Annoyed and anxious.
13 May 2012 2 Comments
I hate irresponsible pet owners. Yesterday, we went down to the beach again. At this particular beach, dogs are allowed to be there and off their leashes as long as the owners ‘maintain effective control at all times’, according to the sign. I was down at the edge of the water with H, and we were chatting with an old guy with his big dog, and H was patting the dog. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, another dog about the same height as H ran over, knocked H to the ground and was on top of him clawing at his chest. I smacked the dog HARD on its rump to get it off H. The owner came over to me and screamed, ‘Don’t hit the dog, she’s only six months old!’. I yelled back, ‘Well, my son is only 2 and your dog was attacking him!’. The guy then yelled, ‘You did bring him to a DOG BEACH, darlin”. I was beyond angry at this point so I just stared at him and laughed. The guy left. The old guy next to me couldn’t believe it. He said that all the dog owner had to say was sorry and be done with it. I have really had enough of these attitudes here. That was NOT a ‘dog beach’. It is a beach on which dogs are allowed if the owners can control them. That guy’s six month old dog was obviously not trained well enough to be off-leash in an area with a lot of young children around. It is HIS responsibility to know that. The old guy said it was bad because now H would be afraid of dogs – which turned out to be true. Today, we went to my brother’s house, and he has two big dogs that H was never afraid of before. He was terrified today. I’m not sure it’s a bad thing to be afraid of dogs. H was way too confident around them, anyway. I have never liked dogs, and have always been afraid of them, and apparently I was also knocked over by a dog at the beach when I was H’s age.
Today was Mother’s Day. My mother arranged for us all to have breakfast together. By us I mean, my parents, S, H, and I, my brother and his wife and two kids, and his wife’s parents. We arranged to meet at the Royal Pines Golf Resort at 7:15am for the Mother’s Day buffet breakfast. S and I aren’t really fans of buffets – I find them a bit gross from a hygiene perspective. We don’t go out to restaurants very much, especially ones that serve typical Australian food, because S and I don’t really like the food. Anyway, the weather was beautiful and we had a lovely table outside. At $35.00 per head though, S and I didn’t think the food was good value. It was typical Australian breakfast food – bacon, eggs, sausages, hash browns, plus salad, fruit, yoghurt, and some danish pastries and croissants. Most of the people there seemed to think it was amazing, and all of our group loved it, and I think everyone just thinks S and I are weird because we have different tastes to lots of people here!
After breakfast, my parents took H while S and I had the afternoon to ourselves. I got a massage at Fuji Natural Therapies, a great Shiatsu massage place. Being 6 1/2 months pregnant, I had to sit in a chair while I got the massage, but that was fine, because I wanted them to focus on my upper back. I think I may have pulled a muscle picking up, or carrying H in the past few weeks, because the right side of my upper back has been incredibly sore. Then I got an eyebrow wax, and we went and did some shopping. Usually I have to shop very quickly as H is extremely impatient, and I avoid shopping for many things because he is such a nightmare to take to the shops. even though he wasn’t with us, it was hard to break the habit of shopping in a hurry. I did get some flat shoes for the next two months at work. I’m not comfortable in heels at the moment, and all my flats are fairly worn out.
I was also stressed all day, because H wasn’t with me. People who are close to me know what an irrational worry-wart I am. Basically, I don’t trust anybody to look after H even though I’m not a perfect mother. I ALWAYS worry something is going to happen to him. I trust my parents, and S’s parents completely, but I still worry about an accident or something. I know it is normal for mothers to worry about their children all the time, but is it normal when this worry makes you feel physically sick? S’s parents are coming to Australia on the 28th of May, and S will take a week off. They are mainly coming to see H, so he will not go to daycare that week. I’m already worried about that 
As I mentioned, S’s parents are coming to Australia. They are both nearly 70 and this is their first trip anywhere overseas and will be their first time on a plane. It will absolutely be a huge shock for them. S’s mum wants to go to some places for sightseeing, and go to some hot springs…….hmmmmm. In addition to tellng her that there are no hot springs (!), S had to explain that yes, it is nearly winter, but no, you do not need a thick winter coat and lots of layers, boots, and gloves!
I have no idea what they are going to eat. They have tried Western food, but they don’t like it. S’s dad only eats traditional Japanese food, and his mum doesn’t really eat! She will only have a tiny bit of Japanese style food with her beer or sake in the evening. The portions at restaurants here will be far too big for them, but since S is taking the week off work, he is in charge of cooking for the week!
I hope the wondeful mums who read this had a great day today.
Busybodies at the beach
06 May 2012 Leave a Comment
Yesterday, I bought S a beach fishing rod, reel, and other related stuff. I’m not into fishing, but I know he misses it, and I like eating the results of his hobby 
Today, we went to the Southport Spit to try it out.
It was a beautiful day for the beach – not too hot, and not much wind.
H and I played in the sand and at the water’s edge while S got to work on catching dinner.
First, S caught a Dart. There is no size limit on these in Queensland, and this was a decent size for its kind, so we kept it. I’ll probably eat it “shio-yaki” (salt-grilled) style for breakfast tomorrow.
Then, he caught two whitings. The size limit is 23cm here, and these were probably just over that, but he released them anyway. Which brings me to the only low point of the day. After S caught each whiting, he brought them up to show H and to take a photo before letting them go. H and I were sitting higher up on the sand, about 50m from where S had been fishing. About twenty minutes after he’d caught the first whiting, I saw one of the patrolling lifeguards talking to S in the water. After their conversation, S came storming up the sand to take a break and he looked very annoyed. The lifeguard had said he’d received complaints that S was keeping fish that were too small and launched into a “Save the Earth” speech. S told him he’d released the fish that were probably legal size anyway, and that he could check our stuff if he wanted to. The lifeguard left.
S completely understands that people need to be told if they are fishing illegally, but he was so angry about a few things. First, the lifeguard is not a fisheries inspector and has no authority over people beach fishing. Second, if people don’t have the guts to say something directly, and dob someone in, at least wait until the incident is over and get your facts right. If whoever had seen S bring the fish up to H and I (if there even WAS a person), they would have only had to wait another minute or two to see S release the fish.
