April 2011 Archives

This year's cherry blossoms were seen unlike always. because after the earthquake, there is still in sadness in Japan. We must not forget there are a lot of person in distresss in Tohoku even if it returns to usual life because time passes.
And, the sense of crisis that felt the natural damage at that time will not be forgotten either.
It is necessary to advance ahead at the same time.
We are getting a normal life day by day except Tohoku area.
However we are thinking about them every day.


Im telling you my normal life on this blog.
today's topic, you can see title, yes my vacuum has broken suddenly.
It is natural because it has used this vacuum for about 15 years, so just time has came.
I decided to buy a new vacuum cleaner.

We can get fliers(flyer) of various shops with newspaper.
There are some fliers of the home electronics retailer in the newspaper on the weekend.
First, I checked them.
Surprisingly, it is cost of 50,000 - 60,000 yen!!! ($520.00 - 620.00) to buy the latest vacuum clearner.
Neither my husband nor I know it.....
I think, it was about 20,000 - 30,000 yen 10 years ago...


The vacuum cleaner of apparently recent Japan is divided into two type in a big way.
One of them, that paper carton like as in the past is set, and absorbed garbage enters the paper bag.
The other doesn't have the paper carton, and the one to collect garbage by the cyclonic type,yes it is famous from Dyson's vacuum cleaner.

It doesn't need buy paper carton for cyclonic type one then it is very economical but if there is not keeping the clean always in the box, the suction power goes down.
people buy fifty-fifty....


It is a vacuum cleaner of the paper carton type of the manufacturer named HITACHI that I chose.
It is newest model type but cost of 20,000 yen!!! not too bad.
However I was deeply moved by the rapid technological progress of the cleaner of Japan with this vacuum cleaner when I used it at the home!!!


The brush head of the vacuum cleaner takes garbage well and there is very very clean on the flooring and tiled floor as it looks wiped and cleaned.
Especially, there is a floor of various materials such as the wood floor, the carpets, and mats(Tatami) for the house in Japan.
The device that can correspond to them is done.




There is an eco-button with this vacuum cleaner, it judges automatically and power is adjusted when it use "ON".
and the motor is attaching to the head, it feels it moving smoothly from me by the vacuum cleaner even if it doesn't make efforts.   
Its like a small robot!!!!


I think that the exhaust that comes out from the main body of the vacuum cleaner is very clean.
The paper carton that cleans this exhaust is expensive (about 500 yen a piece) .
When having vacuumed, the window had been opened up, however If the exhaust of the cleaner is such clean, should I clean it without opening the window??? because the wind of Hamamatsu is very strong, and a lot of pollens flies at this season....which is good way...thinking and thinking.


Japanese Goods eBay Auction 

Let's talking about the entrance preparation of the elementary school this time. A new school year starts in April in Japan.
My six-year-old daughter entered the elementary school in, and three-year-old son entered the kindergarten in April.

Especially, it was cost lot to to enter the elementary school, should get many many stuff for the school.


Those pictures are that some of the things need at the elementary school.
Gym wear, inside shoes, hat, crayon, clay, notes, bag, and pencils etc..
It costs about 30,000 yen(about $320.00) in these school supplies.
(These are not all)
We could buy them at the school when they had the meeting for parents who has child of new student.

However, we need buy other stuff by ourselves too.
what is particularly thing is own desk to studing for child which put in the child room.


like that↑↑↑ this is just image.

but recently, the child is often made to study at the table in kitchen and the living room while mother is preparing supper.
because parents can understand child's scholastic attainments if it does so、and children can ask questions easily when they don't understand their homework.

I will also do that, however we need space to put my daughter's school many stuff.
Therefore, we decided to set up the desk in the children room for her in this case.


However, it is handmade it!!!
My husband bought the boards from the dealer in lumber on the internet and made it.
and he made one more desk for son!!


I should also make various other stuff.
For instance, "shoes bag" for son who enters kindergarten. In addition, "a bag for gym wear" and "Lunch box bag", etc. are needed.
Of course, we can buy ready-made goods, however there is variously detailed rule for design and color etc by each kindergarten,so should make them by handmaid.


well, get back to talk about elemetary school,
When entering elementary school, a must is a satchel.↓↓↓(we call it ''Randoseru'' in Japanese)
The textbook and the note are put in this.
Isn't it a bag peculiar to Japan?
When I was child, only two colors for Randoseru, black is for boys and red is for girls but now it is various colors.
My daughter chose light blue.




Do you know how much it is?
It is about 30,000 yen. (about $320.00).
so grandparents buy it for grandchildren's present or give money and child chooses the favorite one.
These informations are case of enter the public school, so it might be different for a private elementary school.
I think that the child of 80% or more goes to a public elementary school maybe in Japan.



