Former President Clinton's Childhood Home -- In Japan

 

No, the former president didn't live in Japan as a child.  This is an odd but true story.  In Nago, on the main Okinawan Island, a Japanese businessman constructed an exact replica of Bill Clinton's childhood home in Hope, Arkansas. The home was completed in the year 2000, when Mr. Clinton visited the island for the G-8 summit, although there is no record of him visiting the home. 

ABC News reported the cost of the house, complete with imported period-appropriate furniture and appliances from antique stores in the USA, cost $730,000 USD. For awhile it was a popular tourist attraction, but now seems to be forgotten.  It is on the private property of the Kanucha Bay Resort, across from the golf course in Nago, northern Okinawa.  

I visited Nago but I didn't know about this home at the time. If I get to travel to Okinawa again, I would like to have a look at this place. I'm not such a big fan of the former president, but I am curious to see what the home he grew up in was like. 

Here are the directions from the Stars and Stripes website:

Clinton House, Kanucha Bay Resort, Okinawa

Directions

Kanucha Bay Resort (www.kanucha.jp/en), with its hotel, villas, restaurants and golf course, is located at 156-2 Abu, Nago-shi, Okinawa-ken, 905-2263. To get there, head north on the expressway to Nago and take 329 to 331.

Times

The Clinton House is not open for tours, but visitors can view it anytime.

Japanese Pet Expenses Survey

Do you think Japanese people spend more on their dogs or their cats? A survey by Japanese pet insurance company Anicom Insurance revealed that pet owners spent more than twice as much on dogs as on cats!  The internet survey among the company's policy holders received 3,532 responses. Average annual spending on dogs was 347,104 yen, with only(?) 164,835 yen being spent on cats annually. 

The biggest expense for both was food and treats, amounting to 64,745 yen for dogs and 42,925 yen for cats a year. According to the chart below, over 10,000 yen a year is spent on dogs' clothing.  That might sound strange if you've never seen Japanese dogs.  They have more clothes than I do! Owners reported spending more on their pets than themselves on grooming and medical fees.  One answer was "I only get my hair cut once every two or three months but the dog goes for a trim every month." 

Do you have a pet? Does this line up with how much you spend a year on your cat or dog? Do you think Japanese pets are pampered and this is too much?  I'm curious and want to know what you think.

Friday Finish - Three Gift Bags

 I like using fabric bags for gifts instead of paper wrapping.  I made these three drawstring gift bags in an evening.

Dream Jobs of Japanese Children

Adecco, a Japanese company that provides human resource services, conducted a nationwide survey of 900 elementary and junior high school boys and girls about what they wanted to be when they grow up.  I always like these type of surveys. This one is especially interesting because it shows the differences between children of different school ages. Here are the survey results.

Does any of this surprise you? Why do so many Japanese girls want to be pastry bakers?  Is it because of all the cute little desserts here? Why do office worker type jobs go from the bottom of the list to the top in both girls and boys from elementary to junior high school?

What do you think would be the answers from children in your country today? What about children when you were in elementary or junior high school?

Work In Progress Wednesday

 More of the Mola Fish

 A little more of the Bunnies Afghan

A new start - a little cross stitch piece.

Japanese Museum Guide

One of my former students gave me this English language book - The Art Lover's Guide to Japanese Museums by Sophie Richard. I haven't been able to travel anywhere since he gave it to me in November, but I do look at it and think about places I want to go and places I've been.  

The museums in the book are arranged by location. (It doesn't include every museum in Japan, of course.) Each museum listing contains the address and general information such as the hours, access, and website. There are gorgeous photos and interesting historical information. Also included are other places to visit in the same area as the main museum listed. In the back of the book, there is an alphabetical index and a thematic index, along with several pages to take notes and a glossary. The perfect book to look at when I am staying home and dreaming about future trips. I look at this book again and again. 

If you are interested in the book, it is published by Modern Art Press and the ISBN is 978-4-907983-58-8.

Monday Morning Star Count - Week 49

Year four of the temperature quilt 

Week 49

March 28 - April 3 

66, 73, 70, 70, 68, 64, 70

I am reporting the high temperature each day.  My Year Four temperature/color (Fahrenheit) scheme remains the same: 

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

10-19 Black  

You can see my finished Year One Quilt here.   

National Poetry Month

I didn't know this, but I read on the Atlantic that April is National Poetry Month. I'm not a big poetry reader or lover, but I used to keep a little pocket sized notebook with poems when I was younger. I don't know where that little book ended up.

I like this poem by A.A. Milne (1882-1956), who is famous for his Pooh stories.

Us Two

Wherever I am, there's always Pooh,
There's always Pooh and Me.
Whatever I do, he wants to do,
"Where are you going today?" says Pooh:
"Well, that's very odd 'cos I was too.
Let's go together," says Pooh, says he.
"Let's go together," says Pooh.

