Hand Made Insect Repellent

My husband and I live in condo, and we have pest control once in 3months. It's for all buildings of this condo that they do.

While they spray outside(garden area, entrance and so on) we have to close all window, and then they spray inside each room. If we don't want pest control for our room, we can refuse.

My first time that we got pest control was in this past January. I don't like bugs, especially cockroach, so of course we got. But it looked didn't work because I found many ants and small fruit flies on that day. Above that, we got sick feeling by pest control spray. It was awful.

That's why we decide to not have pest control for our room any more.

Tomorrow, we have pest control day. So I made natural insect repellent spray with aroma oil. For insect repellent, eucalyptus and mint is good.

I cleaned our home very well and I am going to spray this hand made natural insect repellent all around in our home.

Eucalyptus is also good for asthma. So this spray is like "got 2birds with 1 rock". And also it is very good for environment because nothing chemical inside.

Golden Rule for English Tea

I am also tea instructor. There is English style tea manner called Goden Rule. It teaches how to make good tea. For making good tea, we must be careful about these 5 rules.
1. Choose good quality tea leaves
Good quality tea is recomended. But it will be good tea if you follow rule 2 to 5.
2. Make tea pot and cups warm
Temperature of water is very important so it is good to not make water cool.
3. Measure accurate amount tea leaves
Basic amout is 3g for 1 cup(160cc).

4. Use completely boiling fresh water that just drew at the tap
Water should have moderate air inside. It is important for jumping tea leaves in boiling water.
5. Brew the tea in correct time
The average time for brewing is about 3 minuts. But it is differ with tea leaf's type.

If you keep these rules you can have excellent tea taste.

But you can also have O.K. tea with tea bag type tea or cheap tea leaves.

Most important elements are 1. amount of tea leaves and boiling water, 2.temperature of boiling water and 3.brewing time.

Thus you can have good tea if you make cup warm, use freshly boiling water and follow the time that the package tell you for brewing with cover when you drink tea with tea bag.

Please try to have GOOD tea!!

Hinamatsuri

March 3rd is a girl's day or Doll's Festival called "Hina-matsuri" in Japan.
This day is also called "Momo no Sekku" and we decorate dolls called "Hina-ningyo" and Momo(peach blossom).
The Full set of Hina-ningyo is 15 but most important dolls is a couple called "Odairi-sama" and "Ohina-sama".
"Odairi-sama" is a man and "Ohina-sama" is a woman.And it shows love of couple.
Parents who have girl decorate these dolls with wish for their child's happy wedding in future.
This event has rule that you can decorate after "Setsubun" and have to put away the dolls in that day, March 3rd.
Because there is a superstition that if you put away after March 3rd, your daughter have to wait too long and miss the opportunity to get married.

We eat special sushi called "Chirashi-zushi" and snack called "Hina-arare" and drink "Amazake" on this day.
"Amazake" is white color sweet sake.
But I live in Maui now and I can't have Hina-arare and Amazake.
So, I made sinple Chirashi-zushi to celebrate Girl's day even only enjoy the feeling.

And also I made Chakin-zushi and Inari-zushi.



Chakin-zushi is wrapped sushi rice in a layer of egg.

Inari-zushi is wrapped sushi rice in a sweet taste abura-age(fried bean curd).

Making these sushi is little bit hard work because it take long time to wrap rice in egg and abura-age. But my husband felt happy with this sushi's look and it made me very happy to cook for him.

