appliance-challenged

Ahhh, so these contraptions DO serve a purpose!

FIRST, i must preface this posting by admitting my helplessness and overall irresponsibilty and ignorance in having never learned how to cook or clean, and having not studied up on how to read any Japanese! this is by no means the fault of anyone other than ME! i knew i would get around to learning it- all in due time...well, that time was like 1 month AGO! oops....so here are a couple stories about me learning how to LIVE independently in a foreign country with little or NO english support!
1. Laundry: yeah, the good ol' days of bringing mom loads and loads of laundry are definitely a thing of the past. my current washing machine is pretty high-tech (problem #1-as I really only understand the basic coin-machine styles). problem 2 is that the buttons and options and directions are all in Japanese...so really, had i learned what the options meant in English, I still wouldn't have been able to find them on this machine! I think I have been washing everything on the equivalent of a permanent press and there is never any hot water to wash them, so my standards of "cleanliness" have dropped considerably. The second fun challenge is that there are NO dryers in Japan. NONE! I am fortunate to have a porch with a clothes line--so upon pulling things from my monstrous machine, I hang them outside in what is always at least 90% humidity. About 17 hours later, most of the clothes have dried --at least enough so i can throw them in my closet and dresser with little worry about mildew appearing the next day.
2. Cleaning: This has actually been the most interesting and probably biggest motivator in learning how to read Japanese. I can't tell the window cleaner from the insecticide or the shoe polish from the oven cleaner. It is trial and error at this point and I have NO cleaning experience to rely on (can't believe that Allergy-Alibi worked all of those years), so i have started to rely on smell. Probably not the safest route, probably lost a few brain cells sniffing away(but at least I have a clean house!) So my rule is- if it smells lethal I throw it on the grossest, nastiest, dirtiest stuff I can find--oven/shower/stove/bathroom. And the milder smelling stuff works best on windows and counters. (Mom: apologies for embarassing you with my ignorance!)
3. Cooking: This has actually been quite fun! Every meal is such an experiment! Navigating the grocery store, trying to buy products that come with picture diagrams instead of verbal directions, then figuring out how to turn on the appliance....getting the end-product to turn into something semi-tasty such a BONUS!
So i tried using my rice cooker last nite...couldn't for the life of me get it running. It has 3 measly buttons! Im worthless! Deceptive little bugger. So the strategy was to hit every possible combination of buttons....but to no avail! So it looks like I will be cooking it stove-style. Which doesn't make it nice and sticky like in the restaurants, and makes it much more challenging to eat with chopsticks!
Speaking of the stove, I am proud to say I have overcome my fear of using a gas stove. I brought a carbon monoxide detector along with me, and upon plugging it in could not make that SIREN STOP! It beeped incessantly for the first 3 days, and since I appeared to be alive and well, I unplugged it and tossed it.
The microwave is the trickiest to operate. Too many buttons, too little Japanese know-how and too many permutations and combinations to get it going! It has more settings on it than my digital camera and it runs slower than mollasses. I have employed several strategies...the more recent one- using a new *function* every time I throw something in there. Hey, one of these days I will get something to turn out right!?
I have baked twice in the last month--more than I have done in the last 2 years! Strawberry cheesecake and peanut butter chocolate rice krispie bars...both of which went to office staff and my neighbors. Suzie Homemaker---eat your heart out!
4. Shower: I am still learning how to get the hot water heater on and off...it seems to have a mind of its own. Regardless, the shower facility is pretty nice, and I have a Japanese bath tub to boot! The tub requires extra instruction--something with getting a fire going in this contraption...yeah, i am a pyrophobe so i am nixing the baths! Having to turn the hot water on and off is a pain, not to mention difficult to remember--but these lessons in responsiblity have to be learned sometime!
So there you have it! My house is in great shape. Lots of home-y touches and allergy-free...miraculously! The view is awesome and my non-English speaking neighbors, bless their souls, always offer a smile and a whole slur of incomprehensible-japanese-garble. makes me feel good to know my neighbors care...and that they are praying i learn this language fast! enjoy the pics and please leave COOKING AND CLEANING TIPS for me in the comment section! domo arigato!