Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Typhoons and Genkans

We recently had two typhoons in 10 days.  I am always looking for blessings.  What is the blessing in a typhoon?  It is that each lessened and became "tropical storms" before hitting us.  The winds were really howling with bouts of rain.  It creaked and cracked the house at night, but the roof is still on and no water leaked in.  We closed the storm shutters on windows on the windy side of the house, which helped and made us feel more secure.  Sometimes people stay home, and it the storm is big enough they cancel activities.  The winds can feel like someone is "pushing" you and can be very dangerous.  The winds sometimes sound like ocean waves.  You can hear them building, rush through the trees, then pass. Over and over again.  It feels so wonderful when the storm passes, and becomes beautiful and clear again.

The Japanese (and many Americans) have a wonderful custom of removing their shoes at the front door.  The area is called the "genkan".  It helps keep the floors more clean.  Sometimes they provide slippers for guests or you can just wear your socks.  Glenn and I choose to wear our socks.  Luckily we both wear slip-on shoes.  the only time we wear tie up shoes is to exercise, or to take long walks.

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