Setsubun ~Japanese Traditional Event~

Setsubun is the day before Spring starts in Japan.
We Japanese have events on that day to celebrate the new season. And it's different in each area.
I am from Nara, Kansai area, Japan. In Kansai area, we have special rolled sushi called "ehou-maki". "Ehou" mean a direction deemed to be lucky. And "ehou" is changed by the system of aspect divination every year. We have the custom that we face good direction "ehou" and eat "ehou-maki" with praying wishes in mind, closing eyes and saying nothing. Because there is a superstition that you will miss good fortune if you open your mouth to speak.
I made "ehou-maki" today. "Ehou-maki" is supposed to have 7 ingredients inside because of the seven Gods of good fortune. But I put only 4 ingredients because I couldn't get another 3.
Now, I tell you my "ehou-maki" recipe that I made today.
1. Soak dried shiitake in water until it gets soft.
2. Wash dried kanpyou with salted water and rub by hand, then boil until it gets as soft as you like.
3. Put (1) into small pot and add Japanese soup stock, salt, soy sauce and sugar and start to boil.
4. When (3) come to a rolling boil, put (2) and freeze-dried tofu into (3) and keep boil until soup is almost gone. (picture)

5. Start to cook rice with small piece tangle used for stock on rice.
6. Make a rolled Japanese-style omelette.
7. Cut all ingredients into good size to roll.
8. When rice is ready move all rice into big bowl and mix with sushi-vinegar with keeping cool rice with fan.
9. Put rice and all ingredients on to sushi nori and roll with a bamboo mat called "makisu". (look picture)

In our custom, "ehou-maki" is not supposed to be cut. Because you have to eat whole 1 roll with close eyes and saying nothing for your wish come true. But it is little bit hard to eat so I cut and put on to plate.

Whale Season

In Maui, it is the whale season from Dec. to Apr. Especialy Jan. and Feb. are best time to see whale. I like to watch whale so we often go to beach to watch whale. I am very excited when I can see whale jump.

My husband saw whale jump very close to him, only about 5 meters away, when he went out to the ocean by his company's boat. I was envy him when he told me about that.

And He took me whale watch tour last week because I wanted to see whale jump in front of me very very close.

We got on a very small boat that only 16 people can be on. Because it has ability that whale come closer to us. Any ship or boat have to keep away 100 yards from whale because of law but it is OK that whale come close to the boat with the engine off.

I expected to watch whale very close but we couldn't see that close. Maybe we could see whales 100 yards away as law.

There are pictures of whales. One is when whale show his face upright in the ocean. The other one is when whale made splash with his fin.

We also could see whale's fight. Whale come to Maui to make baby and to raise child. So male try to get attention from female with making splash or jump. Sometimes males have fight for one female, hit their body each other. It is very interesting to see.

Anyway, it was very fun to see whale and ocean with nice wind with going out to the ocean by the boat even can not see close.

Reopening

It's been very very long, almost 9months from I stoped wrinting this blog!!
In this 9 months, my life was completely changed.

1 year ago today, I had a fateful meeting.
I met a man who was going to be my husband on Maui, Hawaii.
We both felt something special each other at our first met.
Little by little, we were getting know that we can't live without each other.
Finaly we got married last Octorber and I live in Maui with my husband.
It was BIG decision to me that I need to live in Maui with being away from my family, friends, my home town Nara, Japan.
But it's naturally coming like something special guide me to move here in Maui with my family's understanding and supporting.

Any way, I am getting used to life with my husband in Maui.
So I want to start my this blog, again.
I can't write about Sado, Kado and Japanese culture so much but I can write about Maui, Hawaii, Hula my favorite and something new that I can find here.

Zengo word "Kaze Rakka wo Haku"

The picture of left side is Kakejiku of Zengo word "Shunpuu Koukou, Shun-u Bibi, Mizu Keikan ni Michi, Kaze Rakka wo Haku" and Japanese flower Botan in Korean vase.

The meaning of Zengo word is, "The wind in Spring is strong, The rain in Spring is softly, The water is full in the valley and the wind sweeps fallen blossoms."

This word express nature scene in Spring.

We can imagine the beautiful view of mountain side in Spring.

The picture of right side is flowers in a wall‐hanging vase.

The red flower is Hime-Hiougi and the black one is Kuro-Roubai.

This picture is butterfly shape sugar candies that is elegant and tasteful.

We, Japanese people, especialy who enjoy Sado care about expression tasteful seasonal scene.