Rice

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So this is what faces me when I want to buy rice …. I rule out 10 & 20 kg bags because they are too heavy to carry home, but how can I possibly choose from the rest? It is nearly always white, polished, short grain & slightly sticky when cooked. And invariably grown in Japan. So I asked on a social media group how people select which rice they buy & it seems that most buy rice from prefectures where they have lived/visited/or have family living. Apparently, the most popular variety is Koshihari but I’m not sure I can tell the difference. I was advised not to buy the cheapest as this is often imported through trade agreements & sits in storage for a long time! The other difficulty I have is the checkout queue snakes in front of the rice fixtures of my regular supermarket … not conducive to me & Google Translate taking time working through each of the products.

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At another supermarket I managed to find a less processed rice, still Japanese of course. And above is my favourite kitchen appliance – the rice cooker. We eat rice at least four times a week now … and I will definitely be taking this back home. If you stay with us, you will be eating rice!

My Friday 13th

It was a Tuesday, but definitely felt like a Friday 13th. I had booked a Doctor’s appointment at a Health Clinic and suddenly realising the time, I rushed out. Too old to properly run (but when was I young enough?!), I rushed to the entrance of the Metro Station. It was one of those tricks … the actual station was miles away underground. I ran/walked quickly to the barriers and then discovered that I had lost my Suica (Oyster/Octopus) card so wasted a little more time buying a ticket. And after all that I emerged at the wrong exit! I phoned the Clinic and changed the appointment.

A little later, I met my doctor (the Health Clinic employs English speaking staff) – a Kiwi who is also fluent in French & Japanese. I asked about his Welsh first name; unbelievably he was born in Carmarthen, How random!

I later on reported that I had lost my suica card; I approached a group of policemen on the station, unsure about whether I needed to report it to local police or to the ticket office. They kindly took me to the ticket office where there were two staff. So, six of us in total … one policeman with the English vocabulary of a two year old & me with the Japanese skills of a woodlice, but with great humour and many gestures we sorted it.

Nursery Transport

I love seeing nurseries taking the children out to play & I am amused at how they transport them.

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They look like laundry carts used in hospitals, with six children standing inside holding onto the edge. Or two younger children in the seats and two or three standing. And babies are transported in four seater pushchairs, such as the one in the photograph below.

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Children in primary schools and nurseries seldom have uniform, but all wear matching hats when out and about. Difficult to see in my photographs but there are always lots of adults and the children and babies look so happy.

Random Photos

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