I picked up a flier for ordering Christmas Cakes -- orders must be placed by Dec 17. I have no idea how they put together this particular tradition, but Christmas cakes are usually white cakes, sometimes a bit of chocolate, often with fruit and Santa on top. There are usually a few strawberries in the creamy white filling. Prices seem to go from $30 or $40, to $100 for a cake that might serve up to 6 people, and is only good for one day.
Women over 30 or 32 or 28 are referred to as Christmas Cake -- their time is over.....they did not marry in time.
Anyway, on the last page of my catalogue is a section,"Dog and Cat Cakes" that is accompanied by a sign "Partner foods" with a handprint and paw print. Apparently for 1800 yen, about $18, you can order a 9cm across whole white cake with a Santa, cookie, "Merry Xmas" and green leaves on top. The expectation is that you will share this with your dog or cat (note, no chocolate). Or for 1500 yen, you can get two pieces of cake with cream and fruit on top, one red and one yellow, again, for sharing.
Is this a new business model for the US?
We can put forward the "partner foods" trademark on foods that are suitable for you and your pet!
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
September weather
The fierce heat of summer has abated, and we have days in the high 80's or low 90's, and it cools down every evening now. The ginko trees are turning ever so slightly yellow/green. And an occasional momiji (Japanese maple) has some red leaves.
To keep track of the weather, it is necessary to track the incoming typhoons (also known as cyclones). The Japane Meteriological Agency has a good site for tracking:
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/typh/
The next typhoon is turning north, and looks like it will stay off the coast of Japan. This will give us some clouds, and possibly rain, but not a fierce storm.
To keep track of the weather, it is necessary to track the incoming typhoons (also known as cyclones). The Japane Meteriological Agency has a good site for tracking:
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/typh/
The next typhoon is turning north, and looks like it will stay off the coast of Japan. This will give us some clouds, and possibly rain, but not a fierce storm.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Climbing Mt. Omifuji & Mikami Shinto Shrine
Will and I responded to a flier, "Climbing Mt. Omifuji & Mikami Shinto Shrine" from the Kyoto Guide Club. This volunteer group carefully planned a day-long outing. It was promoted,"Have you ever been attracted by Greek Mythology or Roman Mythology? There was a similar one in Japan, too."
Apparently the great grandchild of Amaterasu (the sun goddess) landed on Mt. Mikami from Heaven. This area was sort of a playground for gods and nobles where they played, hunted and wrote poetry.
For this human outing, folks met at the main Kyoto Station at 9:00 -- checked in with a person with a clipboard, and got name tags. I think our group was about 24 people -- maybe 8 Japanese from the committee/club. The rest of us were from Bahrain, Czech Republic, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Serbia, Cameroon, and the US (Will and Peg).
We took a train ride of about 45 min, prayed at the appropriate shrine for caution and good fortune with the hike. Then we took short taxi ride, then a bathroom stop and a stop at a combini (convenience store) in case anyone needed more water or forgot to pack a lunch. From there we hiked at a good clip up this fairly steep mountain. With a little more understanding of what we were getting into, I would have brought my hiking poles. The pace was fast, and Will lagged a bit, but they had build in a couple of rest stops. There was a spectacular view from the top. the pace was fast on the way down too, and it was even steeper. I gave my ankle a minor twist, but kept going.
The route we had hoped to take back had been washed out by the typhoon, so we took a combined road/path around the mountain to return. For some time we walked along a strong fence which was designed to keep the wild boar out of the rice fields. The women hand harvesting the rice were covered very traditionally in layers of clothes, and a wide brimmed bonnet, so that no sun would get on any part of their bodies.
All in all , this was a successful international outing -- with a chance to speak informally to folks from several countries.
Apparently the great grandchild of Amaterasu (the sun goddess) landed on Mt. Mikami from Heaven. This area was sort of a playground for gods and nobles where they played, hunted and wrote poetry.
For this human outing, folks met at the main Kyoto Station at 9:00 -- checked in with a person with a clipboard, and got name tags. I think our group was about 24 people -- maybe 8 Japanese from the committee/club. The rest of us were from Bahrain, Czech Republic, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Serbia, Cameroon, and the US (Will and Peg).
We took a train ride of about 45 min, prayed at the appropriate shrine for caution and good fortune with the hike. Then we took short taxi ride, then a bathroom stop and a stop at a combini (convenience store) in case anyone needed more water or forgot to pack a lunch. From there we hiked at a good clip up this fairly steep mountain. With a little more understanding of what we were getting into, I would have brought my hiking poles. The pace was fast, and Will lagged a bit, but they had build in a couple of rest stops. There was a spectacular view from the top. the pace was fast on the way down too, and it was even steeper. I gave my ankle a minor twist, but kept going.
