In no particular order, the following is a list of nine things that I will appreciate when I return home to Canada.

1.  Pancake syrup – Canada is well known here for it’s maple syrup and if I was desperate enough, I could buy a very small bottle of the real thing for a very high price but nowhere have I seen Aunt Jemima’s Original or anything similar.

2.  A full length ironing board that I can stand up to – I’m fortunate to have an ironing board at all as most MIL apartments don’t come equipped with one but as cute as my little board is, sitting on the floor to iron does get uncomfortable.  Since clothing that hangs to dry tends to need more ironing and Richard has to wear dress shirts to school every day, the little board gets plenty of use.

3.  The clothes dryer – I actually enjoy hanging the clothes out to dry but having to depend on the weather to do laundry does get tricky.

4.  The oven – We’re managing to eat well in spite of not having an oven but the menu is much less varied than it would be if we had one.

5.  Being able to sit on a chair to eat my meals – Sitting on the floor, Japanese style, is definitely a space saver.  The kotatsu measures approximately 30 inches by 30 inches and stands about 15 inches high.  Without chairs around it, it takes up very little room but these old bones do protest sometimes!

6.  Kitchen counters – My kitchen at home is small by Canadian standards and the counter space is quite limited but it will seem vast after what we have here!

7.  Being able to understand the language – It’s amazing how well we’ve been able to manage without this skill but not being able to converse with the people around you does get lonely sometimes and I’m sure there are things that we miss out on because we can’t read the newspapers, flyers and posters that surround us.

8.  Being able to see the stars at night – Even though the Japanese people think that this is country living because we’re not in the centre of Tokyo, it’s very urban here and the sky is never completely dark.  Often as I walk home at night, I wish that I could see the stars.

9.  Having an affordable golf course at the end of my street and the time to enjoy it!

Many newer Japanese homes are equipped with the amenities that we are learning to live without but I’m actually glad that our little apartment is so traditional.  Part of the reason for coming here was to experience a totally different way of life and we are doing that.  Living the way we do is also giving me a new appreciation for so many things that I’ve always taken for granted.