A planting we will go...

When we look outside our genkan we are surrounded by healthy vegetable gardens and rice fields. These eggplants are happily growing in a row just behind Obachan chi's. Our neighbor who is a very agile 91 year old, says the key to being healthy is keeping active and he certainly does that everyday! It's a wonder though that the deers, which have been spotted, haven't gobbled them up!


So, inspired by our neighbors we started our very own veggie patch one fine sunny day, planting corn and sunflowers. 
                          

Originally, Obachan created her own little flower garden with tulips and daffodils just outside her house, which seem to have turned wild over time. We started churning up the soil and   formed rows ready for planting.

Our ever willing assistant was eager to help out. Even after two days, we noticed a corn seed that hadn't been planted deep enough, but it was already sprouting. Nature is quick!

We are lucky enough to have some shade provided by the kashiwa tree. It's leaves are traditionally wrapped around mochi (compressed rice cakes) and eaten on "Boy's Day" in Japan. This tree is over 50 years old and while it has been neglected and a little diseased, it has fought back with some clipping and is providing some shade for our little veggie patch.

Hope we get a bumper crop! Will keep you updated.

Historical Shimoda City

On Father's day here in Japan (June 21st) we headed off for a drive to the nearby beach side city of Shimoda. This area if you didn't already know, is historically famous for one Captain Matthew Perry, an American Navy Admiral who along with his crew landed on the beaches of Shimoda determined to have the Shogun Ieyoshi open Japan's doors for foreign trade.
We started out on Perry Road where there is a memorial bust displayed of Perry, along with an anchor gifted from the U.S. Navy. 

   

Along the back streets was a visual treat in my opinion, lined with old traditional stone houses or ones decorated in a black and white criss-cross pattern known in Japan as Namakokabe. It is a typical pattern found throughout Izu on houses and fences. It's a pattern that I would love to introduce to Obachan chi's exterior someday. It also a pattern that if not done well or painted correctly can look very tacky, so I'll leave this idea on the back burner for awhile. There's so much more that needs to be done on the little farmhouse!

                        

An example of the Namakokabe pattern in all its glory. It was once a private residence to the Sawamura family, which is now open to the public. I plan on coming back for a tour another day....when its not raining and I don't have a wet little dog tagging along with us.

 

Many of these old houses have been converted to cafes or small shops. They make it very enticing to sit and have a coffee and enjoy the atmosphere, but again with a wet dog we continued on promising to return another day.

The hydrangea or ajisai is in season and blooming in most parts of Japan right now.

Despite it being a rainy day, we all enjoyed sightseeing around Shimoda and plan on coming back to enjoy its white sand beaches.

Our cool addition from Kyoto

So its summer time in Japan and we are back in Izu after a long silence. It's officially rainy season here, so we waited a week for better weather before setting off to this peaceful place. While its been pretty much cloudy and rain here and there, the temperature hasn't been hot at all. So it's a chance for us to get busy with different projects. It's really hard at times to think about which project takes priority when you look around Obachan chi's. 
One thing we knew we needed before the weather became too hot and humid was a small fridge, hence our "cool addition" which travelled all the way from Kyoto.

While getting a fridge may not be a big deal for some, when you have to live without one day in, day out eating foods which do no require refrigeration gets very unhealthy! We put off getting one because we were working on the house in the cooler weather, so we just made do with an cooler box.
Anyway, I can't praise the Japanese delivery ethic enough. We ordered our little fridge Friday evening and it arrived, from Kyoto, Sunday morning. It's reconditioned but it has been cleaned out so well with a packet of wipes as "a service." What can I say, customer service is at its premium in Japan. 

So of course when we set off to the grocery store our minds were dreaming up all the different items we desired...milk, butter, eggs and the list went on. Our little 'cubei" is our new favourite item at the moment.

Update on drainage

Upon our return to Oba chan chi's during my Spring break holidays we were confronted with watercress that had happily grown all along the drainage line that we had dug on our previous visit.

Our little helper was eager to get her new garden gloves dirty!

Once we  pulled away the watercress  and dug a drainage line that was straight, rather than  the original curved one, we were ready to lay the gravel and PVC piping.

              

 What great progress my treasures had made in one day!

A concrete U drain was set in place beside the flow of water and then the seams were sealed together with water resistant concrete.

This is the side view from the opposite side.

We used the concrete lids to the U drain to make a retaining wall.

Front view of the retaining wall with a bit of the concrete chiseled away to allow for the water to flow.

We laid the PVC pipe down just to see if it was sitting correctly against the retaining wall before making any adjustments.

While its not pictured here,  gravel was laid under the PVC pipe for support, as we are planning on covering the pipe over, but just wanted to wait and see if the water was flowing where it should be. 

So we achieved a lot on this particular day. We also developed a back ache from digging and lifting heavy concrete! So the onsen was a welcoming treat come the evening.

Eco-friendly comfort

So...after making do with our bucket toilet system for awhile we eventually went with the composting toilet, Porta Potti and so far we love it!
                 

