Life in Fukuoka, Japan: Feeling a little more settled in here.....

Well, it has been another busy weekend. I really can't believe how fast time is going. Last week was like a quick blink of an eye. This weekend was nice because I did get a lot done, and I still had some down time.

Yesterday, as many of you know, was the day I finally got to go to Costco. It was everything I hoped and more. It is so funny because I kept hearing how it had the same stuff as in the states. I didn't want to get my hopes up too high because when I lived in Guadalajara, Mexico we had a Costco, but it did not have any of the Kirkland signature products. It mostly just had products from Mexico. I am not saying that is bad or anything; I was just hoping for more of the state side products. I am sure many of you are thinking or saying to yourself, "well, you are in Japan so you should make do with what you have." I would agree to a point. When there is a store that does sell products in Japan why not take full advantage of it? It still contributes to the economy of the local area. Sorry, I digress, as I was saying I was very excited to get to Costco, but I was staying realistic. Luckily, it was better than I thought it would be. The Costco had all of the Kirkland signature products (walnuts, pecans, almonds, sharp cheddar cheese, vitamins, cleaning products) plus so many other brands that are carried in the states. I was able to get pasta sauce, chocolate chips, Amy's bean and cheese burritos, popcorn kernels, a ton of different types of cheese, Ziplock bags, laundry soap, dish soap,Nutella, Skippy peanut butter, a new digital camera (Nikon Coolpix), and so much more. Yes, you might say I went on a shopping spree but it was such a great day. There are things I would go back for, but I didn't have an unlimited space to get my groceries back. There were 5 of us in the van and we all had to be able to get our purchases home. It all worked out well and the only thing I forgot in the van was my laundry soap. I will get it tomorrow when I go to work. I am hoping that I will get to go again in a few weeks. I am working on finding out how to get there on public transportation. It is a very long way away from my house.

Once I returned from Costco Mark and I went to a store called Mr. Max, which is like a Japanese Target. We bought a rice cooker and of course rice. The smallest bag of rice we could find was a 5K bag. I know we will use it since I do eat rice a lot. Mark was really interested in making the rice balls that he sees all over. I will make me some since I can't chance eating them from the stores and restaurants. They could have ingredients included that I do not eat. We returned home and we immediately began to make the rice. I ended up just looking at the picture and successfully making my first batch os sticky rice. I will always have to make the same portion size since I can't read the instructions. Maybe one day I will be able to read Japanese. After our success we relaxed for the evening. It was so nice out in the evening that we were able to open our windows and get a very nice cross breeze.

I was so happy that I was able to sleep in this morning (Sunday). Yesterday we ended getting up earlier than we wanted to, but once school begins my body gets into a routine of waking early. I normally get up at 5:00 AM so that I have time to get ready and then Skype with my family and friends. That is normally about 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon in Arizona. We have a 16 hour time difference. So far I have had good luck Skyping with my mom and grandma each day. It is a nice way to start the day. My brother is in Arizona visiting my mom and grandma and the Renners in Tucson. I was able to chat with him yesterday.

Mark and I walked to a store called GooDay. It is like a Home Depot or a Lowes. It had everything. We went there to see if we could find something to put in the windows to allow them to open a limited amount. We found some adjustable rods that will work perfectly. Now that it cools down a little in the evening it is nice to have the fresh air. Mark also found a new bike seat. After shopping there we walked to the Marin Shopping Mall. We were finally able to go to the Golden Spoon to have some frozen yogurt. We don't eat it a lot, but it is a nice treat on a hot day. When we were eating it at a table we had a Japanese couple ask if they could join us. They probably thought it would be OK since they could talk to each other and we would have no idea what they were saying. We did sit with them, but once we were done we moved on. We needed to go to the grocery store to get some fruit, veggies, and other things. I can't even believe how expensive fruit is here. Two peaches (yes, I said 2) cost 540 Japanese yen. That is $6.83. For two peaches. I know what you are wondering...would I be crazy enough to pay so much for two peaches...the answer is Yes!! I have to eat fruit to have a balanced diet. I bought one apple, two peaches, some grapes, tomatoes, blueberries and basil. It is hard to believe but the blueberries are less expensive here than in the states, but peaches and melons cost a fortune. Well, we do save money not having to purchase gas for a car each month so in some ways it all works out.

After going shopping we walked home. It was much warmer at this time of day. Once we got home we put the groceries away and then I made us our caprese salads. Yum!!! I am so glad I bought mozzarella yesterday at Coscto. The salads were delicious, of course!

