裏技 Urawaza ninja homemaking

Last week, listening to CBC Radio over the 'Net, I caught an interview with Lisa Kateyama, author of Urawaza.

Urawaza, secret ways of doing things, are all over the media in Japan. Pick up a copy of Orange, Croissant, or any homemaking magazine, and the pages are filled with clever alternate uses of everyday household objects to provide solutions for little niggling problems. It's like a nation of MacGyvers.

I've got a few of my own tricks in winter - hardboiled eggs in the pockets are environmentally friendly hand warmers, and we have one for me, one for you at tea time. Before bedtime, I fill a 2 liter plastic drink bottle at the foot of the futon to keep my toes warm. By morning, it's still warmer than body temperature.

Some urawaza are merely efficient ways of doing things. My first year in Japan, I picked up some ideas from my neighbour lady. She always folded her plastic and cloth shopping bags the way you fold a flag. First, you fold it in half to make a long narrow rectangle, then you fold it in triangles, and finally fold the end into the pocket made by the last triangle. The bags are neatly stowed and easily counted.

Thomas Hjelm shares these time- and money-saving urawaza on his blog, Nihon Hacks. These hacks often result in reduction or reuse of materials, saving money and reducing garbage.

The next urawaza is my favorite human behaviour hack in Japan. I must admit that I've done this in the street, ringing parked bicycle bells to achieve the same effect - 人間が持つベル　Pedestrian Bell.

Comments

[fountain hills limo]

Somehow both topics are great!