I can’t stand this kind of nonsense that happens in Australia – I say Australia because I don’t ever recall people sticking their noses in where they don’t belong anywhere else I’ve been. I used to get sick of all the cooing over H and unwanted advice from people in Japan, but it is far preferable to the snide remarks I and other people get from strangers here. People need to mind their own damn business. OK, that little rant is over now.
Other than that, it was a lovely day at the beach, but hopefully we can get a decent feed of fish next time!
Prenatal care #2
30 Apr 2012 1 Comment
I thought I’d do a quick follow up post to the last one since I had my prenatal appointment at the hospital today. Unfortunately, this will be another negative post.
The hospital told me I have to attend this consultation to talk about my birth plan, hopes for the birth and other things. Well, I went into the appointment with the midwife and she started quickly running through everything. I had a few questions about pain relief during labour and episiotomies. She handed me a pamphlet and informed me they were running late today and she wouldn’t be able to go through that with me, so I had to read the pamphlet and ask the midwife any questions when I went in for the birth. Er, isn’t that a little too late? I asked her when I had to decide about whether I wanted another episiotomy, and I also wanted to ask some questions about tearing and healing, but she snapped that the midwife will decide at the time whether I need one or not. I was getting a bit irritated at this point, but kept being polite and answering the questions she was rattling off. I mentioned I was unhappy with my current GP and she said they could offer me midwife care at the hospital from now on, but if I expected a third trimester ultrasound, to forget it. Because of my very low growth hormone levels in the first trimester, the ultrasound clinic wrote that a third trimester ultrasound would be required to check the baby’s growth. This obviously doesn’t mean anything to the hospital, so I’ll have to go back to the GP in order to get a referral for this.
I had been given 3 different due dates, but the ultrasound clinic came up with August 5th as the due date at both scans, so that is what my GP has been using. I had my gestational diabetes test this morning (drinking 300ml of glucose, waiting an hour, then getting a blood test). This should be done between 26-28 weeks according to the QLD health guidelines, and 24-28 weeks according to the pamphlet I was given by Gold Coast hospital. Today would put me at exactly 26 weeks based on the August 5th due date. Well! The midwife decided August 10th was a more correct due date, so my GD test today will be considered invalid by the hospital. I have no chance to do it again in the next two weeks as I am locked in at work, and the midwife told me since I am not considered high-risk, not to worry about it. I’m really stressed about that now.
Finally, she made me an appointment to have my first Anti-D injection on May 14th. I said I had to work that day, so could I change it to Tuesday 15th. She said they couldn’t as they only do Anti-D injections on Monday afternoons. What???? A very common injection in pregnancy, that they would obviously have on the premises, takes a minute, and the prenatal department of a major hospital “only does it on Monday afternoons”. It just doesn’t make any sense to me.
If the prenatal care I’ve had wasn’t so appalling and I didn’t feel like crying, I think it would almost be funny. I have absolutely no faith in the hospital here, and am grateful I’m not considered a high-risk patient.
Pre-natal care comparison
14 Apr 2012 3 Comments
I thought I’d write a post describing the differences between pre-natal care in Australia and Japan as I have been surprised just how much it differs. There will be a few references to icky birth stuff, so if you are put off by that kind of thing, don’t read on
Right now I am nearly 25 weeks pregnant. 15 or so to go. It feels like forever to go.
First, I’ll describe the basic medical systems of Japan and Australia as best I understand them. In Japan, most people belong to the national health insurance sheme. The annual rate is determined on a sliding scale. We paid about $1500 per year for S and I (all medical care is free for children until about 15 years old) and we only had to pay 30% of any clinic/hospital visit or medical procedure, including dental. A visit to my “GP” cost about $7, for example. I put quotation marks around GP because there are no real GP’s in Japan. Every clinic is a specialist of some sort, and you choose which one to see based on your particular ailment. However, internal practitioners are closest to a GP – you would go to one if you were generally feeling unwell or if you weren’t sure which specialist you should see and wanted advice. It is a great system, as there is no waiting time to see a specialist and no referrals are necessary. For any OB/GYN related issues, and pregnancy/birth, everything is done at one place called a women’s clinic in Japan. It can be a little confusing , however. When I was 32 weeks pregnant, I had a huge boil on my inner thigh and couldn’t walk well (strangely, I had this exact same thing in the same place at 6 weeks in this pregnnacy). I went to a dermatologist figuring that was the best specialist to see, but she took one look at it and sent me down the road to the surgeon. It isn’t a big deal if you go to the wrong place, but each clinic and doctor is very specific about what they will deal with.
I also really like the cancer screening system in Japan. Every year, depending on your age, the government sends you coupons for cancer screening. For example, last year when I was in Japan, women who were born in 1976 got coupons for stomach and breast cancer screening. This year it would be two different things. Of course, some things like cervical cancer are offered every 2 years and more frequently with age. For people who are working, every year companies must pay for health checks for all employees over 40. These checks include stomach cancer, and general blood tests.
In Australia, there is a public and private system. We had been looking into private insurance, but since I got pregnant 3 months after moving back to Australia, we wouldn’t have fulfilled the waiting period criteria to use it anyway. So, we are going through the public system. In the public system you go to a GP in Australia, and if specialist treatment is required, you can get a referral. Depending on your location, the severity of your condition, and whether your treatment is elective or not, waiting times vary tremendously, from weeks to years. Dental care is incredibly expensive in Australia, even basic procedures. There is a public dental system, but at the Gold Coast Hospital, the waiting list is just over 2 years at the moment.
Seeing a GP is fine in most cases, I suppose, but I have noticed a difference in the quality of prenatal care. In Japan, if I had a question about test results or something, the doctor could explain everything in detail. In my first trimester here, I had low levels of one thing and high levels of another, and I wanted to know exactly what was being measured. A detailed explanation probably wouldn’t have helped my understanding all that much, but my GP admitted she didn’t know the details about the results. I don’t blame her – that is how the system is here – the ‘G’ in GP stands for ‘general’ for a reason. It was a little frustrating for a need-to-know-everything-no-matter-how-unimportant person like me, though.
