I went to see my dentist today. I've been there every three months over ten years to have plaque removed. I believe that if we want to be healthy, keeping inside of our mouths healthy is the key.

Since I had some errands to run downtown, I stopped by a new shop called Standard Products on my way home. This shop is produced by Daiso, which is well known as a one dollar shop. There are lots of

The narcissus has started blooming in my garden! They don’t seem to mind the cold weather at all. I love narcissus for their fragrance. Did you know their scent has some benefits? It helps relieve

In Japan, school rules are quite strict. For example, most schools require students to wear uniforms. In general, students aren't allow dye their hair. Wearing cosmetics is completely out of the

The weather in Japan has turned cold again, and we tend to eat special dishes to warm ourselves up. Since I introduced hōtō last time, today I'd like to introduce kiritanpo. Kiritanpo is a local dish

Do you like spices? I'm a huge fan of them and use them a lot in my cooking. I believe that spices make food taste much better. Each spice has its own unique properties and can have health benefits.

Since I posted my last knitting projects, it's passed about a month. I've been making progress on some new ones. First, I completed a vest for my grandson. Knitting such a tiny vest was a piece of

One of my hobbies is visiting flower shops, and a couple of weeks ago, I visited one of my favorite shops in my hometown, Shiga Prefecture. The shop is located in the neighborhood of my husband's

Last month, my husband and I went to our favorite restaurant in Nara Prefecture to have Yakuzen cuisine again. On the way to the restaurant, I came across some very old onigawara (roof ornamentation)

Yesterday, I went to Kyoto to take my regular painting lesson. When I got off a train, I noticed that snow was still on the platform. Last Sunday it had snowed and seeing the unmelted snow made me

If people from overseas ask me where the most unique place in Japan is, I would probably recommend visiting shopping arcades because they'll see many of typical Japanese mom-and-pop stores. It's also

Do you remember I wrote about growing mushrooms? I'm sure you've forgotten about it, and that's totally fine because even I've completely forgotten about them. This morning when I peeked into a

A few days ago while chatting with my friend from Texas via Sykpe, I shared a video with him because I read the video has become viral. My friend has already know of it, and it made me think it was

When I went out for a walk this evening, I realized that it was snowing! I live in western Japan, where snow is rare. I told my dog, "We're going to get wet because of the snow!", but she didn't seem

I'm a huge fan of walking. Every single day, I walk 8 km using a pair of pole, which is called pole walking. Although I normally walk around my neighborhood, two weeks ago, I changed my mind and

I just finished reading my second book called "The Artist Way" in English this year. This book says everybody has creativity, but maintaining it is difficult because there are various obstacles such

Even though we've just passed Setsubun and it's officially spring, the weather has turned cold again. I like drinking a cup of hot cocoa on cold days because it warms me up and makes me feel cozy.

Yesterday, February 2nd, was Setsubun in Japan. It's usually held on February 3rd, but this year was irregular. Setsubun makes the change of seasons, so officially, it's now spring! We celebrate this

Time goes by so fast, and I can't believe it's already Federally! Unfortunately, I haven't finished any art pieces yet, but I'd like to share my works in progress with you. I prefer painting on

I've been taking care of my grandson for two to three hours a day from Monday to Friday, but today I had to babysit him for about twelve hours. He caught the flu and has been absent from his nursing