TAST 71 Bullion Buttonhole

This week’s stitch (courtesy of Sharon B’s Pintangle blog) is the Bullion Buttonhole.  I tried it with green #8 perle and yellow #5 perle and added French Knots with the yellow.

 

Here’s a quick little scissor case, made to go with the Victorian bag I finished several years ago. (I still want to make a needle case to go along with them.)

 

A Few More Stitches in the Mystery Bag

I’ve been working on the top half of the mystery bag and have used a few of the TASTstitches I’ve been learning and practicing. I’m pleased with how this is turning out.

You're a Good Man Charlie Brown

Our friend Vicky is a member of the Hokkaido Players and has been rehearsing since early last fall for the musical You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. The Hokkaido Players are from all over Hokkaido and rehearsals were held every other weekend at different locations across the prefecture, leading up to performances in May and June. I was excited to get to see the performance this weekend at the closest location to where I live, which was Epoa Hall near the Oasa train stop. Ted was not able to attend because he had a weekend canoe race with his canoeing students. He missed a good show!

The characters spoke English and Japanese at different times throughout the performance. The set, props, and costumes were simple and appropriate for the story.  Our friend, Vicky, was the assistant director and also played the part of Lucy. I grew up reading the Peanuts comics and seeing the television specials, so this musical had a very nostalgic feel for me.  These characters are like my old friends. Here are a couple of photos taken after the show.

Lucy (Vicky) and me

Lucy, Charlie Brown, me, and Snoopy

 

Over 35 Need Not Apply

I see a variety of job ads here looking for native English speakers. Some are for university teaching positions and the job requires that the applicant have a Ph.D. Others require Japanese language skills in addition to being a native English speaker.  Sometimes the job notice specifies British English or Australian English or American English. The job ad might require a car and a driver’s license.  This week I saw an ad for a children’s camp and the ad specified native English speakers ages 20 to 35 only. I’m not looking for another job, but it feels very strange knowing I’m too old.

Ted’s too old, too, and here’s proof – one of his birthday dinners.  This one is at our favorite restaurant, Bombay Blue. (We'd eat here even if it wasn't his birthday). At least we aren't too old to have another birthday dinner.

Bacteria Elimination Boxes

Have you heard of these things?  I just read about them on Rocket24.  Libraries in Japan are using them to eliminate germs in library books. This is what is written about them:

 

“Using the Bacteria Elimination Box is simple and free for everyone. Just open the door and place your book on one of the shelves. Close the door again and hit the on switch in the top right corner. If you see a blue glow through the window on the left, that means it’s working. The extermination process only takes 45 seconds, and while your book may not look any different when you take it out, it should be relatively germless. Plus, the whole process somehow reminds us of the cool containment unit they used to have in the movie Ghost Busters…

The blue glow within the box accompanies the emission of bacteria eliminating UV rays. According to one of the managers at Kihara Corporation, the company that manufactures these boxes, the box is effective against Yellow Staphylococcus, E. Coli, and other microorganisms, as well as the influenza virus.”

 

I haven’t seen one at my library, but I will be watching out for it. I’m all in favor of getting rid of germs, without a lot of cleaning work.

Sad news in Japan
I learned yesterday that the oldest person in the world and the oldest man ever, Jiroemon Kimura, died in Kyoto prefecture of natural causes at age 116. Misao Okawa of Osaka has now become the oldest living person at age 115.   

Running and Rice

I don’t work on this every day, but I do manage to stitch on it here and there.  It’s been a great carry along project.  I’ve added some running stitches and some rice stitches since I last posted about it.  I’m still calling it the mystery bag, although I have a pretty good idea what it will be.  On the chance that it doesn’t work for what I think it will be, I’ll continue calling it the mystery bag.

I Bought the Book

Every week I think about how I need to study more. I really mean to study more, but I get distracted by other things.  Our Japanese class continues to grow – Jamie San and I are from the US, Nahar San is from Bangladesh, Chen San is from China, Sonaka San is from Thailand, and Angus San is from England. In addition to our once weekly class, Chen San also attends a language school every afternoon and she speaks English as well as her native Chinese. She’s very helpful by translating what the teacher says into English when the rest of us don’t know what is going on. Jamie then uses her phone to translate that into Thai for Sonaka. 

I’m hopeful that someday I will get where I understand what other people say to me and I can make myself understood by others.  I hate it when I’m able to say something in Japanese, then the other person thinks I really can speak Japanese and rattles off  a bunch of things that I have no idea what it is.  The other day I was walking down the path and it was rather cool out.  I was wearing a long sleeved shirt, a sweater, a fleece jacket and my rain coat on the outside.  Several children were shoeless with their pants rolled up playing in a knee deep pool of water.  I said Konnichiwa to them and they all stopped and stared at me, so I wanted to say something.  The only thing I could quickly think to say to them was Samui desu (It’s cold).  All of them started talking at once and I have no idea what they were saying.

