I'd like to

build my own house prolly with straw, mud and sand in the woods
make a composting toilet
and live off the grid

bamboo craft

kuzuhara-san, my friend and teacher got this used knife for me when i helped this garage sale last week. i made bamboo chopsticks with it today. the knife works very well so it was very enjoyable.

the picture below shows some of the toys i got to make when i helped kuzuhara-san with his bamboo workshop the other day. the big thing is a bamboo gun, the one on right is a puzzle ring, and the other two things...i'll show you hot to play with them when i see you :)

bamboo is everywhere around me, these toys dont need to plug them in, and they return to the earth. yey!

one of my favorite plants

we call it "dokudami" in Japanese. its scientific name is Houttuynia cordata.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houttuynia)

this plant grows in a somewhat shady place and where the soil is acidic. its super pervasive and strong.
it has white flowers, green& dark reddish leaves, and a strong scent. often people treat it like a nuisance but the whole plant is said to have a dozen of medicinal benefits so people soometimes call the plant "ju-yaku, or ten medicines" e.g. to prevent constipation, arterial sclerosis, high blood pressure, to name a few.

so i picked a bunch of it, bound it into bundles, then hung it over a bamboo pole at my dad's cabin to dry it. ill make tea out ot it when its dry and crisp. i can't wait:)

my pumpkin is in love with kale

its's hugging my kale really tight!

Beach dumpster diving

when i was talking a walk on the beach a few weeks ago, sadly i found so much trash there. some of it come from neighbouring countries like korea, china or russia. there were some plastic gardening pots so i picked them and planted corn in them. they have sprouted and its exciting to watch them grow bigger each day. somebody else's trash can be my treasure:)
thank you pacho for introducing the world of dumpster diving to me!

the best bath agent ever

all you need to do is to pick a bunch of fresh mugwort and put it in your hot bath.
its easy, free and i think it helps improve your circulation.

Wild berries!

mulberries, rasberries and elaeagnus (silverberry or oleaster), to be specific.
They are in abundance right now
they are amazingly beautiful and delicious!
i love them:)

pictures; rasberries, elaeagnus, elaeagnus detail

Looking back

some of the things i've learned in the past few months (including things im still learning);

how to plant rice
how to balance in a muddy rice paddy
how to operate a loading shovel and a tractor
how to locate and identify edible plants in the wild
how to make bamboo chopsticks
how to make buckwheat noodles
how veggies like chard, beets, carrots, beans grow
how to make straw sandals
how to make teas and insect repellents with wild hearbs
how to make molded pottery figurines
how it's like to be super depressed and how to kick it out
how to be myself at any moment

well there seems to be no end to this learning experience called life

Awesome

The flax seeds i planted have sprouted!
it was pretty quick too!
cheers for their energy

Sado views

i haven't really posted pictures of Sado yet
so im going to post a few
hope you'll enjoy them

Sunset

today's sunset was awesome
it was orengish pink everywhere

pictures: sunset above: from near my house, below: from in front of our house

bamboo

i painted a picture of the bamboo forest next to my dad's cabin
i felt let down when i first realized that i had only a few colors of paint at hand
but i remembered learning that you could create most of the colors (sorry not 'any color') only if you had red, yellow and blue
so i tried painting with those three colors
i was clueless at first but i had a lot of fun once i started to get the hang of it

my dad and i harvested some bamboo shoots and gave them to our neighbours and friends
bamboo shoots spring up one after another in this time of the year and some grow 1m=3.3feet a day!
their life force is remarkable

pictures: bamboo forest
bamboo shoots
my painting, paint and bamboo cup and palette

flax

ive been making it a point of eating flax seed everyday, mainly for its health benefits. i grind it right before eating it, and put it in my smoothies or on rice or buckwheat, or eat it by itself sometimes.

when i was planting shiso, or Japanese basil this afternoon, i thought,
why not plant some flax seed as well?
so i did.

im not sure if the seeds would sprout or how it would turn out but ill see.
hehe its exciting:)