Work In Progress Wednesday

I started these snack coasters a long time ago and This week attached the binding.  Now I just need to finish the binding.

I also started some tiny things on 32 count linen, from this book.

Kyoto Birthday Trip

I went to Kyoto for the weekend to celebrate my birthday. This was my first trip since Japan has opened up to foreign tourists again. Usually I travel by slower, cheaper, local trains. With covid cases on the rise in Japan (again), I don't feel comfortable taking the slow/crowded/local trains, so I opted for the shinkansen, which was very fast.  

I'll give you all the details in the days ahead, but here is a brief bit on my trip.

I arrived in Kyoto at 8:00 am and went first to Fushimi Inari Shrine because I thought it would get more crowded as the day went on. It did, so I was happy I got there early.

Next, I visited Fushimi Momoyama Castle. 

Then I went to Ryukoku Museum. 

I wanted to visit the Costume Museum, but found out it is closed December 1 to February 3.  Too bad!

After that, I went to Honganwaji Temple. 

On Day Two, I left my hotel and started walking.  I happened upon the Fushimi Inari Taisha Otabisho and stopped to look.

I passed by the Witch's House, but didn't stop.

Next, I went to Toji Temple with the five story pagoda.

Near Toji, I visited some other temples and places.

As I was getting ready to leave this area, I was looking at google maps on my gadget and a Japanese woman on a bicycle stopped and was happy to give me directions in English.  She also gave me a bookmark she made from kimono fabric.

Santa and his helpers were giving the reindeer a rest.

My next stop was Higashi Honganji.  I didn't recognize the name, but when I got there I realized I visited a few years ago!

After that, I went to Shosei-en Garden, another place I had been to before. It was very pretty the first time, but the autumn colors this time were striking.

This was in front of a hotel near the Kyoto Tower.

Many students visit Kyoto for school trips.

Finally, it was time to go home. Here is Kyoto Tower, taken from Kyoto Station.

It was a nice weekend trip, but felt much different than previous trips.  I chose not to take the crowded city buses or subways, as I had previous trips, so I did a lot of walking.  There were too many tourists in crowded places not wearing masks. 

I'll have more photos and details in the days ahead.

Monday Morning Star Count - Bottle Carrier Finish

I made the hexagon tube into a bottle carrier.  It is the size to hold a drink bottle or a bottle of wine.  I put a button on each side of the handle and made a cover for the string pull.

I folded in the grip and stitched it closed so it will be easier to hold.

The bottom is a circle with the hexagons folded over.  The inside of the circle sandwich has two layers of batting inside to give it form.

I like how it turned out.

University of Tokyo Wants More Female Professors

Japan lags behind global standards for the number of women in most sectors of employment. Japan's leading university, the University of Tokyo, announced in fall of 2021 that it wanted to increase the ratio of female faculty members from 16% to 25%. 

Last week it said it wants to push for more diversity on campus and aims to double its number of female professors and associate professors to around 400 by fiscal year 2027. In May 2022, 274 of the 2,322 professors and associate professors at the University of Tokyo were women. The university plans to hire 141 new female professors and 165 female associate professors by fiscal 2027, which will bring the number of women professors to about 400, after taking into account retirees. The university announced it will also hire more women lecturers and assistant professors, with the plan for women to make up about 1,200 of its roughly 4,800 faculty members. In addition, the university plans for women to make up 30% or more of the student body. 

In higher education institutions in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member countries, the average ratio for female faculty members was 45%.  The average for female faculty members at Japanese universities overall is 30%, so the University of Tokyo's new goal still falls short of the Japanese average. What do you think the average number of women professors is where you live? Is there any effort to increase the number?

Most Popular Baby Names in Japan 2022

Mejii Yasuda Life Insurance has just released its 2022 survey of the most popular baby names in Japan, based on the company's data from policy holders as of September 2022. In 2022, the survey consisted of the kanji names of 8,561 girls and 8,952 boys. Some kanji can be pronounced different ways.

Friday Finish - The Snowmen

Here they are, ten finished snowmen. I used number 5 perle cotton for the cording and stitched it down with invisible thread. I used the same green snowman fabric for the backing on all of them.

What do I say?

A Japanese person I know and who works where I do, came out of his building at the same time I was walking by, as I was leaving work the other evening. His English is good and he asked me in English why my Japanese skills aren't better. His question caught me off guard and I didn't really have an answer. Soon after, we parted ways, leaving me to think about the encounter.  

In the first place, I felt attacked. How do my Japanese skills affect him?  In the second place, what does he know about my skills?  At work I only speak English. I am an English teacher.  My job is to speak English. If someone doesn't understand me, I say it another way or speak more slowly, or at times have drawn a picture on my white board. But, at work I only speak English and I only see this person at work.

