While we were eating breakfast this morning, the building began to rock again. It felt as though the ground was rolling beneath us but it was not particularly frightening. We later learned, however, that a powerful earthquake had hit northeastern Honshu, Japan’s main island and the one we call home. The quake, which measured approximately 7.0 on the Richter scale, was centred about 100 km north of the city of Sendai in a mountainous rural area. While there were several casualties, the outcome might have been much worse had it hit a more highly populated area.

The following are a few photos of the quake area borrowed from various online news sources.

Umbrellas are absolutely essential here. We’ve already seen far more rain in the three and a half months that we’ve been here than we would see in a year or two back home on the Canadian prairie. Rich and I each have two umbrellas, one small telescoping one that slips easily into a book bag and goes to school with us each day and one full sized one that goes with us if it’s already raining when we leave home. There are two choices when it comes to purchasing an umbrella – buy a cheap one and replace it every time the wind blows or pay more for a better quality one that has a chance of lasting. We see many of the cheap variety abandoned beside the road on rainy days. We opted for better quality umbrellas but we bought both our full sized ones at the recycle store. Richard was determined to find a BIG umbrella as he really doesn’t like being wet so his is actually a very large golf umbrella! It’s even vented in such a way that the wind can pass through it. Otherwise I’d fear that it might pick him up and carry him away like Mary Poppins!

Umbrellas on rainy days I can understand but it’s quite another thing to get used to seeing them on sunny ones. These aren’t actually umbrellas, of course; they’re parasols. While a parasol looks like an umbrella, it’s generally a little smaller and is made of lightweight UV protective material. Many of them are very pretty, edged in lace or ruffles. Fair skin is considered beautiful in Japan so parasols are a common sight. Many of the women who don’t carry parasols wear hats or visors that would put our North American golf visors to shame. These ones have huge brims that completely shade the face. I’m sure that many who see me out and about are appalled that I don’t protect my coveted pale skin from the sun and when the topic comes up in conversation, people here are astonished that North Americans actually try to get suntans. Obviously, this would not be the place to open a tanning salon!

Like the parasol, the folding hand fan is still very much a part of Japanese life. I have one that I carry in my book bag and another that usually stays at home unless I’m on my way to church, in which case, I slip it into the bag with my Bible. Even though many buildings are air conditioned, there are plenty of occasions when these provide much needed relief from the oppressive, muggy heat which we are really just beginning to experience.

After church yesterday afternoon we went into Tokyo again to Harajuku and nearby Yoyogi Park. What a kaleidescope of images! We emerged from the train station into a small area outside the park that is a gathering area every Sunday afternoon for the cos-play-zoku, the costume play gang! These are teenage girls, many from the outlying suburbs, who leave behind their high pressure, often bullied, high school lives for a few hours and find release in their temporary weekend identities. Decked out in elaborate and outlandish costumes ranging from the very dark gothic to virginal little girl frills, they mix and mingle while hordes of tourists try to get pictures. Some primp and pose while others clearly try to avoid the cameras.

Upon entering the park, we walked through dark forest to the Meiji Shrine, an authentic reconstruction of the original which was destroyed in the bombing at the end of World War II. The shrine was built in memory of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, great-grandparents of the present emperor. Emperor Meiji was known for promoting friendship with other countries and introducing western civilization and modern technology to Japan while at the same time preserving it’s unique identity.

We arrived at the shrine just in time to watch a traditionally clad bridal party having their pictures taken. From outside a cordoned off area, we were also allowed to take photographs, something we considered a rare privilege. Also, within the shrine area, we discovered a display of Japanese bonsai, miniature trees grown in containers using techniques that result in full grown trees only inches in height.

Within Yoyogi Park, we also took a quiet pathway through a peaceful garden area where we sat for a few minutes beside a beautiful pond watching the carp swim by.  It absolutely amazes me that such a tranquil oasis can be found in the middle of a bustling city like Tokyo.  In one part of the garden irises, known as a rainy season flower, were just coming into bloom.

Constant contrast – old and new

Hmm…. ?

Very few people here have room to store a full week’s trash so garbage collection happens much more frequently than it does at home.  When we moved into the apartment, we were presented with a large sheet of instructions entitled Disposal of Household Garbage which I keep posted on the kitchen wall.  It explains how to correctly sort garbage and when to put various types out for collection.

The majority of our garbage falls into the burnable category which is collected three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  This includes kitchen refuse, plastics and waste paper as well as rubber and leather products such as old shoes.  This must be put out in special bags with green writing on them that are specified by the Funabashi municipal government.  They are available at the grocery stores and convenience stores.  The garbage is supposed to be taken out to specified collection areas by 8:30 a.m. on collection days only.  We’re fortunate to have a collection area at the side of our building.  Some of the people in the little side streets have to bring their garbage out to our street for collection but no one has to go far.  At the collection site, the trash is put under green netting to keep the large black birds that share the neighbourhood with us from scattering it around.  The bright blue and yellow garbage truck comes by around 9:30 a.m. with an electronic bell jangling and a recorded message blaring, presumably to remind those who’ve forgotten to take their garbage out.  The only word I recognize is kudasai, or please.

