Friday Finish - Five Beaded Balls

Here they are at different angles.  Blue is my favorite color.

Merriam Webster's Word of the Year 2021

(You can read the full story on all the words here).

It was no surprise to find out that Merriam Webster's word of the year for 2021 was Vaccine. Vaccine comes from the latin word for "cow", vacca, because the term was originally used to refer to inoculation using doses of cowpox, which protected humans against smallpox.  This relatively new English word dates to the 1880's.

Other top words for look ups in 2021 on the Merriam Webster site include the following. 

Insurrection - which means an act or instance of revolting against civil authority or an established government. This word came to English from French. 

Perseverance - defined as continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition, coming from Latin. 

Woke - a new word originating in African American English, defined as aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice). 

Nomad - referring to a member of a people who have no fixed residence, who move from place to place, usually seasonally; or more bradly to someone who roams about. This word comes from Latin and Greek. 

Infrastructure - came to English from French and dates to the mid-20th century. It means underneath or below the structure. 

Cicada - is defined as any of a family (Cicadidae) of homopterous insects which have a stout body, wide blunt head, and large transparent wings, and is from Latin. 

Murraya - which spiked in lookups after the Scripps National Spelling Bee in July, is a genus of tropical Asiatic and Australian trees having pinnate leaves and flowers with imbicated petals. 

Cisgender - defined as of, relating to, or being a person whose gender identity corresponds with the sex the person had or was identified as having at birth. 

Guardian - one that guards; custodian, from Middle English.  This word jumped in look ups when Cleveland's American League baseball team chose it as their new name. 

Meta - defined as showing or suggesting an explicit awareness of itself or oneself as a member of its category; cleverly self-referential. This is Facebook's new name and is a still-emerging term. 

Past Words of the Year include: 

2020 - Pandemic; 2019 - They; 2018 - Justice; 2017 - Feminism; 2016 - Surreal; 2015 -ism; 2014 - Culture; 2013 - Science; 2012 - Socialism; 2011 - Pragmatic; 2010 - Austerity; 2009 - Admonish; 2008 - Bailout. 

Isn't language interesting?

Work In Progress Wednesday

 Another Bead Ornament in the works

Puppy Love

The Scarf 

Sankaeban Inari Jinja Shrine

It was late in the afternoon when I visited this little shrine and the shadows were long. This shrine is tucked in between a home and a little restaurant. It looks kind of lonely, but I saw a couple leaving as I was arriving, so it seems it does get some visitors. I think this is another tiny Japanese treasure.

Monday Morning Star Count - Week 29

Year five of the temperature quilt 

Week 29

November 14 - 20 

63, 68, 61, 61, 57, 64, 63

I am reporting the high temperature each day.  My Year Five temperature/color scheme remains the same as previous years: 

100+ Brown 

90-99 Red 

80-89 Orange 

70-79 Yellow 

60-69 Green 

50-59 Blue 

40-49 Purple 

30-39 Pink 

20-29 White 

You can see my finished Year One Quilt here.

A Walk In Sumpu Castle Park

Things are good where I live. All across Japan the vaccination rate is high and there have been zero new cases in my area.  Things could change any time, so I need to get out of the house while I can before the next wave hits us. Yesterday I decided to take the train into Shizuoka City. Of course everyone on the train and everywhere else was masked. I walked around Sumpu Castle Park and it was a gorgeous day. I couldn't help thinking about how fortunate I am.

A Tongue Twister at the Horse Race Track

I sometimes use English tongue twisters in my English class, and when I do, my students tell me Japanese tongue twisters (which are more difficult than the English ones). 

Earlier this month at a Tokyo race course, a three year old filly with an unusual name won the race. The horse's name is Sumomomomomomomomo. I know - - - What??? 

The horse's name comes from a Japanese tongue twister: Sumomo mo momo mo momo no uchi (スモモも、モモも、モモのうち), which means "plums, peaches, peaches".  A sumomo is a kind of plum (not to be confused with the ume plum), but a close relative of the peach. 

Try saying these Japanese tongue twisters (about 2 minute video)

Friday Finish - Black and White Mini Dress

I added a red belt to Wednesday's post and call it finished.  I used #15 seed beads and Miyuki beading thread for the little dress.  The top front is peyote stitch, the rest of the dress is a net stitch. 

This is what the mini torso looks like before the beads. I purchased them from a Japanese company called tutu.