In Japan, all pregnancy checkups and ultrasounds/blood tests are free. You get a book from the city office to record all details of every checkup, and after the birth, a place to record things for every month of the first year, and all mother and child health issues until the child turns 5.
Prenatal visits to the clinic happen every month in Japan, and fortnightly in the last 8 weeks. At each visit, you will have an ultrasound (4D ultrasound from 20 weeks on), consultation with the OB/GYN, and they will check your blood pressure, weight, and fundal height. Japanese doctors are pretty strict about weight gain in Japan. On the whole, they recommend women try not to put on more than 10kg in a pregnancy. I’ve heard some horror stories about women being constantly scolded by their doctors for weight gain, to the point of abuse, but it doesn’t seem as bad nowadays. My clinic was fine about weight. Of course, for health reasons, they would say something about excessive weight gain, which I can appreciate. I didn’t have a problem with weight in my first pregnancy, so they never said anything to me, but being weighed every visit did make me take more notice of my health during pregnancy, which I think is a very good thing.
I was told by my doctor in Japan right from the start that there is no pain relief at all available for a natural birth (as in most places in Japan), and also the clinic policy is to induce labour at 41 weeks. They were upfront about this, and you could choose to go with this or find somewhere else. One thing I didn’t know until after the birth was that episiotomies are fairly standard procedure in Japan. I hadn’t planned on having one, but during the final stages of labour, the doctor said I could deliver on the next push (rather than 2-3 more) if I had one, while he was holding up a syringe of anaesthetic. I told him to go for it, but I feel this should have been discussed with me beforehand. When I was in hospital here in Australia a few months ago to get rehydrated from vomiting, the nurse knew about episiotomies being common in Japan. Then she said, “Here, we just let you TEAR”, emphasising the last word and walking away laughing. I didn’t see why that was funny, nor appropriate. I’m honestly not sure whether that would be the better option! I will do a bit of research in the next week about this, as on the 30th of April I have an appointment with a midwife at Gold Coast Hospital to discuss my ‘birth plan’.
Pre-natal care, for me, going through the public system in Australia, has so far been disappointing. At my first appointment I was given a maternity record for my details, which is like a pamphlet. I was then given a referral for an ultrasound. After the ultrasound, I didn’t know when to see the GP again, so I made an appointment for the following week. Everyone seems very vague about when you should be getting checkups and tests here. The GP told me to come back “in a few weeks” and she’d write me a referral for the 12 week scan. This scan was at a different place to the first because I opted to get the first trimester screening for chromosomal abnormalities, to hopefully be better prepared if there was an abnormality. In Japan, this was all opt-out, not opt-in. It was a standard part of pre-natal care. This ultrasound and screening cost $270 with a Medicare rebate of about $60. The centre said they would send my results to my GP. I made an appointment with the GP about 2 weeks later, but she hadn’t received my results. The ultrasound clinic had sent them to the wrong doctor, so I had to make another GP appointment a week later. At that time I got a referral for the 18-20 week scan. It was at the same clinic as the 12-week scan. Not all ultrasound centres do the 18-20 week scan as it is very detailed. This took nearly an hour and a half (thank goodness S could take the morning off and come with me because it would have been impossible with just me and H) and cost $370! I got about $60 back again. They said I have to get a third trimester ultrasound to check the baby’s size as I had low levels of a growth hormone in the first trimester. I asked them in which week I should have the scan and they said “some time in the third trimester”. I asked my GP about this and she said “some time in the third trimester -we’ll deal with that later”. One different thing is that in Japan, you are asked to give a urine sample before each scan, so I had an empty bladder for the scans. Here, they asked me to drink 600ml of water an hour before and hold it as the scan needed to be done with a full bladder. I wonder why these were different, and if there is in fact a big difference?
I was supposed to have a meeting at the hospital a month ago to discuss my birth plan, but Australia Post didn’t redirect a lot of my mail when I moved, so I didn’t know about any such thing. My GP didn’t mention this to me, either. It was then changed to April 30th after they called me to ask why I hadn’t turned up! I have to see my GP next week before this meeting as I need to take a slip of paper or something. I also have to make an appointment for some blood tests at another place, and another appointment somewhere else again, to get my anti-D injections. My blood type is O- and S’s is O+. In second and subsequent pregnancies, if the mother is negative and father is positive, there can be complications for the baby unless this injection is given. It was given to me after H’s birth, but they have to do it again before and after this birth. Again, nobody seems clear about the precise dates I will get these injections and they need to be given within a certain time frame. It just seems as though there is no plan, no system, about the order things need to be done in, and the timing of them. It is very annoying for someone like me, not to mention all the running around to a different place every time.
Well, that’s where we are up to now. As for the first six months of pregnancy, Japan was much better (except for the inability to get medication for HG -hyperemesis gravidarum – the severe form of morning sickness I suffer from).
It will be interesting to compare the post-natal care – there are a few areas that disappointed me about Japan in that respect. I liked that we had to stay in hospital for 4 nights after the birth and were given amazing, elaborate meals, but I didn’t like the financial influence on the clinic by milk formula companies. This didn’t help breastfeeding efforts and I can imagine some people would have given up because of this. That post is for sometime in August this year, though.
I’m back!
08 Apr 2012 8 Comments
Hello! In my last post (8 months ago) I decided it was silly to have a blog called ‘Japan Life’ when we were moving back to Australia. However, I want to keep blogging and have decided to continue with this one. I don’t think my Japan Life is over just yet. We have been back in Australia for nearly 8 months and I will spare you all the gory details as most of the people who read this are my friends on Facebook and know my issues! I am usually good at admitting my mistakes and basically, this move back could be called The Mistake That Had To Be Made. We would have made this move regardless of March 11th, but I’m kind of glad March 11th hurried things along for us because I feel we still aren’t TOO old for a return to Japan within a reasonable time. I moved to Japan when I had just turned 23. S and I came back to Australia for nearly 2 years at one stage when I did my MA, but that was only ever temporary and was more like an extended working holiday. I was nearly 35 when we came back last year. Australia and I had both changed dramatically in that time – I never realised how much, and now I do. In that respect, I am glad we at least tried to relocate here permanently, rather than spend our time wondering what it would be like. I love Japan, I dislike so many things about Japan, but it feels more like home for me than Australia does. No decisions have been made, and I am still very churned up about the future and where we will live, but I don’t think this move to Australia will be as permanent as we’d expected. Anyway, moving on…..