Non-burnable garbage is collected once a month.  According to the instruction sheet, this happens on “the very first week of Wed”.  Interpreting Japanese English can be fun!  I presume that this means the first Wed. of each month but, since I haven’t had to take advantage of this yet, I’m not entirely sure.  Non-burnable garbage includes things like china and glass, batteries, light bulbs, items with metal parts and small household electronic appliances.

Recyclable garbage is collected every Tuesday.  This is mainly glass bottles and steel or aluminum cans.  These are deposited in sacks at the same collection sites as the burnable garbage.  They are also supposed to be placed there by 8:30 a.m. but the Japanese rise early and we’ve heard them banging and clanging below our window as early as 5:00!

Garbage with value is collected every Thursday.  This includes newspapers, magazines and cardboard boxes which must be tied in bundles, old clothes which must be in plastic bags to keep moisture out and milk cartons which must be washed, unfolded and bundled.  Since milk is only sold in 1 litre cardboard cartons, we go through lots of those.

Fortunately, we use very few plastic recyclable bottles such as pop bottles as there are only a few places to dispose of these and a lot of them end up in the burnable garbage.  They can be taken to compressor-equipped recycling boxes at municipal halls and other designated spots or dropped off at some liquor stores.

Pick up can be arranged for some large items such as furniture by calling the municipal government information centre but service is only available in Japanese.  Fortunately, the only piece of furniture that we actually own is the small computer desk that we bought at the nearby recycle store.  When our time here is done, we’ll either pass it on to one of our colleagues or take it back there.  We do see a little truck pass by now and then with old televisions, bicycles and whatnot in the back.  It slowly cruises the streets with a recorded message blaring so I presume it’s picking up discarded items but I understand that this is not a city service.

Also, on Friday mornings, a team of young mentally disabled adults makes their way through the neighbourhood picking up bundles that appear to be magazines and catalogues.  They are accompanied by a truck and at least one supervisor walks with them.  I love watching them as they are such a happy bunch!  Rain or shine, we hear them coming as they laugh and shout to one another.  As this isn’t listed on the instruction sheet, I’m assuming that it’s also a separate service.

As you can see, figuring out how to dispose of trash is no simple feat and the instruction sheet that we were provided with is very helpful!  In a country with this many people and so little space, disposing of garbage efficiently is of major importance.

A little while ago, I made reference to my stubbornness in one of my blog entries. A few days later, I attended the last ladies meeting at church where our pastor’s wife, Shelley, shared a brief overview of the book of Ruth, one of my favourite passages of scripture. She spoke of Ruth’s character as an example of what a godly woman should be like. The first characteristic of Ruth’s personality that she brought out was her determination. Ruth 1:18 says in part, “When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined… she stopped urging her”. So, I began to wonder, am I really stubborn or am I actually just determined? Somehow determined sounds so much better, almost godly in comparison!

I’ve been pondering this question off and on for awhile now (one would think my brain had better things to do!) so I finally went to my dictionary to see what light it could shed on the matter. The definition of stubborn included “firm” and “determined” but also “rigidly firm in will or purpose”. Ouch! I don’t like to think of myself as rigid. The definition of determined sounded better. It included “resolute”, “firm in purpose” and “free from doubt or wavering”. No mention of rigidity there.

Next, I checked my thesaurus. Synonyms for stubborn included inflexible, inexorable, obdurate (I had to look those two up in the dictionary but even the sound of them is nasty), relentless, rigid, steadfast (the only nice sounding word on the list!), unbending, uncompromising, and unyielding. Again, being determined sounded a lot better. It’s synonyms included decisive, intent, resolute, resolved, set and settled.

Hmm… Maybe I should stop trying to convince people that I’m stubborn and claim to be determined instead!

The price of bread has suddenly jumped from 88 yen a loaf to 107 yen. That’s an increase of 22%. Though I haven’t paid attention to the prices, I understand that the same thing is happening to noodles, a staple of the Japanese diet. The unhappy Japanese consumers recognize that these increases are due to the rising cost of wheat.

Having spent last fall combining the wheat that could very well now be part of the bread I’m eating, I see things differently than I might have in the past. How can I complain when the farmer, who has been receiving an indecently low price for his grain for many years, finally receives an increase? Unfortunately, however, I don’t think he’s seen a 22% increase. There are many middlemen between the grain elevators in Killam and Viking and the bakery shelves here in Funabashi. When the price of grain drops again, as it no doubt will, will the price of bread go down too? I doubt it. I suspect, as has happened so often before, the middlemen will continue to be the ones who profit.

The increasing cost of living has been an interesting conversation topic in some of my adult English classes lately. Japan has traditionally kept itself isolated from the rest of the world and, though that is gradually changing, the majority of the people seem to have no idea that the economic difficulties that their country is experiencing are shared by the rest of the world. They’re often quite astonished to learn that North Americans grumble about the same things they do!

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.