this and that

Been enjoying this imo kenpi made by Shibuya Foods.

Imo Kenpi is from Kochi Prefecture, sweet potato is fried and then candied...so ono!
 

Love the money conversion thingy on the calculator...with the latest iPhone update.

Tokyo People: this guy (with the green! hair) was so tall!

Loved this guy's shirt

Weekend before Halloween

the Halloween festivities near the train station, so many little ones dressed up as well as the adults too

Bought some cake from Vanni for Halloween...this was called Amande (Almond), I think the beige colored cream was almond, the darker cream was chocolate...delicious!

Tokyo People: not sure what these 3 were doing but since they were walking so slow, I was able to capture them :)

The sunrise yesterday

Life hack: I put wax paper/parchment between the slices of bread before freezing, so if I need to take out 1 slice, I can.

Sorry it was quiet around here, I was watching the Dodgers in the World Series,then after the game running (walking really fast) to physical therapy before they closed for lunch...Congratulations to them! what a roller coaster the games were.

It’s the start of a 3 day weekend, hope you have a safe weekend!

life hack

How many zip ties have you cut?! I have cut quite a lot.

I learned that if you squeeze the top with a flat nose plier you should be able to release the end of the zip tie and use it again.

Cool yeah?!
 

this and that

Discovered a new (to me) way to "peel" the araiimo (satoimo/dasheen)...roast them first.

I scrubbed the araiimo then let it dry for a couple of hours then stuck it into a 220C (425F) oven for 30 minutes.

While it is still hot, use a dish cloth and rub the outer “skin” and it comes off pretty quickly, no slime too!

Just be careful because it is very hot!

7 years since my Grandma passed away...I bought some kuri manju (her favorite) to put next to her picture...miss you Gram!

Hard to see in the photo but Santa and his reindeer have washed their uniforms and are ready for Christmas...

The cats have been keeping warm.

A small batch of David Lebovitz's spice mixed nuts.

I added pumpkin seeds too.

Omicron is spreading around Japan but not as krazy as other countries, hoping it will not get too krazy.

This week Tokyo's daily cases ranged from 20 to 40…we are definitely not in single digits anymore..eep!

Have a safe & delicious Christmas weekend. 

deodorant

I've been using this brand of deodorant for a couple of months now.

The container is quite small and only lasts me about a month.

When I got to the end the first time I used this, I thought, there has to be more in there...

I looked online and luckily there was someone who posted about the same brand.

On the bottom, there is a sticker.

Remove it and with a stick, you can fish out (punch out) the rest of the deodorant.

As you can see, I've collected quite a bit over the past couple of months.

Will start using from this soon.

plastic containers

A lot of the plastic tubed items (like toothpaste and face wash) that are sold here in Japan are made of a thick plastic.

When I get to the "end", I use this lifehack to try to use all of the toothpaste or face wash.

I take the flattened container and "puff it up" filling it with air then I hold the end opposite the opening and flap the tube up and down.

By flapping the tube up and down, the air that is in the tube, pushes the leftover soap/toothpaste down to the opening so that all of the soap/toothpaste can be used.

Hope you can view this video. (sometimes there are region restrictions on you tube videos)

Ketchup and mayo also come in similar plastic containers, so I use this method too.

The other day, as I was getting to the end of my face wash, I used this lifehack several times and only a little tiny squirt of soap came out.

So, to make sure I truly used everything up, I cut the top of the tube and used a rubber spatula to scrape whatever was in there.

It was my first time cutting the tube open and boy was I shocked that there was so much left in there!

For toothpaste, ketchup and mayo, I am going to continue to use this lifehack and for my face wash I am also going to cut it open to make sure I've used up everything.

Have you ever tried this lifehack before?

disappointed

Am very disappointed with the attitude of some people here in Tokyo.

Not following the request to "social distance" and to "stay at home"

Just because their type of shop was not specifically listed, they continue to do business.

Just because the fenced off area had an opening and "everyone else was doing it", they went down to dig for clams.

"Running" to other prefectures because the other prefectures haven't been requested to "social distance" or to "stay at home" (yet)...putting the other prefecture's medical systems and citizens at risk.

Doesn't everyone realize that if we don't get this virus under control there will be NO Olympics?!

That we will all have to continue to "stay at home"?!

This is the 1st week that Satoshi stayed at home and he is already bored.

That area I set up the computer for him to study online is his new hangout.

Which is good because we are not in each other's faces.