The route we had hoped to take back had been washed out by the typhoon, so we took a combined road/path around the mountain to return. For some time we walked along a strong fence which was designed to keep the wild boar out of the rice fields. The women hand harvesting the rice were covered very traditionally in layers of clothes, and a wide brimmed bonnet, so that no sun would get on any part of their bodies.
All in all , this was a successful international outing -- with a chance to speak informally to folks from several countries.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
And did I say there is no lifeguard at the pool?
In the US we are very used to the idea of a lifeguard -- someone in a red suit or shirt who sits up on a raised chair and scans the pool every 10 seconds. In Arlington, they cannot even talk to another person, and are spelled every so often. When they change lifeguards in Arlington, one set of eyes always continues to scan the pool.
Not so much here. And maybe it is OK because the pool is only between waist and chest deep. Adults can touch everywhere, and teachers are in the pool with kids during their lessons. There is a staff person who greets me when I enter the pool area, and walks around straightening things, and is mostly looking down....
The pool does not open until 10:00am. It has no free swim from mid-afternoon to 7:00pm because of classes for children. In the evening there are usually 2 lanes for adult lessons or some very rigorous water aerobics. Then there are two lanes for free swim -- usually 3-5 people sharing a lane. And then there is one lane for people walking in the pool.
The pool is only 25 meters, and it is too warm (for kid's learning), but I need the exercise!
Not so much here. And maybe it is OK because the pool is only between waist and chest deep. Adults can touch everywhere, and teachers are in the pool with kids during their lessons. There is a staff person who greets me when I enter the pool area, and walks around straightening things, and is mostly looking down....
The pool does not open until 10:00am. It has no free swim from mid-afternoon to 7:00pm because of classes for children. In the evening there are usually 2 lanes for adult lessons or some very rigorous water aerobics. Then there are two lanes for free swim -- usually 3-5 people sharing a lane. And then there is one lane for people walking in the pool.
The pool is only 25 meters, and it is too warm (for kid's learning), but I need the exercise!
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Sept 15 Typhoon
There was a serious Typhoon, and Kyoto was impacted, but not Will and me.
It
had been coming for some time, and we had been following it on the
weather map with the Japanese Meteorological Agency I am signed up with the Embassy, and had an e-mail from
them alerting us about the upcoming typhoon. I bought a big 20 liter
jug for storing water, and we have food and flashlights.Sunday the 15th was my birthday, so we went out in the morning to see a Temple not too far from the house that we had not yet explored. An elderly couple were getting some sort of special blessing, and the priest was chanting. The temple also had a great garden -- and unlike many of the more famous ones, you could walk through much of it.
We went anyway to the nearby Temple handicraft sale, and explored some of the art-fair like booths. Some of the vendors had tents, some were huddled around the perimeters of the various Temple buildings. Most of the work was unimpressive (clearly not juried), but I found 3 interesting bowls.
On Tuesday, Will walked further up the river and saw a big hunk of path and wall washed away, and the huge stones that had been providing support were gone. We never felt much wind, though there certainly was a lot of rain. Again, we seemed to have slept through the wind also. Even with all the damage, it was downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm.
And, delightfully, the weather is cooler and clear now.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
The Japanese kitchen
Scissors. Our most important kitchen utensil is a pair of scissors -- EVERYthing is wrapped in plastic. Seldom can you just chose your own vegetables -- it is all pre-wrapped.
Rice paddle. Good for getting the rice out of the rice cooker. The rice cooker also works well on barley. The Japanese mix in a bit of barley (10%) to make the white rice healthier. We use brown rice, but sometimes mix in barley, or make the barley by itself. We have not found oatmeal yet.
Chopsticks. Best to have your own so that the Chinese do not need to chop down so many trees. When you buy a lunch at a convenience store (combini), or eat out, they want to give you disposable chopsticks.
Wooden spatula. Two of our 3 pans are teflon, so the wooden spatula is good.
Combined microwave/oven/grill (toaster). Since the kitchen is so small, this one appliance is supposed to do it all (and none of it very well). I found a toaster oven at work that is doing a good job. And sometimes we can find whole wheat bread.
"Garbage disposal". Actually, where there would be a garbage disposal, you put a mesh bag. Then every couple of days you throw away the mesh bag and put in a fresh one.
"Dishwasher". Only the human kind.
Stove. Two burners, gas, quite hot. It also has a small broiler, labeled "fish".
Silverware. We have an apartment that is considered suitable for 4 people, so we have 4 forks, 4 spoons, 4 plates, etc.
Rice paddle. Good for getting the rice out of the rice cooker. The rice cooker also works well on barley. The Japanese mix in a bit of barley (10%) to make the white rice healthier. We use brown rice, but sometimes mix in barley, or make the barley by itself. We have not found oatmeal yet.
