Just Some Garbage

Caution:  Please do not let anyone who loves to recycle read this blog.  It could be dangerous.

Here is the long ago promised blog on garbage.  I know you were all waiting for this with baited breath, and now you can settle back in your comfy chair and enjoy this exciting blog.  (Or not.)  But I can't resist writing it.  You may only read it far enough to get the idea, but I am writing it to help you appreciate how good you have it.

I remember about 10 years ago when the Portland area decided to really go "green" by increasing the number of things you could recycle.  We had been recycling paper and cardboard.  Now we went to cans, bottles, yard debris, certain plastic containers, oil, and maybe more that I have forgotten about.  Portland has, since that time, been ahead of most other areas of the country on what they recycle (as far as I know).

Shortly after this announcement, there was a political cartoon in the paper that I loved.  It was a husband and wife sitting in their living room talking.  He said to her something like, "I'm glad we had room to remodel for the recycling changes."  The next frame showed a picture of their home from the outside.  It was a normal-sized home with a very long narrow structure jutting about 40 feet out the side, and every few feet it was marked with "paper," "plastics," "cans," etc.  It really made me laugh.

Well, Oregon could learn some things from Japan, but I hope they don't.  This is what our abbreviated sheet looks like that explains recycling of trash.

 I have seen much bigger, more detailed ones.

 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are garbage days, but only certain things can go out on a given day.  And they have to be in the right color of bag.  You don't pay a bill to the garbage company; you buy rather expensive, specially marked bags at the grocery store, and that covers the cost of garbage pickup.

Your glass bottles have to go in a certain blue plastic bin in a certain place on the block.  No lids.  Metal lids go in non-burnable trash.  Plastic lids go with plastics.  If you carry bottles out to the blue bin in a bag, they have to be removed from the bag.  You have to lay them on their sides in the blue bin.

All of your plastic bags, plastic wrap. and plastic bottles (but not "pet bottles') can only be in blue bags and go out on Friday. "Pet bottles" are pop and clear juice bottles and they go out in a separate blue bag without bottle caps (bottle caps go with other plastics) and must be crushed.

Hazardous flammable items, such as spray cans (but there's a huge list) have to be in a different red bag and go out on Monday or Thursday.  They have to be separate from burnable items (which include food) that also goes out on Monday and Thursday in a red bag.  Spray cans must have their lids removed and have a hole punched in the side with a nail.

Milk and juice cartons, which only come in quart and pint sizes, must be cut open a certain way (directions are on every carton) and then tied together with a string and put out on Wednesday in a spot designated on the street.  (I can't recall having seen ANYTHING in a gallon-sized container.  Everything comes in very small containers.)

Non-burnable garbage, such as light bulbs, glass items that aren't bottles, or things like blow dryers or pots and pans go out once a month on the third week on Wednesday in a green bag.

Paper containers and packaging (but not just regular paper--it's burnable) have to be tied together with string and go out on Wednesday.  Ditto for magazines or stacks of newspaper, but they have to be separated and neatly stacked and tied.  The kind of string might be specified because everyone uses the same kind.
 




Cans go in a blue bag, but only cans can be in the bag.  They need to be clean.  They go out on Wednesday.

Large-sized garbage like bikes or sofas will be picked up for a fee at prior request on the second Wednesday of each month, but only if you call a week in advance.  The man who drives the truck for large item pickup plays a recording that you can hear well inside a building, as he slowly drives around the street.  I got up from my desk once and looked out because I wondered if it was the ice cream man.

Oh, and another time I happened to be up near the window of the office, I saw the garbage truck coming down the road.  Two men run behind it and pick up the right bags of garbage and toss it into the back of the garbage truck.  Those two men must be in great shape, because they literally jog up and down the streets all day, every day.

There, I think that's it.

Ya got that?  Me neither.  We've been here two months and are still learning.  What we need at our apartment, is "a very long narrow structure jutting about 40 feet out the side", marked--well, you just read it.

Here's one more interesting detail that I've been told about:  Japan has two places where sewer goes.  One treats whatever gets flushed down the toilet.  Nuff said about that.  The water that goes down the kitchen or bathroom sink or the shower goes back into the rivers.  Therefore, they have a careful straining system in the home that removes anything that can be strained out before it goes down the sink.  There is a 4-inch wide drain hole in each kitchen sink.  It is covered with a black plastic piece with holes in it, and it lifts out easily.  Inside is a little bucket with holes in it.  We have to put a little mesh bag with elastic around the top over the bucket, then put the little bucket in the sink and cover it with the back plastic thing.  Then every few days, we have to change the little mesh bag, putting in a new one and throwing the mesh bag full of bits of food from the kitchen into the burnable garbage.  Got that?  We also have to regularly clean hair and other "stuff" from the "strainer" in the bathroom sink and tub.  Fun!