Grocery Store Find

I was happy to find these red radishes at the grocery this week, and at a discount too! In the US, I bought these and sliced them into salads, and grew them in my garden in the summer. I don't usually see them here.  Maybe they are too spicy or hot for most people here. What do you think about red radishes? Like them or not?

Work In Progress Wednesday

 New Project - the Mini Torso  

A local bead artist, who is the wife of one of my students, encourged me to stitch one of these little beaded dresses.  These mini torso dresses are her specialty.  I ordered several of the little dress forms from a Japanese company called tutu. The company also sells bead dress kits, but I only bought the dress forms because I have many beads and many ideas for how to make the dress. The company promptly sent my order and I had it in only two or three days. I should be able to finish this one soon.

Front

Back

Another new bead project - beaded ornament ball

And a little more cross stitch

Labor Day in Japan

Emperor Naruhito, harvesting rice, November 2020

Today is a national holiday in Japan - Labor Day. This is the modern name for the ritual of the Harvest Festival, known as Niinamesai.  This festival goes back to at least November 678, according the the Chronical of Japan, one of the oldest histories of Japan.  In the ritual, the Emperor makes the season's first offering of freshly harvested rice to the gods, then eats the rice himself. 

During the Meiji era (1868 - 1912) Niinamesai was held November 23rd and was a recognized national event. After World War II, this day was established to mark the fact that fundamental human rights were guaranteed and the rights of workers were greatly expanded in the postwar constitution. The name was changed from Niinamesai, but the Emperor still takes part in the rice offering ritual on this day. 

Most people now are happy to have a holiday, even if they don't reflect on the history of it. I have many things I could do today, but so far no special plans. I am thankful that I have the job that I have and can reflect on that.

Monday Morning Star Count - Week 28

Year five of the temperature quilt 

Week 28 

November 7 -13 

64, 66, 63, 68, 68, 68, 63

I am reporting the high temperature each day.  My Year Five temperature/color scheme remains the same as previous years: 

100+ Brown 

90-99 Red 

80-89 Orange 

70-79 Yellow 

60-69 Green 

50-59 Blue 

40-49 Purple 

30-39 Pink 

20-29 White 

You can see my finished Year One Quilt here.

Top Baby Names in Japan 2021

I always think the most popular baby names of the year are interesting, even though I'm not familiar with the names and I can't read the kanji. The rankings are based on the names of 211,000 babies born in Japan between January 1 and September 28, 2021 using information gathered by Benesse, a brand focused on pregnancy, childbirth and childcare. This year names with only one character are popular, with five girls' names and seven boys' names having just one character.

2020 rankings are in parentheses.

The Local Climbing Wall

This climbing wall is near the train station in the town where I live. I took a couple of pictures as I was walking by. It was a pretty day, perfect for this activity.

Friday Finish - White Button Tote

 

Matchmaking in Japan

Matchmaking is still a thriving business in Japan. I was surprised to read that 16.5% of marriages in Japan in 2020 were the result of some type of matchmaking or konkatsu service, such as marriage agencies, online matchmaking, and matchmaking parties. This is a 3.5% increase over the previous year and a record high for the third year in a row. The annual survey which was conducted from May to June 2021 about marriages in 2020, by Recruit Bridal Research Institute included 50,000 men and women age 20 - 49.

I thought of matchmaking services as something old fashioned, but I guess I was wrong. It might be that it was harder to meet potential spouses in the last two years because of the pandemic, but the chart shows that the use of matchmaking services has been increasing for years.

Is this unique to Japan, or is this happening all over the world?

Work In Progress Wednesday

 

Sunday Stitch Group

It was great to get together again!  First - some show and tell from last time. Aren't these great? Check out the details.

(If you want to learn to make these, check out the tutorial on Queenie's Needlework blog.)

We started some new projects and talked and laughed.

Tea time and gifts!

Until next time...

Monday Morning Star Count - Week 27

Year five of the temperature quilt 

Week 27 

October 31 - November 6 

59, 70, 68, 70, 66, 68, 64

I am reporting the high temperature each day.  My Year Five temperature/color scheme remains the same as previous years: 

100+ Brown 

90-99 Red 

80-89 Orange 

70-79 Yellow 

60-69 Green 

50-59 Blue 

40-49 Purple 

30-39 Pink 

20-29 White 

You can see my finished Year One Quilt here.