Chopsticks. Best to have your own so that the Chinese do not need to chop down so many trees. When you buy a lunch at a convenience store (combini), or eat out, they want to give you disposable chopsticks.
Wooden spatula. Two of our 3 pans are teflon, so the wooden spatula is good.
Combined microwave/oven/grill (toaster). Since the kitchen is so small, this one appliance is supposed to do it all (and none of it very well). I found a toaster oven at work that is doing a good job. And sometimes we can find whole wheat bread.
"Garbage disposal". Actually, where there would be a garbage disposal, you put a mesh bag. Then every couple of days you throw away the mesh bag and put in a fresh one.
"Dishwasher". Only the human kind.
Stove. Two burners, gas, quite hot. It also has a small broiler, labeled "fish".
Silverware. We have an apartment that is considered suitable for 4 people, so we have 4 forks, 4 spoons, 4 plates, etc.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Kyoto City Industrial Exhibition Hall
The Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts on the lower level of the Kyoto City Industrial Exhibition Hall. The building is sort of a medium sized convention center. After visiting the museum, I visited 3 large rooms in the convention center. Presumably, different groups had rented each space.
The first room had hand made items, and lots of older people. There were, for example, 10 similar calligraphy hangings, 10 similar hand-sewed bags, and other crafts including knitting, oil painting, origami, wood projects, paper flowers and so on. It was as if I had been dropped into an Iowa County Fair, or even the Arlington Co. Fair.
Except here, everything was in multiples, with slight variations. There were no price tags, and there were no prizes pinned on things. I looked at some crocheted slippers -- slightly different sizes, and an assortment of colors. The nearby woman explained to me (in Japanese) that each slipper was made from 8 squares. Then she showed me with great reverence the work of her teacher. Suddenly I understood that the work was being displayed in groups as students displayed their work together. Now I related it to the displays at the end of our week of classes at the John Campbell folk school.
The second room had signs, "Home Do", and its focus was home remodeling. There were a couple of sample kitchens, some sample pieces of flooring, and lots of before/after remodeling posters. As well there were lots of empty tables, presumably at which it was hoped that contractors and homeowners would be sitting down. In fact, there was only one couple in the whole place. The recession may not be over yet....
And the third room was some sort of college student art show from an "Art Club". Almost all was two dimensional art, and a lot of it was "cute". There were a handful of students at tables by the entrance, and a handful of folks looking at the art. There was an interesting notebook available that showed some of the pieces as they were being done. Three of the pictures were quite striking large format oil paintings -- one of the head of a mountain sheep, one of a wooden carving that guards the shrine gates, and one of two koi.
The first room had hand made items, and lots of older people. There were, for example, 10 similar calligraphy hangings, 10 similar hand-sewed bags, and other crafts including knitting, oil painting, origami, wood projects, paper flowers and so on. It was as if I had been dropped into an Iowa County Fair, or even the Arlington Co. Fair.
Except here, everything was in multiples, with slight variations. There were no price tags, and there were no prizes pinned on things. I looked at some crocheted slippers -- slightly different sizes, and an assortment of colors. The nearby woman explained to me (in Japanese) that each slipper was made from 8 squares. Then she showed me with great reverence the work of her teacher. Suddenly I understood that the work was being displayed in groups as students displayed their work together. Now I related it to the displays at the end of our week of classes at the John Campbell folk school.
The second room had signs, "Home Do", and its focus was home remodeling. There were a couple of sample kitchens, some sample pieces of flooring, and lots of before/after remodeling posters. As well there were lots of empty tables, presumably at which it was hoped that contractors and homeowners would be sitting down. In fact, there was only one couple in the whole place. The recession may not be over yet....
And the third room was some sort of college student art show from an "Art Club". Almost all was two dimensional art, and a lot of it was "cute". There were a handful of students at tables by the entrance, and a handful of folks looking at the art. There was an interesting notebook available that showed some of the pieces as they were being done. Three of the pictures were quite striking large format oil paintings -- one of the head of a mountain sheep, one of a wooden carving that guards the shrine gates, and one of two koi.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
"Do you know the common rules for the disposal of garbage in the area where you live?"
These were among the instructions in the "Guide to living in Japan" that came with my visa.
In my first apartment, I was instructed to sort the glass bottles/cans/plastic PET bottles into clear bags for putting out on Thursdays, and to put the rest of the garbage/trash out in yellow bags on Tuesdays and Fridays. The bags were put just in front of the building at (more or less exactly) 8:00 am.
But they were not telling me the full story. On Wed. they also picked up clear bags that had all the other plastic in them. (There is a lot of other plastic, with bento boxes, plastic trays for the vegetables, and plastic boxes for the prepared food.)
