Hexies and Okinawan glass

 Oh it is hot hot hot these days in Tokyo.  Hot and humid.  Indoor time.  I continue to work on geneology every single day, and also try to quilt at least a bit every day. 

My random Liberty hexies are coming along.  Two inch hexies make big flowers! 

While we were in Okinawa, one day we walked about half a kilometer down the road, to a glass factory, known for letting people experience glass blowing.  

Here's David in the "sample" section - believe it or not, we could browse this area and pick out *anything* we wanted to make ourselves. 

I say that loosely, because obviously it was more like we helped a little.  It was so fun. 

And a few days ago our pieces arrived in the mail.  Here's David's little cup, with ocean blue - to hold these shells he collected (rocks are from his fly fishing trips): 

 

And my chunky little vase or votive candle holder... 

Meanwhile our lives are just so pared down.  I am trying to stay positive, but I am so frustrated that Japan won't allow non-Japanese people to travel back and forth from abroad.  I can see not allowing tourists (although I wish our college age son could come over), but visa holders and even permanent residents (even people who have lived here for decades and are married to Japanese people) are impacted.  There are over 2000 people on the "Return to Japan Support Group" on Facebook.  

Anyway, I really can't make a move until I know I can return to Japan, because I would never want to leave David here alone "indefinitely." 

So, for now, it's lots and lots of texting and FaceTime with our kids, who are all doing well in the U.S.  I just can't get enough of baby Charlotte Jane!  I am trying to let go of expectations on the timing of when I will be able to travel to see her.  Please tell me I won't miss her whole first year.  

xo

Cynthia 

Natsukashii, and new things too

One of my favorite Japanese words is natsukashii (懐かしい)  - you know the feeling of nostalgia when you hear an old song you love, or taste something from your childhood, or return to a beloved place.  That's how I felt, walking into a sashiko class at Blue and White and seeing that Yoshiura-sensei is indeed still teaching there.

I started a little sampler for old time's sake, and in September when classes resume I will start a new project.  

This little fella came in with his Mom.  Look at this marvelous sashiko on his little kimono - 

And for something totally new, on Saturday my buddy Corrie and I enjoyed a small group class in "cartonnage" - originally a French craft, adapted by the Japanese - at "Ayahime" atelier.   We made these beautiful fabric covered purses, really from scratch.  

After constructing our bags, we covered them first with indigo, and then this beautiful blue and white yukata fabric:

A very nice group of ladies, in a peaceful artistic atmosphere - 

Secure, letting the glue set:

Our sensei Atsuko Hasegawa prepared a beautiful lunch.  Cheesy toast, soup, salad, and fruit.  Delicious and so beautifully presented.  The only difficulty for me was kneeling on the tatami for lunch.  I just can't do that.  I folded myself awkwardly and did my best, ha ha. 

Meanwhile, settling in to our apartment continues.  Here is our washer/dryer combination.  Google translate was only marginally helpful.

In the end, David worked so hard to make this key for me:

Another natuskashii thing this week was helping out with the onigiri (rice balls) for the homeless at the Franciscan Chapel Center.   Each morning, volunteers prepare these rice balls, and others deliver them in the wee hours of the following morning.  Folks from our LDS congregation have been making the rice balls each Monday for as long as anyone can remember.  Sadly, apparently the government is pushing the homeless out of the central areas, in advance of the Olympics.  That's what I hear anyway - might not be accurate.  They may still be there, just going hungrier.  But years ago when I helped every Monday, we prepared three or four (or five?) huge pots of rice, and now they are down to one pot.  

David had the day off yesterday.  We got some things done, enjoyed some good food, and stumbled upon this marvelous electronic rock garden/art installation not far from our apartment, at "Midtown".  It was mesmerizing.  I just loved it!  It was like a zen light show, with mood music and mist.  Something totally new.  

In quilting news, I'm working on my next Stepping Stones quilt (for a graduate of a Japanese orphanage) in shades of "emerald green" by request.  Oh, it feels great to be behind the machine again.  I've made so many of these same quilts that piecing these blocks feels meditative at this point... and ya a little natsukashii... remembering how the project started back when I lived here and my kids were with me;).   This is a pic I love from 2013.  Piecing a Stepping Stones quilt next to my ninth grader doing his homework.  Sweet memories. 

 

xo

Cynthia