danshari

Recently Satoshi sent some boxes from MIL’s to Tokyo

They were filled with photo albums because he just does not have the heart to throw them out which means they also weigh a ton!

The way our apartment building is constructed it is so wonky, I swear the designer was on drugs

I felt so bad for the poor mail dudes that had to carry them up the last 12 steps up to our apartment!

And luckily with some tetris moves, Kat found space for these boxes in our apartment 

After looking through Satoshi’s treasures, I really wanted to keep this vintage Citizen Doraemon watch

and these vintage colored pencils...but decided against it and had Satoshi sell them to a recycle shop

I gave up this coach wallet

I really loved these but they didn’t love me, the buckle would always dig into my foot…ow

And these sketchers always made my feet black

loved these boots

am giving up this coach, I had taken a photo of it after we got broken into, so that I had a record of what valuables I had

Gave up this LV

and this too

Gave up these two Hanshin jerseys because the material is too hot to wear 

got to keep this clear file because the place Satoshi went to sell some of his treasures didn't want it

We still have so much stuff but will continue to clear out more in the coming months...

zappaisuikan souji

Yesterday (Sunday) was the day that our apartment building's pipes got cleaned and we had to be home between 13:00 and 15:00.

This procedure is called zappaisuikan souji in Japanese (zappaisuikan are the pipes and souji means to clean)

Apparently if your building is 30+ years old, the pipes should be cleaned to prevent back-ups.

The cleaners started from the bottom floors and worked their way up to the top floors.

Before they clean, certain areas should be cleared...

The area where the washer's drain is.

Under the bathroom sink.

Under the kitchen sink.

As well as the bath/shower area (no photo).

So in the morning, I moved everything just in case they needed to open things up.

I didn't actually see what the guy was doing but think that he "flooded" the drain and checked to see how it "drained".

The internet showed that if it was a slow drain they would use a high powered waterstream to "flush" out the calcified areas.

Luckily our apartment only took 5 minutes and they didn't have to open any of the drains.

Amazed that this little generator did all the work for our building.

It was our first time to experience this so I was surprised that our building management did projects like this.

In a couple of weeks the building management will change all the fire alarms in the apartments.

I was also surprised that the building management kept track of who already did this because Satoshi got our apartment's alarms changed last year while I was in Hawaii (this was one of our facetime calls, I had to tell him that the fire alarm was telling him the battery needed to be changed), so we don't have to be at home on this particular day...whoo! (not that we have been going anywhere though...)

We have one more day of this Silver Week holiday but Satoshi needs to go to work, so it will be a regular day for us.

Hope you have a safe week!

cleaning

When we were in Kyoto, I noticed these guys cleaning the windows with a very long squeegee.

What shocked me was that they were cleaning the windows in the rain!

Most people I know wouldn't even be out there, let alone cleaning the windows.

Dedication, yeah?!

yesterday

Yesterday was a holiday, the Emperor's birthday. We did our O-soji (cleaning for the new year)

Then we headed to Umeda for lunch and went to see "The Vancouver Asahi", a film about immigrant Japanese in Canada who found baseball as an outlet to overcoming many struggles.

The beginning was a bit slow but the rest of the film was good. Reminded me of when we researched my ancestors' roots.

After the movie we caught part of the sunset mixed in with some Christmas illumination.

And since Satoshi and I would be able to have dinner together, (usually during the week we don't), we bought some Christmas cakes to have with dinner.

Apparently, everyone and their uncle had the same idea as the food floor of the department store was krazy!

These were from Arrow Tree, they use lots of fruits, the one in the front is a strawberry mont blanc (yellow sponge cake, whipped cream and a huge strawberry in the middle), the one in the back is a strawberry pannecotta (custard, strawberry mousse and lots of berries)...both 1581 yen for the two (tax included). We enjoyed both, not too sweet and lots of fruit.

It's the day before Christmas, I hope Santa brings everything you wish for...Happy Holidays!

street cleaners

Yesterday, as I walked to the market I saw the street cleaners working.

I've seen them in the past weeks, but never really "watched" them...

There is a guy, walking down the street with a blower...he blows the leaves off the sidewalks into the street for the street cleaner to "vacuum" up.

There is another guy, driving a dump truck. I didn't know why this guy was in the group...

Then I saw why...

The front of the street cleaner machine lifted up, and out came a "drawer" that had collected all the leaves and rubbish from the street.

It dumped everything into the back of the dump truck. No one got out of their trucks...in fact, they only slowed their pace just a little to do this.

I was amazed. Do street cleaners work like this where you live?

danshari

Today is Bunka no hi (Culture Day), a national holiday here. Thought I should share something "cultural".

The word that is trending in Japan these days is "danshari". It is made up of 3 different chinese characters.

"Dan" also read as "kotowaru" means "refusal", "decline", "refuse to".

"sha" also read as "suteru" means to "throw away".

"ri" also read as "hanareru" means to "separate from".

In other words, danshari means to get rid of things that you keep for those "may need just in case" times or clothes that "you'll wear later when...".

One of the people who have talked about this in Japan says that "things should have a "tokimeki" feeling"...."tokimeki" means that it gives you a kind of "exciting" (happy) feeling.