As foretold in one of the newsletters for foreigners, I held my breath returning home the first few times on trash day, hoping that I had not screwed up, and that they had taken my garbage.
Sometimes I saw red bags with paper and cardboard at another location on another day of the week....
And in the office, there are 4 bins by the elevator:
raw garbage
burnable garbage
plastic/aluminum
PET bottle (but not lid)
Now at the new apartment, there are two big bins for "raw garbage" with any type of bag accepted. I see quite a lot of plastic in those bags. And there is a small bin for recycles -- somewhat unspecified. I am putting my plastics and other re-cycles there. My volume of re-cycles to regular (raw) garbage is about 6:1. Apparently this is privately collected.
"Easy Living in Kyoto," put out for foreigners in Japanese and English describes it a bit differently.
Burnables twice a week
Recycles: empty cans, glass bottles, and PET bottles, once a week
Plastic containers, once a month
Small metal items, once a month
Large items, furniture, etc. call
Dead pets, call and pay 4600 yen, unless it was a stray
Then there is a recycling section:
Appliances and electronics -- return where they were purchased, and pay a fee
Newspapers, magazines, and cardboard -- ask nieghbors or building superintendant -- there are trucks that come around, making music, that will take these and give you toilet paper or a few coins (I have not tried this yet)
Paper cartons -- wash cut open and dry. Collected at the Ward office and supermarkets
Dry Cell Batteries -- look for special collection boxes at Ward offices and other places
Used Tempura Oil -- bring to your Ward branch office
Lighters -- bring to your Ward branch office
I am doing my best!
And to reduce my catalogs coming to the Arlington address, I am using a service supported by the city of Arlington that makes it easy to stop each one (must enter some information from the labels):
https://arlingtonva.
-------------------
Now I have obtained from the Kyoto International Community House a 30 page set of instructions in English about the full system of protecting the environment through recycling. I have not fully studied it, but do note that there is an 800 yen fee for recycling a bowling ball -- I recall Dan at approximately age 6 finding a bowling ball in someone's trash on his way to school -- he rolled it to school and kept it for years.
In my first apartment, I was instructed to sort the glass bottles/cans/plastic PET bottles into clear bags for putting out on Thursdays, and to put the rest of the garbage/trash out in yellow bags on Tuesdays and Fridays. The bags were put just in front of the building at (more or less exactly) 8:00 am.
But they were not telling me the full story. On Wed. they also picked up clear bags that had all the other plastic in them. (There is a lot of other plastic, with bento boxes, plastic trays for the vegetables, and plastic boxes for the prepared food.)
As foretold in one of the newsletters for foreigners, I held my breath returning home the first few times on trash day, hoping that I had not screwed up, and that they had taken my garbage.
Sometimes I saw red bags with paper and cardboard at another location on another day of the week....
And in the office, there are 4 bins by the elevator:
raw garbage
burnable garbage
plastic/aluminum
PET bottle (but not lid)
Now at the new apartment, there are two big bins for "raw garbage" with any type of bag accepted. I see quite a lot of plastic in those bags. And there is a small bin for recycles -- somewhat unspecified. I am putting my plastics and other re-cycles there. My volume of re-cycles to regular (raw) garbage is about 6:1. Apparently this is privately collected.
"Easy Living in Kyoto," put out for foreigners in Japanese and English describes it a bit differently.
Burnables twice a week
Recycles: empty cans, glass bottles, and PET bottles, once a week
Plastic containers, once a month
Small metal items, once a month
Large items, furniture, etc. call
Dead pets, call and pay 4600 yen, unless it was a stray
Then there is a recycling section:
Appliances and electronics -- return where they were purchased, and pay a fee
Newspapers, magazines, and cardboard -- ask nieghbors or building superintendant -- there are trucks that come around, making music, that will take these and give you toilet paper or a few coins (I have not tried this yet)
Paper cartons -- wash cut open and dry. Collected at the Ward office and supermarkets
Dry Cell Batteries -- look for special collection boxes at Ward offices and other places
Used Tempura Oil -- bring to your Ward branch office
Lighters -- bring to your Ward branch office
I am doing my best!
And to reduce my catalogs coming to the Arlington address, I am using a service supported by the city of Arlington that makes it easy to stop each one (must enter some information from the labels):
https://arlingtonva.
-------------------
Now I have obtained from the Kyoto International Community House a 30 page set of instructions in English about the full system of protecting the environment through recycling. I have not fully studied it, but do note that there is an 800 yen fee for recycling a bowling ball -- I recall Dan at approximately age 6 finding a bowling ball in someone's trash on his way to school -- he rolled it to school and kept it for years.
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