Today is a national holiday to honor the hard work of laborers and give thanks. Maybe be thankful to have a job? Labor day was previously a harvest festival.
This year, the holiday falls on a Saturday, so it doesn’t feel like a holiday. People who don’t work on Saturday don’t even get a day off from work. I’m not complaining; there are 16 national holidays in Japan, with a day off from work, plus many special observance days that aren’t national holidays.
I like that the Emperor’s birthday is a holiday in Japan. I love birthdays!
Emperor Naruhito, with wife and daughter
Do you have a favorite holiday?
(Yesterday’s view of Mt. Fuji from my apartment.)
The prefectural government of Yamanashi has been studying the idea of building a tram to carry people from the bottom to the midway point of Mt. Fuji. It has now announced that it has given up on that idea due to public concerns over environmental concerns. A citizens’ group opposing the idea submitted about 70,000 signatures to the governor, demanding he withdraw it. They expressed concerns about potential environmental destruction and avalanche damage.
Yamanashi Governor Kotaro Nagasaki now wants to look into rubber-tired trams with sensors to enable them to follow white lines or magnetic markers, eliminating the need to build a rail line. The Yamanashi Governor promised the light rail in the 2019 gubernatorial election, when he was elected for the first time.
Mt. Fuji, the 3,776 meter peak and UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, straddles Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefectures and attracts climbers and tourists from all over the world. The rising popularity of the mountain had led to overtourism challenges.
What do you think of either the rail line or the rubber-tired tram? I don’t know everything about it, but I think I’m against it. Why bring more people, when there is already overtourism?
I’m extremely happy I was able to climb Mt. Fuji in 2019 (I posted about it here), but once was enough. Really.
A 55 year old company employee has been arrested by Kanagawa Prefectural Police for breaking into his 30-ish subordinate’s apartment 40 times, looking for her underwear. According to police, Tomohiro Suzuki, a company employee of Ebina, was arrested after he broke into the woman’s apartment in Yamato City, Kanagawa Prefecture about 7 pm on November 15th.
Suzuki allegedly removed her key from her handbag in June and had a duplicate made. He used this duplicate key to enter her apartment about 40 times. In addition to photographing her underwear, he also installed miniature cameras in the bathroom and kitchen. The reason he gave for doing this was, “I had feelings for her.”
This is about the creepiest thing I have heard of a work supervisor doing. I would probably have to move, and change jobs if the supervisor continued working there. Does this kind of thing happen only in Japan?
Four Seasons Kogin progress - I started the winter section and made good progress on it.
Toki, who blogs at 私がめがねをかけるとき, and I are both stitching this kogin piece. (She blogs in Japanese, but there is a translation button on the top left under the title, if you don’t read Japanese.) Check out her progress!
Rapunzel progress
I have always been drawn to counted thread techniques. I like the orderly look of these stitching techniques. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy other types of embroidery though!
Japanese Pattern 21
This project has been neglected, but I want to work on it again.
Japan has 47 prefectures, and the prefecture I live in is ranked ninth most attractive in the 2024 edition of the Local Brand Survey conducted by the Branch Research Institute. I live in Shizuoka and I have to agree, it is a gorgeous place.
When I first came to Japan, I lived in Hokkaido, which has taken the number one spot every year for the last sixteen years. I also agree with the survey’s top choice.
I’ve traveled to many places in Japan, and I can’t say I’ve seen any ugly or dirty places. With forty-seven prefectures, one has to be number forty-seven, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a nice place.
I haven’t worked on this hexagon bedcover in a while. I would like to finish it. My plan is to quilt at least one length of thread each day until it is finished. I hope I can stick with it.
Thursday afternoon, I took the train to Ito City to visit an old friend. We went to a place called The Joint for a craft beer and to talk and listen to music.
Then we ate dinner at a Japanese place called Gyorakutei. It was fabulous! We both ate the same thing.
Friday morning, we took a drive down the coast and went to an onsen. It was a nice place. The pay machine at the entrance was in Japanese, even when you tap English on the screen. The women’s bath area was on the fourth floor with all different indoor and outdoor baths with different kinds of water and temperatures. The men’s was on the third floor.
After that we went to a kaiten sushi place to eat.
Finally we went to Sakura no Sato Park. There are 40 types of cherry trees, with the juugatsu zakura in bloom now.
Saturday morning, we took a hike at Komoroyama.
Mt. Fuji has snow!
We went to a local pizza place, with a great view.
Part of my trip home was on this cute train.
The weather wasn’t very nice, but the visit was great!
Princess Yuriko was born in 1923 to one of the elite families at the time. At age 18, Princess Yuriko married Prince Misaka, the younger brother of the late former Emperor Hirohito.
She had been experiencing deteriorating health since last week and died on Friday, due to pneumonia. She was the oldest member of the Imperial family at 101 years old. May she rest in peace.
Omamori are Japanese amulets or good luck charms and are sold at shrines and temples. You can buy them for general good luck or for specific things, like safe driving, or passing entrance exams, or good health, or happiness, or business prosperity, or other things.
I was inspired by this blog post and made my own general good luck omamori. I haven’t mastered the pretty knot, but may try it the next time.
We stitched together this week and continued with our pictures. We always have such a good time together!
