July

 July was fun, hot and stressful.

The fun part was my trip to Tokyo with Hannah. I really enjoyed the few days we had there. It was hot, there were crowds, and all the walking almost killed me, but it was a lot of fun. We ate nice food, had lots of laughs, saw amazing things and had wonderful experiences! 

Just a few more photos from Tokyo.

Hair salon near the hotel.

For both of us, this was the highlight of the trip. Getting tickets to see this was the whole reason we went in the summer. I think if we couldn't get tickets, we wouldn't have bothered going to Tokyo in July!

Parts of the city were very beautiful. I felt that there was an effort to make places greener and more peaceful. Living in the countryside, I'm surrounded by green; I enjoy seeing it, and I know it doesn't make that much difference to the temperature- maybe a couple of degrees lower, but somehow seeing greenery makes me feel cooler!

The other fun thing this month was setting up my Etsy Shop. This is the link for it: JackiesNekoTales - Etsy Japan

I haven't made any sales yet. I'm still learning a lot about making the designs; yes, I use AI to create the images, but it isn't as easy as I thought it would be. I have an image in my head, but trying to explain to AI what I want can get really frustrating.

This is one of my latest attempts.

I wanted an image to capture the Japanese moon-viewing festival popular in autumn. Just getting this image took over half an hour, going back and forth with AI. I'll try again later as I want the cat on the other side, the moon a bit lower, and the pampas grass opposite the cat and across the moon.

This kind of thing.

The black lines are the pampas grass, and I know the cat looks more like a rat! I really can't draw!

Even with all the challenges, I'm having fun with it and learning a lot about design, about how to make the shop look good. I really need to start selling though!

Being hot is self-explanatory! 

It's really hard here at the moment; today's high was 37℃.  The 10-day forecast is for similar temperatures! Having a working air conditioner in the dining/kitchen room has really helped; at least I can cook without feeling like I'm going to collapse!

Where to start on the stress? 

Money is still tight, but I got a new student, plus one has decided to continue for a few more months. Somebody is going to rent our storage area; not a lot of money, but it will pay the tax on the land. Every bit helps! 

Of course, the biggest stress was the earthquake the other day.

In Japan, there is a sophisticated Earthquake Early Warning system that provides people with seconds to minutes to prepare for an earthquake. It's not a lot of time, especially if you are on top of the epicentre, but you can at least drop, cover your head or hold onto something. The system also alerts critical infrastructure: trains slow down, factory lines stop, and hospitals have a chance to protect patients during surgery!

The alert goes out for an earthquake of M5 or greater, so if the phone alerts you know it's a big one. The alerts are good, and if you can react without panicking, it helps, but I panic first, then act! Hannah said that for a couple of days after the big earthquake, every time her phone made a sound she thought it was another earthquake! For the smaller ones, you are left wondering until it comes on the news or SNS.

Since the big quake on Tuesday, we've felt a few smaller ones, usually an M1 or 2. 

Last night we had an M3 here, a bit big, a bit scary and the reason why I couldn't sleep. I know staying awake worrying doesn't help, but I just couldn't relax at all. I called Hannah when it happened, but she didn't feel it; she was walking to her fridge at the time. I was sitting on my bed, so I think I felt it more!

I know that where we live, the earthquake was scary, but at least everything still works. People living near the epicentre are really suffering: no power and no water, in the middle of a heatwave.

I haven't really thought about what to do in August.

I have to get back on my diet, and I have to try and exercise. I'm sitting here ignoring the cookies in the fridge. I've had some watermelon but would love a cookie. I can't give in; one day where I eat properly is a win. Add them up, and I know I'll feel better and maybe drop some weight! August is going to be my reset month. Really focus on healthy eating!

Also, I have to start making sales on my Etsy shop. I think teaching English here isn't going to happen; we've been putting leaflets out for over a year and only one call, from a rather strange person that I wouldn't feel comfortable teaching. If I could get some students online, that would help, but I think that finding another source of income is a good idea. I love teaching, but I don't have the energy to deal with young kids anymore! I'm exploring other ideas to make money; there are so many ways now, it's just a case of finding what I can do!

Another goal for this month is the ongoing fight with this house and garden. I can't do so much outside; maybe early morning I could cut down some of the trees and bushes, it really looks like a jungle. At least I have an air condition so I can give the kitchen another good, deep clean!

I hope that by the end of August I'll have something good to write about!