Japanese Goods eBay Auction
   

There was a work exhibition of the kindergarten of which the daughter went.
All works were exhibited as a compilation of the school year, and they showed their parents.
yes, that means my 6 years old daughter graduate kindergarten then enter elementary school from April.
The school year ends in March, and a new school year starts in April after the spring vacation in Japan.
My 3 years old son enter a kindergarten from April.


The hall of the work exhibition was a gymnasium in the kindergarten. 
There were the work of about 1000.
I think that teachers who exhibited these the day before were hard.


This is a marionette and each marionette expresses oneself. my daughter told me that it tooks about two weeks to make.
This kindergarten makes the complete one every year though it depends on the kindergarten.
The face and parts in the body used the styrene foam of the globe for this marionette.
Even if it is not good, everything is made oneself or makes parfectly, which way is better for children??  mmmm not sure which is right...


Here is a work of the daughter who drew one favorite scene in the book that the teacher read at the kindergarten.
That's just like her who likes purple.
I will this in the picture frame and decorate it.


This is a masterpiece finished up by all members of the class.
It was drawn very in detail and it was impressive though this was a work based on the picture book.

well, there are two typs child who likes handicraft and not good.
My daughter loves handicraft or make something, because my husband and I like doing that too. I guess.
after come back to home from school, she plays with her friends or make something alone.
She is deep in making this now↓↓↓
  

Pompon can be made from a small machine and wool.
now, pompon is everywhere in my house...
If we are not careful, she put pompon my bags, key,and her father's belt!!


and here is too!!!



Japanese Goods eBay Auction

Miko's family go out at the night every weekend.　why? ? we goes to play the bowling at Friday or Saturday night.

Bowling greatly became popular in Japan in the 1970's.
There was Bowling alley anywhere when I was child, and a professional bowling rally was broadcast in the television every week.
However, the bowling is now outdated...especialy it is not popular for youg people. and bowling alley has decreased, too.

My husband suddenly ask ''Lets go to the bowling'' after finish early dinner.
then unexpected, our kids really like to play bowling,thats why we go to the bowling every weekend now...but my husband and I are thinking, ''thats enough.....''


I think that this Bowling alley was built at that time when it was the really popular to playing the bowling in Japan.
the air becomes the 70's as soon as having passed under the door in the building.
There is 70's mood runs through this building. though it is reformed, and new facilitiesI at there but I feel and smell it 70's.


However, here is the biggest Bowling alley where it provided with 50 lanes in the Shizuoka prefecture.　and there is some professional bowler's base and we can have lesson from them.





I had been to play bowling with friends only once when I was a university student.but I didn't play it very much because we were mostly talking talking, after years and years, now first time to play the bowling for me!! but I got score many many strike!!!
guess what!? Im a person who no sense of playing any sports but I am genius to play the bowling!!!

There is for kids lane. it is screened off a gutter then kids can hit the pins.


My 3years old son is interested the machine which is returning ball and polish the balls more than playing the bowling.


The ball of bowling are the cocktail of colors and the pattern and is beautiful.
I want to get a my original bowling ball a little bit.


mmm, this bowling alley is really retro.
There was established a big games center attached to the bowling alley which I went to when I was university student and there were rally bright and fashionable but I love this retro one.


 

Japanese Goods eBay Auction

My son loves toy of the car, and always has a minicar in his hand.
 The toy related to the car is bought without fail for him at the birthday and Christmas.

Talkin of toy cars, the most famous company is TAKARA TOMY in Japan, we call it ''TOMIKA''.
He has the circuit to make the Tomika's car run.
The car keeps running a high speed with a dry battery.and it is easy to go up the slope.
This car is really noisy....also the dry battery is died quickly.
Therefore, we decided to buy ''rechargeable battery'' which is remarkable one recently.


Panasnonic and SANYO manufacture a rechargeable battery in Japan.
It is usually sold in electric appliances store.

A rechargeable battery is set in a special charger, it ties to the outlet, and it will be completed in about three hours then the battery can be repeatedly used.
However, it should buy a battery that is not a usual battery but special. 


These are adapter.↑↑↑
It finds it useful very much for my home as a battery for the toys.and I want children to grow up in recognition "The battery is not disposable".

Because at present, the dry battery sold in one year in Japan is about 1.9 billion.
Where how is the battery that finished being used going?
It is said that it is possible to use it repeatedly 1500 times if it is a rechargeable battery.　moreover, because a natural electrical discharge is few, it will be possible to use it by charging it at once in one year. 


The rechargeable battery of various packages is sold.


