Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween" Today it is Halloween, isn't it?
Here in Japan, the weekend here and there Halloween events were held.

In my house, last Friday I hold our Halloween event.
My friend who is an actress came and read aloud  " a little bit" scary story.

 

Kids made these Jack-O'-Lantern crafts.

And some adults and I were going to eat dinner out, -- however-- it was rainy (so it seemed to be bothering to go out)  and we had enough budget (all of them are sound wives ( a little bit elder), so I made gratin and BBQ chicken -- Oh I forgot to take the photos.

 

My Halloween was finished. So I changed the decoration into another one for Thanks giving day.

November is just around corner.
In November, I'm going to attend to two events for Thanks giving  day (to introduce American culture ) with my friend.

 

Happy Halloween!!

free exhibitions are always fulled senior people

These days, I attended to "free" (to be precise, I got a complimentary ticket) concert and seminar.

Both of them were wonderful.

 

One is a small concert organized by a company. Though the photo is not good, can you see the percussions? The percussion player was very attractive. She  usually plays the classical percussions, and as a hobby? or as her second job, she plays the Latin percussions. We are lucky to see her and listen to her performance in this town. (She usually performs in Tokyo)
---- most of the listeners were seniors and this time couples like us were many.
I know because the company presented the complimentary tickets to their clients, who are not young adults.

 

And on a weekday, I attended at a lecture meeting. It was hold in the day time of a weekday, so ---

the attendee were "not housewives", retired men.

Because the presenter is a famous editor of a newspaper publisher, and the title is "where Japanese politics are going to ?"

Yuki said "will you be able to understand what he lectures?" -- Than we expected it was easy and fun.

Anyway what made me surprised how many senior men there were in the day time!

And I wonder what they do usually????

 

 

Well, I attend at it with my friend. And the event was hold at a hotel.

So -- of course we had a good tea time.

 

Additionally, in the tea room, few senior men were there, though we saw some senior couples.

15 things discard and --

 

Since I updated this blog the last time,10 days have passed.

Though I don't think I'm busy, every day chore  has been hectic. (Does it make sense?)

 

This weekend I do  a usual weekend chore  -- 15 things discards.

 

 

 

I organized a drawer of the Oshiire-closet in the living room.

And ---

Yuki and I organized the Oshiire.

 

Why we did such a thing? As I mentioned in the previous blog, we decided to refurbish the rooms on the second floor. And we thought how to organize our house more?

This time it's a good chance to ask something to a carpenter.  So we asked him to open the Oshiire-closet from the other side ( though it's difficult to explain, the oshire-closet is between the hallway and the living room.)

 

In our house the hallway is at the same temperature, so I put water, root vegetables, a bag of rice and so on.  We can stock them a small storage house outside, but it's very inconvenient.

So this time we ask him to access the Oshiire- closet from the hallway side.

 

It means --- we have to discard lots of things in the Oshiire-closet.

This job was not finished on the weekend, so Yuki took a day-off.

we discarded lots of things and took them to the garbage center and recycle center directly by our car.

 

We were really exhausted.

Refurbishing will be started in two weeks.

 

Anyway this Friday I'll hold a Halloween event at home.

 

 



 



small exhibitions

I tried to update everyday-- it's difficult to take enough time to write it in English, though thankfully I have something to let you know everyday.

This weekend, Yuki and I visited small exhibitions, it means the two exhibitions were held by "petit bourgeois" or usual people.

One is a calligraphy exhibition.
All of them are armatures, however each letter showed each character.
I used to visit our daughters' calligraphy exhibitions because they used to learn.
At that time some adults' works were displayed, and saying "what a cool" we admired  them.

This time no kids' works were there. So we didn't see adorable works, however all of  them are strong, kind, beautiful, elaborated, and "difficult".
It was very interesting.

Next day we went to see a performance of "shigin", a kind of Japanese dance with Japanese fan or sword. For us it was the first time to see them.

I've seen Japanese dance a few times, because one of my friends has learned still now. The friend is "a woman". This time the person who invited us is a man who is older than us. So it was the first time to see dancing by a Japanese senior men in a traditional Kimono.

It was really fun.

 

 Seeing a professional show or exhibition is , of course fun. but seeing such a heartful small amtarue show is also fun.

The event at home "MONODUKURI Japan".

Can you see these two towels?

 

 

 

The other day I hold an event at home. As I told you recently I organize an event a month or every two weeks. I want this home to be the place where people get together and talk each other about something interests -- easily. (It means I want to make a available place for people living with their pension.)

 

This time I hold an event to introduce and talk about MONOZUKURI Japan.

MONOZUKURI simply means making things. but is infused with a deeper impression of skilled craftsmen pouring heart and soul into their work, striving for perfection to regardless of time or cost.

 

 

This time I introduced Japanese IMABARI towel, Japanese sweet candy "konpeito" and high^-quality soy sauce "yuasa syouyu".

 

 

Can you see the tag on the upper towel? It is the verification of being IMABARI towel.

 

 

IMABARI towels are known for their excellent quality. The city of Imabari has especially pure water, so towels that are produced there feel very soft. They must also pass original tests. For example new unwashed towels must sink in water within five seconds. If they don’t soak up water quickly enough, they won’t be certified.

