Remake Clock

There is a special place in my heart for old things. You know, not quite old enough to be labled as antiques, but still nostalgic. I`ve been lucky enough to be able to come in possession of a couple of real nice old wall clocks. Such lovely pieces , don`t you think?

One I`ve recycled as a towel dispenser. This is in the utility room off the the bath. These towels are different than our hand towels in the U.S. They`re kind of "all purpose" towels used for everything from "wash rag"to"spill wiper".

I did this by removing the insides and remodeling the "door"on the front of the clock. I arranged it so that the folded towel is put in on top and you pull out the one on the bottom to use. I`ve put a towel ring on the bottom of the clock to hold the hand wipe towel currently in use. If I lived in the U.S. I would probably use this in the kitchen for kitchen towels. It`s very handy.

I have another recycled clock in the kitchen that I`ve made into a spice rack. This was very simple to do. I just removed the insides of the clock and put in a couple of shelves. It looks nice and still earns it`s keep.

It`s fun to find ways to reuse these lovely clocks.Although I`m sure avid clock collectors
absolutely cringe at the thought of what I do to these clocks, I`ve found a way to cherish them while using them....and I`m OK with that.

Have a nice day.

Bath and Toilet Etiquette

A little "heads up" on etiquette concerning the bath and toilet.

Let`s start with the toilet. There will usually be a pair of slippers inside the toilet area. Please remove the house slippers you are wearing and change into the toilet slippers. When you leave the toilet , please change back into the house slippers and leave the toilet slippers in the toilet area.

Allow me to explain....It`s a fact of life, guys I`m sorry ,but I`m going to be blunt....guys spray when they take a leak! It`s a fact! Also, and this includes gals, when you flush the toilet with the top up, there is also a spray. This is FACT. So the toilet floor is NOT clean. You don`t want to wear room slippers into the toilet area getting, forgive me, urine and feces on the bottom of the slippers and then wear those same slippers all around the house. Wouldn`t you say that is ,to say the least, unsanitary! And GROSS!

Next is the bath.The sink and the bath are usually made so that they can be closed off for privacy at bath time.You remove your clothes in the sink area and go into the bath area and close the door. The bathtub will be full of hot water. The temperature of the bath will range from probably 38C to 44C, depending on the season and the preference of the family. All body washing should be done on the tile deck area. Most homes have a shower....use it to wash and rinse yourself. Please make sure that you have rinsed all the soap off before getting into the bathtub.If there is no shower,you will have to scoop the bath water with the little scooper thingie you can see in the picture.Think of it as a water ladle. NO SOAP IS USED IN THE BATHTUB! EVER! The bathtub is for relaxation . When you`re ready to get out ....PLEASE DON`T PULL THE BATHTUB PLUG! The same bath water is used by the whole family, another reason that no soap is used inside the bathtub.

That was a pretty big lesson!

I really hope that you are able to enjoy your bath experience....Japanese style.

Have a nice day!

Bath and Toilet Areas

Today I`d like to introduce the bath and toilet areas of "Our House".

In most homes in Japan the bath, toilet, and sink are separate rooms. I say "most" because "all" is too encompassing. Some homes are made the "western" way with the three facilities in the same room. Many of the smaller studio apartments have what is called "unit baths" which have all three facilities in the same room. For the most part, however, they are separate, in the same vicinity, but separate.

Bazaar Goods

Grabbies!

Do you know what "Grabbies" are?

Babies go through different stages. If I remember correctly, Mothers please correct me if I`m wrong, at about 5 or 6 months old, the baby will reach out and take something offered or shown to them. Hence....Grabbies!

These grabbies are about 3 inches in diameter and have minimal stuffing making it easy for little hands to grab hold , mash around, and taste test....as babies will do.

I`ve put hoops on the top so they can be stung and hung on the wall or made into a mobile.

I`m not completely happy with these as the aren`t neatly round. I should be able to do better as I make more.

I`ve already had two orders from "Blog Friends" on my Japanese blog. They say that the imperfections are part of the charm. What can I say? Imperfection and charm are in the eyes of the beholder!?

Have a nice day!

Book

"A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson.