By the way, the rechargeable battery that Panasonic manufactures is called EVOLTA.
The robot made for the advertisement of EVOLTA is very cute.
It is a robot of the height 17cm that moves to the mainspring in 12 batteries. this robot was made by Mr, Tomotaka  Takahashi who is the world-famous robot creator.
The challenge to which this small robot traveled around Fifty-three Stages of the Tokaido from Tokyo to Osaka got into the news for a moment. 
check it out here his traveling　→sorry only Japanese site  here


When we bought EVOLTA battery, we got toy of extra.↑↑ yes he is the robot of EVOLTA.
It advances ahead when pulling it behind this toy.
My son loves this toy!!!  this is his favorite one now.

When we were shopping, my 3 years old son asked me buy this!! it was ''Kite''.

There is a custom to fly a kite at the New Year in Japan, mostly the winter season that becomes windy.
The kite that had been sold in the supermarket for the New Year was cut in half price.

I told him, ''It would be not fun for you because it is difficult to fly and we need find the big place to fly it....''
He doesn't leave it from his hand though it persuaded, but that his appearance was lovey..,so I bought it for him!!!

We went to the Sanaru lake(Sanaruko) which is in the Hamamatsu city on Saturday.
The Hamana lake(Hamanako) is the most famous in the Hamatsu city, but it is the Sanaruko that is the nearest from the city area. and the park where the lake has been surrounded is place to relax for residents.

This is one we bought.↓↓↓
Width is about 70cm.


It flew up sky-high splendidly when self-styled kiteflying expert's husband began to fly a kite.
We applauded to him :D
It looks easy to fly the kite!! I thought it while looking up into the sky:)



The kite rises in a moment sky-high.
It was attached 35m string with this kite.
It doesn't take as much as one minute to rise by 35m.


He asked me ''try it'' then passed it to me!!

''wait minutes''!! can't hold it!!! because
It was pulled by terrible power, and it didn't be in quite easygoing play.　made me panic!! kind of. my kids looked at me then they didn't want to fly the kite...

It had flown a kite with father at the New Year when I was kid, the kite always did not rise up though it ran and ran. because Hiroshima City hardly blows the strong wind for a clement region.(I grew up at Hiroshima city). I always thought, Kiteflying was not fun!! but now I recognize that Kiteflying is play in the region where such a wind is strong like in Hamamatsu city.



This kite is handmade by daughter.↑↑↑


we tried to fly it......

but fanned by the strong wind, then the her kite had broken. ;(
It is a problem that the wind is too strong for the child.
eventually, they gave up to play with the kite and they were doing the stones and the branches collection beside the lake.


I became crazy about kiteflying in place of them.
I was feelings that receive the wind by me like that kite while pulling and loosening the string of the kite according to the wind that changes at once and are floating in the sky.
Kiteflying is play with the feeling of speed. I knew it this time!!!


I took this picture,↑↑↑ the kite was keeping by a hand and the other hand hold camera!! it works hard!!
It seems to connect sky and me really,so this is my favorite shot one!
I wish I could flying at the sky with spread the wings and receive the wind.


Japanese Goods eBay Auction

There have not recevied big damaged by the earthquake around me this time but we are confronted with the catastrophe and the crisis first time in my life.
The scenery of Tohoku seen on the television every day is like the battlefield, and it fights with the invisible enemy in the nuclear accident of Fukushima.
I think,most Japansese peolple is disprited to go out to somewhere.

There are lot of Japanese who strongly have the desire ''there is where our patience is needed most'' so we can endure a little inconvenient life when thinking of the suffering of people who lost the house, family, friends,and everything by Tsunami and earthquake.
The influence of this disaster like the foods problem polluted by radioactivity and rolling blackout still continues,however lots of people try to be strong.
and now many peolpe thinking ''what we can do for victims in Tohoku and Fukushima area.

one of them,
It is a contribution of the care package.
my neighborfood called to people for it then clothes and new underwear a full of truck gathered in a day.
This is contributed from parties concerned in the temple to the temple in Sendai (stricken area).
(The contribution of the relief and donate money and goods is accepted also in the public office)




now, the fund-raising box where the relief and donate money is accepted is set up everywhere in Japan.
also we can get information of the account for donation from newspaper and TV.
the people around me and I donated money.
There was a slathers of money in a big fund-raising box at the shopping mall.
Not only small change but also 5000 yen bill ,10000 yen bill is a lot.
I saw for the first time of the fund-raising box that the bill had entered so much.

message written by many many many people to stricken area.


we want to do something, we want to share sufferings, we want to cheer up for all people who victem by Tsunami and earthquake also nuclear power.
The Japanese begins to search for the road of the revival getting over sadness.
After several years or tens of years pass,the day praised all over the world comes , saying that "Japanese wisdom and courage are wonderful". Im wishing it.
We should clear a difficult problem of the natural damage and the power supply, etc to repay people who lost their life.