June(1)

                 　　   On June 1, the state of emergency was partially lifted in Japan, but it is obvious that we have to keep practicing social distancing.

                 　　   Having hurt my lower back after weeding and carrying heavy flower pots in my garden, I was able to get some rest at home during the entire month of May.

                 　　   My back pain has been getting better, and the rose garden in the area opened again for the first time in a month.
                               

                  　　    
                 　　   A professional gardener kept taking care of the roses even during quarantine and they finally started to welcome visitors back.

                  　　 There weren't many visitors in the garden, but everyone seemed to be enjoying the fresh air and their own time there.
                  　　 I strolled through the garden for an hour and came back home.

                                                                                 She is going to make potporri with these roses the gardener cut off. She said.        

                                                                                        She likes to draw red roses the most..... She said.

                                                                                      　　　 　　　    　　　There are also sad stories.

                                                            Hydrangeas in Yata Temple in Nara and 800,000 tulips in a flower field in Saitama were cut down.

                                                            It was a tough decision to make so that this would keep visitors away during the COVID-19 pandemic.



                                                                                                                       I hope you all are safe and happy.


                                                                                      　　　　　                                      Tomoko                                    

                                                                                             　　　　　

                                           

April(3)

                                                                                                                    I stay at home to escape crowds.

                                                                   I wear a face mask and rubber gloves when go grocery shopping once a week.

                                            This is the view from our balcony.I enjoy looking at a few carpenters working, and hearing the sounds they hammer nails                                                                                           into the wood.This is a little enjoyment in such a period of uncertainty. 

                                                    

                                                                             I do pray for everyone to pass through this critical time.

                                    

                                                                                                                                             Tomoko               

April(2)

                                                                                   All societies across the world are now facing great difficulties.

                                                                   Let's focus on what we can do now as individuals and believe we can overcome the coronavirus threat.

                                                                                  Let's believe beautiful days will return to us someday in the near future.

                                                                                                                 2020 April 5

All my activities, such as going to an English class, sport club and giving piano lessons have been suspended.

My husband takes a walk with our family dog every morning. Recently I decided to join them with my camera. She is two years old.

                                                Because of the corona threat, the physical threrapists that visit my mother-in-law three times a week have been suspended.
                                     However, she still has some caregivers who help her taking a bath twice a week. We appreciate their help. 
                                     She does sutra-copying every day at our living room.


                                                                                                                                            Thank you for visit.

                               
                                                                                                               Tomoko        

                                                                                               

April (1)

The coronavirus is raging across the world.

I hope we will be able to overcome this difficult time and the outbreak will end someday in the near future. 

                  Akashi Strait Ōhashi is a 3,911-meter long suspension bridge, which connects the city of Kobe on the main island of Japan to Iwaya Village on Awaji Island.

                  Since last autumn, my mother-in-law, who lives with my husband and me, has started staying at a nursing home two nights every month.

                 When this happens, my husband and I travel to Awaji Island, where he goes fishing and I enjoy walking around the fishing villages on the island.

                 The villages we visit aren't famous tourist destinations, but there are many old-fashioned buildings preserved in good condition today and
                  we enjoy a special atmosphere every time we go there. Let me show you some from my archive.
                
                                                                                                                   

This is a public bath in Iwaya on Awaji Island.

Even though it is located in such a quiet fishing village, many people come to visit the retro-inspired public bath from various parts of Japan.

                                                                                                  


                            There was at least one in every neighborhood in Edo period(1638-1868). Public houses are not just places where you go to wash yourself clean.
                           It was a kind of community place where local people could get together.The difference between hot spring and pablic bath is that
                           hot spring uses natural water while public bath uses boiled water.

                                                                       The owner is getting ready to open the place by preparing the bath.

                                                                                                 It looks like this used to be a bed for changing babies' clothes.

                                                                                                                        These photos are all permitted to post.

         

                                                                 

                                                                                              You can see many cats here and there in the fishing village.

                                                                                                                                   Thank you for visit.
           

                                                                                                                                            Tomoko

February(2)

                                                                                     My mother-in-law, like other children, liked origami when she was a little girl.

                                                                      She still remembers how to fold origami and enjoys making Tsuru, or cranes, these days.

                                                                      Origami is the art of making figures by folding paper.

                                                                      You can make birds, animals and vehicles just by folding without scissors or glue.

                                                                      One of the most popular origami figures is the attractive looking crane.

                                                                           　　　　　　　　  It is amazing for her age 99 to be able to fold these cranes.



                                                                          　　　　　 85歳の時、年老いたので助けるために同居を始めた義理母。
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　歳を重ねる毎に驚きの元気な１００歳に近づいて........
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　今だ自力で歩き、写経を日課とし、新聞を読み、最近は娘の勧めで折り紙を始めた。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　部屋をスタジオのように暗くして懐中電灯で照らして撮影してみた。



                                                                                                                  Tomoko

February(1)

                                            This is a small fishing village on Awaji Island, where my husband and I traveled last week on the 12th and 13th.

                            Because there aren't many jobs available in the village other than the fishing industry, many young people are leaving to work in other places, 
                            and the population has been decreasing. After having breakfast at our hotel, my husband went fishing and I walked in the village, and then 
                            I was headed to a fish market at the port with my camera.

                     There were lively auctions going on at the fish market, and I was so moved to see some young fishers working with a lot of energy with many seniors there.

                                             Thanks to the permission of the manager of the market and the friendly fishers, I was able to walk around the place.

                                                                                                           Many thanks!


                                                淡路島の小さな漁村を歩きました。寂しい漁村に見えましたが、魚市場は活気にあふれていました。


　　　　　　　　　                                                                                         Tomoko

January(2)

                                                    Takoyaki is a Japanese savory snack in the shape of little round balls containing pieces of octopus.

                                          It is made from dough, mixture of flour and water. It also contains some vegetables such as red ginger, cabbage and green onion.
                                          We usually eat takoyaki with sauce and mayonnaise. Last week,I bought takoyaki to take my house, and ate with my family.
                                                                                                     Takoyaki is our favorite snack.

           

                                                                                                                   Tomoko