An Early Start to Flu Season in Japan

 

This year in Japan, influenza season began in August, which is the second earliest start since 1999, when the current method of record keeping was introduced. Only 2009 saw an earlier start to flu season. Suspected reasons for the earlier start include the increase of foreign tourists from the southern hemisphere, where it is winter during Japan’s summer, and dry indoor air due to use of air conditioning during Japan’s hot summer. Preventative measures include avoiding crowded places when feeling unwell, opening windows for ventilation, wearing face masks, washing hands, and getting vaccinated.  

I don’t know of anyone yet who has or has had the flu this season, but I do know people who are already vaccinated.

Throwback Thursday

Looking back on October 8th blog posts since I moved to Japan. (Click on the year to see the full post)

2025 This was a Work in Progress Wednesday post and one of projects I was working on was a blackwork piece, that I later made into a pillow.

2024  This was a Train Manners post

2023  Sports Day post - one of Japan’s great national holidays

2022 McDonalds Japan changes from plastic to wood utensils

2021 Finish Friday - There was an earthquake and I finished a beaded ornament.

2020 Free Corona Virus Vaccinations in Japan

2019 I made a post about body donation in Japan

2018 An earthquake and a temperature block 

2017  I finished my crazy quilt shoulder bag

 2016  I wrote about golf insurance in Japan

2015 Take a Stitch Tuesday was the barred chain stitch

2014 Monday Morning Star Count - I’ve been making hexagons for a long time!

2013 Japan has four seasons

2012 Beaded ornaments

Work In Progress Wednesday

Fobs - new start. I came across some small fabric pieces and decided to use them to start making some fobs.

Another New Project

The Great Wave progress

Raccoon Damage

 

More and more, raccoons are causing problems in Japan. Raccoons are not native to Japan, even though they resemble the tanuki, which is native to Japan, but not related to the North American raccoon. 

The first raccoon in the wild in Japan was one that escaped from the Inuyama Zoo in 1962. The main introduction of raccoons to Japan was in the 1970’s through the pet trade, after the popularity of the TV cartoon series, Rascal the Raccoon. 

Raccoon damage is rising sharply all across Japan, with agricultural losses at 700 million yen (4.4 million USD) a year. In addition to damage to agricultural crops, the damage in urban areas is increasing. The animals are eating goldfish from garden ponds and breaking into attics. People are urged not to approach or to feed the animals. Officials report that vacant houses where raccoons can breed are expanding their habitats. The population of the animals is growing so rapidly that it is becoming impossible to keep them under control. Officials say the number of raccoons must be reduced in order to limit the damage.

National Parks Quilt-a-Long - Block 5

I read about this interesting quilt-a-long on this Piecework magazine website. This article directs participants to the Park’s Website for instructions for blocks 1-6.  

The fifth block is the Log Cabin Block.

All blocks are sewn by hand. Here are the first five blocks.

Japanese 4th Grader Passes Top Level English Proficiency Test

 

Erina Honda, a fourth grader in Fujikawaguchi, Yamanashi Prefecture passed Grade 1 (top level) of the Eiken English language proficiency test, a level regarded as the equivalent to advanced university English. 

She said that learning English had never felt like a burden. Her mother said since early childhood Erina thought “English is fun”. Her mother said the girl was introduced to English at age two, through English picture books and Disney songs. Neither of her parents are particularly good at English, but they thought it may be good for children to be exposed to English from an early age. 

From her first year of kindergarten, she began with a picture book series containing short English sentences. Her mother read aloud to her and she borrowed additional books from the library. Erina became immersed in reading. By her final year of kindergarten, she was reading full length books such as Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. At this time she took and passed Eiken Grade 3 for the first time. 

She continued to build her vocabulary and grammar skills through reading books, including Harry Potter books in the original English in Second Grade. 

When she was in Fourth Grade, she took the Eiken 1 for the first time, but didn’t pass, partly because she didn’t have the stamina for the long test. In August, she attempted to climb Mt. Fuji and reached the summit. Erina said by reaching the top of the highest mountain, she could conquer other barriers. 

She took the Eiken 1 test again and passed. She continues to improve and is expanding her dreams. She wants to become an international lawyer and use her English skills. I am in awe of this little girl and wish her all the best in the future. 

(Eiken is Japan’s most popular English proficiency test).

Man Arrested for Keeping Illegal Crocodile

A 34 year old Osaka man was arrested on Monday for keeping a saltwater crocodile without permission from local authorities. According to police, Soma Satomi, who runs a pet shop, is alleged to have kept a 1.5 meter crocodile in a tank in his shop, in addition to an alligator snapping turtle and 21 common snapping turtles. 

He has admitted to the allegation. He said he kept the animals as pets and did not plan to sell them. The police are investigating how he came into possession of these restricted animals. Saltwater crocodiles can grow 4 to 5 meters in length and the prey on mammals and other animals. 

This story made me remember a family I knew when I was young. The parents were friends with my parents and the family had three boys close in age who had an alligator in the bathtub in one of the bathrooms. I don’t remember where the creature came from or what ever happened to. I remember it was very small at first, but it grew and its teeth grew and it was scary.

Friday Finish - New Home Gift

My friend recently purchased a new home and I made this gift for her. The pillow is 30 cm square. I hope to give it to her soon!