"If you still have tags on an item you bought, chances are they don't give that "tokimeki" feeling. Because if you really were excited about it, you would take the tags off and be raring to wear it or use it."

And while keeping items packed away in boxes does preserve them, if they mean something to you, you try to use them daily, instead of saving them for a "special occasion"."

Throughout the 10 years we've been in Japan, I've been going through my clothes, as well as other things and getting rid of some of them.

Satoshi on the other hand, has never done this. Well, I'm happy to say that I've FINALLY gotten him to go through his things and get rid of stuff.

Even in Hawaii, we had many gifts we received for our wedding. I had left them behind when we moved to Japan because we didn't know how big a space we would be living in.

On top of that, "we were waiting to use them "when" we bought a house", well, 10 years later, we still don't have a house of our own and it doesn't look like we will, so instead of keeping these items tucked away, I recently gave away a lot of dishes and tableware items to various non-profit organizations...someone should be using them.

It takes some practice to "let go" of things, but once you start, it gets easier.

Oh and the main thing they said to do, is "be sure to "thank" the items you are giving up, as they've worked hard being a part of your life".

I know Satoshi has more things to go through, it will just take a little more time for him to de-clutter.

clean (part 2)

So, after cleaning out the clutter in my utensil drawer, I wondered what to do about my gadget drawer.

While trying to come up with a solution, I cleared out the gadgets that I rarely use. I didn't throw them out (cause you never know when you may need them), just took them out of the drawer and put them into a storage basket that I have in the kitchen.

With the gadgets I had left, I used the "cardboard method" of make a divider. And lined each area with non-skid cupboard liner.

Then one day, I took a loaf cake out of the freezer that my host-sister gave us. The cake was packed inside of this wooden "tin" made by Panibois.

Apparently with a loaf paper, you can bake in these, neat!

Not wanting to throw it out, I washed it and re-used it in my gadget drawer.

Now the gadget drawer is clean.

p.s. the loaf cake was a citron cake, very good. (thank you!)

clean

Ever since we moved here nearly 10 years ago, I've been trying to keep this utensil drawer organized.

Everything I tried just didn't fit nicely in this drawer...plastic dividers, boxes...the drawer is quite shallow and a little narrow.

So as I was daydreaming in the furo (bath) the other night, I came up with a way to organize my drawer...make my own dividers.

I used some cardboard and tape and folded it to fit the drawer and the space I needed for the different utensils.

Then I cut strips of non-skid cupboard liners and voila, clean and organized (I do have more silverware that isn't in the drawer at the moment, but I'm sure it will all fit).

Don't know why I hadn't thought of this earlier, now if I can only figure out how to organize my gadget drawer...if I think of a way, I'll be sure to share.

odds & ends

After this cymbidium bloomed, my Grandma gave it to my "aunty" to take care of it. Yesterday, my "aunty" gave it back to us to give to Grandma because it was flowering.

This white iris was blooming in our yard.

This type of orchid is called "honohono". It has a very light, but beautiful fragrance.

The other day, I was at a garden shop and they were selling these l-o-n-g plantings of honohono. The cheapest started at US$20.

One of my favorites...bagel with peanut butter and honey. I used to love going to the bagel place on Pohukaina (I forgot the name of the place and I think it was Pohukaina), but they are now only selling their bagels in bulk at Sam's Club.

The African tulip trees are in full bloom. Bright orange. The flowers really look like tulips too.

Many homes and offices in Hawaii have these dust pans made from old oil cans.

While walking down Kalakaua Avenue the other week, I was amazed at how beautiful the sidewalk area was. Lush and very tropical, but not tacky.

Many people were sitting on the grass, under trees, looking at the surf. I'm really going to miss being in Hawaii.

o-soji

Towards the end of the year, everyone is busy doing O-soji. This is like spring cleaning in the States, except that it is done at the end of the year to get ready to welcome the New Year. There are tons of programs during this time for housewives to pick up ideas on how to clean.

Now, I don't know about you, but I don't like to clean, so I try to do bits and pieces throughout the year. I'm also the type to buy products that will save me from scrubbing or wiping...what can I say, I'm lazy!

I wanted to share with you two products that I cannot live without --the range hood cover and stove-top cover.

The range hood cover has two magnets, one on each side and attaches right on top of the grating that covers the vent. You can adjust it by sliding it to fit it perfectly over the grating. This prevents oil and dirt from directly going through the vent. When the cover has captured enough oil and dirt, there is a secret message, something like "time to change me" that appears on the cover. This cover lasts about 4 months or less depending how often you fry foods. Without it, I would have to take apart the range hood to get to the fan, dismantle the fan and scrub the fan inside...eeww!

The second product is the stove-top cover. This is a sturdy aluminum foil type. You don't have to cover each burner, just remove the old cover, wipe down the stove-top and place the new cover over the stove-top. The only part that I actually clean are the parts where the gas comes out from (sorry, don't know what it is called). Using this cover is wonderful, when your pot boils over, there is less to clean up! Fast and easy! I usually change this every 6 months or so.

So, what do we do during O-soji? We usually just wipe the windows and light fixtures, then sit back and wait to welcome in the New Year!

I still have a little more to post about before the year ends...Have a great weekend!