Hot Water Bottle American -Style

It occurred to me that you may not know what an American hot water bottle looks like. My sister gave this to us when Big Sister was a baby. It is 11cm x 17 cm. It is made out of rubber. My sister made a flannel cover for it.

When I was growing up we had a big red hot water bottle. I haven't seen one in years.

Hot Water Bottle

This "hot water bottle" was at the little shop (see pictures below). See the pink string at the top of the package? It wasn't hanging, but it was attached to a string of other products.

This hot water bottle looks like an aluminum canteen. It would be filled with hot water, wrapped in a towel, and put under blankets to warm up a bed. The package says, "I Wish You Sweet Dreams".

Package

The shoe brush I bought came in this package. It looks home-made, doesn't it? See the picures below of the "little shop of everything".

Little Shop of Everything

This shop had everything. Each item was in a plastic bag. Each item was hanging on strings like the toy shop I posted recently. Click on the pictures to get a better look.

There was a worker there looking at things. Can you find him?

Here is the shop at another angle.

There were scissors, hair brushes, tooth brushes, paint brushes, tools, cooking utensils, and starch in aersol cans. There were all kinds of gadgets. In the bottom left-hand corner, there are bags of those white cotton work gloves that I posted back in the summer (search this blog under "workers" or "garden".) Click on the pictures to get a better look.

I bought one of the brushes on the end of the top row in the righthand corner of the picture. It's a shoe brush.

There were lots of boxes of buttons.

There were cards of buttons in each box. These are wooden buttons. I didn't look, but I would think that price is just for one. Wood is expensive here.

There were even more buttons inside the shop. Most of them were black.

Pet Warmer

This electric pad was made for pets. Its diameter is 29 cm. A cushion or rug is supposed to be placed on top. The pet should not lie or sleep directly on it.

Our dogs don't like it. Actually, they don't need it. Tokyo has sunny winters and we live on the second floor so we get lots of sun.

Table and Foot Heaters

This is a kotatsu. See the black thing under the table top and the wire hanging down? It looks like an electric table, doesn't it? That is a heating unit. This is a low table. You would have to sit on your shins or cross-legged at this table. A blanket would drape down around the sides to hold the heat. Click on the label below to see an earlier posting of the one Baba has downstairs. There are now western size tables that are kotatsu. You can sit in chairs with the blanket draped down over your lap.

However, if you don't want to replace your western dining table, you can buy one of these heating units. It sits on the floor.

Here's a smaller one to put under a desk. It's called a "foot heater".

Electric Carpets

I thought these were funny when I first came to Japan many years ago. Electric carpets! They are cosy, though. We are advised not to fall asleep on them. We should also use a cushion while sitting on them.

Here is another one. This one has the heating unit in a basic gray rug. A more attractive cover is placed on top. The temperature can be adjusted on this rug.

Here is a small one that can be put under a desk. papa had something like this when he was a student. Kids rooms are rarely heated. Actually, rooms are rarely fully heated. Space heaters are common here.

Bed and House Jackets

This type of coat is worn in bed. It is for sitting or lying in bed. Some jackets are short and made just to cover the shoulders. They are worn while sleeping because blankets don't cover shoulders and neck. Houses here are not fully heated, especially at night.

There are sales of winter pajamas and bed jackets.

This is a house jacket called hanten. It comes down to just below the hips. Some of these are really thick and quilted. The sleeves do not go all the way to the wrists. Some people wear them while sitting at a kotatsu or heater table. Here's a post about our kotatsu.

Here is another hanten.

Green Tea Jelly

Aunt made a jello-type dessert made out of powdered green tea. The word "jelly" is used for this type of dessert.

She served it with this tube of evaporated milk.

Tsunami Warning

There was an earthquake in northern Japan. There was a tsunami warning for the eastern coastline. When there is a tsunami warning, the national television stations broadcast information. They put a map on the screen and highlight the dangerous areas. This picture was taken before the highlighting came on. The area in the north eventually had a red line along the coast. The rest of the map had a yellow line along the eastern coastline.

There are now many cable or satellite stations in Japan. During the tsunami warning today, they posted this symbol in the upper lefthand corner of the screen. It looks like black waves in a yellow box. That symbol tells viewers to check the national stations for information concerning the tsunami warning. There was a tsunami and an evacuation. The tsunami was about 10 cm in most areas.

Satoshi Kitamura

Satoshi Kitamura, author and illustrator of many children's books, performed his original style of kamishibai this evening. He performed it bilingually for a Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators event in Shibuya. He told funny stories. They have not been published yet. He performs them at schools. He recently went to Mexico for a school visit.

He also talked about writing and illustrating books. His stories and art are great. He has a good sense of humor. He had us do a fun project, too.

He paused before autographing a book for Holly Thompson, the author of Ash and an SCBWI advisor. Holly will have a new book coming out next year from Shen's Books.

Here he is autographing another book.

