Shopping assistant.

Takes a man to go hat shopping with a woman.
Takes a saint to go hat shopping with Okaasan.
On 2 days in a row.


Me? I'm neither a man nor a saint. I was away working happily, getting my diary packed with year-end-parties by generous students...it's gonna be a tough eating time in the next 10 days.


Yujiro? Home alone with Okaasan and waiting for the ski season bookings so he can start work.
So he took Okaasan hat shopping. Brave guy.
Her old hat was somehow broken and with December temperatures free-falling into the minus range - daytime HIGHS! - we thought it was absolutely time to get her head covered.


First day he took her to the local SEIYU, a supermarket come cheapish store locally. They looked, and looked. No suitable hats. All to "young", according to Okaasan.


So, the next day he took her downtown to the big Daimaru department store...where she finally selected a hat costing..wait for it...Y13,000 or $160!!!! For a hat. I think it may also have a global positioning system fitted and make tea. It can't be $160 just for a piece of material to cover the head...can it?


Shopping with Okaasan isn't easy. She is a very picky shopper and of course the short-term memory loss means that she can't remember a decision she's made...she walks around looking at stuff and then goes back to the same item and makes the same decision. It's torture actually.
We could just give her the money and hope she goes and buys it on her own...but...but...the money might get spent on something else and she isn't going out on her own much yet in the winter conditions.


But he did it. A man and a saint. He stood by and helped.
I hate shopping. Going anywhere near a department store in the pre-Christmas madness for sure.
Thankgoodness he is a good, loving son. I am so very lucky! :-)


AND...we got a way to try and keep some carpet space free in Okaasan's room.
One of my students made a recycle newspaper storing box out of wood, and gave it to me yesterday. We opened it just before dinner time and decided it would be great for Okaasan's room - in fact she instantly collected all the old papers and put them neatly in the box. Excellent.
I use an old supermarket box upstairs for my English papers, but at least I can remember to use it. Okaasan usually has about 6 or 7 newspapers open at the same time and scattered around on the carpet and table - now she has a nice box to PUT them in...who knows...she may even use it.


AND....my Japanese sister just emailed me: the apartment owner says "ok" to her renting the place down the road from me. She and husband and family will be arriving here in January!!!!!! 
Yippppeeeeeee!!!!