I read an interesting article on Nippon.com that said 27.5 million households in Japan include a person 65 years or older. This is a majority of the 54.3 million households in total.
In Japan, 63.5% of the households where a person age 65 or older is receiving care, the care giver is also at least 65 year old, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. Households where both the recipient and the provider of care are 75 years or older, constitute 35.7% of the households. The number of elderly caregivers is expect to rise because of an overall shortage of caregivers, and Japan's declining birthrate.
Quite a few of my students live in multi-generational households. Several live with their spouses and children on the second floor, with their parents and their grandmothers living on the first floor. I didn't know anyone in this situation when I lived in the US. Is it common for elderly family members to be cared for by elderly children where you live?
I'm continuing to make good progress by stitching at least one thread a week on each project.
SnowDays - I completed the inside of the box. Aren't the snowmen cute?
Scarf - I completed the center of this paisley.
Dogwood afghan - I finished the third square.
Paisley purse - Deborah Forney I added the beads and small dorset button to the large paisley.
Sneek Sampler - I completed a good bit on this section of page 7.
Hardanger Sampler - Linda Driskell
I did one thread in the lower left, where the scissors are pointing.
Drawn Thread Gingham - Working on the original piece, I stitched the chicken scratch leafy area. The directions for how to do this can be found on Mary Corbett's blog.
Apparently, this is the sixth in a series of "One Pounders" at Burger King in Japan. This is the first one I've read about.
The buns have four types of cheese baked into them, in addition to six slices of strong cheddar cheese between the layers. There are four quarter pound 100% beef patties, fresh onion, ketchup and mustard, and pickles. The sandwich weighs approximately 502 grams, and has 1,399 kcalories. The cost for the sandwich alone is 2,040 yen or 2,340 for the "setto" with fries and a drink. It is available for a limited time only.
What I want to know is who eats these sandwiches? Really.
Is napping while standing up a thing in other countries, or is this only in Japan?
The standing sleeping booth, created the Koyoju Plywood Corporation, a Hokkaido based company really is called Giraffenap. Giraffes can sleep while standing and for only a few minutes at a time, so this seems to be an appropriate name.
Currently, Nescafe Harajuku is installing these sleep pods and taking reservations for 20 minute nap sessions. You can make reservations here. Inside the booth are pads and platforms to support your head, back side, shins, and soles of your feet.
The Giraffenap are set to go on sale in late December or early January, with workplaces being targeted as purchasers. Would you be interested in having one in your workplace? I think many people in Japan don't get enough sleep and these nap pods would be great for those people. I don't like to nap during the day, so I probably wouldn't make use of them if they were available.
Kakigori is the best treat on a hot summer day. It's really something simple - shaved ice with some flavoring or topping. My favorite is azuki, which is smashed sweet red beans over the shaved ice.
The other day, I treated myself to this treat at the Oasis Cafe near where I live.
If you are in Shizuoka, I highly recommend this cafe.
Four of us met Sunday and started a new project. First, here is progress on the last project. One person finished two green apple pincusions and two people are continuing to work on their pin cushions. If you are interested in making your own pincushion, you can find the chart here.
Our new project is drawn thread on gingham, as posted by Mary Corbett on her blog. Her blog is a wealth of information on all things stitching - with a lot of instructions and tutorials.
Here is the progress made by the end of our stitching session. I will add my project to my WIPW report.
We finished our session with tea time. Sumo cookies were added after this picture was taken.
Recently I posted about attending the Nutcracker performance of my friend's niece, who danced the part of Clara. This fourth grader is also a talented artist. Yesterday I went to see an art exhibit of area elementary school students (1st - 6th graders), including her painting below.
The theme was Sea Day, a national holiday in Japan.