 

We did it.

We soaked a new Imabari towel into a bucket of water, and --- yes, it sank within 5 seconds.

And We also tried soaking a towel which I bought at 100 yen shop, it took more than 30 minutes to sink.

 

 

 

Kazahano bookshop

Yesterday, it was a holiday. However Yuki went to work as usual, and I had lessons in the morning.
In the afternoon, I went to a beauty shop which my friend runs, and had my hair dyed and cut while talking with her.

And I visited a bookshop called Kazahano bunko.
The wife runs a used book shop and private library on the second floor, and the husband runs a café on the first floor.
At the private library she puts a few my English picture books, so I checked the situation while talking with her. Some customers seem to show a little interest to English picture books.

And I had coffee at the café.

While drinking a cup of coffee, I read this book.

The original version is French, and I don't know the tile in English.

If I were to translate the Japanese title in English, a story about an old lady in Paris 

A phrase made me laugh.

"The old lady grilled "poorly" 125 g stake.

 

(according to the book she seems to be 80 year old)

 

She still eats 125 g stake , that's enough, she is so powerful. --- it is a way of Japanese.

 

 

Refurbishing starts!

Yuki and I finally started to refurbish the rooms on the second floor.

Main refurbishing is renewing tatami mats in my room and changing the carpet floor into wooden floor in Yuki"s room. And we are thinking about changing wall paper of --- one room, or two rooms or including entrance hall and stairs. And prbably we need to have repair the toilet on the first floor.

Before  the tatami room refurbishing, I organize one shelf. 

And Yuki and I organized books in the two book shelves.

What a lot of garbage bags. As you know I usually throw 15 things away once a week, this time we threw more than 15 big bags away.  We did it on Saturday and Sunday, and fortunately today Monday is a garbage collection day. so all bags have gone.

And we took a small book shelf to the city recycle center with our car.

However this big book shelf is impossible to put it in our car. So I bought a ticket o ask he city hall to carry it to the city recycle center. They come in two weeks. So for a while this leaves in the entrance hall.

Well, now we are ready to start to refurbish. A home builder, who organized our house came, and we asked him to get an estimate .  Can you guess how much -----?

Social action work

I'll tell you the days with Akari.

 




























The photos I attached were taken at Ginger museum, not a kids museum.
Ginger is "ginger" which is plant and food.

The company president of IWASHIT food company, whose main product is pickled ginger and whose head office is in Tochigi prefecture,  built the museum last year to contribute to society. It's a kind of social action work. So the entrance fee is free.

We thought adults enjoy the museum, because pickled ginger is usually eaten for adults.
However the happiest person was Akari.

The president seemed to want to make the place happy for all people, especially family with kids.
 

As we entered there, we saw free rental costume site, of course Akari dressed up.

And I don't know why????? anyway here and there we saw Alpaka stuffed animals.

The main color is pink.

Because pickled fresh ginger is usually pink.

Can you see the big cap which our elder daughter
 is wearing?

 

Here we enjoyed ginger ale, and ginger coffee.

They were really really delicious.

 

If you are interested in Iwashita food company, drop by this site -- a little bit long.

 

P.S to my friends in America

Just I saw the trail of Mathew in Haiti. I hope the damage to America will be small as much as possible.

Jack o lantern

Our usual days have come with strange weather.

The day before yesterday, it was very hot, and yesterday it was a usual autumn day, and today it seems to be going to be hot.

Did I tell you? Last month I got a huge pumpkin for free from a farmer.

I was going to carve it at the end of this month with my students. However probably because of this strange weather, I noticed that the pumpkin started to go rotten. So it was impossible.
So I decided to carve it hastily.
 I called some students who were available, and carved the pumpkin.
I said to them " it doesn't matter you come at night".
Before they coming, I pre-cut it for them. --- I dare to say "It was the toughest job".

Two students came in the evening, and they cut them and took them to their home.

So a student came with her father and --- "he" carved it.

A junior high school students came on the way home from the cram school. He never squatted down because he didn't want to get his clothes and himself dirty. So he carved while saying my back hurts.

It was a good evening and night. I decorated one of them outside for one night.

We did in the entrance hall, so this morning the entrance hall was full of "bad" smell of raw pumpkin.

Yuki and I washed the entrance hall this morning, and  -- today it was a garbage  collection day, so I threw it off. It was already covered with small bugs, because today it is getting hot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Usual Days have come

 

Yuki and my usual days have started again.

Since last Wednesday Akari had been with us until Sunday.

Her mother M had to go to Sendai or Tokyo, so our elder daughter T came to help me and stayed with us for one night.

So last week it was a busy, cheerful, and noisy week. Later I'll update where we went out.

 

After they came back to Tokyo, I cooked pre-cooked dishes for this week as usual.

 

While M was with me, I organized her desk together, and did "throwing away 15 things " as usual weekly routine.

 

 

This time it was very easy. Because she threw her  15"relics" ( I  would have thought that)  easily.

What parents consider relics are completely different from what kids consider as their relics.

 

This is the last  breakfast for four of us --- we made mini-pancake with special machine called "tokoyaki-ki"

 

 

And this is the usual breakfast for Yuki and me.