Baby #2
Well, after a LOT of thinking, we decided to try for another baby. I was reluctant as I had been so sick with H, but for various reasons we thought it would be good for him to have a sibling – I hope we were right! We are having a baby girl and she is due on August 5th 2012. 
I have been very sick with this pregnancy and it has been a lot harder than my first. I am probably sicker, but in Australia I have been able to take medication which I couldn’t in Japan. The medication didn’t stop the vomiting completely and I still ended up in hospital on a drip from dehydration a few times, but it did allow me to keep some food down – I have about a three hour window after taking the medication in which I stuff my face! The tablets are ridiculously expensive – between six and nine dollars each depending on something (it’s different every time for some reason) so I take one a day, but cut it in half and take twice. The tablets were designed for chemotherapy patients to relieve their nausea, and the use in pregnancy is off-label so they charge more. I hate taking tablets in pregnancy, but I am finding it so hard to work and look after H. This combined with some other things in my life has left me wondering if I am a little depressed. I have put on a lot of weight this time all over my body, which didn’t happen with H. I feel quite disgusting and am worried about my health. I am not enjoying this at all.
I am worried about one thing with having a girl. She has a 99% chance of inheriting my eye-condition (squint strabismus). It is a congenital defect that has affected the eyes of every female on my mother’s line as far back as they know. Not looking forward to having her go through the related awkwardness associated with this, and probable surgeries.
Names are a bit easier this time. There are so many nice girls names to choose from. I THINK we have narrowed it down to two choices already! I have my favourite, which S likes, but the usual kanji isn’t that appealing to him, so he is trying to find a different kanji for it, which is harder than expected. S has his favourite name, which I would agree to (maybe) but it would mean 8 out of the 12 letters in her name (given and family) would be the letter A when written in English and every second letter would be an A!
Despite my weight gain, the baby is still very small for her gestational age. H was small, but they have to monitor this one more closely. I had a blood test and ultrasound in the first trimester which screens for possible chromosomal abnormalities. I had very low levels of a protein called PAPP-A, which is related to fetal growth in pregnancy. They have to check the growth again in the third trimester. Other than that, everything looks good. I won’t go into my dissatissfaction with prenatal care here – that is for a whole other post!
I should write some updates about H, who turned two in February, but again, most of my Facebook friends would know what he’s up to since I post about him a lot on Facebook. He does consume most of my time (and suck ALL of my energy) after all!
Anyway, I might keep updating the blog from now on…………..
Packing Up
23 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
Everything feels surreal right now. It is Saturday night, and I’m writing this from S’s old room at his parent’s place. We are staying here tonight and tomorrow night before we leave on Monday morning. The moving company came two days ago. We thought we’d have around two cubic metres of boxes to send, but ended up having over three. It cost about a thousand dollars more than I thought. Oh well, we certainly don’t have to buy anything to set up house when we get back! Today we spent the whole day moving stuff, cleaning, and packing. Tomorrow will be much of the same. We will probably just get everything done in time. S’s mum has tomorrow off and she will take care of H while we do stuff, thankfully. H doesn’t know what is going on – he may be sensing something is different but he doesn’t seem stressed about it. I’m not looking forward to the trip back to Australia at all. We will take a seven hour flight to Malaysia, then have a whole day relaxing there. We stay another night then have an eight hour flight to Brisbane. Both flights are during the day, so H will be very active, and very whingy. I have bought him a heap of new toys and gadgets to play with, and wrapped them all individually so a great deal of our carry-on luggage is stuff to try to keep him (us, and other passengers from going mental). I hate flying – everything about it. I’m scared of actual flying, terrorism and hijackings, and getting sick on the plane. I feel sick even thinking about it. In the past I could try to get absorbed in a book or something, but traveling with H means I’m switched on the whole time, and therefore more sensitive to everything. I know, I know, flying is the safest method of travel etc. Talking about statistics doesn’t work with people like me, though. The only way I’d be able to feel somewhat at ease when flying is if I got a commercial pilots’ license, understood aircraft maintenance in detail, and personally checked every single passenger’s luggage. Obviously, that isn’t going to happen! I’ve realised I won’t be able to overcome my fear of flying, but I just have to deal with it.
Last weekend we went to Hyogo Prefecture to visit S’s extended family. Hyogo is in Western Japan, and we went to Kakogawa City, about 20 minutes by train from Kobe. We went there by Shinkansen. The Shinkansen is very expensive but it is incredibly fast – unnervingly fast. It doesn’t feel natural to go that fast on land. The train got up to around 300kph in some parts, but averaged around 250kph. Hyogo was prettier than I expected. Chiba and Tokyo are situated on the Kanto Plain, so we don’t have the nice hills and valleys that other parts of Japan have. The Kakogawa (Kako River) was lovely. Another thing I noticed was that people have nicer manners – maybe because it was a fairly rural area by Japan standards. Drivers stop at pedestrian crossings there! They speak a funny dialect, though – every sentence ends with ’ya.’ It sounded a bit Japanese hillbilly-ish! S’s family tree is weird and I’m not even sure if they even understand it. S’s mum is Sachiko. His grandma (Sachiko’s mum) was Tsurue who passed away in 2006. Sachiko was an only child – her father went missing, presumed killed, in WWII and Tsurue never remarried or had any more children. It is interesting that S’s grandfather was killed in Burma in the area where my grandfather was captured before becoming a POW. Anyway, Tsurue has a sister called Kunie (Sachiko’s aunt), who we visited in Hyogo. Sachiko was very close to her growing up, and so were S and his brothers. Kunie has visited us in Chiba a few times, and also came for Tsurue’s funeral, of course, so I know her quite well. S wanted to take H to see her at least once – she is nearly 87, and we didn’t know when we would get another chance. Now, Kunie married a man with the family name Maeda, but Mr. Maeda had been adopted into his family. Sachiko (S’s mum) married S’s dad, Kazunori Kawabata. Kazunori’s father (I don’t know his name, so I’ll call him K2) turned out to be the biological brother of Mr. Maeda who married S’s grandma’s sister, Kunie. Don’t worry, I’m confused too. I mainly wrote this so I wouldn’t forget it and try to puzzle it out with S someday if we have time. So, S is not a product of inbreeding (phew!) but lots of people in two familes married each other. As I said, S never met his maternal grandfather who died in WWII. He also never met his paternal grandmother, because she and one of her sons were killed in a car accident when S’s dad was about 17 years old. Many years later S’s paternal grandfather proposed to S’s maternal grandma, but she turned him down. Weird.