                           

It made me think why on earth we don't have these in our own toilets, but then the reality of handling the composting in built up areas may not always seem so realistic. In the countryside it works perfectly!
My treasure took great pleasure in assembling the Porta Potti and explained that the bottom and top sections are filled with water and a neutralizing solution that  wards off odours and also rinses the toilet bowl. 

There is a lever on the side (along with the toilet paper) of the toilet that opens a shutter door within the toilet. Once you are finished you just push a button which releases a swish of water and pushes everything down into the top section of the toilet. The shutter is then closed inside the toilet.

Just in the front below the toilet seat there is a green indicator which lets you know when the  tank is full and needs to be emptied.

Now let's take a look at what we needed to do before we could even install this beauty.

Oba chan previously had a squat style toilet which was very typical in Japan years ago and are still used today throughout Japan. However with modernization the western style is now more widely used. As Oba chan grew older the squat style was becoming difficult for her to use, so she placed a sit down style over the top of the existing. So this is what we were confronted with in the beginning.

While this looks similar to what we installed, look what was under it.....

                                         

The ceramic and floor boards were pulled out to reveal the pit underneath.

A panel of thick ply board was installed, but we plan on adding wooden flooring over the top for extra strength and for aesthetics.

We couldn't be more happy with the results of our new toilet, but it seems that the eight legged residents also enjoyed hanging out on the walls and behind the basin sink tap! In Australia we have songs written about the spider in the toilet, but when you are confronted with not one but Mr & Mrs Spider you are at first freaked out, but after awhile you learn to co-exist when nature calls.

So, what do you think? What an improvement, right! But this is a project that is definitely~

 TO BE CONTINUED.

If the walls could talk......

You may have noticed last week that the wall behind the tansu project has been painted white. This was another one of those jobs that I really wanted to get to and start. You see the tatami room is where we sleep and as you look up at the walls it can feel quite depressing and dreary. 

See what I mean...depressing!

I felt the walls were crying out for some paint. It may sound funny to say, but as I was painting the walls I felt them say, "Thank you" or rather "Arigato." 

Once I had washed down the walls I was ready to paint and I have to say that once I had the paint roller in my hand and some music playing in the background I was in my element. 

Little did I know as a young girl on my first trip to Japan and to Oban chan chi's, that 23 years laters I would return to paint the walls of this humble farmhouse. As my mother always says, "You never know what will happen from one day to the next." 

The walls inside the main area of the house are primarily mud walls, so I applied a coat of "Milky White" paint with a paint brush first to cut in and then afterwards used the roller. 

I have to say that the small narrow roller was brilliant to use. In my home country of Australia we have smaller rollers, but not this narrow and it isn't as heavy when it is loaded with paint. So it made the job much more enjoyable.

The mission was to paint the whole tatami area which took me a full day. I was happy that I only needed to stand on a box rather than a ladder, as the ceiling height is a bit lower making the job less back breaking.

It seems that Oban chan had a grey undercoat applied, but didn't go any further which I imagine wasn't on her mind financially at the time. 

My next job is to paint the wood trims a dark chocolate brown, as opposed to black which is a traditional look for the area but with it being such a small area it may feel a bit overwhelming. A bit more research will be needed to make our final paint purchase decision. While I only needed to stand on a box to paint, my back was still feeling the ache and so it was time for another onsen!

Cherry blossoms and canola flowers line the Naka river in Oba chan's town

A face lift

On so many trips to Izu I have various projects that I want to tackle, some big and some small, but one that has been on the top of my list for some time is to sand and wax a set of draws or as they are known in Japanese- tansu.

BEFORE

It is not an expensive antique find that we had unearthed by any means, just a simply made unit made of pine. I imagine the draws held many things for Oba chan over the years and it served her well.  I just felt it was time to give it a little love, so on this past weekend I made it my mission to breath some life and moisture back into this very farmhouse style piece of furniture.

Firstly, I sanded all the draws and frame with a 120 grade sandpaper and then with a finer 320 grade. I then gave it a good vacuum and wipe down. 

At first I wasn't too sure of whether I wanted to use a lacquer or wax and even what colour I should use. What I did want to do is honor the farmhouse look we are going with at Oba chan chi's. In the end I went with Briwax, which claims to be a world famous product from England. We went with the colour "Jacobean."

Left: wax applied & right: no wax

I'm happy with the results!

AFTER

The tansu is not totally finished because as you can see the four draw pulls on the bottom were removed. Over the years Oba chan must have changed them to some nasty cheap pulls. They where a hassle to remove, but they just had to go. I'll be on the hunt for new ones of similar design. When I have completed this project I will update you later with the end result, but I just wanted to show you my progress with this weekend project.

Now I am thinking about what lovely Japanese inspired flower arrangement I can display on top of the tansu. I know it will hold what blooms around Oban chan chi's, as with the change  of seasons brings a different flower to behold in this little part of the world. After sanding all day long and with dark brown wax that has managed to seep into my fingernails, I really need that onsen. However,  before that a girl needs to stop and sample the local treats like a sakura flavoured ice-cream and of course take in the nearby sakura trees that line the riverbank!