Books for pirate lovers....

Obviously, we couldn't do a month on treasure and pirates without reading books too. Last year Ebi-kun got the Dragonology book (review here) which we all love, so I got him the Pirateology book for Christmas and it is equally amazing. Before you even open the book the real compass set in cover gets you captivated!

available on Amazon and The Book Depository

As with the Dragonology book, this one is also beautifully written, there is a lot of information but it is broken down so it is easy to dip in and out. Much of it is fact but there is some fictional element to it and there is a disclaimer at the front of the book telling you which parts are fictional.

There are fold out pieces, map reading tools, knot tying information, pirate customs, glossary of pirate terms, descriptions of the different pirates around the world, types of weapons and ships and much more. At the start of the book you are introduce to Arabella Drummond and her torn map then later in the book there is a secret pocket with the missing map piece. Ebi-kun only found it last week and he was SO excited, his eyes looked like would pop out! 

Ebi-kun is six but he has a high reading age, I think the book might be a bit difficult for most kids his age and it is aimed at a slightly older audience. That said, I think he will get a lot out of it and it is one of those books that we will hang onto. We have three of the ology books now and I think they are well worth every penny, books to treasure.

Another pirate themed book we have been reading is Troll. What? you say, a pirate book called The Troll, I know, confusing. It is written by Julia Donaldson (of Gruffalo fame), it is a bit longer than some of her other books but it is fun and the illustrations by David Roberts are lovely. 

available on Amazon and The Book Depository

It is sort of two stories which combine at the end, the troll is trying to catch something other than fish to eat and the pirates are trying to find the treasure, it is silly, it is fun and we love it!

Pirates Ahoy.... (giveaway)

In my effort to get better organised I realised that I often have a collection of sketches that live in my sketch book as half baked ideas or doodles that never come to fruition and I was trying to think of ways of using them, suddenly the penny dropped.... Embroidery patterns!

So, with keeping in with the pirates and treasure theme that we have had going all month, here is my first PDF embroidery pattern. There are 30 images and I have reversed them too so you can use them as you like, I have also included a page on how to transfer the patterns. Available right now, in the shop.

If you would like to get your mitts on a copy of it then leave a comment below telling me what your pirate name would be!

RULES

Ebi-kun will pick his favourite pirate name on Feb 3rd at 8.00am JST

One entry per person

You must include a contact email address, no email - no win.
The pattern is a PDF file which will be emailed to the winner.

Cake, bouncing and stars....

Catchy title no? We had a fairly mellow weekend, Saturday we did the weekly shop and after reading Joni's information I decided to stock up so we got a couple of cases of water and some more tinned food we also have extra toilet paper, sounds odd but after the March 11th quake there was a lot of panic shopping going on and toilet paper was one of the first things to go! We have had quite a few quakes over the last few days too, not big ones here but big enough to make you think, one of them was under Mount Fuji, like that is all we need, a volcanic eruption - I have no idea how probably that is, probably just my imagination running wild.

In the afternoon the boys went to the football club for supporters day and I got some sewing done. Sunday Ebi-kun asked to go to a planetarium so first we went for a lovely lunch at an Italian restaurant, the chef trained in Italy so the food tastes Italian not 'Japanese Italian' if you know what I mean. It is in a lovely spot, we found it by accident the first time we went.

We also had dessert, something we rarely do when we eat out and it was lovely. Ebi-kun, who is possibly the slowest eater in the world demolish the Mont Blanc cake he was sharing with daddy in a matter of seconds!

We had a couple of hours to kill before the screening at the planetarium so we went for a play in the park, we didn't last too long because it was so bitterly cold. Bouncing up and down is just what you need on a full belly isn't it?

They have added some new equipment in the park and I noticed this little wood sculptures, too cute.

The show at the planetarium was the Milky Way railroad by Kenji Miyazawa, he is from Hanamaki in Iwate and if you are ever up that way I recommend popping into the museum. The show was really nice but the seats were so uncomfortable, Ebi-kun and I spent most of the time wriggling trying to find a comfy position. That was basically it for the weekend, did you get up to anything exciting?