Anyway, it’s getting late but I just want to add a few things I will and won’t miss about Japan. This is just off the top of my head, so I’ll have to add more later.
I’ll miss:
good tofu, cheap fish, my job, my friends, the convenience of Japan, people minding their own damn business in public.
I won’t miss:
narrow streets, noise (stupid loud clocks that ring out through the suburbs and at stations and department stores, trucks selling stuff with speakers blaring usually when H is taking a nap, old ladies banging their futons for half an hour…), having to communicate in Japanese all the time – I find it a terribly vague language and quite useless to do general day-to-day things in,
Actually, those are the main things. I am fairly certain I won’t be doing a blog when I get back to Australia. I just don’t have the time to commit to regular posting. Thank you for reading until now.
It’s been a while…..
13 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment
Wow! I haven’t posted for so long. So many things have happened that I just don’t know where to start. I’ll try not to go into too many earthquake/tsunami facts, because I think everyone who reads this would know a lot from the news. I’d like to tell my personal side of it, though.
Before March 11, 2011 I felt earthquakes frequently in Japan – at the very least one a month, usually quite small. Japan uses two scales to measure earthquakes. One is the Richter Scale, which measures the magnitude at the epicentre of the quake. The other is its own Shindo Scale. The Shindo Scale measures the degree of shaking on the ground, and is the more useful scale when talking about how big an earthquake felt. For example, the Great Hanshin Earthquake in Kobe in 1995 wasn’t very big on the Richter Scale (around 5.5 I think), but it was shallow, so very destructive above the ground. Just tonight there was a 5.7 magnitude earthquake about 70km from here, but it was very deep, so you could only feel the shaking if you were very still. I can pretty much imagine the Shindo of an earthquake now after feeling so many. There are only 7 levels on the Japanese scale, and the highest I had felt until March was a 4.
At 14:46 on March 11, I was doing some university work on my computer, and H was napping in the adjacent living room. The earthquake started, and I kept typing, but it started shaking even more. H was sleeping in front of a huge wardrobe we have – it isn’t actually very heavy, but if it fell on a baby…..
If I feel the earthquake is long, or shaking at about a Shindo 3, I always grab H and run to the entrance of our house and open the door. The entrance is narrow, so the construction is stronger there, and if the building skews, many times people are unable to open doors. However, this time, I didn’t have enough time – by the time I realised the earthquake was bigger than I could have imagined, I had to stand in front of the big wardrobe, pushing against it so it didn’t fall on H. There were dishes falling out of my kitchen cabinet, and I was unsteady on my feet because of the shaking, so if I’d attempted to carry H to the entrance, it was potentially more dangerous. I stood there saying, “Stop! Please stop! Please stop!…….” About a minute later, the shaking stopped. I tried to call S, but the phone network was jammed. I got online immediately to check where the epicentre was, because I knew if it had been that big here in Chiba, and the epicentre was far away, it would have been unimaginable there. The Japan Meteorological Association puts quake information online within minutes, and I was looking at the map with the numbers of the Shindo all over Japan, but not really taking it in. I still couldn’t get in touch with S, and he walked through the door about 15 minutes later. He had finished work early, and gone to check on his boat. On the way home, he stopped at an auto accessories store to pick up something for his car, and was in the store when it happened. Five of his co-workers were injured in a fire at their plant, but luckily, not seriously. About a minute after he got home, the second big one struck. We grabbed H and all raced outside, and so did everyone else in the street. It is very, very unusual to see Japanese worry enough about earthquakes to go outside. The whole street and everything on it was kind of rolling - it was very weird. Strangely, my iron was still sitting on my wobbly ironing board, and it usually falls off if I even look at it!! Some things are just unexplainable.
I had a restless sleep that night, because of nerves and aftershocks, and then I got up on Saturday morning and saw the news. It was shocking. I heard then, too, that the nuclear reactors were damaged, and this put me in real panic mode. We are about 250km from the reactors, but still too close for comfort. After the possible radiation problem news, we couldn’t get milk, or other basic items at the supermarket. I just wanted to get out of Japan, and finally arranged to leave the following Tuesday night with S and H. S wasn’t worried about anything, of course. We tried to get petrol because we didn’t have enough to get to the airport, and all the petrol stations were empty. We found one that still had some, but each person could only get a certain amount. It was enough to get to the airport. We arrived in Australia on the Wednesday morning. It was a relief to be out of Japan, but I still didn’t relax much while we were there. We had planned to stay for a week, but because of dramas with Jetstar, we had to stay a further 2 weeks. During this time, we heard the news that radiation had been found in the tap water in Chiba/Tokyo where we live. At this time, I couldn’t decide what to do – stay in Australia and send S back to pack up everything, go back with him and help but return to Australia quickly, or go back and return to Australia in August when my university semester was over. I was so stressed out about what to do, but finally decided to come back to Japan because I had commitments and responsibilities. My boss called me in Australia to tell me semester would be one month shorter. In summer, the electricity company has scheduled rolling blackouts throughout our area to save on power. My university thought it would be too hot in late-July/August to work in the heat and humidity without air-conditioning so they decided to finish the semester in early-July. To make up the missed lectures, we have to have work two Saturdays a month, which is OK. I resigned when I came back, and my last day of work will be July 16th. I will be unemployed, moving to another country, and haven’t even strated looking for a job yet. Scary. We will be moving back to Australia permanently in late July hopefully. S bought a new car almost a year ago, and we want to take it to Australia. However, for a personal import, you need to have owned the car for 12 months in Japan prior to moving to Australia. It will be 3 weeks off 12 months when we plan to go. I called the Department of Infrastructure and Transport and they said it would be worth applying anyway, because the approval is granted on a case-by-case basis. They said we would probably be granted approval because we live only 32km from the border of Ibaraki prefecture, which is advised on the Department of Foreign Affairs website as a “Do Not Travel” zone for Australians. If we don’t get approved, we have to wait until the 12 months is up and apply again. We sent off a long letter with our application and will find out in the next week hopefully if we are approved. Then we will know a leaving date, and can start booking flights and sending belongings back. Oh, and find a place to live! Eek!
