Daily life
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Axolotls Are Huge in Mexico
Axolotls (a.k.a. “wooper loopers” in Japan) are beloved in Mexico; here’s a look at their naming quirks, pop-culture history in Japan, and conservation status.
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Love Sori Yanagi. Except That Soup Spoon.
We’ve collected plenty of Sori Yanagi kitchen tools—huge fan of the ladle, not so much the spoons.
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Polyester fleece pants that turn playground slides into rockets
A funny Uniqlo review said fleece leggings made the slide “too fast to stop.” Polyester plus static cuts friction, so cotton tops help you brake.
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Flossing stopped bleeding gums—then I upgraded to Fluorfloss
I used to avoid flossing because it hurt. A longer strand and some practice stopped the bleeding, and I eventually switched to thicker, softer Fluorfloss.
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Aren’t Bath Bombs Getting Expensive Lately?
Bath bombs with licensed toys now cost around 550 yen; here’s a look at their 20-year history, makers, and why they don’t warm you up like medicinal bath additives.
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Quickle Wiper genuine dry sheets beat dollar-store refills
Swapped to Kao’s Quickle Wiper dry sheets and dust pickup doubled on my morning sweep. Why the genuine refills are better than dollar-store ones, plus a 3-minute routine.
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Stopping cold drafts from aluminum window frames under the curtain
Sleeping on tatami, cold air slid under the floor-length curtain from the aluminum sash. A combo of vinyl curtain, draft-stop panels, sash tape, and window film fixed it for about 3,000 yen per room.
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Aging a Seria wooden box with Turner antique wax
Plain Seria wooden boxes look cheap. A quick coat of Turner's antique wax gave them a richer, aged finish in about 10 minutes.
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Earplugs that stay in all night
Foam plugs fell out whenever I rolled over. Switching to flanged silicone earplugs made them fit, washable, and effective enough to cut 25 dB for sleep.
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Assembling the Iris Plaza tension pole rack
Found a slim, cheap tension-pole rack (about 2,780 yen). Assembly is easy with a rubber mallet and a few tricks.
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Why Yamazaki Makes the Best Minimalist Home Goods
The washer drain pan left a 25 cm gap I could not use. A heavy steel board from Yamazaki spans the pan so a slim drawer can sit level--exactly what I needed.
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How to Throw Out Plastic Storage Drawers: Don’t Saw Three, Pay the Fee
I unified my storage drawers and tried sawing the old ones to avoid bulky-waste fees. Taking apart three was brutal, messy, and slow—just pay the 200-400 yen fee.
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The bathroom wall is magnetic--instant floating storage
Our bath wall takes magnets because there is steel behind the panel. Magnetic shelves/hooks lifted bottles off the floor and cut mold.
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Bath slippers that are not freezing in winter
Plastic bath slippers were icy on bare feet. EVA slippers (Crocs-like) stayed warm, fit well, and have not molded after a year--worth the ~1,000 yen.
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Quieting a 10-year-old washing machine with anti-vibration rubber
My 10-year-old washer started rattling and walking. Swapping the 100 yen EVA pads for real anti-vibration rubber (New Shizuka/Hanenite) made it quiet enough to run at night.
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I love the Marna fish sponge
After many kitchen sponges, I settled on Marna’s fish sponge—perfect size/firmness, great suds, cute colors, and better durability than cheap packs.
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Running A/C all day cost about ¥30—tested cool vs dehumidify
Worried about summer bills and “dry mode costs more,” I measured my small A/C for 24 hours. Both cool and dry were ~¥30/day. Notes on modes, reheat vs weak dry, and saving power.
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Thoughts on “The Courage to Be Disliked” and “The Courage to Be Happy”
I read both Adler-inspired bestsellers. If all problems stem from relationships, how do you step back from approval-seeking, separate tasks, and keep moving? My takeaways and quibbles.
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New life season notes: advice I’d give past-me
April’s “new life” season brings back how it felt to be new. If I could replay that start with today’s knowledge, here’s what I’d tell myself about distance, safety, and pacing.
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Waterproof rainwear, umbrellas, and windbreakers with Nikwax
Ran every nylon item through a Nikwax bath—rain jacket, windbreaker, and umbrellas—and got the water beading back without spray fumes.
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Faster post-shower drying with a super-absorbent PVA chamois towel
A PVA swim/chamois towel soaks up post-shower water way faster than microfiber—keep it slightly damp, lay it on your hair, and most of the moisture is gone.
