For about the past year and a half, I’ve been wearing Birkenstock sandals inside the house. My workspace is in a corner of the kitchen, and the floor is tiled, which gets especially cold in winter. There

Today was cold and slightly rainy, but the tomato seedlings for the garden I had been growing indoors seemed to be saying, “I cannot grow any more in this tiny pot!” On top of that, I have quite a few

3D printers have been part of our home for about a month now. The very first thing I made was a part for a tool used to make chopsticks. After that, I created a few small things to improve everyday life

Since last year, the garden I rent has had about three rhubarb plants growing in it. Rhubarb is one of the plants I came to love after moving to Germany. It started when an elderly gardener, a friend of

It's not really ranting and complaining but I wanted to share my sadness. Or a kind of complain or regret to myself since I lost two things I loved this week 😢 The first one was a ruler-like tool I designed

Have you ever tried nasal rinsing? For a long time, I watched my partner enthusiastically doing it while thinking, “Is it really that good?” I think I was still remembering that strange painful, uncomfortable

After renting a garden for a year, I learned that a garden is not as controlled environment as a balcony. First, I was surprised to see the soil puffed up in little mounds — I later learned they were

I challenged some common gardening “rules” and made two interesting discoveries, so I’d like to share them. First, it’s often said that “you shouldn’t plant anything around a tree” (because they compete

Living abroad often makes you more aware of your own cultural background. For me, one of them is the realization that Japan is truly a “wrapping culture.” Even after moving to Germany, I still feel the

In vegan baking, bananas are often used as a substitute for eggs. I absolutely love the banana bread from A NEW WAY TO BAKE — I’ve baked it so many times over the past year that I’ve lost count. The recipe

Last weekend, I joined a pop-up card workshop hosted by a friend on Saturday. It was a relaxed atmosphere with lots of chatting, but at the same time, I found myself deeply focused for more than four hours,

Today I dyed my hair for the first time in about six or seven months. I started coloring my hair when I was a university student. After moving to Germany, I used to get it done when I went back to Japan

Because of my child and Germany, I came to like birds. My mother didn’t really like birds. It seems the reason was that they would leave a lot of droppings on the street and on the balcony. She also often

It has been about two weeks since I bought a 3D printer. I’ve been having a lot of fun with it, and I’m really glad I bought it. For years, I had thought it would be fun to have a 3D printer, but I kept

Last year I learned about a seedling method called the “snail method,” and I tried it using some leftover bio fleece. Some plants worked well and others didn’t, but this year I used plastic bags and it

I transplanted the asparagus that I had been growing in a pot on the balcony for almost three years into the garden. I had already felt that the pot might be too small, but the roots were even more developed

I had been casually thinking about getting a 3D printer for a long time. It seemed like it could be fun, but I wasn’t really sure what I would make with it. Honestly, the only thing I could think of was

Germany is finally starting to warm up. But due to some rainy days and a workshop I hosted outside of the city I live in, I haven't visited the garden for one week. I miss it! Instead I'm maintaining the

Last weekend, I was working for a Food + DIY workshop where we made onigiri makers and then used them to prepare onigiri. It was a great success, and I’m still enjoying the feeling of that wonderful time.

When I moved to Europe, I brought a Magewappa, Japanese traditional bento box with me. Since it’s made of wood, of course I can’t put it in the dishwasher, and washing it by hand takes a bit of effort—but