Inspiration Sunday - Joni in Tohoku

Today I want to introduce you Joni, I only recently learnt about Joni and her situation as her open letter has been doing the rounds in the foreign wives community. I wanted to help Joni get the word out that people in Tohoku still need our help.


Can we start with you sharing a little about yourself and your family?

My name is Joni, I am a tall, blond American who is a country girl from Iowa, married to a Japanese man and we have 4 children ages 4-12. I have lived in Japan for over 20+ years and have lived both in this area and also in Shizuoka. I was a H.S. and elementary school teacher for 12 years until I married. We now live in Sumita-cho, Iwate-ken.

What is the weather like there at the moment? 

For the past month or so it has been quite cold, with lows about -8 to -10. We had just about 6 inches of snow on the ground until a few weeks ago and now every few days we are getting 2+ feet of snow. There is about 3-4ft of snow on the ground here in Sumita right now.  Most of the people in the temp housing here lived in Rikuzen-Takada or on the coast where they didn't get snow during the winters except on rare occasions. So having snow and ice around is new to them, and they are finding it really cold! Japanese houses here are not insulated and even inside our home it is cold. We do have a fan heater but that just heats one roomThat is in our home which is city housing for Sumita. The temp housing units here, are single homes, made of wood, but not nearly as well-built as the one we live in and they have a foot of space under the house just open! We have that same space, but it is partially blocked, whereas they do not have anything blocking the wind or snow from going under their homes.  They are living among people that they do not know, and many have trouble meeting new people. When we first delivered the things from the church in Hokkaido, I had them playing games to decide who would get such and such and item and they were laughing and talking to others, which hadn't happened before.  During the summer months, I noticed many would go have tea together at 10 am outside and it was so nice to see them getting to know their neighbors, though it was only one area of the temp housing that did that (64 houses in all there). Since it has gotten cold, most stay in their houses all day, and rarely go out. I have noticed many seem very depressed and the weight of their situation is very heavy on their minds.  I have been making an effort to try and deliver things on those really cold and snowy days...give them a reason to smile. Somehow it is hard not to smile, at the silliness of us trying to do that.

Where were you when the earthquake hit?

We were in Sumita-cho, in Arisu, in our home at the time of the earthquake. The Magnitude 9.0 one, it was impossible to move, my youngest daughter was sleeping on a futon not 4 ft from me, and during the earthquake I couldn't get to her. Our house was being thrown about, furniture falling, things being torpedoed across the room, the refrigerator that shook open...(it was lovely to have chili, spread all over the broken glass in the kitchen, and to have to try and clean it up in the cold and dark ! No hot water...!!! (though we were lucky that we did have water!) The sound of things crashing around us and the very LONG and violent shaking was hard.I feel very unsettled after small earthquakes so it has been a very, very, long time of feeling very unsettled with the daily doses of earthquakes we have now.
My husband was out of work since at the time but it was a blessing for he was home the day of the earthquake and we were able to go collect the children all huddled outside the school about 4km from here, and preschool waiting in the cold and snow with no coats or shoes on! 
It was a very long, dark, cold time afterwards and up here, most people are not prepared for a disaster of that scope. We had a couple of flashlights, and some canned food etc...but it was the cold that was the hardest I think.Our heater is a fan heater which is kerosene, but has to be plugged in so it was useless. I had some canned baked beans which we ate cold out of a can which the kids all thought was a treat and they each had their own can and since I order them from the U.S. I normally ration them a little bit, but after the earthquake, we ate canned baked beans and I let the children eat as much as they wanted, and it was wonderful.

What was the time like after the earthquake and tsunami?