We should have really moved back to Australia a year ago when we were seriously considering it, but it seemed too daunting at the time with a 5 month old baby. About 3 days before the earthquake, we had decided we would be leaving Japan at the end of 2011 for various other reasons, so our decision to move back wasn’t based on the earthquake etc. It was definitely the reason why we are going earlier, though. When we got back to Japan, the aftershocks were still happening often, but as the weeks passed, they tapered off in frequency and intensity. We still feel a few more every week than pre-March 11. I think I may have some permanent nerve damage from the anxiety. Every time an aftershock hit, my fight-or-flight response kicked in really strongly, and this was happening nearly hourly at some times. I was so edgy, and I have weird tingling in my body since. I could be wrong, though. Although the whole situation with the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear reactor was far worse for others, I can only tell what it felt like in relation to my own experiences, so even though I may talk about how scary things were/still are, I do know there were people affected far worse than I was. This doesn’t make the whole situation any less frightening, though.
OK, now about H. He is 15 months old now, and so big and active. He loved playing in the water in Australia, and meeting his cousin C (she is one year older than him). C’s little sister was born after we came back to Japan, so it will be nice to meet her soon. H eats so much and I’ve actually started to notice an increase in our grocery bill! He still isn’t interested in books or drawing or anything, which I’m honestly a little disappointed about, but he loves doing things with his hands (helping me cook, clean, playing with things that he can join together or put inside something else). For example, he will stand in front of his pram and connect the safety buckles for as long as I keep undoing them for him (not letting him see how that’s done, either!). He loves any kind of straps and buckles, so it looks like I’ll be off to the home centre rather than Toys ‘R’ Us for things to keep him occupied on the plane! He still doesn’t say any proper words – he says ‘mumumum’ when he wants something, and says ‘dada’ to S, but he also says ‘dada’ to pigeons and aeroplanes. He has been making a lot more sounds and trying to speak, recently. We have also really noticed in the past week or two how much he can understand. It’s quite amazing. His sleeping has gotten a lot better, too. He wakes up between 5-6:30am. S gets up at 5, so if H is in a light sleep he will wake up then, too, but if he is in a deeper sleep he will sometimes sleep until 6:30. He goes to daycare 2 mornings a week and always falls asleep in the car on the way home and will keep sleeping for another hour or so at home. If it is not a daycare day, I have to take him out to run around to tire him out in the morning, but even then he doesn’t always take a nap. Usually about 45 minutes on these days after me making him lie down for at least half an hour beforehand. He would go to sleep in the car if I took him for a drive, but I’m reluctant to get into that habit. Recently, we have been taking him into his room earlier (around 6:30pm). One or both of us lie down with him, and H will muck around for an hour or so before falling asleep. We don’t make him cry because we tried that and it still took an hour or so, and S really doesn’t like H crying to sleep. He wakes up a few times during the night, usually because he has rolled around and bumped something. He goes back to sleep straight away, but I don’t. We have all been sleeping together in the spare room downstairs, because I don’t like being upstairs with all the shaking. I’m really looking forward to H having his own room.
H had his measles vaccine last week, and the needle was really long, with quite a lot of serum. I held H while the doctor injected the vaccine. Usually, there is a 1-2 second delay before H starts howling. It doesn’t usually last long, but it is loud. Anyway, the cry didn’t come, and the injection took about 7 seconds. The doctor even had enough time while still injecting him to comment on how tough H was. H just kept staring dumbly at the doctor during the whole process. After that, S and I wondered whether the doctor was just really good at giving injections, or H is a bit dopey! Hehe.
Anyway, I have so many things to write, but I would be here for hours which I can’t spare right now. I am wondering what to do with this blog. Since we are leaving, Japan Life is not an appropriate title, so I’m wondering if I should make a new one of our life in Australia. I don’t think there is any point unless I have the time and commitment to posting more often, though. Maybe I’ll wait and see what happens when we get back.
D
Semi Full-time
20 Jan 2011 Leave a Comment
Today was my last day of work at one of my universities. I am going to miss the money, but I’m looking forward to not having to leave H on Thursdays. Now I’m only working at one university 2 or 3 days a week depending on which semester it is. One of the professors at the university I quit is also leaving. He wants to switch to part-time for personal reasons. I mean, semi full-time! I have seen job postings on Australian websites recently looking for semi full-time workers…is this not part-time? Can someone clarify it for me? Anyway, this professor and I have been talking a lot more over the past few months and I really enjoy chatting with him. He’s a lovely guy and he invited me to dinner next Tuesday with a few of the other guys from the other campus who I have only met once or twice. It’s kind of an informal end of semester/farewell gathering. It will be great to have some adult conversation with native English speakers. I’m not sure how I will function in such a social setting as my conversational skills are atrocious these days. It might be the last time I’m invited 
H and I have finally gotten over our sicknesses. I still have a slight cough, but am so much better. It turned out H had a middle ear infection and he still has a tiny bit of inflammation, but nothing serious. I ended up having a horrible test in which the ENT doctor put a tube (about the thickness of a computer cable) with a camera UP MY NOSE AND DOWN THE BACK OF MY THROAT INTO MY WINDPIPE!!!!! It was initially painful, but was more uncomfortable than anything. I threw up, but apparently everyone does so the nurses were ready with a vomit tray. Anyway, there is absolutely nothing wrong with me, the infection just caused excess mucus making me cough, then damaged my throat, and the cycle went on.