He does come out when he is hungry or needs me to explain something he read in English (I need to write "dictionary" on my resume)...

We have been eating stuff from the pantry and freezer, and I do go out for groceries once a week, usually on Wednesdays.

I stopped going to rehab because I am basically "pain free" and most of the people that go to rehab are elderly and I don't want to put them at risk...

You probably already know about this life hack but I usually buy an amount of meat and freeze half with the label from the package, so that I will know what it is.

Found these Eureka variety of blueberries from Shizuoka. These are smaller berries but was glad to support the Japan Farming Community.

We went for a walk on Saturday and saw some beautiful flowers.

Over the past week, there were days that it rained, which made it easy for us to stay indoors, it was days like Saturday that made us sigh and wish were were able to be out and about.

Still, we plan to go out for a walk at least once a week.

I've challenged Satoshi to grow a beard...it is almost a week and he already hates it and shaved it yesterday.

He said "gentlemen always shave"...sorry for you readers that already have a beard...

Monday, Satoshi had to go to the doctor for his periodic check-up...he went anxiously but needed to go so he can refill his prescriptions.

He needs to go back for the results, but I asked if he could just call the doctor to get them instead of having to ride the train...he ended up going back yesterday afternoon (everything was okay).

We ordered some 551...6 butaman and 15 yakigyoza.

We ate 2 butaman for lunch yesterday and I have frozen the other 4 for us to have another day.

The yakigyoza will be our Friday dinner.

We call MIL from time to time, she is doing fine.

Basically that was our week, how was yours?

Hope you all are keeping safe.

origami-ish mask

Since we were going to Kyoto, I wanted to wear a mask on the Shinkansen and anytime we were outside.

I saw this hack online and had to try.

Get a piece of fabric, preferably lightweight cotton that is 20 inches (50 centimeters) by 20 inches (50 centimeters).

I used one that was 12 inches (30 centimeters) by 20 inches (50 centimeters).

Fold the fabric into half and then fold it in half again.

I folded mine into thirds.

This is the mask.

With measurable hair ties, measure two pieces that are 10 inches (25 centimeters) each and tie each piece.

This will be the ear straps of the mask.

Place the mask through the ear straps with the knots facing up.

Holding one ear strap, gently bring that end of the mask into the center.

The knot will be covered up with the fold of the mask.

Do the same for the other side.

Tuck the overlap of fabric into the other end of the mask.

*You can adjust the mask to fit the width of your face.

If you wear glasses, wear the mask first and then put your glasses on.

Try to get the top part of the mask to fit right under your glasses, it will hold the mask in place and prevent it from fogging up.

To tell you the truth, I hate wearing masks because it is too hot and I feel like I am breathing recycled air..blah.

I love this hack because there is no sewing involved, you can wash the mask after you use it and the fabric can be used for something else.

While we were in Kyoto, I brought 3 different fabrics with me so that I could change my mask everyday.

After this is all over, I plan to keep this in my disaster bag for earthquakes.

I hope it won't be too hard to follow my directions, and if you do try this, let me know what you think.

life hack

Do you ever have a hard time peeling hard boiled eggs?

Me, I almost always do.

The shell sticks to the egg and my "peeled" eggs usually look all "bumpy".

I recently learned a new hack though.

Before boiling the egg, tap the "rounded" side of the egg with the back of a spoon a couple of times. (FYI: the opposite side is more "pointy")

The rounded side has an "air pocket" and when the egg is in the boiling water, the "cracks" will release the carbon dioxide that is between the egg and the shell.

(Apparently, this is also why the egg is put into the carton with the rounded side up, so it can "breathe"...)

Then when you peel it the shell should just slide off.

If you try this, I hope it will work for you.

life hack

Got this info from a television show...

if you ever have leftover rice, freeze it in a "round" shape so that when you reheat it in the microwave, it will reheat evenly.

We rarely have leftover rice, but when we do, I try to freeze it like this.

I think this works, if you try it, let me know what you think.

lifehack

I've been using this lifehack for some time now, and recently told a friend about this.

Most washers in Japan do not have the thingy in the middle to wash the clothes.

Because of this, the clothes end up all tangled in a big ball.

But, if you put two empty 500 milliliter plastic bottles with the caps on into a net, and wash your clothes...

The middle of the washer ends up being cleared and most times the clothes do not tangle.

If you have the same type of washer, and do try this, I hope it works for you too.

p.s. thanks Rowena for reminding me to post about this :)