We were without lifelines for many long weeks after the disaster. No gasoline for over a month etc.(No heat though it was still winter here and we had another month of snow) (electric, phones, gas, all down) Though we had many things shaken and fall, our house is ok, though many neighbors had windows and walls fall, and the building across the street from us (jidokan where they children go to play) had to be demolished for it was so badly damaged. The roads were impassable in many places.But there was no gasoline, so people were not going anywhere.The nearest gasoline station is about 8 km from us, and they didn't were closed for a long time, and even those in Tono-shi, the ones that were open, you would have to queue for hours and then only allowed to buy 5 or 6 liters of gasoline, which pretty much just got us back to our home! There are no train lines here, but the nearest Shinkansen stations also were damaged and the train lines were down for a long time. 

Since 3/11 we have had so many aftershocks and they continue to this day. Those first months we were getting as many as 60+ aftershocks a day. Aftershocks sound like they are smaller, but they are just regular earthquakes of a different name. So all day every day we were and are reminded of the earthquake. We now get about 4 a day, sometimes small, sometimes big, a couple have shaken things off shelves etc...though after the mag 9.0 they don't seem much.

Do you have an advice to pass on?

I would really encourage all of you to think through an evacuation plan for your family and where to meet if something happens.Make sure that the items that you have in your emergency bag are more than you think you will actually need. High calorie, no cook items, A couple days supplies won't last long and in the case of people here...they escaped with nothing.How to contact your children, loved ones..and what to do in the event that all lifelines are down.Really think about what if there was no electricity for a month. What would you eat? How would you survive, and then go through every other lifeline in your mind and really think about it. It is very frightening to think of all that.Even more important than other things, in Otomo cho and other places it was WATER that was the huge problem. They didn't get their waterlines (or electricity or gas) back for almost 5 months.

I know you have been doing a lot of volunteer work, acting as a translator along with hands on work and donating whatever you could spare. You are looking for some specific items at the moment to donate to the temporary housing nearby, can you share with us what you are trying to get hold of?

For boys size 160cm or mens S and M, I haven't had much to share with them so far.There are a few smaller boys, size 130cm and 2 girls that size too.It is very cold here at the moment so fleece things are greatSportswear in mens X and XL always seem to be needed.
Blankets, warm jackets, ski wear, hats, gloves...it is cold and snowy here, so many of these people are not used to the cold in Sumita for the coast and those areas didn't get much snow. 
Womens underwear is needed (new), There are no clothing stores here in Sumita, and so unless they can to travel all the way to Mizusawa or Tono, there just isn't much available.
The majority of people are elderly...all sizes but womens M-XL, and mens L and XL...would fit most of them .Several of the elderly ladies are size XL or larger and they have often said to me that even when there has not been much their size, and they were just thrilled with the larger sized items that I have been able to share with them. One elderly lady was so thrilled yesterday with a robe/pyjama that I gave her that a friend sent. She has not had pjs since 3-11. She is one of the larger ladies, and there just was never anything her size when they were able to get clothing donations.A friend donated a sewing machine so some of the ladies have set up a sewing club and other knit or crochet so supplies for them would be nice too. I have also found that several people have sent little gifts...perhaps ones that they received as gifts but never used or needed, and also other things that were in their home. There are things that may not be a necessity, but would sure be nice to have sort of things, that could really make someones day. 

I cannot imagine having lost everything...so now though there are still needs, the other "Extra" things," just because", are also heartening to these people too. The knitting yarn, needles and material that were sent, brought such smiles, and others have sent little things that they got as little gifts from stores etc, little wrapped boxes of tea...just anything.

   

 Getting ready to delivery the goods, Joni's daughter squashed under the boxes!

This is not necessary, but if you care to, a personal note, perhaps copied a few times that I could give them when I give them the items would be really nice...if it is in English that is fine, I will translate it for them. Sometimes just that personal touch might be nice and to know where the things came from!!! 

happy recipients

If you have things to donate please contact Joni at sistermomy 'at' hotmail 'dot' com for her mailing address. Please make sure all clothes are clean and not stained and clearly label the outside of the box with the contents to make life easier for Joni.

What is the situation like now?

