Do you have any seasonal fruit in your country? In Japan, watermelons and cherries are in season right now. Especially you can't miss cherries if you want to have. When it turns July, we don't see

Can you picture an apple in your mind right now? What does it look like? This simple question is often used as a test for aphantasia. I learned about this test from my long-time American friend,

I live in western in Japan, and growing gooseberry plants here isn't easy. Although they are cultivated in Japan, they're mainly grown in the northern regions such as Nagano, Tohoku, and Hokkaido, so

When I was chatting with my long-time American friend on Teams, he introduced me a very interesting game. Although there is no correct answers, and it's just for fun, I'd like to share it with you

I attended one of my favorite artists, Edward Gorey's art exhibit a couple of weeks ago. It's my first time seeing his pieces in two years since I visited his exhibit in Nara. Unfortunately,

I love pulling weeds because it gives me a similar feeling to meditation. At the same time, I can keep my garden clean, so I pull them every day. Even so, they grow so fast that I can't catch up with

Do you like Matcha? I prefer drinking caffeine-free drinks such as rooibos tea, but I drink a cup of coffee every day because it's rich in polyphenols. I'm a quite health conscious person, so I love

Two weeks ago, I had lunch with several of my knitting friends. While eating, we started talking about kniting, which is a very common topic for us. We shared the project we were current working on,

Rainy season started a couple of days ago, and my hydrangea is now in full broom. Last year, it only produced a few flowers , so I'm happy that it has bloomed a lot this year. I love its colors from

I can't believe that it was already two weeks ago, but before forgetting, I need to write about this. Martyn, Anna, my daughter and her family, and I went to Universal Studios Japan in Osaka (USJ) on

Are you pets loyal to you? In my case, the answer is NO! This morning, I discovered that a pair of my favorite shoes was destroyed by Kai. He apparently chewed them up. I was shocked because I've

Have you ever heard of a dog named Hachi? He was a very famous Akita dog, who was extremely loyal to his owner. His owner was a professor at the University of Tokyo. Every day Hachi went to Shibuya

In Japan, it's rice-planting season right now. When you walk around a rural area, you can see rice fields being planted everywhere. While waiting for a local bus, I also spotted the scene. It was

I have three-year-old raspberry and I've started harvesting its fruit. Raspberries are sensitive to humidity, high temperatures, and cold weather, so I especially care it in the summer and the winter

Kōji (food) is a type of fungus and has been used in fermentation of food such as miso, soy sauce, sake and more. Kōji is very important for Japanese food culture. There are over 8000 varieties of

Hōryū-ji was constructed in the 7th century by order of Prince Shōtoku (593–April 8, 622), one of the most important figures in Japanese history. He used to be printed one of our currency. Martyn,

I had several opportunities to have meals with my British friends while they were staying with us, and one day I asked them about a calling bell often found in Japanese restaurants. In Japan, it's

The other day, two of my British friends, my husband, and I had lunch at my husband's and my favorite restaurant in Nara. After lunch, we walked to an old prison building that has been renovated into

I have a small vegetable patch in my garden. To prevent soil-borne diseases and other problems caused by planting the same crops repeatedly, I grew shungiku (edible chrysanthemum) over the winter. My

The other day, Martyn, Anna, Seiji (my husband), and I went to Nara. Martyn, Seiji, and I had visited Tōdai-ji before with Martyn's wife, but it was Anna's first time. The temple was built in the