helenkamakura

Masks

I was always a pleated-mask kind of woman. But now, after struggling to get the pleats even and hating that I have to iron them after washing, I have completely switched over to the no-pleats team. Of course, I’ll keep the pleated ones I’ve already made, for they represent sweat and blood. Or at leastContinue reading “Masks”

Potatoes For Lunch

UsuallyWe eat rice. And I forget about potatoes Until they’re wrinkled and shrunken and sprouting shoots. But today, I remembered. Today, maybe,I needed the extra comfort that only a potato can provide. I found them,In the bottom of the trolley, Where they sit with the onions and, For some strange reason,Kairo pocket-warmers. They were shrunken,Continue reading “Potatoes For Lunch”

First Impression of Tokyo

This is a bit of a throwback, having first appeared on my first blog, which I started just after arriving in Japan in 2006. Sadly, that blog no longer exists. Makes me wish I’d written down my first impressions on paper. The original blog still existed when I started my second blog, which was aboutContinue reading “First Impression of Tokyo”

Permit Me a Rant

A little background: I have two daughters, one who is eight years old, and one who has just turned three. The eight year old usually takes part in a few lessons outside of school. All were put on hiatus at the beginning of March after Japan’s PM requested schools close, but many restarted towards theContinue reading “Permit Me a Rant”

Silver Linings

Six-ish years ago, my husband and I packed up our life in Tokyo and moved an hour down the coast to the city of Kamakura. We had planned to open a cafe, but after having trouble securing a house conducive to the food-service business, we snapped up a house by the beach that had beenContinue reading “Silver Linings”

Temporarily Stranded

And just like that, flights from Japan to Canada are ending for at least the rest of the month. This has me feeling… strange. In theory, I’ve never not been able to get home. Sure, money and time have always dictated the when, but when it comes down to it, even if I couldn’t affordContinue reading “Temporarily Stranded”

The Numbers Keep Rising, But Today, I Feel Okay

The first few weeks of March, after PM Abe requested that schools close, I spent huge chunks of the day checking numbers. Where were they going up? Where were they remaining stable? How were they being tracked? At the end of the week, when my iPhone and iPad updated me on my daily usage, theContinue reading “The Numbers Keep Rising, But Today, I Feel Okay”

Building My Toolkit, One Mishap at a Time

I decided to multitask yesterday: blogging while spinning—spinning on a bike, that is, not spinning thread. (Although that’s something I really want to try one day.) It went better than expected, only going off the rails when my knuckle tapped the touchpad, which clicked … I don’t even know. But it took me to aContinue reading “Building My Toolkit, One Mishap at a Time”

Going Bananas Over Here

Today, my toddler combed my hair for me. Or at least I thought she combed my hair for me. Turns out she was using a marker. Without the cap on. So now my scalp is covered in dark blue lines. Not too obvious, except for the spots where she “combed” below my hair line. ThatContinue reading “Going Bananas Over Here”

The Magic of Wakame

Tell my husband something edible can be gathered on the beach, and he’ll be there, bag in hand. Bonus points awarded when it’s something I can eat, even if I don’t particularly like it. More bonus points when it comes without giant, many-legged sea bugs. And again when it’s something that will not die, rotContinue reading “The Magic of Wakame”