We are having a relaxing long weekend at home. Typhoon number 18 (Japan naming system) or typhoon Liam (see below). Autumn in Japan is typhoon season and like Florida and the southeast US, we do get some wild weather during this time. Fortunately, Osaka is in central Japan and usually by the time they get here, the winds are strong but not destructive. We have called off school at least once a year for typhoons due to high winds. They usually come up through the tropics to the north east.
It lightly rained all day so most of my day was driving around Ocean and Nadia as they shopped for items for her upcoming birthday party. Ocean’s favorite store is Daiso, the famous 100-yen shops of Japan. 40% of their products are cheaply made in China, although I think the quality of the products is a bit higher than the dollar stores in the USA. We went to dinner at Tomato & Onion, a family-style restaurant similar to Denny’s or Perkins. The kids love the do-it-yourself cotton candy machine.
Japan has all sorts of distinctive products that can only be found here. One I discovered this summer are the Gatsby “deodorant body papers”. They are made by the Mandom Corporation and Gatsby is their line of men’s hair and skin products. The summer and early autumn in Japan is very hot and humid and I sweat profusely here, more so than any place I’ve ever been. The Gatsby wipes are perfect to cool down and wipe away the sweat.
They have different scents, I tried “citrus ice” and the photo above is “ice fruity”. They have another type of wipes for the head and face. I am not sure about the health of wiping chemicals on your skin, but when I am biking or walking to a meeting and sweating profusely, they sure work and cool me down so I am almost presentable.
We’ll see what typhoon #18 brings us on Sunday and Monday…It is not expected to be as harsh as Irma.
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