So the point of this blog?  There's a song that Mormons like to sing that goes like this:  "Count your many blessings, name them one by one."  Aren't you glad you don't have to figure out recycling like the Japanese people do?

And now for some names of hair salons:  "Hair Hark" and "Only One Hair."  (I hope they don't mean that's all that will be left after they are done.)

Sakura! Sakura!

 It's finally sakura season, and it has to be one of the most beautiful times on the earth. I believe Japan has millions of these wonderful, old twisted trunk cherry trees that put on their show each spring throughout the entire country. The photos just can't do it justice, but we will try anyway. Lee has been in heaven taking pictures, and I am in heaven just walking around trying to take it all in.

  We left Saturday morning at 8 a.m. with two gracious friends from the ward. Our warmest thanks to Sister Kondo and Sister Morita. Without their guidance, we couldn't have found such a wonderful place.

It has been very cold and windy for an unusually long time here. It's hard to believe that these hardy blossoms are putting on such a show in spite of the weather. I really bundled up for this trip, and I was so glad. We were dropped off at the eki (train station) and rode into the Nagoya eki, changed trains and went further north, and then took a bus. The transportation system in Japan is clean, efficient, and enjoyable.

Off the bus, we walked a few short blocks on darling narrow streets that reminded Lee of when he was in Japan 42 years ago. We came to a three-story Shinto shrine in a small covered area, where there was a ceremony in progress. A priest with a tall hat was standing outside in front of the shine bowing, praying, and clapping. After he finished, other priests in nice robes but without the hat, each took a turn coming up, followed by people whose names they announced out of the watching audience. Each one in turn would bow before the head priest, and the priest

would hand him a laurel branch with a white bow tied to it. He received and held the branch by it's stem. He would walk over to a table in front of the shrine, bow, turn the branch so the stem was away from him and lay it on a table, then bow again, clap twice, bow again, and then return to the group. There were a lot of people watching, many who were dressed in matching short kimono jackets with an emblem on the back. There were also children of all ages similarly dressed. It was very interesting to watch the ceremony.

This is a festival of the Haritsuma Shrine started in around 1635. 13 three tiered Yamas or the floats designated as folk culture properties of Aichi Prefecture march the streets and show the Karakuri-doll (or mechanical doll) performances with music of flutes and drums. 365 bright pink lanterns are hung on the blossoming trees that line the river.

We walked a little further and came to a shallow river, lined on each side with sakura trees. Breathtaking! The trees were loaded with blossoms, with branches bowing out over the water and paths. It is impossible to describe the beauty, and this sight goes on for miles. Every little ways there is a lovely bridge arching over the water. Big carp were swimming around below.

Along the walks were many little tent shops set up where people were selling various kinds of food, fresh vegetables, hand made items and just about anything else you can think of. Just like any farmer's market or bazarr in any place in the US, except for the interesting and different food items. Octopus, anyone? 

Or how about these fancy bananas. If we don't already have them in the US, maybe we should try them.

As we headed back, we discovered a parade. The shrine that I mentioned before had been removed from it's covered area and was being pulled (big wooden wheels) and partly carried (big logs that a person could put their shoulder under) along the narrow road. Children held a big rope in front and helped pull. Riding in the open back part of the shine were people playing pipes and drums. There were two live priests on the top layer and one "robut" priest who waved his white streamers and looked left and right. The shrine was carried this way for a few blocks, then with great effort and ceremony it was turned slightly to the left, rolled a little further, and there it met up with another shrine that had come from another direction. There was then some ceremony and singing by the children in the street. We left after that. But we were so happy to have been able to see that. It only happens once a year.

But the best treat was seeing the beauty of God's creation--the Sakura blossoms.

And just for fun, two more beauty shop names: Eagle Hair and Spikey Spikey (I know. You are all thinking that's where I've been going for the past several years.)

First Time on the Eki

The interweaving transportation system in Nagoya is wonderful. You can go practically anywhere on clean, modern and timely trains and buses. This is a rather rare view of a train station in Japan. The station where we get on and off is almost at the end of one of the lines, so it isn't as busy as most stations, and this was an off peak hour. The people are quiet and mannerly while on the train, and you almost never see anyone eating while riding.