If I had been asked if I’d like to have better skills, of course I would say yes. That said, I get by rather well with the skills I have. I live in an area without naive English speakers, and outside of work, not many people who speak any English. I can handle my local business at the bank or the post office, or when shopping. I can't read an entire food label but I know some food kanji and know I don't want to buy something when meat 肉 is an ingredient. I can greet my neighbors and answer questions that people ask me when I am out and about. (Yes, people ask me many questions, like where am I from or if my hair is real, or comment on things I do, like going to work earlier than usual or walking fast). I was able to make online vaccination appointments on a Japanese website. I have traveled all over Japan mostly by myself and don't have language difficulties. My kanji recognition and sign reading is getting better, and I can get where I want to go and do what I want to do. English signage in places like Tokyo is great, but I often go to out of the way places without much English.

Granted, I can’t do everything I need to do by myself.  I am thankful for the help of my friends in those situations. Earlier this year, I received a notice in the mail from the gas company that I didn’t understand. My friend called the gas company and found out they wanted to change my gas alarm and she made an appointment for someone to come to my apartment. 

I don’t know why I am so put out by this.  I do feel attacked and I’m not used to anyone in Japan treating me like this. We all have just 24 hours in a day. I could choose to study Japanese more instead of stitching or doing the other things I do with my time, but I make my own choices. No one else can or should try to make choices for me. I resent being asked why my Japanese isn’t better.

Work in Progress Wednesday

 This week I've been working on making and attaching the cording.  Five are finished, five more to go.

I stitched quite a bit on the afghan this week.

Sashiburi desu

Miyu in 2015

Kaito in 2014

Years ago, when I lived in Hokkaido, I had two English students (a sister and brother in high school and junior high school) who came to my home one evening a week. From time to time, I still hear from them. Friday I received an email from Miyu saying she would be in my area and asking if I wanted to get together. Of course, I did! She picked me up and we went to a strawberry restaurant, with a nice view of the sea.

Miyu is now 25, strong, confident, successful, and beautiful, with a bright future ahead of her.  It was great to catch up on many things. While we were at the restaurant, we were able to facetime with her mother and her brother in Hokkaido.

I hope we will be able to get together again.

Birthday Sushi

 

Yesterday friends invited me to their house to celebrate my birthday with sushi. I had such a good time and am so thankful to have friends who want to help me celebrate. I never forget how fortunate I am to be here.

The Bus Drives Itself

 

Tomorrow JR East will begin operating a self-driving bus on an exclusive road built on a former rail track in a coastal area in Miyagi Prefecture. The bus can reach a maximum speed of 60 kilometers per hour and uses sensors to detect magnetic markers embedded in the road. JR East Executive Vice President Katsumi Ise said "Measures that are in line with changes of the times are important". He stressed the significance of exclusive roads for buses and self-driving technology to maintain means of transportation in local areas.  

From the picture, it looks like there is still a person in the driver's seat, even if no one is driving. With the road sensors and the exclusive roadway, and a possible back up driver in the seat, it sounds pretty safe. What do you think - do you want to ride a bus that has no driver?

Lawson's Avatar-Staffed Convenience Store

 

Lawson is one of the big chain convenience stores in Japan. I read an interesting announcement about its first avatar-staffed store in Tokyo. The store is staffed remotely by employees, which makes it possible for those with mobility issues to join its workforce. With the exception of paying bills, remotely controlled avatars will tend to customers by way of monitors installed at self-serve checkout counters and in product aisles. The employees will be represented by male and female avatars named Aoi or Sorato. The chain expects to open 100 avatar-staffed stores by 2025. 

McDonald's Japan World Cup Sandwiches

Yesterday one of my students told me about this year's three special FIFA World Cup tournament sandwiches at McDonald's.  Maybe McDonald's all over the world are serving these special sandwiches, I don't know.  I didn't even know the fast food restaurants in Japan were selling them. My students tell me many things I don't know about.

They are inspired by the 2002 Japan-Korea World Cup, the 2014 Brazil World Cup and this year's Qatar World Cup - the Koku Umami Karubi Mac, the Wild Beef Burger Onion Rings & Cheese, and the Kebab-style Chicken Burger. 

My student ate the Kebab Burger and the thing he liked best about it was that the bun was made to look like a soccer ball. The price of the burger is 440 yen, which he thought was expensive. 

Have you tried any of these World Cup specials?  What did you think? If you haven't, would you like to try them? 

What Month is This?

It's my birthday month! I love my birthday. I don't feel old, but I know I'm getting older. How strange is that?