I have to make a dentist appointment for H and myself. I have noticed I have a few small cavities. Aside from regular check-ups at school, I have only been to a dentist two or three times to get some crowns on my teeth. I have a large gap between my front teeth and the crowns last about 10 years. I did, however, read in a magazine a while back that a gap between teeth was fashionable in the US. I don’t think that trend would have lasted long. I hate my gap. I really regret not going to the dentist more often over the years. I don’t ever remember having had a toothache (which I’ve heard are very, very painful), so I guess I never thought about going. I have a feeling I’m going to pay for that from now on.
H is walking well now. I would say he is officially a toddler. He will turn 1 in exactly a month which blows my mind. The first few months after his birth went very slowly, but the last few have just flown by. He eats and drinks so much, but the pediatrician said he is extremely healthy. I do spend a lot of time preparing his meals, as I do ours, but I still think he eats way too much for his age. His sleeping is still bad, but getting slightly better. He will go to bed around 8 pm now after a battle, of course, but will sleep through until 5 or 6 am. I still can’t get him to sleep any longer. The problem is, he is now too big for his crib. If I put him in his crib for a nap/sleep, he will not lie down, he just stands up in the crib and walks around banging the sides. He doesn’t necessarily cry, he just won’t lie down. The couple of times I have managed to get him to sleep, he woke up pretty quickly because he rolled over and banged the side. So, we had to think of something. When he was sick, S and I put our mattress on the floor of our room and made a mattress up for H between my side of the bed and the wall so I could keep an eye on him and take his temperature throughout the night. This worked well, and it is also when he stopped waking up a few times during the night. Needless to say, we’ve been sticking with this as we are all getting more sleep. It is probably another thing I’ll regret in a few months/years, but I’ll have to deal with it then. Something I have to deal with now is dummy (pacifier) dependence. H usually goes to sleep with a dummy in, but if it falls out during the night, he is generally OK. Recently, it seems to have become a habit, because if I accidentally leave the dummy on the table during the day, he’ll put it in his mouth. I want him to get rid of it before he turns one, so in my mid-semester break in a few weeks, I am going to focus on getting him off it. I’ve read a few techniques and will try them until it works.
I’ve been using my breadmaker more than I thought I would. I’ve been experimenting with some different kinds of flour. None of us has wheat sensitivities or anything, but I like to mix things up with our diet. I made some bread the other day with 60% wheat flour, 40% rice flour, and a seed mix. It was really nice.
I wanted to use up some leftover quinoa the other day before I bought a new pack and I looked for some recipe ideas online. I found one for quinoa and seed bars. The recipe would make almost 50 bars, which I didn’t need so I adjusted the amounts. I must have done something wrong, because the mixture didn’t set when baked, but I tried it and it was soooooo good. Instead of making bars, I decided to use it as a breakfast cereal. I ate it with a puree of banana, plain yogurt, and matcha green tea. It was so good that I have some more baking right now. The original recipe called for olive oil, but I had some flaxseed oil which has to be used up rather quickly after opening, so I substituted that. The recipe also included coconut, but I didn’t have any, so omitted it. This is my adjusted recipe: 1 cup oatmeal, 1 cup mixed seeds/fruit (I used pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, wolfberries), 2 TB flaxseed oil, 4 TB honey. Put on a tray and bake at a low temperature (around 130-140 degrees) for 1 hr 15mns. I’m going to try a few more variations on this in the coming weeks. I thought about adding condensed milk, because most things are better with condensed milk, but I have put a ban on having it in the house because I just eat it if it’s there. If anyone knows where I can buy bulk (preferably organic) grains/seeds etc. at a reasonable price in Chiba/Tokyo, can you let me know. I can get oats at Sogo, but the other things are in small packs and very expensive. I’ll check Tenggu Foods online, but would prefer a shop I can go to.
Christmas season
30 Dec 2010 4 Comments
Well, I just spent my third Christmas in a row in Japan. In 2008 I had to work, last year I was pregnant and sick, and I couldn’t make it home this year for various reasons. I am not one of those people who are totally into the whole Christmas thing when I’m in Australia, but I miss the atmosphere there at this time of year. The weather is great (unlike here where it is freezing,) afternoon thunderstorms, and a general feeling of ‘holidayness’. I can’t describe it, but it doesn’t exist in Japan. Now, S has a week off for the New Year’s break. New Year in Japan is like Christmas in Australia in many ways – it’s the big day of the year everyone builds up to and is a day to spend time with the family.
I am really frustrated with so many things in Japan at the moment – I really think I need a break as the smallest, dumbest things are irking me – those of you who have lived in a foreign country for an extended period of time will understand this and forgive my irrationality. For example, recently in Japan I see the letter “W” written on lots of products. I didn’t understand what it meant at first, but have since found out it symbolises the English word “double” and means something like getting “extra bang for your buck”. So, if a packet of biscuits has “W” on it, it will mean you are getting more biscuits in that pack as a kind of bonus. Now, I don’t usually criticise Japanese-English words however far they have strayed from the English original, because I know the English language is built on the incorrect use of many borrowed words – in a far greater amount than in Japanese. However, this “W” thing is so ridiculously stupid, I get annoyed whenever I see it in the supermarket! I know, I know, let it go, Des…but this is one of the small things adding to my recent annoyance with Japan. Another is old people. I respect the elderly the same as I do other people, but in Japan there are soooooo many old people and a lot of them should not be allowed out alone. So many times, old people on bicycles ride straight into traffic without even looking for cars. I have seen these people get hit and have seen so many near-misses I can’t count. Unfortunately, according to Japanese law, drivers of cars are always at fault (if not completely, then mostly) no matter the circumstances and if you hit someone as a driver, even if not your fault, you will spend some time in jail. A few weeks ago, I was driving and the cars in front of me were moving very slowly for some reason. As I got closer, I saw an old man pushing his bicycle through the traffic from one side of the road to the other. He couldn’t even walk properly, he had to do a shuffling walk, like left foot forward, right foot forward, then stop. Repeat. He was very slow and a bus driver got out and had to help him across the street. Yesterday, an old lady was walking in my very narrow street pulling her shopping cart and she was walking right in the middle of the road. I beeped at her and she turned, looked at me and kept walking in the middle of the road. I had to get out, and tell her how dangerous this was and she just shuffled off a bit to the side. Something needs to be done about these people, and I can’t imagine what. With Japan’s population rapidly aging, things are going to be very, very bad indeed in the near future. The effects of the low birthrate are quite obvious already. My university has a really good reputation in Japan, and was once difficult to enter. In the 4 years I have worked there, I have seen a decline, year by year, in the level of the students. Universities in Japan, for the first time, are now having to try to attract students to fill up spaces, as there simply aren’t enough kids to go around! Some medical departments are offering places to students who failed the entrance exams on the condition that they become OB/GYN’s, or go into another area of medicine in which there aren’t enough doctors.