He added pictures with his signature. He's very generous.

These are just some of his books. Some he illustrated with another writer. Some he wrote and illustrated. He has new books coming out. His books are translated into Japanese, too. Click on his name in the first paragraph to see a list of some of his books.

Decorative Mochi

This New Year's decoration was for sale at a department store. It is quite elaborate. Today is the day to put it away.

This mochi is used as part of the decoration. It is sold at grocery stores before and during the holidays. This one is the size of Little Brother's palm. (He's ten years old.) Today is the day to eat the mochi.

Kids Web Japan--kagamimochi

Shokuji Balance Guide

I posted the elementary school menu yesterday. This is a daily meal guide. It was on a carton of milk. A poster of this guide was also above the counter where we bag our groceries.

Shokuji is written in kanji. It means "meal". "Balance Guide " is written phonetically in katakana, the script used for foreign words. The pictures are the guide. It doesn't tell you how much to eat, though.

It looks like a top, doesn't it?

Elementary School Lunch Menu for January

This is the elementary school lunch menu for January. It is not a very good picture so I will explain what is in each column.

The first column has the date. The second has the day of the week. The third column lists the type of rice or bread that is served for each day. On the 11th of January, they will have milk bread.

The fourth column (with the circles) is for milk. They will have milk every day. The fifth column lists the dishes that will be served. The foods listed here for the 11th are beef stroganoff, bean salad and fruit.

The food and their ingredients are then listed by food groups in each of the rest of the columns. For example, the sixth column lists food that are good for the blood and muscles. For the lunch served on the 11th, milk, meat, tofu and mixed beans are listed in the sixth column.

The seventh column lists foods or ingredients for energy. Bread, flour, oil and sugar are listed here. The eighth lists foods or ingredients that are good for maintaining the condition of the body. Onion, cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts, green peas, edamame and fruit are listed here for the lunch of the 11th.

The kilocalories and number of grams of protein are given. In the last column, a suggestion of what to eat at home is given. Fish is suggested for dinner on the 11th.

Click on the "school lunch" label below to see pictures of the lunch service at school.

Choosing a High School

Japanese ninth graders have to choose a high school. They go to school festivals, go on school visits, and attend lectures to find out about different schools. They also buy books like this one. It is a catalog that contains information about the high schools in Tokyo. Students choose several schools and then take their entrance exams. The exams are in February. Students are studying really hard these days.

Old Tops

Recently I posted pictures of other tops. This is an old type of bei goma. It is metal. Little Brother dug it out of his top box for me to take a picture of it.

Little Brother looked up bei goma on the internet. He found some from the past that had been colored with crayons. He used his crayons to color his, but then washed it off. You can see some of the color left in the crevices.

Children used to spin these tops on a piece of cloth tightly placed on the top of a bucket. Little Brother spins them on his BeyBlade stadium. We're going to try using a bucket.

One of these tops did not spin properly because its tip was damaged from spinning on concrete. We went to an old toy shop to look for a new one.

There was a display of tops outside the shop. These metal bei goma were sold in packages of five. They had different designs on top and different tips. The packages were strung together with plastic string.

Inside this toy shop, small items hang from the ceiling on long strings. When you want to buy something here, you ask the clerk to cut it down for you. The tops were probably hanging inside the shop before the new year holidays.

School Started

Before the holidays this folder made the rounds to all the mothers of elementary school children in our neighborhood. It was a schedule for the street patrol. The first two weeks of school after the holidays, children will meet their assigned groups and walk together. Mothers will stand at intersections to help children cross the street. I had to do it this morning.

This folder comes around with different neighborhood announcements. Not all of them are about school.

Coming-of-Age Day

Everyone was on the way home when I went out to take pictures. I snapped this in a hurry as people sped by. Everyone disappeared except the young woman in the kimono. Click to enlarge the picture and you will see at least three people who aren't there.

The drummers were on their way home, too. All the drums were wrapped and waiting to be loaded onto the truck.

Kids Web Japan--Coming-of-Age Day

Kids Web Japan--kimono.

Seven Herbs

It was a cold and blustery day. None of us wanted to go to the store to buy these herbs. Maybe I'll have a picture tomorrow of them. Baba said she will make it when Papa is home tomorrow. It is a holiday. If I'm not able to take a picture, then read what Kids Web Japan says about them.

01-08-07 It was a warm and gorgeous day today. None of us felt like eating okayu! (See link above.)

Winter Treat

Toasted mochi or glutinous rice in a bowl of steaming hot adzuki beans is a winter treat. This is a sign at a coffee shop. This dessert is called oshiruko. Though the green box tells what kind of coffee the shop sells, this dessert would most likely be served with tea. (The information in the pink box above the bowl probably tells about it. I didn't photograph that part of the sign!)

These instant cups are sold at some grocery stores. I bought this for a friend who was in the hospital. All he had to do was add hot water. Not sure if it were good or not.