Trash Talk

 Please take your trash with you.

Silver Week 2026

Today begins a rare five consecutive day holiday in Japan. The last Silver Week was in 2015.  The third Monday in September is always Respect for the Aged Day. It is a Happy Monday holiday, meaning it falls on a Monday and not a fixed number day. The Autumn Equinox holiday falls on the day of the Autumn Equinox, which could be September 22 or 23. 

So, how do we get to five consecutive days from these two holidays? The first two days are the weekend, Saturday and Sunday. Monday is Respect for the Aged Day. Japan has a special holiday rule - a day that falls between two holidays becomes a citizen’s holiday. Since Wednesday is the Autumn Equinox holiday, Tuesday is also a holiday. 

Trains run on either a weekday schedule, or a weekend/holiday schedule. All five of these days are the weekend/holiday schedule, which means fewer trains during the normal “rush hour” times. Public offices, banks, and post offices are all closed, but other businesses are usually open. Most museums in Japan are normally closed on Mondays, but when Monday is a holiday, they are open and they close the next non-holiday day. Usually that means Tuesday, but since Tuesday and Wednesday are also holidays, Thursday becomes the day they are closed. 

Unfortunately, Typhoon 25 is heading straight for Silver Week, so that may affect our holiday plans.

Friday Finish - Padded Covered Hangers

I bought some plain metal hangers at Seria (set of two hangers are only 100 yen). First, I covered the hangers by hand sewing some leftover batting, then covered the batting covered hangers with fabric. I like how they turned out.

Record High Number of Centenarians in Japan

The number of people 100 years and older in Japan reached a record high of 107,677 in September, topping 100,000 for the first time. According to Health Ministry data this is the 56th consecutive year the number has climbed. Women now make up 87.6% of the centenarians (94,298 women). 

At age 114, Kyoto resident Fuyo Kishimoto, born December 20, 1911, is the oldest woman in Japan. Hikari Kato, a112 year old man from Kumamoto, born May 2, 1914,  is the oldest man in Japan. The average life expectancy in 2025 was 87.33 years for women and 81.35 for men.

Work In Progress Wednesday

The Great Wave progress

The Sneek Sampler

A Possible Solution to the Trash Problem

I often hear/read about tourists who complain about having to carry around their trash when they are visiting Japan and about Japanese residents who complain about tourists leaving trash around because they can’t find a trash can. East Japan Railway (JR East) has come up with a solution that solves the problem and is fun to use.

These mobile trash can robots will be rolling around Shinjuku Station on a trial basis for now. They are designed to look like little train cars, with labels to show what trash goes where. I think they are cute.

Shinjuku Station is known for being the busiest station in the world, so if the trial goes well here, it should work at other stations.

National Parks Quilt-a-Long - Block 2 Churn Dash

I read about this interesting quilt-a-long on this Piecework magazine website. This article directs participants to the Park’s website for instructions for blocks 1-6. 

The second block is the Churn Dash. There are step by step instructions, as well as diagrams, photographs, and stories. I am using small scrappy pieces of fabric that I have and am hand sewing the blocks.

Here are the first two blocks

Please Get In Line

 

Hikone Castle Seeks UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Designation

(Photo from my August 2018 visit to Hikone Castle)

The Japanese government is nominating Hikone Castle in Shiga Prefecture for registration as a Cultural World Heritage site. It is one of the twelve original castles in Japan and is already designated a national treasure. Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture already holds the Cultural World Heritage designation.

Information from J-Castle website:

For his participation in the Battle of Sekigahara, Ii Naomasa was awarded the lands surrounding Sawayama Castle. Due to its inconvenient location and poor condition, he soon started planning for a new castle on a new location that would become Hikone Castle.

Unfortunately, Naomasa died soon after and the castle was actually begun under his son Naotsugu. It took 20 years and was completed under Naotsugu's brother Naotaka who had become lord of the castle in 1615. The main keep of Hikone-jo is famous for having used several types of gables and construction techniques to make it well fortified. The main keep and connected yagura are designated National Treasures. The Ii family maintained their rule over Hikone Castle for over 250 years from the beginning of the Edo Period until the Meiji restoration.

First Autumn Leaf Maps for 2026

(I’m having problems posting pictures on my blog and have read others are too. If you have a solution, please let me know. Thanks!)

Every year, the Japan Meteorological Corporation prepares maps with dates for the best color show. This will get updated as the season progresses. Here are the first maps. For my area, it looks like 12/2 for maple leaves, and 11/17 for ginko leaves.

(These maps are also prepared in the spring for cherry blossom viewing.)