So, S and I have talked a lot recently, and we are now 99% sure we will move back to Australia within 3 years – probably closer to 3 years than any sooner. He thinks he will be fine living permanently in Australia, and he probably will be because he is very laid-back and adaptable. I will be going back for a month or so at some stage to make sure I actually want to relocate permanently and I don’t just need a break from Japan.
H started walking on the 23rd of December when he was 10 months and 3 days old. By walking, I mean he took a few unaided steps before crashing into my arms. He loves trying to walk and is taking more and more steps. He also had his first big illness recently. He had a high fever for a few days and I couldn’t get it down. I took him to the doctor day after day, but there was still something wrong. We got some really strong suppositories (gee, giving those was a whole lotta fun – not) which lowered the temperature, but it went up again after they wore off. After about 5 days, he had a urinalysis, which was clear. Finally, the doctor took some blood and it turned out he had a bacterial infection. Antibiotics cleared it up and he is fine now. I was really sick as well during all this – not sure who passed it to who. It was so hard looking after a sick baby when I was so sick myself – S had to take a day off to run us around to hospitals. I tested negative for influenza, and as expected, it was tonsilitis. I am feeling a bit better, but still have a sore throat and slight cough. I haven’t been so sick for years and it was horrible. I don’t remember ever having had a fever, although I must have, and the chills and sweats were just awful.
H got lots of presents for Christmas. S and I got him a Thomas the Tank Engine push car which he loves, but it’s annoying because we have to turn it around every time he gets to the other side of the room and gets stuck! My Mum and Dad sent some toys and Wiggles DVD’s. (By the way, is there a Wiggles curse? On one of the DVD’s – a ‘best of’ collection – many of the guests have either died or suffered serious illness. Steve Irwin, Paul Hester, Slim Dusty, Kylie Minogue had cancer, and Greg Wiggle got ill. It was rather depressing watching it.) My nan sent him some soft toys and S’s parents gave him some toys. I told S not to buy anything for me, but he did. He got me a bread maker. This was a strange present, as I only eat about 2 or 3 loaves of bread a year! I used to eat heaps of bread in Australia, but bread here is so artificial and sweet I went off eating it. So, after my initial surprise, I realised S thought I might eat more bread if it could eat nice bread. Yesterday, we made our first loaf. I found some organic flour in Chiba and I added pumpkin seeds. It was fantastic. Right now, we have a loaf of walnut bread cooking. It will be ready in 18 minutes so I will be off to eat warm, fresh bread and miso soup for lunch then - perfect for this bitterly cold December Day. I have some mugwort powder and will make that tomorrow – will have to be careful not to stack on a heap of weight now!
Lunch with my freshly baked walnut bread.
Well, that’s all for now. Please leave comments and say hi – I will try to update more frequently and add more photos.
Changes
02 Dec 2010 Leave a Comment
Well, I’ve finally made some decisions for the near future at least. I’m not renewing my contract at the university I work at on Thursdays, so I will have the whole day with H. I am also going to quit my freelance work from January – it’s good money, easy, and I can do it from home, but it is a two-hour commitment every day. So, my only income will be two mornings a week at one university. S is so supportive even though we will have to budget a lot more carefully and he has already noticed how relaxed I’ve become since making the decision. I think he is secretly looking forward to being the breadwinner and main provider for us for the first time. I think it will take me some time to adjust to being quite dependent on S.
Since I made this decision, we absolutely won’t be going to Australia for a while. Christmas time is impossible – all the flights are booked out in the first few days of January when we’d come back, and it is also very expensive. I thought we could go back in mid-February for Haru’s first birthday, but we won’t be doing that either. Mum and Dad sold their house a few years ago and have been travelling in a motorhome since, so I have no “home base”. In February they will be in woop woop somewhere down Victoria way, and they don’t really want to travel all the way back up North for the few days when we would be there. I don’t even think they will settle up North when they decide to stay in one place since they love rural Victoria so much.
Now I’m getting into more of a housewife mode and less of a work mode, I wouldn’t mind moving somewhere in rural Australia myself. When I finish my PhD, we may go back to Australia, but I would have to work in a city. The thought of doing a Dip Ed. to become a secondary teacher crossed my mind as that might allow us to live and work in a more rural setting, but then I remembered how much I hate high school kids. I taught for one year as an Assistant Language Teacher at a high school here in Japan. It may have just been the school which was of a fairly low level, but I loathed every minute of it. Many of the teachers in Australia I know always complain about their jobs as well, and I don’t ever want to be one of those people who dreads getting up and going to work in the mornings. So, I think I’ll pass on the Dip Ed.
H is 9 1/2 months old now. He is exploring like mad and breaking anything he can get his hands on. He gets so incredibly tired – red-eyed and rubbing his eyes – but he still fights sleep because he wants to play. He can walk holding onto one of my hands, but still can’t stand up for long or walk by himself. He loves trying to walk and I’m looking forward to when he can do it on his own!
I think I need to watch my weight. I haven’t put on any weight recently, but I feel a little heavy. I usually know the best weight for me because I just feel better. Lately, I have been eating lots of snacks and have some kind of oral fixation! I guess it’s all part of my new-found relaxed mode and having slightly more spare time. However, I figure that in succumbing to an oral fixation, taking up lollies is better than taking up cigarettes, so I’m not too concerned about it. Haha.
Well, that’s about all the news for now. If you read this, please leave me a comment to say hi!
Des