"What's twice eleven?" I said to Pooh.
("Twice what?" said Pooh to Me.)
"I think it ought to be twenty-two."
"Just what I think myself," said Pooh.
"It wasn't an easy sum to do,
But that's what it is," said Pooh, said he.
"That's what it is," said Pooh.

"Let's look for dragons," I said to Pooh.
"Yes, let's," said Pooh to Me.
We crossed the river and found a few-
"Yes, those are dragons all right," said Pooh.
"As soon as I saw their beaks I knew.
That's what they are," said Pooh, said he.
"That's what they are," said Pooh.

"Let's frighten the dragons," I said to Pooh.
"That's right," said Pooh to Me.
"I'm not afraid," I said to Pooh,
And I held his paw and I shouted "Shoo!
Silly old dragons!"- and off they flew.

"I wasn't afraid," said Pooh, said he,
"I'm never afraid with you." 

So wherever I am, there's always Pooh,
There's always Pooh and Me.
"What would I do?" I said to Pooh,
"If it wasn't for you," and Pooh said: "True,
It isn't much fun for One, but Two,
Can stick together, says Pooh, says he. "That's how it is," says Pooh.

Do you have a favorite poem?

Saturday Finish - Crazy Quilt Ornament

I added a few more stitches to the little piece, then made it into a round ornament.

A nice little finish.

Friday Finish - Strawberry Thief

I finished the stitching recently, but wasn't sure about the finishing.  The kit came with a wooden hoop the size of the stitched circle, but not the directions on how to do it.  I saw on the internet how someone finished  a piece by cutting the fabric a little bigger than the hoop, then stitching the extra bit of fabric to a circle of felt.  It wasn't as difficult as it looked. It's not perfect, but I think it is okay.

To Walk or Not?

Walking or standing still on the escalator? With so many train stations and shopping areas, there are many escalators in Japan. Frequently this issue is in the news.  Finally, one prefecture is doing something about it!  

This is the situation -- People are busy and need to get to work or to catch a connecting train so they want to move quickly up or down the escalator. Others want to stand still. Depending on where in Japan you are, the standers stand on the right or the left and the walkers (sometimes runners) move on the other side. SoraNews24 reported that there were 775 escalator accidents in Japan last year, half of which were caused by not standing still and not holding the railing. 

On March 26th, Saitama Precture (which borders Tokyo) passed an ordinance forbidding walking on escalators.  This goes into effect in October. I don't know if there will be a penalty for walking after the ordinance goes into effect. 

I live in a slower area and don't feel the need to walk on the escalator, even when I go to a city. In addition, as a foreigner, I need to be on my best behavior and not do anything that could cause an accident or annoy someone. What is it like where you live?  Is walking on the escalator okay?  Do you do it?

Work In Progress Wednesday

I continue working on my fish. I had no idea this was going to be so much fun.

The bottom of the afghan's design is stitched and I'm working upward.

This heart is a free pattern from http://lacontesselepointdecroix.blogspot.com

This is also a freebie, found at marijke-steekjeskruisjes.blogspot.jp.

The border for this one was from a free pattern, the inside was from the above piece.

This little set will be a gift when finished.

Pay Phones on Bullet Trains

In 1965, the Tokaido Line shinkansen (bullet) trains were the first to have coin operated public phones. This was just one year after the shinkansen trains started carrying passengers. Soon the shinkansen trains on all lines had this amenity.  Like other pay phones in Japan, this is coming to an end.  Beginning June 7th, Japan Railways will be removing pay phones from individual trains and expect to have all pay phones removed by June 30th. Ha! I didn't even know the shinkansen trains had pay phones! Pay phones will still be available at Shinkansen stations. Are there pay phones on trains or in train stations where you live?

Monday Morning Star Count - Zipper Pouch and Week 48

I used a handkerchief, a zipper, and a hexagon piece and made this bag. The handkerchief is folded in fourths, so it makes its own lining for the bag.

Year four of the temperature quilt 

Week 48

March 21 - 17 

64, 57, 59, 68, 61, 66, 64

I am reporting the high temperature each day.  My Year Four temperature/color (Fahrenheit) scheme remains the same: 

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 

10-19 Black  

You can see my finished Year One Quilt here.   

Sakura Spring time in Japan

I live just a few blocks from Osawagawa, which is lined with cherry trees. I can walk down the road next to the river to get to work.

This heron seems oblivious to the cherry blossoms, intent on fishing for its breakfast.

The people in the houses along the river must love living there in spring.

There are small walking bridges crossing the river that make it easy to see up and down the river and the tree branches full of blossoms.

This is springtime in Japan.