We finished the original book in Japanese class and our teacher showed us the book we would be using next – Minna no Nihongo. 

 

I took a photo with my iPod of the back cover with the ISBN number and headed to the bookstore.  The store has four floors and I have no idea how things are arranged, nor can I read the signs.  I went to the service desk and said in Japanese I want to buy the book and I pointed to the picture of the back cover on my iPod.  The clerk understood me! and said in Japanese Wait a minute. I understood him! He poked his computer and made a phone call and again said wait a minute in Japanese.  About one minute later another employee came running down the escalator with the book I wanted in his hands.  He gave me the book with two hands and bowed.  I gave the book to the clerk, who scanned it and told me how much it cost (in Japanese, which I understood).  I paid and happily left the store with my book.  I know it was just a few simple sentences, but the clerk understood me and I understood him and I bought the book all by myself. But still, I really need to study more.

TAST 70 - Crested Chain Stitch

This week’s TAST stitch on Sharon B’s Pintangle blog is another new one for me. I tried out the crested chain stitch with perle #5 (variegated), perle #8 (yellow) and perle #12 (green).  I like the packed stitches of the perle #5 sample, but the colors also make that sample pretty. Here's a photo of the whole sampler so far too.

 

I’m adding just a few beads to some of the edges of the yo-yo shawl.  I could be done with the shawl at any time now. Maybe just a few more stitches….

Fat Threads and Skinny Threads

I’ve been working a bit more on the yo-yo shawl.  I’m using fat threads (#8 perle cotton and six strand floss) on the darker colors and skinny thread (a gold metallic) on the lighter colors.  In between I’m using medium threads - Soy Luster and Weeks Dye Works wool .  It’s coming along.  I don’t know how much more I have to do; I’m just enjoying the process.

 

 

 

 

Sapporo "Yosakoi Souran" Matsuri 2013

Last year, Ted and I attended this festival together.  This weekend, he was on a camping trip with his outdoor skills class, so I was on my own.  As I was walking to the bus stop, a car passed me and the driver waved. People often wave to me and I don’t always know who they are, so I waved and continued walking.  I saw the car pull over and recognized the driver as a woman I know.  She is active in the International Exchange Society and is the wife of a University coach and professor. She asked where I was going as and as it turned out she was going to Sapporo to visit her mother and invited me to ride with her.  Ted is busy with his classes and field trips, but as a foreign instructor he doesn’t have near the obligations that the Japanese professors have.  In addition to the classes and advising and meetings and research and publishing and conferences, many are also coaches with practices and competitions. Her husband was gone for a sports competition and she referred to herself as a soccer widow. The ride with her was much more pleasant than riding the bus and I enjoyed talking with her.

This is the festival’s description online:

Every year Sapporo holds a "Yosakoi" dance festival, known as the "Yosakoi Souran Matsuri".
The original Yosakoi festival began in the city of Kōchi, down South in the Shikoku region in 1954. Since then, it has become popular throughout Japan, with many Yosakoi festivals held in a number of prefectures, and the Sapporo Yosakoi Souran Matsuri, which began in 1992, is one of the most well-known Yosaki festivals in the country.

Many Yosakoi dance teams from all over Hokkaido, as well as from other areas of Japan,  perform their routines over the 5 days over 19 different venues, either on stage or as a parade through the city. There is judging and contests for some dance performances.

I like seeing dance of all kinds, but my main purpose this day was to see one of my university students and his group dance. I arrived at the venue (in front of the train station) about half an hour before his group was scheduled to perform to make sure I wouldn’t miss him. His group is large and there were often dancers in front of him, so I did not get good photos, but I was happy I was able to see him.

 

I saw several performances before his.  The dancers are of all ages and the groups of various sizes.  There are often one or two group members on a stage behind the other dancers, singing or calling out syllables, maybe directions? I couldn’t tell what they were saying.

 

The colorful costumes are very interesting!  There are often several costume “changes” within a few minutes as the dancers’ tops become skirts or sleeves turn inside out or sometimes outer costumes are taken off and thrown to the side of the stage.

The first three pictures are the same group

This picture and the next are the same group

 

After leaving the venue at the train station, I went to Odori Park and watched one the parades from the street side bleachers. There are two parade routes with groups back to back the entire time.

 

As with all festivals, there were many choices of food vendors. I’m never sure what the food for sale is, so I ate the lunch I brought and only bought a drink.

I walked around watching the dancers at other venues and the people in general. The lilacs are in bloom and smell heavenly.

 

Even though I was wearing sunglasses, a hat, and sunscreen, I knew I needed to be mindful of the time I was in the sun, so I headed for home mid-afternoon.  It was another good day in Hokkaido.