Buzzing Off

You won't be hearing from me for a couple of weeks. After a four-day reunion with the Ancient Mariner, College Boy and I are jetting to the United States today. We'll be spending about ten days in Minneapolis where the Blonde Wonder is about halfway through a two-month assignment at the HUD branch office. While she's at work and College Boy is sawing logs, I'll be exploring the umpteen yarn and fabric shops in the area. Because, gosh, I sure do need more fabric and yarn.

Brother #3 and his lovely bride will rendezvous with us in Minneapolis and we'll take turns buying each other rounds and calling them belated birthday gifts. After I sober up, College Boy and I will try to find Bellingham, Washington and the student rental house for which we've been paying since August 1. Frankly, I think the kid should just stay in Japan this year and attend the University of Maryland extension, but he has pragmatically pointed out that he'll have to return to the United States for college next year so he might as well get it over with now.

Before I catch the shuttle to the airport, I want to show you how professional Japanese gardeners protect themselves from mosquitoes. The day I took these pictures the thermostat hit 95 degrees Fahrenheit.  Note that the gardeners are not showing much flesh.  They are wearing more clothes than my sister dons in the middle of a Michigan winter.

"Why are they wearing hole-y little pans on their hips?" I asked Ishii-san. "Is that smoke coming out of those holes?"

Ishii-san asked them if I could take a picture. When they saw how much those pans intrigued me, they offered to reveal the mosquito repellent coils smoldering inside.

How clever is that? I was thinking I'd buy a new pair of walking shoes in Minneapolis, but now I've decided to invest that money in a Japanese mosquito repellent pan when I get back here.

On Japanese Appliances and Fruit Parfaits: Two More Reasons to Visit Kamiooka

Japanese kitchen appliances fascinate me.

My American friends here say drawer-style dishwashers are now available in the US but I will be sure to verify that and do some price checking before I return home empty-handed. My standard dishwasher in Virginia can accommodate twice as many dishes as Shinagawa-san's (pictured) but what's the point of an enormous appliance for only two people?

The refrigerators are tall and narrow, much like Beanpole who jumped at the opportunity to channel Vanna White when I pulled out my camera. Shinagawa-san's model has a freezer drawer in the middle and crisper drawer at the bottom. Some models have a separate drawer for ice.

"Beanpole, while you are in the kitchen, please grab the soy sauce."

"Now, please put the soy sauce back in the refrigerator from the other side."

See what I mean about Vanna White?

The Ancient Mariner and I priced Japanese refrigerators at Yamada Denki Labi in Kamiooka two days before he deployed.  We did not see a model that opens on both sides and I'm not willing to settle for less.

We also checked out irons - the cordless ones delight me - and computers with all the working parts built into the monitor.  Then we wandered back to the train station and sampled the fruit parfaits at the highly-touted Takano restaurant.  Those fruit parfaits alone are worth a trip to Kamiooka.  I am indebted to all my Japanese friends who recommended Takano.