EF English Proficiency

The 2025 EF English Proficiency report is available now. (Check it out in the link.)

Japan is tied at 96th with Afghanistan in the Very Low Proficiency category.

The report is long, but the Table of Contents is helpful and there are many maps and charts. The Forward to the report is “English in the Age of AI”. I found it very interesting.

Work In Progress Wednesday

Sneek Sampler progress

The Great Wave progress

Paisley Purse progress - rings and beads attached.

Stitch Group Sunday

We met on Sunday and did what we always do. They are getting close to finishing the gardens, so next time we meet, we will start a new, simpler project.

Tea time

I love stitching with my friends!

National Parks Quilt-a-Long - Block 4 The Schoolhouse Block

I read about this interesting quilt-a-long on this Piecework magazine website. This article directs participants to the Park’s Website for instructions for blocks 1-6. 

The fourth block is the Schoolhouse Block. I am using small scrappy pieces of fabric that I have and am hand sewing the blocks. 

Previous three blocks -

Woman Arrested After Pet Wolfdog Injures 92 Year Old

 

Wolfdog photo from internet, not actual animal in this case

(I’m not familiar with what a wolfdog is, but I read online that they are a hybrid mix of a wolf and a dog).

A 67 year old woman has been arrested after her wolfdog pet escaped her home in Naie town, Hokkaido and seriously injured a 92 year old woman. According to police, Motoko Okazaki allowed her wolfdog to escape her home between midnight and 1am on July 8. Later that morning the 24 kilogram wolfdog bit a 92 year old woman who was out for a walk. The wolfdog caused injuries to both legs of the woman, which required more than a month to heal. 

At the time of the incident, both the wolfdog’s indoor cage and the home’s front door were open. The pet had escaped previously, having bitten and injured a pedestrian last year.  

How much trouble is this wolfdog owner in? What do you think?

A quick google, came up with these results - 

Key Rules for Dogs in Public

Mandatory Leashing: Letting a dog roam or walk off-leash in public parks, streets, or footpaths is prohibited by local and prefectural animal welfare ordinances. 
Short Control: Leashes must be kept short and secure enough that you maintain total physical control over your pet at all times to avoid startling pedestrians or interfering with bicycles and traffic. 
Exceptions: The only legal places where a dog can be off-leash are fully enclosed, designated  dog parks. 
Cleanup Duties: Owners are legally required to clean up after their pets, which includes picking up solid waste and carrying water to rinse away urine on public or shared property.

Owner Liability and Compensation

Civil Liability: Under Article 709 of the Japanese Civil Code, a dog owner is legally responsible for tort liability if their pet injures someone due to negligence or failure to properly control the animal. 
Damages Covered: Victims can claim compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and emotional distress (pain and suffering). Many pet owners carry specific liability insurance to cover these costs. 
Criminal Penalties: If an owner acts with severe gross negligence (such as letting a known aggressive dog off-leash in a crowded area), they can face criminal charges for professional or accidental bodily injury under the Penal Code.

Another Typhoon Approaching Japan

Typhoon 25 passed through Japan last week. In my area, there was a day of rain but no real damage. As the storm moved east, it was a different story. I read 11 people lost their lives, and four are still missing. Over 10,000 homes in Chiba and Kanagawa are still without power. There are landslides and fallen trees, so it may be a while until power is restored. Water outages are also a problem. 

Typhoon 26 is now headed this way. The Japan Meteorological Agency is calling on the public to heed warnings.

The average number of storms per year in the area of Japan is 25, with an average of three making landfall in Japan.

Friday Little Finishes

Added photo - yes, this beaded fob is a loop.  It is stitched flat, then the top and bottom joined.

Virtual Zoo in Children’s Hospitals

More than 30 hospitals across Japan are giving children the opportunity to explore zoos and other destinations through virtual reality. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be a child with issues requiring a long hospital stay. This project gives young hospital patients the opportunity to interact with others, to have something to look forward to during treatment, and to ease the loneliness and isolation. 

In mid-July, 15 children aged 4 to 16 met in a playroom in Okayama University Hospital’s pediatric ward. They put on virtual reality headsets for a virtual trip to Osaka’s Tennoji’s Zoo. They found themselves in a recreation of the zoo’s African Savana area, with giraffes and zebras.  The virtual space was developed jointly by Osaka-based Kintetsu Real Estate Company and Cluster Inc., a Tokyo metaverse developer. 

Ten year old Takeru Kuwahara, who has been hospitalized since March said he was not comfortable around animals, but found the virtual experience reassuring. Yuka Kawaguchi, a childcare worker in the pediatric ward, said children who lost strength  and normally lacked the energy to leave their rooms were able to go to the event after looking forward to it all morning. Children who took part included those being treated for cancer, heart conditions, and Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. 

This program is helping sick children all over Japan.

Work In Progress Wednesday

New start and probably a quick finish. This will be a beaded loop fob.

 

The Great Wave progress

Comparing the finished piece on the package, you can see it will look better after the outlining.

The Paisley Purse - I haven’t worked on this for a very long time, but there is a good reason. The little clear rings that get covered, were lost in my apartment. They should have been in the bag with the rest of this project, but they weren’t. The bag of rings is little and from time to time, I looked in little places. Finally, I found the little plastic bag inside another little bag that was in another unfinished project. I want to get back to working on it again and hopefully finish it.