danshari

Lately we’ve been danshari-ing (purging)

We are lucky because in Japan there are a lot of places that will buy the purged things 

Not all places pay you a lot of money for the purged items but it is better than “just throwing it in the trash” or paying for seals so that the city will pick them up...

I recently took my beading stash in as well as some jewelry

We also found out they will also take our old smartphones, so I was trying to erase all our info from the phones

Since I forgot how to use the old models, I was glad that You Tube had tutorials on how to use them

Top photo: my very first iphone…3GS?! so teeny

And my second iphone 5S, this was teeny too

We still have a lot more stuff to purge but since the shop we go to only gives 30 minute appointments, we’ll just keep doing a little at a time

Hope you have a safe weekend

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...

upcycle

Upcycled part of my favorite beach towel which had holes in some areas...

 

Turned it into a little bag to hold my umbrella especially when it gets wet from the rain...(I lost the original cover for my umbrella...boo!)

We also carry a small plastic bag to keep our wet umbrellas in because the wet foldable umbrellas usually don't fit in the bags that stores give out to put wet umbrellas in when it rains

Right now though it is holding my secret weapon

The weather has been blazing and super humid.

Everyone is wondering where the rainy season has gone...

new rule

Our ward has a new rule for plastics...

Anything that has the katakana "pura" mark on it, should be kept aside and thrown out as "plastics"

You don't realize how much plastic is used daily until you have to keep it aside.

They do have an acception that if the plastic item is "dirty" you can just throw it out.

After reading that part of the rule, I was kind of not motivated to keep our plastics aside...

But, have been trying to follow their p.i.t.a. rules...

this and that

They've been planning to raise our sales tax to 10% but postponed it and it looks like it will finally happen next October...they also plan to keep the tax for essentials at 8% (what the sales tax is now).

Can you believe that tap water will be 10% but that bottled mineral water will be 8%?

If you eat-in at the convenience store your tax would be 10% but if you take out the tax would be 8%.

I think their logic as to what qualifies for 10% and for 8% is backwards.

Especially since with all the take out containers, trash amounts will increase...

Anyway, I hope the government will reconsider and think things through instead of trying to rush to get this thing passed...

On a side note, I was impressed with the butcher in one of the many shops near JR Kamata.

They do not use styrofoam trays.

Instead, you talk to the person behind the counter and they put the meat you purchase into a plastic bag and wrap it with butcher paper. (photo above)

Semi-old school but not totally ecological (I think old school would be for us to bring our own container for them to put what we purchase into) and I like that their prices are comparable with the big supermarkets....

I've also noticed that Minoo restricted the amount of trash we could put out each week (10 liters per person two times a week), where Tokyo doesn't really (45 liters per bag, up to 3 bags, two times a week).

Changing the subject, most of our roadways near our apartment are straight, so from our lanai we can see straight down for miles.

I try to use Google Street View before going on walks, so I can see what the area looks like beforehand, so I won't get too lost. (love technology!)

The other day, I walked down one of the many roadways until it ended and landed near the edge of the Tama River and what they call the Gas Bridge.

If you cross the river, you will be in Kanagawa prefecture.

We've been in Tokyo for almost 6 months, still lots to explore and new things to learn.

shunkoen

Sunday, we brought some electronics that we do not need anymore to Book Off to see what they would "buy" from us.

In Japan, many recycle shops, will pay a little to buy recyclables for them to re-sell.

Depending on how old or new the item is, and if it is something that can be resold, will determine how much they will pay you for them.

We've gone to recycle shops in the past and received no payment for our items...some have also gotten rid of some of our items for free (most times we need to pay to have things thrown out).

While we were waiting for their estimate, we had lunch at Shunkoen.

I ordered their mabo tofu lunch and it was HUGE.

Beside the main dish, there was a salad, some egg drop soup and pickles.

Satoshi had to help me finish my food.

Satoshi also had their ramen and yaki gyoza set.

The ramen was shoyu based but I was amazed by their gyoza.

They were huge!

Satoshi says they were filled with soup, like XLB (xiao long bao) or as the Japanese call them "shorompo".