So, before I share what I did for the next hour to hour and a half let me tell you about the garbage system here. I will say that the Japanese are very efficient with so many things and I do feel the United States could take some lessons. When I first arrived at my hotel I remember looking through our "welcome" packets. I will never forget coming across the "Household Garbage Regulations" booklet. It is 12 page booklet that explains their garbage system. Yes, I was very intimidated seeing it. Any how, I did read it and really tried to remember everything. Now that we are in our apartment we have to follow the rules and regulations. OK, so they sort their trash into three (3) categories- burnable, non-burnable, and glass/PET plastics. We have three different garbage cans and three different colored bags for the specific garbage. The thing I find the hardest is that you can't put big things out in your trash. So, all of the boxes we had from all of our deliveries I had to finally sit down and cut them all up. Thank goodness we bought a box cutter. It made it much easier than the last time when I tried using scissors. What a fool I was then; my hands hurt so bad for days.

OK, let me get back to the garbage. You can ONLY put your garbage out in the evening before it is picked up. It gets picked up at midnight. Yes, you heard me right. It does make so much sense though. It isn't too hot and it eliminates the traffic issues for the trash trucks to be in the roads. Now that you understand that let me tell you abut the pick up days. We have our burnable pick ups on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. We can't put it out before it gets dark. We try to do it around 7:30ish if possible. It isn't real dark out, but later I would forget or be in my jambes. We have our non-burnable trash only one (1) time per month. Yes, that means we have to keep the garbage some place until then. It is not fun. Our pick up is on the first Thursday of the month. We will have our first pick up this Thursday for that collection. Thank goodness! Now, the glass/PET plastics are only picked up on the third Thursday of the month. We missed August's pick up by one day because we hadn't really looked at the info until it was too late.

You may wonder what they consider burnable. Here is a short list of things from their booklet: kitchen waste (food, veggie scraps, tea leaves, eggshells, etc.), plastic items (bottles from oil, mayo, detergent, shampoo, plastic toys, video tapes, DVDs, egg trays), empty kerosene tanks (yes, you read that right), disposable lighters, paper trash, clothe, rubber goods (boots, kitchen mats, rubber gloves, hoses, sandals, rubber toys), leather goods (shoes, purses, wallets, belts,etc.), disposable diapers (please remove excrement...yes, it says that), bamboo and wooden things, pet waste (dry the waste, put in a plastic bag and secure tightly), clothes hangers, tin foil, electric carpets, wood chips, fallen leaves and of curse pruned branches.

OK, here is the list of non-burnable garbage: Empty cans (aluminum and steel), aerosol cans (hair spray, butane gas cartridges, bug spray (You must use the contents completely and then puncture the cans to let them ventilate), metalware (pots, tea kettles, frying pans), small home appliances (telephones, toaster ovens, rice cookers, etc.), glass (cups, plates, formula bottles,window glass and broken bottles), porcelain and ceramics, umbrellas and fluorescent tubes, dry batteries, pocket warmers (hmm...should I be concerned about the winters here?), kitchen knives( wrap in thick paper and mark with Japanese writing), thermometers and gardening soil.

Finally, there is glass containers and PET bottles: glass containers for beverages, foods, seasonings, cosmetics, wine bottles, juice bottles, etc. PET bottles (water bottles, soy sauce bottles any other beverages that are marked PET #1 on the bottles. Now, you do need to step on or smash the plastic before bagging it.

That is only the first 5 pages of the booklet. There is much more about recycling and what they won't collect. I guess we are supposed to put our cardboard into neat stacks and take to a recycling center, but we have no way to do that. We have it all cut up and bagged. That is a quick over view. Interesting, isn't it?

I have a photo below that shows all the bags we are putting out tonight. I will finally get to move some of the stale energy in my place once the garbage is out. We will only have about two bags left for Thursday and then of course the 3rd Thursday.

Before I forget I have to tell you what happened to Mark today. The first part is not funny at all. He was shaving with a disposable razor because he needed new razor blades for his razor. Well, the disposable razor tore off a chunk of skin near his eye. (Well, under his left eye where his glasses come to). OUCH! So when we were at the GooDay store we found razors. He was holding the package and it started to fall. He caught it and then all of a sudden an alarm on the package was going off. One of the store clerks had to come to us, take it off and run to turn it off. It was kind of funny.

I am off to relax for now. We have our open house this week. It is right after school so it will be nice. I am only walking around with the other "single subject teachers". (Like the enrichment teachers). I will let you know how it goes.