again, Japan is a mixed bag of people. Some are fastidious; everything has to be in its place, everything has to be spotless.  Then there are those who don't care, even to the point of hoarding!

A few years ago, David was working with one of my husband's friends. He had a company that would do different jobs, such as gardening, and helping to move house. Cleaning etc. Basically, a handyman company.

The company was asked by a rental agency to clean an apartment that a woman in her 40s had been renting. She hadn't cleaned it in years; she actually got a different apartment because she couldn't get into the first one!

David said it was awful. In every room, there was trash, up to his shoulders in most rooms! He started in the bathroom, where he found bags of used sanitary napkins! The bags were so old that as he lifted one, it split, and the contents went everywhere! It took four men 5 days to clean the place!

On the other end was one of my friends. Her house was spotless. When we visited one time, she served us some tea. As soon as we finished drinking, she took the cups, washed them and put them away! They had 3 boys in elementary and junior high school at that time, but the place looked like it was from a magazine!

I think with these trends, it's easy for people who have never been to Japan to see it as some kind of paradise! And I will admit that Japan is a good place to live, but like all countries, it's not 100% great; some things could be better!

Recently on YouTube, there have been some videos about the great education system in Finland, I think it was Finland! I wonder if people who live in Finland see these videos and roll their eyes at them?

A few photos from the garden. It's still very warm here, I think yesterday broke the record for the warmest start of December. Today, as well, it's 17C!

Neighbour's tree

I love the reds that are starting to show up.

It's so warm that there are still butterflies about!

One Year

 This month marks a year since we moved here.

I'm still struggling with this house! I have so many conflicting feelings about this place.

On the one hand, I'm grateful that we could move here. I don't think we could have gotten another rental place, not with 9 cats and no one to act as a guarantor. I know some companies act as a guarantor, but I think it would have been difficult to use them. At least here we don't have that problem, also having the cats here is alright.

I also know that if my mother-in-law were still alive, the kids wouldn't move here. They actually said they would rather be homeless than live with her. She passed away before we even thought of moving here.

But, even after a year, this house still doesn't feel like home!

I'm constantly trying to rearrange things, trying to make it feel right. 

The summer was really hard as we had only one working air conditioner, the one in my room! Cooking in 35 °C plus heat is really hard! Also, because the kitchen/dining area got too hot, we didn't spend time there; it's the only communal area of the house. Everyone spent time in their own rooms! At the old house, when everyone had a day off from work, we would eat lunch together, then sit and talk, have a laugh and make plans. Some days, we would spend a good hour or more just being together. Having the air conditioner on made it easy to hang out together. Now, even on days off, we don't hang out together. More now the weather has cooled down, but the summer was just eat and go!

This house is impossible to keep clean! I'm even having to sweep the ceilings! There is dust everywhere. I sweep, dust, and wipe down things every day. And it's not just the cats, though they don't help! There are ledges around the walls, top and bottom, that are dust traps! I've had dust build up on my curtains. The winter adds extra work as the condensation on the windows is incredible! I have to wipe down the windows two or three times a day. If I don't, then there is a pool of water on the floor! 

The bathroom goes mouldy in one day! The cleaner I use to get rid of the mould is used up in about a week, in the other house it would last for a month! If the bathroom isn't sprayed every day, it gets bad. The bathroom is too big, the bathtub is in one corner, and the shower is on the opposite wall. The rest of the room is dead space. The tiles on the floor broke just a year after being laid, but have never been fixed. I have to put special mats down; otherwise, it's easy to cut your feet on the rough edges of the tiles! I thought of fixing them, but I'm going to wait until I can change the whole bathroom!

Then there is the garden! It's overwhelming. I'm trying to pull weeds, cut down some of the bushes and trees, but I don't have that much energy. Everyone else is so busy with work, they do what they can, but the garden needs to be seen to almost every day to try and make it look nice!

