Trip to Aeon

Yesterday it was snowing hard, so we went to the Aeon shopping mall by bus. The bus stop is about four blocks away from our apartment.  We didn’t know the bus schedule times, but took a chance that we wouldn’t have to wait long and we didn’t.

Near the bus stop this man was clearing the snow overhang so it wouldn’t fall on someone passing by. After he knocked the snow down, he had to shovel it away.

Upon arriving at the mall, we checked out the return trip times so we knew when we could return home.

We consulted the mall directory, but couldn’t read it, so it’s a good thing we didn’t come for anything in particular.

Ted thought a tube of Superglue would be a useful purchase – only 98 yen.  Look how nice they package it after purchase!

Next we found a stitching store! There was a lot packed into a small space.  I didn’t buy anything, but I know what’s here if I need it.

yarn

fabric

beads

sashiko supplies

sewing machines

This shirt was in the little girls’ section.  There are often English words on Japanese clothing that are either weird or make no sense.

The food court had Baskin Robbins, Mr. Donut, KFC, and other “American” foods.  I thought about getting a donut, but the donuts were self-serve and I decided I didn’t want a donut that had been breathed on and maybe touched by lots of people.  Ted did get some KFC.  The chicken was Japanese chicken with sauce and sesame seeds!

It was still snowing when we got on the bus.

We couldn’t read this sign on the bus, but we think it is something about priority seats for those who need them.

After getting home, we were surprised when we had visitors – two representatives from the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints.  They were surprised to find English speaking Americans at the door.  One of the two was from Hawaii.  Do you think he really understood he was coming to snowy Hokkaido when he agreed to this mission?

Finally, I finished Ojimi last night.

Reading in English and Ojimi

I enjoy reading and always have a book in progress, in English, of course. There aren’t many options for reading in English in Hokkaido.  Here, I can’t even read the directions on the bag of rice.

I brought a couple of paperback books from the US to read on the plane.  I finished the Nancy Grace mystery on the trip, then finished the book about Abe Lincoln after getting here.

The University Library has a room for newspaper reading and one of the many available papers is in English.

I recently discovered my iPod has the iBooks app and I am able to download books. You can purchase books, or (if you are cheap, like I am) you can get the free books.  There are a lot of the classics (available for free), that either I read a long time ago or have meant to read.  There are also a lot of newly published authors available for free. Each iPod page is about one fifth of a regular book page, so you have to turn a lot of pages, but I won’t complain.  They are books in English.

Ojimi

Here is a photo of the designer/teacher of this piece, with her finished Ojimi at the Lousiville National Seminar. The piece is stitched on 32 count antique white Belfast linen, with three black silk threads (Soie Perlee, Soie 100/3, and Soie de Paris) and #5 Japanese gold,0023 gold thread, and Krienik gold couching thread.

Carolyn Standing Webb

This blackwork piece is modeled after the Japanese carved ojimi beads. I should have taken better notes in the class, but here’s what I remember about it. Kimonos did not have pockets, so women had little carved containers that hung off their sashes to hold their stuff. Silk cording held the container together and had a large carved bead at the end.  The ojimi was a smaller bead between the container and the end bead that kept the container closed. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong about this.

I have completed stitching the seven blackwork beads and still need to stitch the tassels on both ends as well as the cording (more couching!) between the beads. If I work on it for more than a minute or two, I might be able to finish it.

Snow Ice Cream

Another of the Outdoor Activities (classes where the third year students teach the first year students – see the Ice Candles post on 12/20) was making snow ice cream.  The class began in the first year room with the instructors giving instructions on mixing the milk and sugar cubes (and maybe something else, I couldn’t understand the instructions – they were in Japanese) in large zip lock bags.

 Some sugar cubes did not make it to the zip lock bags.

The bags were zipped and taped securely shut. 

Everyone went outside for the next phase and this is what I think happened. The first part was like a science experiment. Snow was put in big coffee cans and the temperature of the snow taken. Salt was added and the temperature taken again.  The taped zip lock bags were put in the cans with the snow/salt mixture. The next part was the recreation part. The students played a football kind of game, with the cans of ice cream mixture as the ball. They changed off cans from time to time.

At the end, the cans were opened and there was ice cream inside the bags.  I didn’t eat any, but Ted said it was good.

Trash or treasure?

When taking out the non-burnable trash today, I found this Japanese sized ironing board!  I’ll need to make a new cover for it (and get an iron) and it will be perfect for my projects!

Blackwork

I think I will work on this blackwork piece for awhile.  It is a Carolyn Standing Webb class from the EGA National Seminar in Louisville, called Ojimi.