Everything was tasty and I'm glad we got to try this place...we'll be back.

As for our electronics, Book Off gave us 1250 yen for all of them!

We were surprised and happy as we were only expecting them to give us 10 yen or not even anything for all of it...guess it "pays" to recycle.

Shunkoen
5-22-1 Kamata
Ota, Tokyo
Phone: 03.3733.7677
Lunch 11:00-14:00, Dinner 17:00-24:00 (Mondays-Saturdays
(Sundays only open for lunch)

eco ring

For the past two Sundays, we've visited a recycle shop called Eco Ring.

In the past, I've written about recycle shops, here and here. They've refused some items, and they usually buy things from you for super cheap.

Eco Ring on the other hand are unlike those shops, as long as it isn't food or medication, they buy it.

Last Sunday, we brought a couple of things that our printer "used to use"...ink, cards and photo paper...this got us 10 yen...whoo!

And a Louis Vuitton paper bag...5 yen.

Yup, they even buy brand name paper bags and boxes!

This weekend, Satoshi went through his things and gave up his golf clubs, as well as some bags and other items.

I gave up some make-up bags, as well as some small items like watches, sunglasses and costume jewelry.

We figured we could at least get 200 yen for everything and were shocked when the woman working there gave us 2500 yen!

I think we are done cleaning our clutter for this year, but now we know where to bring stuff to be recycled.

recycle

Recently found a new use for a ski cap that didn't quite fit anymore...

Perfect as a cozy for our coffee pot in the mornings...

recycle

I told you that our laptop went to "computer heaven"...well, after we got a "diagnosis" and purchased a new laptop, we went back to talk to the tech support guy.

If our old laptop were in better condition, they could've bought it to re-sell, but since it was kaput, he told us about recycling it.

On the underside of the laptop is this mark (see the photo). He explained that since it has this mark the maker will take it back to recycle at no additional cost to us.

You should know that in Japan, most EVERYTHING costs something to recycle.

For our city (Minoo), if the item fits in the proper recycling bags, then it is usually paid for through taxes.

If it doesn't, our city requires us to pay at least 300 yen, up front, for it to be recycled. The bigger the item, the more you pay.

So, we're always looking for places that will take things (at no extra charge) to be recycled. Like if you buy a sofa, will the company you are buying from, dispose of your old sofa at no extra charge...things like that.

If our computer didn't have this mark, then we would've had to pay about 3000 yen to have it recycled.

I like the fact that the maker is going to send me a package to put the laptop into and send it back to themselves at no extra cost to us.

Does it cost a lot for you to recycle where you live?

recycle

I've been recycling this Oil of Olay wash cloth box for some time now.

I use it for packets of furikake.

It fits one package of assorted furikake perfectly (which is 20 packets).

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!)

musubi keeper

Unless Satoshi has a planned drinking thingy to go to after work, I make a musubi for him to take to work. He usually eats this at about 19:30 or 20:00 to tide him over until dinner (which depends on when he comes home from work, usually at about 22:00 or 23:00 or sometimes even later...)

Once he came home without having time to eat the musubi and the musubi wrapped in saran wrap being in his bag all day, it was flat, pancake flat.

So, I had been interested in finding a container that could be reused, maybe saving me from using a piece of saran wrap every day and would help the musubi keep its shape.

Then, I saw Pikko's blog and she had the perfect gadget. The holder I found was 750 yen (about US$7.50).

The musubi keeper holds a musubi and space for a little okazu (side dish). There is a plastic dividing cover to keep the okazu and musubi separate (see the first photo).

The musubi I made for Satoshi was bigger than what the makers of this keeper envisioned, so I didn't use the plastic dividing cover and just encased the musubi.

I hope the musubi doesn't dry out and it will be able to come out without sticking to the container...

UPDATE: Satoshi says that the container keeps the musubi intact and it doesn't stick to the container either, nor does it dry out...yeah!

Wow, another week has flown by...hope you have a great weekend!

recycle

Living in Japan, I've become more aware of recycling. I bring my own bags whenever I go shopping and try not to take any plastic or paper bags whenever possible.