My husband lent me this book to read. It had it`s ups and downs, but it`s humorous and very human. Mr. Bryson writes about his hiking experiences on the Appalachian Trail. I had heard of the Appalachian Trail, but this book gave me a very good idea of what it`s really like. He gives facts along with his own experiences , which made a fun read.

I`ll never get there on my own, so it`s the next best thing.

Have a nice day!

Bazaar Goods

These are needle cases. They`re made of bamboo. I`ve attached string so that the top and bottom won`t become separated.The string is attached with a Turkshead Knot or lace to make it fancy.

I think that they`ll make good bazaar items. Not too difficult, but fun to make and a nice addition to someone`s sewing equipment.

Etiquette

Here are a few quick tips on the etiquette of entering and leaving your Japanese friends home.

Please remove your coat or jacket before entering the door. Just think about it. When you remove your coat the lint and dust fly off of it and by removing it before you come in, you don`t deposit that lint and dust in your host`s house.
Your host will probably have a pair of slippers ready for you on the step up area. Remove your shoes and change into the slippers. As you remove your shoes, please don`t stand in your stocking feet or barefoot on the deck area. This completely defeats the purpose of changing from your outside shoes into the slippers, which is not to track in dirt from the outside. If you stand on the deck after removing your shoes, you get your feet dirty and track that dirt into the house.
After changing into the slippers, you are now standing on the step up area. Squat down (Ladies,
let`s squat in a ladylike fashion, OK?) and place your shoes side by side with the toes facing outwards. Move them a little to the side leaving the center area open in case someone else comes in. The center area should always be free of shoes.

OK!

Now enjoy your visit.

When it`s time to leave, you change back into your own shoes, of course. Once you`ve got your shoes on, turn around and replace the slippers side by side with the toes facing inside the house and a little to the side ,again leaving the center area open. Wait to put on your coat until you`re outside.

You may not remember all of this, but using as much as you can will make you a welcome guest.

Have a nice day!!

Our House

Let me invite you on a tour of our house.

Today I`d like to show you the entrance way, genkan in Japanese. Wait! Wait! Please take your shoes off and change into the slippers there on the step up. Thank you. Please, never never try to go into a Japanese home with your shoes on. BIG NO NO!

On the right you can see a big shoe cabinet. We store all our shoes here in the genkan. Above the shoe cabinet is a display I made from vines I took from the forest behind the house. The things I display change from season to season. At Christmas, it even becomes a Christmas scene.

On the right side is another shoe cabinet. Like I said, all the shoes go here so we needed two cabinets. This one on the right side is handmade by my very talented husband. He did the carpentry and I did the finishing. I think it turned out pretty nice, but then I AM prejudiced.

Next time I` ll show you another area.

See you later!

I really enjoy making things and dabble in various crafts. 　

Today I`m introducing what I call "Bazaar Goods"。　

These are made from empty pickle jars~~the big kind from Costco. I love the pickles but the empty jars get in the way. I know I can re-cycle them, but I was looking for a way to re-use them instead. So I paint on the bottles....cover the cap.... and they become cute kitchen storage containers.

I get the fun of making them...someone else gets the fun of using them ....and my Daughter‘s children`s Pre-School gets the money .

Works for me!!

Tonight`s Dinner Menu

Tonight I made Curry Rice for dinner. The curry rice here in Japan is much different than Indian Curry.

The ingredients for tonight`s curry are...pork, onions, carrots, Japanese white radish, garbonzo beans, and shrimp. The curry I make is not all that spicy so I always put a bottle of Garam Masala on the table so my husband can spice it up as much as he wants. Along with the curry rice is a salad with lots of fresh veggies and sweet spring onions and a glass of ice water.

I make this perhaps once a month. It`s good for using up left over veggies in the fridge in a very tasty way.

Granny in Japan Introduction

Hello.
I am, as my title says, a Granny and I live in Japan .I`m American, born in the great state of Oklahoma and raised as a military brat. I`ve lived here for 40 years this fall. I have two children and four grandchildren. I love to spend time with my grandkids, read books, and I`m also very in to crafts.
The reason I`ve started this blog is actually as a diary.
If you read and enjoy, please leave a comment, and please come again. I will be updating as often as I can.