Below is the Nagoya eki, the largest train station in the world. There are several underground layers and numerous stores and hotels here. On one central level they have this golden clock, and on the level below is a similar silver clock. They are great meeting places.

Incoming missionaries ride the train from the airport to the Nagoya Train Station when they first arrive in Japan. Here they get off and spend a few minutes talking with people, sharing pamphlets and the Book of Mormon. It becomes their first experience as a missionary and gets them involved in missionary work almost from the moment they land in country.

Here is a missionary asking a funny looking white-haired lady if she would be interested in knowing more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She said she would.

(Actually, he's one of our office missionaries and he's explaining to me how the train system works.)

We have been on the train again since this first trip and it was much busier. We hear that in Tokyo there are "pushers" employed by the city. Their job is during rush hour. They stand along where the trains stop, and when people pile on and it gets full, they step on to the train and push people away from the door so more people can get on. They keep pushing until the people are all crammed together and then they step off, and away the train goes. I haven't asked how someone in the middle gets off at the next stop. While people who have experienced it say that one can just take a nap while standing, it's an experience I'm thinking I can do without.

Here's where you can go if you are starting to lose your hair: "Only One Hair." Or maybe you can try "Hair Hark."

Here fishy fishy fishy.

Lee and I were shopping at a grocery store last Saturday. As we strolled toward the back of the store, looking at all the things that we didn't know what they were, we saw a crowd of people kind of bunching up in the corner. So we made our way over there to see what was so interesting.

Here's what we saw.

There was a little dish of samples off to the right. Lee tried one and it was so fresh and delicious. We bought a piece and brought it home. We had half of it as sashimi, and half of it seared. I actually liked the sashimi better. It was the best, melt-in-your-mouth fish I've ever eaten. Just FYI, it was about 3/4 of an inch think, and about 3 inches by 8 inches. It cost 1000 yen (about $12 in US currency).

Wish you could have enjoyed it with us!

Two more names of beauty shops: Roo Moon and Posse Cut.

Girls Day-March 3

I know, it's a little late for March 3, but this is so fascinating that I wanted to blog about it.

3/3 is Girls' Day in Japan. It's a pretty big deal. It's a time to pray for the health and welfare of the nation's daughters. I like that idea!

My first introduction to it was when we were invited to the home of a sweet older couple who live across the street from the Mission Home. They are not members of the church, but they built their home at almost the same time the Mission Home was built, and they have known and been friends with every mission president since. I'm not sure how many that is. Mission president's serve for 3 years.

In this couple's small living room, in a little cove at the side, was what I would call a staircase, about five feet wide and standing alone. There were 7 steps to the top. It was covered with a red cloth. Numerous figures of dolls in various dress, tiny serving dishes with little cakes or crackers or candy, model sized wagons with horses in front, miniature boxes with drawers, and all sorts of other cute little items had been carefully placed on each step of this staircase. On top were a man and woman doll, and these were the largest and the most elaborately dressed. Then in each step on down, the dolls got less elaborately dressed and smaller, but each was intricate and beautiful.

We discussed all the little items in detail (but it was spoken in Japanese and translated for those of us who needed it). I think the staircase is set up at least a few weeks before March 3 and must be taken down and put away on March 3. Or at least there was something about getting some of the dolls put away by March 3, or your daughter would never get married.

Next, I saw a similar (but not quite as big or elaborate) display at a department store. It was on sale--for US equivalent of $1200. People buy them already put together. After seeing that, I guessed that Mrs. Ito's display would be worth at least $2000-$3000.

Then we heard about a display in the Marriott at the Nagoya Train Station, which happens to be the largest train station in the world. The Elders took us on the train to the Nagoya Station and we got to go into the Marriott and see it. It was amazing, as you can see by these photos. In this display, all items were hand sewn and made from old kimonos. So there are millions of memories in this display.

There was every kind of little animal and figure sewn up, stuffed, and hung on these strings. It was fascinating and beautiful.

Finally, we heard about the city of Konosu, which has a history as a doll-making center that dates back to the Edo Period (1603-1867). They have the largest display in Japan. It is gigantic, made up of 31-steps and 1,807 traditional ornamental dolls. They have it in their city hall, and the figures represent the Emperor, Empress, servants and musicians, etc. The rest of the town gets involved and about 8,000 dolls are on display in other places. I wish we could have gone there. Konosu is north of Tokyo. But if you want to see a picture of this amazing display, google "Nezu Museum doll display." Fun, fun, fun.

Do you need a haircut? Come on over to Japan and try "Hair Pop," or "Mustache."