Akashi Park (Jan. 21) - Vol. 1

Yesterday, I walked around Akashi Park, Hyogo Preecture for about 3 hours to watch wildbirds. 

The name of "Akashi Park" is inscribed on the stone. 

Akashi Castle

Kawasemi or Common Kingfisher

Shijukara or Great Tit is on the lower left and
Yamagara or Varied Tit is on the upper right.

 

Bamboo bird feeders on the trees

 

Here is a close up of the picture above.

Here is another tree where
you can find a plastic brown bird feeder.
 

I found empty seeds of sunflowers scattered under the trees.

Obviously, bird watchers give the birds seeds and
they come to eat them. 

 Shijukara or Great Tit

 

I have never seen a Shijukara under a bench before,
however on this picture, there is a small one underneath.

 

a close up picture of above

You can see the bird clearly.

 

Enaga or Long-tailed tit

 

 

It's like this bird is saying,

"We have white feathers on top of our head!"

 

The bird is flapping it’s wings;

it looks like it’s about to fly.

"I have powerful legs to support all my weight!"

These photos were taken by a single-lens reflex camera.

Model: Canon EOS Kiss X6i.

Lens: EFS 55-250mm

 

More pictures are continued to the next page.

My Gloves

I knitted my gloves yesterday.  It will be useful when I use binoculars.  I will wear them for birdwatching.   I also like the color of the yarn.

When I was alone last Friday, 9th, I found our toilet on the 1st floor became broken.  I read the toilet products insturction booklet, and checked if I could repair it by myself, but I couldn't do it successfully.  Then I found maybe some part was broken, and repair part was needed. 

The toilet on the first floor was not able to use, so I used our toilet on the second floor instead. 

Upon my husband arriving at home that night, I told him about it.  I wanted him to repair it, but my husband is a person who is not good at hands such as DIY, it was not good idea.

I went to a DIY store in my neigborhood to look for the part, and I asked about it to a store staff, but unfortunately they don't have any.  He also said to me that "We can ask for the maker, but their offices are closed for Saturday and Sunday, and there is a national holiday on Monday this week, so we will ask them on Tuesday.  Will you be okay?"

I didn't agree with him because we had another DIY store in Himeji, so I asked my husband to take there.  He took me up there, but they didn't have any stock unfortunately.

Then, I checked the part on the internet, and I found the part on sale, so I made a mail order to them. 

The part arrived here on yesterday, Friday, and I repaired the toilet. 


 

 

My College Days

I am now financially dependent on my husband, but I used to be an independent girl.

When I was a high school student, I wanted to study English for two years in college.  Since my father thought that high school education was already enough for girls, I tried to save money for college by myself.  I had some part time jobs to earn money in three years during high school days.   

I felt lucky when some major newspaper companies offered scholarship programs. That was a very good opportunity for me.

The scholarship programs had the following features:

1. Students will be assigned to live in a certain newspaper delivering agent which is close to the student's college.

2. Students have to deliver morning and evening editions of newspaper.  Each student will be assigned to deliver approximately 200 papers.  Each delivery lasts for 2.5 hours.  This means 5 hours of work every day.

3. In addition to the delivering work, students should also collect monthly subscriptin fees by visiting the readers' houses.  This work should be done from the 25th of the month until the 5th day of the next month.  (i.e. from Jan. 25 to Feb. 5)

4. Breakfast fromMonday to Sunday and supper from Monday to Saturday are prepared by the newspaper agents.

5. College or university tuitions and entrance fee will be paid as scholarship to the students.  The amount is 1,200,000 yen to 2-year or  2,400,000 yen to 4-year college students.

6.  If students give up working for newspaper agents, students need to leave the apartment and also return the scholarship money to the newspaper agent immediately. 

7.  There is no need for students to return the scholarship money after they had successfully performed their work until graduation.

8. On top of tuition and entrance fee coverage of the scholarship, an additional  50,000 yen as a monthly salary will be paid to the students for lunch and transportation costs to the college.

* * * * * * * * * *

When I was a high school student, I was not sure if I could perform both working and studying with the above conditions.  They expect me to be up at 4 a.m.to deliver the morning edition until 7 a.m.  Afterwhich, I have to leave for school at 8 a.m. to attend classes from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. 

Immediately after school, I need to go back to my apartment house straight to resume delivery for the evening edition from 4:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.  I also have to study to catch up our classes in my free time. 

I thought I wasn't able to coninue like this for 4 years, but why not give a try for 2 years.  That's why I chose a 2-year college instead of 4-year.

Just two weeks before my graduation from high school, I was very glad to know that my applications to the newspaper scholarship and college entrance were both accepted.

 * * * * * * * * * *

When I moved in to a newspaper agent in Tokyo, there were five other new students who also moved in.  Three were boys, and three of us were girls.

