Hello again!

Hello and welcome back!
I'm so sorry it's taken me an age to return to the world of the blogger. I encountered quite a few technical hitches in my last
two weeks in Japan, and then I arrived back in Cardiff with a whole load of work and country adjusting to be done!

My time in Japan has left me overflowing with memories and stories! I had one of the best times of my life. I hope to continue writing this blog until I, or you, run out of steam, but until that moment arrives.....

On one of my last days in Ofunato, I was invited to Akasaki-cho, a dementia specific day centre in Ofunato, to take part in a traditional New Year's ceremony -  Mochitsuki!

Akasaki-cho is one of Ofunato's oldest buildings, dating back about 140 years. Back in 2005, Tenjin-kai renovated this old wooden building into a day care centre. It is very popular with the community who visit on a daily basis. It is a beautiful and traditional renovation, and a wonderful place to spend the day with friends, it really does feel like a family home!

Hanging in vertical rows just outside the entrance to the centre are Japanese persimmon fruits in the process of being dried out. Kaki ( the Japanese word for the fruit ) is very popular in Japan and tastes delicious. The inside of the fruit is sweet like honey and apricots with a hint of perfume, and the texture is a little bit like a fleshy jelly! I loved them, oishii!! Outside nearly every house in Ofunato you can see rows of hanging kaki drying out in the sun.   

The older people who visit the centre contribute a great deal to the daily running of life there, from the shopping to the cooking and the gardening, everyone feels involved, vital and valued.

        

   
""   I believe the moments when the elderly feel that they are ""  alive"  are found in their ordinary, seemingly insignificant daily life. That is why it is important for us to value every opportunity of
creativity that resides in day-to-day living"     Dr Uchide 





Mochitsuki!

Mochi is a traditional Japanese New Year food made from glutinous rice pounded into a paste and moulded into shape.

The rice is pounded with wooden mallets in a traditional mortar. Two people take turns to pound, turn and wet the mochi. I was told that you must keep time with your partner, otherwise your fingers get it!

Here is a short video of what happened on that sunny afternoon in Akasaki-cho! We celebrated, we danced, and we consumed quite a lot of mochi! I hope you enjoy watching a little slice of the celebration!

Love to all, Karin x