When I was younger, I used to think that by the time I'm in my 60s, I'd be settled, that even if I was still working, I would have some time for myself. I thought I would have money to travel a bit, to find hobbies that I could enjoy. Looks like that kind of life is a dream! 

I really hope that I can make some money to do some renovations in the house. The kitchen, bathroom and toilet are priorities. There are other things I would love to do, but not as important. 

Even if I never really love this house, this is it! I keep looking at houses for sale in the area where we used to live, but I'll never have the money to move, so I have to make the most of this place!

At least I have a nice view from my window. The autumn leaves are late this year; they are just starting to turn! I noticed this lovely tree outside my window today!

Lovely colours

It's hard to see in the photo, but the colour is very vibrant!

I'm going to make a cup of tea, get a book and spend time reading and looking at this beautiful tree!

November

 As with every month, there have been ups and downs!

But I think there were more ups than downs!

Spending a couple of days at Hannah's was nice. When I'm at home, I feel like I should be doing something! This house constantly needs cleaning. At Hannah's, I can wash the dishes, do the laundry and run the vacuum in about half an hour, then I'm free to read or watch videos!

Here, it's a vicious cycle of cleaning, trying to find a place for things, decluttering, rehousing things, and then there is all the mess from the cats! The floors need sweeping two or three times a day, and the carpets have to be vacuumed constantly. Then there are all these ledges that collect dust, even wiping down every other day doesn't seem to help. Then the mountain of dishes, the massive sink that collects bits of food in the corners. I have to fill a pan to rinse the sink properly. I feel that I could be cleaning 24 hours a day, and it still wouldn't be clean. Whenever I wipe surfaces, the cloth is covered in a fine brown dust. At first, I thought it was because of the cats, but I've noticed that even places where the cats haven't been are the same.

It's exhausting and time-consuming! Add to that the vacuum cleaner is broken. It just stopped picking up. I changed the bag and cleaned out the hose part, but it still won't pick up; it just makes an awful noise! Another expense I can't afford!

I'm still trying to fulfil the goals I set for the end of the year. 

My diet had been a bit hit and miss. But I've lost some weight, about 3kgs, since September. I'm going to struggle with Christmas and the New Year. I love the festive foods, the cakes, cookies and other fattening foods. I don't want to deny myself and be miserable, so I need to figure out how to enjoy the foods I love without going overboard! It's going to be a challenge!

I'm reading Wuthering Heights. It's interesting but not an easy read! I'm about halfway through and hope to finish it soon! I want to read "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. Again, I have an idea of the story, I've watched various adaptations of the story, but I have never read the book! My favourite movie of the book is "The Muppets Christmas Carol"

Japanese study has been a bit harder to get into. I need to really set aside some time every day to go through the books I have. That is my determination for the beginning of December!

The highlight of November was the trip to Hita. I really enjoyed myself. Also, I could see how, having lost a bit of weight, I was able to walk more without pain. This has inspired me to keep on my diet, even though I'm worried about the holiday season derailing my hard work!

Beautiful tree in Hita

At the restaurant

Hannah at one of the resting spots

One more month to 2026! I have a couple of things planned for December. There is a place in the city near here that has a lot of temples, called Tera Machi, Temple Town. I'm planning on going with Christopher one afternoon. And of course, Hannah and I are going to see The Phantom of the Opera on Christmas Day.

I hope this last month will be good and productive!

Day Trip To Hita (Part Three)

 After lunch, we had a look around the rest of Mamda Machi.

So many beautiful buildings, most of which are now shops, restaurants, cafes or museums.

One of the museums we went into was the home and clinic of a dentist.

The ground floor was the living area, and the upstairs level housed the dental clinic. I didn't have confidence using the stairs; they were very steep and didn't have a handrail. I could have gone up okay, but coming down might have been a problem.

Dental Clinic, built in 1914

The dental clinic

Hannah went upstairs. She said it was very interesting, especially the dentist chair and the old instruments!

We strolled around; it was getting very busy by then. 

This is a little video Hannah took!