Many are quite concerned for in a little over a year they are expected to move out of temp housing, and especially the older people, have nowhere to go. Banks won't lend to people over 50, they are living on Nenkin...(social security) and so it is just hard for many of them.Sumita cho has told the people here though, that they will not have to move out, which is very helpful, but those living in the temp housing in front of jr and sr high schools etc. will have to move. As of yet, they have not been told just where they are to move, or gotten any help in finding ways to build new homes etc.

the temp housing

In Otomo cho, we are helping those that did not move into temp housing and chose to remain in the village. Most had their houses on the first floor, ruined by the tsunami but have been able to rebuild the first floors. The people in the temp housing have been getting aid, though it has tapered off a lot, but those that chose to fix their homes and remain haven't received any aid even from the beginning. They were without water, electricity and gas for almost 5 months...so we often took trips bring supplies from our home, food, water etc...just to let them know they are not forgotten. It is sometimes hard for them to see the people in the temp housing getting new things...and help when they don't get anything.

So, please take a few minutes and look around your home to see if there is anything you can donate, if you are not comfortable donating to an individual then use this as a prompt to donate to one of the many charities. It is bloody freezing up in Tohoku this time of year and will stay so for a few more months so please, share what you can and let the people of Tohoku know that we haven't forgotten about them.

Sorry this post doesn't have many photos but Joni's computer is on it's last legs so she was only able to provide photos from her phone there is a post on Recovering Tohoku about Sumito-cho and pictures of the temp housing.

Going to the doctors....

The whole health care system in Japan is different to what I grew up with in the UK and it still baffles me somewhat at times.

In the UK, you are registered with a local doctor, a GP who has your full set of medical records. If you are ill no matter what it is your first step is to call your GP and make an appointment, your GP will then decide whether it is something minor, if so he/she will prescribe you meds and off you go. If they suspect it is something more serious they refer you to a specialist. If you need emergency care then you either go straight to the A&E (accident & emergency) which is usually housed in one of the big hospitals or call an ambulance and they usually take you to the nearest A&E. Thanks to the NHS everyone is seen to, you don't need insurance. If you work in the UK you have to make a month contribution to the system, if you need a prescription it costs you  £7.40 no matter what it is for and if you are a child, OAP, pregnant or disabled it is free.

Over to Japan, if you get sick the first thing to do is a bit of self diagnosis then you get out google and find your nearest doctor that specialises in that field, so if you think you have an ear infection you look up your local ENT doctor. Usually you don't make an appointment, you just rock up to the doctors then sit in the waiting room for however long it takes. As in the UK the doctor will refer you to a specialist higher up in the chain if they think it is needed. Also, like the UK, the doctors do a special course so that all their handwriting is illegible! Here each doctors office that you visit will have a record of your medical history from that office so there is no nowhere that has all your medical files in one place. This worries me because the doctor has to rely on what the patient tells them, they are unable to see what has been the problem in the past. It is also not the culture to question the doctor in any way, shape or form, some will actually get quite stroppy with you if you do!

You also need insurance in Japan we pay through my husbands company, so you need to have your insurance card and you doctors registration card (kids also have a third card) each time you visit the doctor. You do have to pay for your prescription too but only 30%, kids are basically free, I had to pay ¥100 for Ebi-kuns last prescription.

I dread the day we need to call an ambulance, many think it is better to make your own way to the hospital. Due to the insane address system here often ambulances have a hard time finding the address, most ambulance crew are NOT paramedics and so can only make you comfortable whilst they get you to the hospital. Then there is the decision of which hospital to take you to and there is no guarantee that the hospital will admit you when you get there. When Ebi-kun broke his arm a neighbour took us to the local doctors clinic, I was confused why because I didn't know that they had a x-ray machine and they also do a lot of rehab mainly for older people, thankfully she knew this and decided it was the best place to go.

So, all that said, in my personal experience, I have nothing to complain about and always received great care over here. What started this post is that Ebi-kun has had a bad cough, he usually gets them in winter, it's no biggie. I took him to the local kids doctor, it isn't usually as busy as the other doctors nearby and the younger doctor speaks a smidgin of English (he knows all the words I know in Japanese lol). The doctors usually only give medicine for 3 days, of course Ebi-kun is still coughing so it is back to the doc for him this morning. Above is his prescription, the top three are mixed in one bottle to make the syrup and the bottom is a patch that goes on his chest, like a nicotine patch but it releases medicine instead. I don't remember getting such a details breakdown of the meds when I was in the UK - although it is a long time since I visited a doctor back there.

