I've been growing several varieties of herbs in my garden. My arugula and basil grow so quickly that I have already more than enough. My basil, in particular, became so crowded that I decided to thin

I have four blueberry bushes in my garden. All of them are growing in pots because I've been following the advice of my neighborhood's blueberry farm owner. I bought three of the bushes there four

A couple of weeks ago, I attended an art exhibit featuring Japanese art with water-themed scenes. That day was extremely hot, so I was happy to escape from the heat for a while. Visiting museums in

A major earthquake struck Japan again. Yesterday, a magnitude 7 earthquake hit Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyusyu. So far, we haven't received many details about the extent of the damage, how many people

It's been extremely hot since the rainy season ended, so I've been avoiding unnecessary trips outside. I rather prefer staying at home to paint or knit. I just finished a summer cardigan for myself,

Have you ever heard of the French band Daft Punk before? They're a unique electric music duo wearing a helmet and have never showed their faces in public. When you see them, you'll probably think

When you hear the word "waterlilies", you might associate it with Monet. He loved these flowers and even created a Japanese garden of his property. His waterlily paintings are extremely famous. In

Ever since the rainy season ended, the temperature has been around 38°C (100°F) every day. I knew it would be hot, but it's been much hotter than I had imagined. It's almost impossible to get through

Growing summer vegetables has become my annual event, and I did it this year as well. Last year, I couldn't harvest as many vegetables as I hoped, and I learned about replant disease. To avoid it

Last month, my husband and I met up with his aunt in Nara, and we first had lunch at our favorite restaurant. She lives in Tsuzawa in Toyama Prefecture, which is my husband's late father's hometown.

Every year around this time, I make aka-shiso (red perilla) syrup to avoid summer fatigue. Last year, I shared how to make it, so if you're curious, please visit here. This year, I made twice as much

Today, I'd like to introduce a unique form of art in Japan. When you go to rural areas where have rice paddies, you sometimes see art using rice plants. Gyōda City in Saitama Prefecture is famous for

I've been practicing aka-e for more than six years, but I don't feel I've improved as much as I'd hoped. I feel I'm still struggling with drawing thin lines. Whenever I practice, I try to practice

When I talked to my friend Matt about flying cars planned for Osaka, he shared the news, which Tesla's Autopilot car crashed into a house. According to the news article, a woman who lived in the

Last week, I stopped by Kyoto on the way home from my parents' house. It was very hot, and it's getting tougher for me to visit my parents because of the brutal summer weather. To stay motivated, I

I have a peach tree in my garden, but I don't know how old it is. When we moved into this house it was already there. I'd never taken care of a peach tree before, so at first, it annoyed me. I

Do you have seasonal food in your country? We have some in Japan. We love eating cold noodles in the summer, and hiyamugi is one of the dishes. Today, I'd like to write about hiyamugi. Last month, my

Today, I'd like to share a Japanese movie called Tokyo Story with you. It's considered one of the greatest Japanese movies ever made. A friend of mine from the US recommended me to watch it. If

Today, I'd like to show you my hand-painted incense burner. When I started working on it, it was still spring, so I designed it with cherry blossoms inspired by the Heian period (794 to 1185). I

A couple days ago, we heard the news that a 105-year-old female pianist had passed away. To be honest with you, I didn't know that there was such a pianist in Japan until I read the news article. Her