The last place was a pharmacy museum. Again, it was both a house and a business.

I really enjoyed the display in the kitchen.

Old obento boxes

For cooking rice

Stone sink

I thought it was interesting that the sink was so big but not deep! I wonder if that is why sinks in Japan are always very big!

I managed to get to the second floor.  

Maybe for storing drugs

Measuring cup

Old prescriptions

Hot water bottle

I don't know what this was

Hannah made it to the third floor. She said the view was really incredible.

The view from the 3rd floor of the pharmacy

3rd floor of the pharmacy

I really like this old cash register.

Not sure what it's advertising, but it had a cat on it!

After the Pharmacy Museum, we decided to head home. It wasn't very late, about 3 o'clock, but everywhere was getting busier and busier.  

I really enjoyed my day trip. There is a lot more to see in Hita, so I'm hoping to go again!

On the way home, we stopped at Ukiha Michi no Eki. This is a rest stop that caters to people driving out of the city areas. They have shops, lots of local produce, information on the area and some resturants or cafes. One reason we stopped was that I needed the toilet, but after seeing the line, I gave up.

There was a nice observation area. The road we were on is at the foot of a mountain range, the view across the valley is really impressive.

It was a bit windy!

Hannah

Lovely view

Hannah with some of the scarecrow-like dolls they had put up

Godzilla

I hope you enjoyed this trip as much as I did. 

Day Trip to Hita (Part Two)

 I'm sorry it's taken a couple of days to get back to writing about my trip to Hita. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I'm out at work almost all day. I thought about writing when I got back, but I was too tired to focus!

After the museum of the school, we drove to Mameda Machi. This is a beautifuly preseverd Edo Period district (1603 to 1868). There are many small shops, cafes, resturants and museums. One thing that I really appreciated was the covered rest areas. I was glad to find a place to sit after wandering around for a while.

The first place we visted was a museum dedicated to the Kusano Family. The oldest son of this family is the person who founded the school we had visited. Usually in Japan, esepecailly in the Edo Period the oldest son would inherit the family business, but in this case the second son inherited. The oldest son was not very strong physically.

This is where we entered Mamada Machi

We couldn't take photos inside the museum. Here are a couple of photos from the pamphlet we had.

Hina Dolls display for Hinamatsuru, this is in the spring

I love this painted panels, they usually tell some story

The museum is in the family's house. However, it isn't the original building. A few years ago the building was taken down and rebuilt, using the original materials as much as possible. One reason the tour guide gave was to improve the buildings ability to withstand earthquakes. We had an earthquake on Tuesday, maybe a M3 in Hita, so these measures are important!

One thing I noticed was how low the ceiling are. The guide was saying that in the Edo period people were shorter than today, so high ceilings or doorways were not needed. The only two room that had high ceiling were the grandparents rooms and the guest room!

Even thought we couldn't take photos inside we could take photos of the garden. The house was built round a courtyard garden. There was an open corridor that ran round the house, the rooms on one side and the garden on the other.

I think the other photos are on Hannah's phone and she's at university now, I'll ask her to send them later.

Here are a few of the other building in the area.

We decided to get some lunch. Usually when we eat out we go to the usual chain resturants. But I really wanted to try a smaller resturant. Something more uniquie! Hannah and I spent ages searching for resturants in this area, there are quite a few but very expensive. We settled on a small place that had "teishoku" set meal menu! Teishoku is usually a main dish served with rice, soup and side dishes such as salad or some pickles.

The meals we had were very nice. Mikey had a tonkustu set, breaded fried pork chop set, Hannah had a hamburger set and I had a chicken katsu set, deep fried bread chicken breast! Everything was freshly prepared. The resturant was small, just 10 seats. I really enjoyed it. 

Hannah's lunch

My meal

We didn't get a photo of Mikey's!

The resturant

Mikey and Hannah

Hannah and me!

We visited a few more museums in the aftertoon but I think that will have to be the next post!