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Japanese makers behind 100-yen goods you see everywhere
Many 100-yen storage/kitchen items come from a handful of domestic manufacturers. Knowing the maker helps you find matching pieces across chains (Daiso, Seria, Can★Do, Watts).
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Hunting for good spice jars for salt and seasonings
After bingeing cleaning/organizing books, I wanted tidy spice storage. Seria’s popular Inomata bottles tempted me; I compared them to what I had at home, Amazon options, and IKEA jars—and realized I should prune my spices first.
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IKEA glass jar gaskets: 5 for ¥199 (fit MUJI, Le Parfait, WECK too)
The rubber seal on my MUJI soda-glass jar cracked. MUJI sells spares via customer service, but IKEA’s KORKEN gasket set (5 for ¥199) fit perfectly—cheapest fix, likely for Le Parfait/WECK sizes too.
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The cute Kuroneko Yamato point-reward trucks
Scanning Kuroneko Yamato barcodes earns points; redeeming them gets die-cast Yamato trucks. Kids love them, and points come faster than expected.
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Beating cold park days with a Hakkin hand warmer
Disposable warmers weren’t enough for winter playground duty. The reusable Hakkin catalytic hand warmer ran hotter, lasted to evening, and is economical over time.
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When a window seat opens on a train, do you move?
A job-test asked “Do you move to the end seat when it opens?” I unpacked why the question is flawed—personal space, narrow long seats, temperature, crowding, and that awkward moment when pairs want to sit together.
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Picking a cost-effective waterproof spray and using it right
My old waterproof spray looked ancient, so I checked what’s on the market, how fluorine vs. silicone differs, and which ones make sense for shoes, bags, and rainwear.
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Bananas kept falling off the banana stand
Hanging bananas looked neat until they kept slipping off the hook. Two stands that held on better.
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Replacing the ink sponge in a hanko case (and a way to “Shachihata-ize” it)
The ink in my hanko case dried up. I found 100-yen sponges to swap in, and even a holder that turns a regular hanko into a self-inking Shachihata-style stamp.
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How many days can you reheat bathwater?
I thought reheating meant I could carry bathwater over to the next day to save money. Day 2 was already slimy. Here’s what I learned about costs, bacteria, and humidifier risks (Legionella) from a Japanese household perspective.
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Learning cooking, storage, and interiors via Japanese Instagram hashtags
Browsing Japanese Instagram hashtags is a rabbit hole—fridges, meal prep, enamelware, toast hacks, even a celebrity croquette account. Here are the tags I binge.
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Low-Pressure Headaches: Why Rain Gives Me Pain and What Helps
I used to think “rain gives me headaches” was a myth. Then I tracked pressure drops and saw my own symptoms line up. Here’s what I learned and how I try to prevent it.
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A sturdy range guard that doesn’t crumple like foil
Foil splatter guards bent and tore whenever pans hit them. A ¥1,000 galvalume-steel guard from Iwatani has survived two years of daily cooking.
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Taming outlet clutter with a cable box—options beyond Bluelounge
Hiding power strips cuts dust and tracking-fire risk, but Bluelounge boxes are pricey and yellow with UV. Here’s what I learned from my own boxes and cheaper alternatives.
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Papier d’Arménie: vanilla-scented paper incense (and a name I kept misreading)
Found this paper incense in a fancy-goods shop. I misread the French name at first; it’s actually “Papier d’Arménie,” a classic vanilla-ish deodorizer with some quirky history.
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Do "space disinfectant" gadgets really stop flu? (Spoiler: no)
Those chlorine-dioxide badges and gels looked tempting each winter. Regulators called out 17 companies for exaggerated claims—effectiveness is unproven.
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Red-berried dogwoods and the mystery street trees
Our garden dogwood puts on white flowers in spring and red berries in fall. I wondered what the similar street trees were—and fell down a botany rabbit hole.
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Washing bath towels daily feels impossible? Go smaller.
I was dreading the smell from bath towels I didn’t wash every day. Switching to compact bath towels made washing easy and also solved mildew and stink.
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I tried buffing scratches out of my glasses and learned a lot about lenses
Tempted to polish micro-scratches off plastic lenses? I tested plastic polish and Pikal on old lenses and dug into coatings, heat damage, and proper cleaning.
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Hunting for a bread knife that stays sharp and slices clean
Our freebie bread knife shredded crusty loaves. I looked into price tiers, blade shapes, steels, and brands to find a cleaner-cut upgrade.
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Why does toilet dust pile up so fast?
Toilet tanks and corners get fluffy dust even with the door shut. It’s mostly toilet-paper lint and clothing fibers—and a bit of splashback.