So, now your turn, what is the health care system like where you are?

light board fun...

My Christmas present was a light tray which I use when I am designing patterns but Ebi-kun has been having fun with it too. Yesterday I gave him a pile of gel sheets, I had cut some shapes for him to give him some ideas and then left him to it.....

I am looking forward to be doing some more activities with him using the tray.

All About Japan - pack

When I joined the last culture swap I made a PDF file to go with it, of course, I got a bit carried away and what started out as a couple of pages ended up at 26 pages of information!

It includes pages about geography, food, traditions, housing, festivals, recipes, language, a quiz and fun facts plus a pile of 3 part cards that you can print out and laminate. The text is written as if Ebi-kun wrote it himself, so it sounds like it is coming from a 6 year old.

If you would like a copy, I have added it to the culture store, just pop over here!

Peanut Peeps...

More boredom busting...peanut peeps! We made these together and because you can eat as you make it makes all the more fun.

You will need some peanuts in their shells (cooked), toothpick, tweezers, sharp knife, felt pens/markers and something to make a mess on....

I carefully cut the end off each peanut then Ebi-kun used a combination of tweezers and toothpick to remove the peanuts from inside the shell, this is the messy bit and I really wish I had not done the vacuuming before we started so I didn't have to do it twice!

Clean up the mess and you should be left with a selection of funny shaped peanuts...

We picked up each shell and examined it, discussed what it looked like before attacking it with the markers, of course there were several pirates a couple of ninjas and some 'goodies' as Ebi-kun would put it. You can play with them as little people or....

Pop them on your finger as little puppets, and yes, Ebi-kun has been at it again....

Morph...

Ebi-kun has been off sick with an annoying cough for the last few days, so we got out his Morph kit. It is pretty cool, it comes with instructions and a DVD on how to make Morph plus some props.I didn't want to start faffing around making a stop motion movie so we just took some still shots then Ebi-kun added the text...

The humour of a 6 year old eh? Morph, for those not-in-the-know, was the side-kick of Tony Hart who did a kids art show back in the 70' and 80's and later Morph went on to have his own show...

Stitching....

I recently stitched up this little picture for my aunt, unfortunately I couldn't join her and my mom and my cousins for a week in the sun and had to make do with the photos instead! 

I am pretty sure embroidery was my first step into sewing, my mom used to do it and all the women on my dad's side of the family. My first attempt at 'free-style' embroidery was when I was given my uncles denim jacket which had badges for bands such as AC/DC and Rainbow on it. So off they came and into the bin they went (sorry Simon!) but then I was left with dark patches on the jacket so I chucked the jacket in the bath with some bleach, yes the bleached tie-dye effect! Then I sewed on some fabric and embroidered some swirls on it, how I loved that jacket and what a shame I have no photographic evidence of myself wearing it.

Anyway... I love the fact that embroidery has come back into vogue both on the high street and in the crafting world. I was given Embroidered Effects by Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching fame and I love it!

The book is broken down so there are sections on tools, fabrics, pattern making, stitches and methods of stitching, stitch combinations and special effects and then a load of projects to get your teeth into, finishing  the projects and a set of patterns. The peacocks above are one of the designs from the book. I am pretty much OK with many of the stitches, there are a few in the book that I haven't tried before and the diagrams and explanations are easy to follow. I also really like that it is spiral-bound so that it lies flat when you are using it and they have provided a pocket at the front to keep the patterns in, brilliant.

Jenny makes embroidery fun, she uses cheeky designs and ideas and I am pretty sure a total beginner would be able to pick up and stitch using the book as a guide, so if you have been thinking of taking up a new hobby, pick up the book and give it a go!

available on Amazon and The Book Depository