So you may or may not be thinking...what do I line my garbage cans with? In the kitchen, I use the mandatory city garbage bag. It is clear and has the mandatory city stamp on it.

For the toilet and bathroom, I use the plastic wrapping from the toilet paper. Whenever I buy a package of toilet paper, I open the top carefully and use the rolls of toilet paper. When all the rolls are gone, I put the "plastic bag" into the trash as a liner.

Do you do anything special to recycle or save resources where you live?

using junk mail

Do you have a lot of junk mail? I think we all do. I was reading an article in a free magazine that Satoshi picked up. The article talked about how to turn junk mail into a trash can. (This spurred me to practice making them and eventually turned the magazine into LOTS of little trash cans.)

These are perfect for when you are watching tv or working at the computer and eating something and need to put say the shells into something but don't want to get up to throw them out....or maybe when you go on a picnic or road trip and you want to put some dry trash into something to throw away later. Hopefully, these pictures and my writing will be clear enough for you to understand. (I wish I had video...)

Take a rectangular piece of paper, most junk mail is...and fold it in half and then in half again.

It should look like this. Now, flip it over so that the folded edge is on top.

Take one of the folded edges and bring the edge to the center to make a triangle...it should look like this. Do this for the other folded edge too.

Your paper should look like this. (there should be a gap between).

Now, take the edge on the left and bring it over to the right, like you are flipping a page in a book. Do this for the other side too. (you shouldn't be able to see the gap)

Now, bring the left edge towards the center and the right edge also towards the center. Do this for the opposite side also. It should look like a pentagon.

Fold the straight edge of the pentagon up. Do this for the opposite side.

Now, stick your hand into the "pocket" and open up the box.

Press down on the center of the box to make it flat.

When you open it up, it should look like this. The bigger the rectangle the bigger the box, the smaller the smaller the box.

If you don't open it up, you can stick it into your purse/bag to keep with you whereever you go, you could probably even use these for "that time of the month"....and don't have to waste t.p. (toilet paper) to wrap those "things" to throw out.

So, junk mail which almost always has a negative image doesn't have to be, you could have your kids (the "big" ones too) make them and travel around with them. I'm going to start using them in the kitchen since I don't have a disposal.

If there are parts of this that don't make sense, I'm sorry, maybe if you take a look at the first photo, it will be self explanatory. If not, email me, I'll try to answer your questions.

trying to save the planet

With the price of food items and gasoline at premium prices, we've been trying to cut corners here are there, while trying to do our part to save the planet.

Last Saturday, Satoshi went to sell some books for me at Book-Off. They used to take English books, but not anymore. (insert pouty face) I think Book-Off still has a location in Hawaii. The books I gave him to sell were Japanese books that were burdening my book shelf.

Selling 11 books, we got 650 yen (about US$6.50), not much, but at least the books will go to new homes and we have a little less clutter.

Another thing we have started doing is bringing our own water wherever we go. These bottles made by SIGG, a Swiss brand, are durable. Can you believe I saw someone actually throw one of these bottles out in their trash because the paint was a little nicked! How wasteful was that?

We've gotten our burnable garbage down to 20 liters per pick up day. Our burnable garbage gets picked up twice a week. Each person is allowed 10 liters per pick up.

I think they should do something about this dude though...he may be saving gasoline by not riding around in a car and shouting his issues, but he is noise pollution. I didn't think it was election time around here...

Anyway, we may not be totally "saving the planet", but doing a little is better than not at all.

Are you doing something to save the planet?

p.s. Remember I told you about making vanilla? Well, if you live in a place where the inside gets hotter or as hot as outside, like here, please put your vanilla into the refrig. I surfed the net and found out it should be kept in a dark, cool place. During the day, when we aren't at home, our apartment gets to about 36C (95F)!

p.p.s. Yesterday was Doyo no Ushi no Hi, the day when Japan eats unagi (eel) as a way to build stamina for the hot summer. This year, I put the kabayaki sauce on the rice, put the sliced unagi on top, some sliced tamagoyaki (rolled egg) & some sliced okra on top of that...it was good!

Hope you have a great weekend!