Ootnaboot on Labour Thanksgiving Day Holiday

Labour Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday here in Japan. It takes place annually on November 23rd. The law establishing the holiday cites it as an occasion for commemorating labour and production and giving one another thanks. Events are held throughout Japan, one such being the Nagano Labor Festival. The event encourages thinking about the environment, peace and human rights.

Labor Thanksgiving Day is the modern name for an ancient rice harvest festival known as Niiname-sai, believed to have been held as long ago as November of 678. Traditionally, it celebrated the year's hard work; during the Niiname-sai ceremony, the Emperor would dedicate the year's harvest to kami (spirits), and taste the rice for the first time.

The modern holiday was established after World War II in 1948 as a day to mark some of the changes of the postwar constitution of Japan, including fundamental human rights and the expansion of workers rights. Currently Niiname-sai is held privately by the Imperial Family while Labor Thanksgiving Day has become a national holiday. (taken from Wikipedia)

It's weird... for an entire week plus now every day about 3pm I start to get a headache in my sinus cavity above the left eye. It gets pretty intense. I used to get a lot of sinusitis due to my deviated septum that we never bothered to correct when I was young (my brother did his). I can't figure out what it is...

The other day when I was on the floor doing some abdominal workout, I saw the huge amount of dust under the piano. As you likely know, Pianos are notorious for being nearly impossible to move. And as this one is very low to the ground we have not been able to vacuum under it. When I saw what was under there I went on a dust mammoth cleaning rampage and coerced Mayu into helping me while I lifted, pulled, pushed and dragged the piano so that we could pull out the carpet tiles and clean off the half inch of accumulation. I thought I had the problem solved, but I got another headache.

I usually sit here most of the day at work, but last night I was also sitting here until about 1am because I wanted to finish a book I was reading. I started to get that exact same headache again... the first time to get one so late. I thought then that perhaps it was the mildew odour of the old kimono that I put in the drawers here in the office a few months ago when I got them. That would coincide with my two plus months of congestion. When I went to bed, the doors were all open so the fresh cold air came into the bedroom, and I really cleared up quickly.

This morning I took all the kimono upstairs and boxed them away in the spare room. I then took all the drawers upstairs as well and will let them air out naturally for a few weeks. I disinfected the inside of the chest, and have left the doors to the cupboard where the drawers are, open. For most of the morning, and early noon I felt clearer than I have in a long time.

After pulling out all of the kimono and taking them upstairs to put them in the spare room so that I am not sitting here all day breathing potential mildew, I decided to go out for some fresh air and to clear my head.

I went out to Katsuyama to the home center to get some cat food. I LOVE going to home centers (and kitchenware stores - Robin will attest to that). I could spend hours in them! I just like to go and wander the aisles, looking at everything from plumbing, to toilets, to tires, to pvc piping to plants, to pet supplies, to furniture... and let my mind try to come up with ideas. I treat myself by exercising my mind at these kinds of places because I never know what I might find that I didn't know existed!

I also got a tube of toothpaste, a little ring of ... can't explain it well in English... things that keeps the drain from getting all slimy when water and food particles after washing dishes go into the aluminum cage that sits in the drain (we empty at each meal, but still...).

In addition to that, I picked up a special (but cheap) omelette-making frypan as well. It was a good visit to the home center. I did go looking for plastic tanuki, but they just don't seem to exist! I keep checking on the auction sites, and the internet, but ... nothing! It is almost like my plastic garden tanuki should not exist because nobody knows what I am talking about, when I tell them that I want it in plastic!

When I had spent enough time at the home center (Komeri... the logo is a giant red chicken or rooster, so I like to call it "Chicken Home Center") I went across the "highway" (Japanese highways are not anything like North American Highways... you will see when you visit me)... to the supermarket and did the shopping in that ice box. Why they make supermarkets so icy cold here, I really don't understand! When you are here for a visit, I will surely take you to some supermarkets so that you can experience the bizarre phenomenon of icebox grocery shopping! I did my regular purchasing of vegetables, meats, dairies, and even got an Asahi "Ginger + Beer" to see what it tastes like. Maybe tonight...

When all that was done, I headed over to Curry House Coco Ichiban and had a very good hamburger salad (hot hamburger in cold salad - pretty tasty!), with a side of curry roux (sauce) that had melted cheese and spinach in it. I skipped rice that always comes with curry here. I also had a pork cutlet and an onsen tamago. In total it was a very reasonable JPY 1300 for lunch. Not bad at all, considering I eat for two. When you come to visit me, I would like to take you to this restaurant to experience a curry meal. I think you will like it.

Does anybody need a frozen squid?

I love you!

Cam