DIY

How to enjoy Lemon Liquor:

Step 1: Go to the store and buy it.


OR

Have a landlady, a lemon tree, and a sense of adventure.

Oh, and a DIY fruit liquor kit also helps a great deal.

The jar comes filled with "white liquor." I don't know; I didn't ask.

But according to a website I read, any clear alcohol will do. The author prefers grain alcohol to vodka, but accepts vodka as the easiest option.


The lemons come from our landlady's garden. I know they look a little orange today, but they were quite yellow last week. And from the aroma no washing can remove from my fingers, I can vouch they are, indeed, lemons rather than oranges.

Into the jar of white liquor goes the peel and the cut-up lemons. 

And then we wait.

In this picture, we're waiting for our landlady's husband to come back with the sugar. After that, it's put into a corner where I will forget about it for a week, and then a month, and then possibly even another month.

If it goes well, I can make anything into "Seasonal Fruit Liquor." Even avocado, according to the Japanese website, but I think I'll stick to lemons for now

The whirlpools of Naruto

Next to Tokushima is Naruto, a city famous for its sweet potatoes, its seaweed, and its whirlpools. Twice a day, as the tide comes in or goes out, the sea gets trapped in the narrow strait between Shikoku and Awaji Island; the result is a spectacle of powerful whirlpools. 

The tides aren't always spectacular. However, even on not-so-spectacular days, the whirlpools are amazing.

Either walk out on a walkway under the bridge,

or take one of the tourist boats.  

The whirlpools form and dissipate.

Viewing the whirlpools through the beams.

The observation room under the bridge. In December, the crowds are - as you can see - non-existent. No, we were not the only people there yesterday, but the visitors were few. It's cold out on the bridge, and the whirlpools are small. However, we still had a great time.

My New Hobby

Some people say the postal service is being killed by the internet, but thanks to the internet, I joined a fanatical group of people keeping snail mail carriers, stamp makers, and postcard creators in business.

Two months ago, I signed up for Postcrossing, on the advice of an English student at the school where David works.

Postcrossing operates like this:
1. Sign up.
2. Request an address.
3. Get an address for someone in Australia (for example).
4. Send him/her a postcard.
5. Receive a postcard from the United States (again, as an example).
6. Request another address.
7. This time get an address in Ukraine (or ... Russia or Thailand, or ... or... or...).
8. Send that postcard.
9. Receive one from China (or somewhere. You get the idea).

And so on and so forth.

My collection is still small compared to others on the website - some have been Postcrossing for several years. Yet, I have sent postcards to Australia, Russia, China, Ukraine, Germany, Hungary, and the U.S. I have received postcards from the U.S., Netherlands, Germany, Russia, the Czech Republic, China, and Australia.

And that’s just the official Postcrossing ones. I have the option to do direct swaps with other users, so I have additional postcards from China, Germany, and Thailand that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.

It is very exciting to open the mailbox and find mail with a stamp, but the best part if this is picking out just the right card to send to the recipient. Thankfully,  everyone has different likes and dislikes: some people collect ladybugs or art or Disney characters or castles. It is great fun to try to match the right card for the person. If postcards were all about a great tourist attraction in Tokushima, I would be out of luck.

I love my new hobby - who doesn’t love receiving and sending mail?
If it sounds like your cup of tea, check it out:
http://www.postcrossing.com/