You're at risk!

Thanks for reading, Erica. I missed you at Recess.

Thanks for stopping by and your kind words!

I posted a video on my japan blog of a chef from Gifu showing how to make your own dashi, if you're interested... http://www.idratherbe.tv/injapan/2008/12/autumn-cooking-in-japan-great-cooking-starts-with-good-water-shuji-ozeki-told-me-most-chefs-might-say-that-good-food-begin.html

I love this story. Nice work with the toad. I'm going to look for beetles with my son on Sunday.

There a contest for first novelists in the UK, open to writers worldwide. Winners will be published by Tor UK. It's free to submit. http://www.scifinow.co.uk/competitions/war-of-the-words-rules-and-regulations/

Hi Fiona and Linda, Thanks for your comments. It is certainly true that Japan manufactures a lot of consumer electronics, that burnable waste is burned, and that people drive new cars because of the shakken system that taxes older cars heavily. There is also the matter of packaging. The Japanese like things wrapped and then wrapped again, which also leads to a lot of waste. My goal on Colin's blog is to share the things from Japan that I think could be useful, or could be adopted in other places to improve our lives and protect our planet. So, when I spot a practice, custom, or habit from Japan that strikes me as something others might be interested in, I try to share it here.

It is pronounced Mo (as in mo' money) tie (as in neck tie) nie (rhymes with tie)Mo tai nai

Thanks for your comment. I love your blog, I'm adding it to my links if you don't mind.

Hi again, The box next to my wife is a small chair my son made out of milk cartons and duct tape. His kindergarten collects old milk containers and then the kids make little chairs and tables from them. The question about the pipes is a good one. I don't know how they keep from freezing. My guess is that it's not quite that cold, with the temperature usually just a few degrees below freezing. Or maybe daily use keeps them open? Thanks for all your thoughtful replies.

Thanks for your comments, everyone. To answer the question about work, I teach at a high school. The offices and classrooms are heated, and there are big windows that let in a lot of sun. The common areas like hallways and bathrooms are not heated. It is a bit more chilly than I am used to, but it has been fine so far. Our apartment is two bedrooms, by the way. It is probably 900 square feet. I don't think Peter or anyone else should have to suffer cold if they don't like it. I have read about some great designs for homes that use sunlight and even body heat to stay warm, and that sounds great to me. My point was more that I've discovered that I am more adaptable than I thought, and that even changes I feared like living in a cold apartment have turned out to be fine. I hope nobody thinks I am admonishing them for wanting a warm home in the winter, that wasn't my aim.