The three male students were offered to live in small apartment houses in the neighorhood while the three female students were offered to live in the second floor of the newspaper agent.

Each girl was offered a small room which had only 3 tatami mats. 

Remembering back, I can't believe how I managed to live such a tiny room.

Self Introduction - Revision Jan. 2015

I'm a 48-year old housewife living in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, western part of Japan. I'm on my menopausal stage, and I am prone to having serious diseases. I quit my work last year, and I have been relaxing at home these days. I want to polish my English skills by writing this blog.

 

 

I was originally from Tokyo, which is located in eastern part of Japan. I was still single when I lived in Tokyo, the largest city of Japan where various international businesses are located. I used to work as a clerk for different import and export companies. I sat down in front of the computer and arranged documents. Remembering these days, I thought I really enjoyed working for them.

Upon my marriage at 40, I moved to a small town in Hyogo Prefecture, western part of Japan. As I live in the countryside which doesn't have any employment opportunities for trading businesses, I got a license as a caregiver in 2011.

I worked as a caregiver for a nursing home for one year, then my health declined from too much work. I was hospitalized for one week in 2013 because of Ileocecal Diverticulitis, which is similar to Appendicitis.

I took a year long rest at home because my husband helps me financially. Then I worked for another caregiving company in March 2014, but too much work and stress caused me to be infected with herpes in October 2014. I quit working to maintain my good health.

I think being involved in a physically demanding job didn't fit me very well compared with my previous desk work.

Recently I usually stay at home and relax. For my health, my doctors recommend a 30-minute walk every day, so I take a walk except on rainy days. I enjoy watching wild birds on my way. I also enjoy knitting.

Using peels of vegetables and fruits in my kitchen, I have been making compost in our garden since October 2014. I am planning to grow tomatoes and other vegetables in spring.

Thank you!  

Tonto Festival (Jan. 12)

Last week when I was strolling my neighborhood, I saw the notice board saying that the Tonto Festival celebration was scheduled at 8:00 a.m. on January 12th at Aso Hachiman Shrine.

It was another 5-minute walk to the shrine from there, so I walked up there to see if the Okuyama people, who live there, had prepared for the festival .

The monument had already stood there to be burned out.

 

I didn't know anything about the festival until I moved here almost 10 years ago, but our local people wish our good health, prosperity and happiness by burning new year decorations on the festival.  

I wanted to see the festival, so I told my husband about it.  Then, he wanted to join me because he had a day off that day, so we went there together.

My husband, who has been suffering from asthma since his childhood, was covering himself very well to avoid breathing cold air.  I thought he looked like a dangerous person.

The festival began at 8:00 a.m., and we arrived there at 8:15 a.m. 

Reaching at the gate, I saw many people had gathered there.

 

The monument along with other new year's decorations that

people had brought were mostly burnt already.

We couldn't see anything, but we warmed up by the fire. 

For the next year, I want to arrive there before people start burning them.

The Electric Bill and Three Layers of Socks

This morning, my husband and I were amazed to see our electric bill for the period Dec. 1 to Jan. 4 is more than 30,000 yen or approx. US$300.   Just the two of us live in a 2-floor house with 6 rooms, one small kitchen, one bathroom, and two toilets.  I was curioius to know about the lifestyle of other childless couples like us. 

 

We spent our New Year holidays at home.  In the previous years, we spent the holiday season in a hotel or leisure activity places which would cost us more than 30,000 yen.  So, this year, we could not complain about the electiric bill because somehow, we were still able to save compared to our past holiday expenses. 

 

 

Just as a comparison, when I was still single, I used to live in a small apartment which had only 3 rooms.  Back then, my monthly electric bill would cost me from as low as 1,000 yen in spring and autumn to as high as 3,000 yen in summer and winter.  The seasonal difference depended on whether I used electric air conditioner or not.

 

* * * * *

  

When my husband is at home, he turns on the floor heater.  When I stay alone, I never use the floor heater.  I use air conditioner sometimes.  The temperature sometimes gets below zero degree in winter season.  My worst problem is I feel severe coldness in my feet.

To remedy the coldness that I feel on my cold feet, I wear 3 layers of socks these days.  First, I wear the silk five-finger socks which I had bought on the internet. 

 

 

Second, I wear the wool socks which I had bought from a local shop.

 

 

I still felt coldness in my feet, so I knitted thick room socks for myself. 

I started knitting 3 days ago, and I have just finished them yesterday.

   

 

It cost me 800 yen (approx. US$8) for yarns for one pair of shoes.   

As I knitted two pairs, it cost me a total of 1,600 yen.

 

 

Knitting is one of my favorite hobbies in winter season. 

I enjoyed knitting for three days, or in a total of 8 hours. 

 

 

Now I can say " I am more comfortable with three layers of knitted socks!"

 

Walking on Jan. 2