Harvesting watermelons

We initially had 10 watermelons but due to insects/pests, we were left with a total of 8 which we harvested yesterday. We gave away to our neighbors a few and kept the rest for ourselves. This season's watermelons are not as sweet as expected due to the weather. We will go for the second harvest soon and hope the weather is kinder.
Each watermelon is selling at S$13 (Yen 1,000) in the supermarket in Japan.

Too much rain and little sunlight

We are having lots of rain this summer and little sunlight. Our watermelon and tomato plants are affected badly. Our tomatoes split and the watermelons are bursting with too much rain which has been falling almost daily over the last two weeks. Now we can understand how the weather can affect the livelihoods of farmers.

Harvesting Watermelons in Japan (2020 July)

2020's Harvest till July

Thousands of people urged to leave Japan’s southern island of Kyushu

We live in the southern island of Kyushu,Japan. There has been heavy rainfall over the last few days. The rain is still falling as I am typing. Fortunately,our house is 165 km away from the huge flood that has inundated the Kumamoto, Kagoshima and Miyazaki Prefecture.
Read more

Today's harvest from the garden

The vegetables are ready for harvesting. It is early summer and the weather today is beautiful. It is partly cloudy which is cool and comfortable. It is about 9.30 am on a Sunday morning with a temperature and humidity of 26c and 80% respectively. Know what? My 2 immediate neighbors are feeling uncomfortable and warm, thus having their air-conditioning switched on. To us,Singapore at this time is really humid and hot but not here in Japan. I supposed the Japanese are more sensitive to the "humid and warm" weather.

Thank you Japan for your generosity

The Japanese government has changed its mind after feedback from the citizens that it was wiser to hand out 100,000 Yen (S$1,300) to each individual than a blanket 300,000 Yen ($4,000) to each household.

Recently, I have received my $1,300 even though I am not a citizen but a mere visa holder. I would like to thank the Japanese government for being so magnanimous. 

Taking good car of our car

The summer heat could be scorching hot so we bought a screen shade for our car. In addition, to prevent the car from damaging it tires and rims, we also bought what is known as Joysteps.
Well, none of our Japanese neighbors are taking care of their vehicles like the way we do. Perhaps,Singaporeans are kiasu because cars are very expensive in SG. So one cannot blame us for the care we are giving to our precious car!

Crows destroying my crop

There are many crows in Japan and they can be a nuisance to the farmers and gardeners. They like to eat the fruits and some vegetables that we grow.
One of my tomatoes were half eaten by a crow. Then, another fruit from my neighbour's garden was half-bitten and dropped into my garden.
Finally, I decided to use plastic flags to frighten them away and it works. At least for now, there no more visitation from the crows.

Visiting Friend's Farm in Japan

Growing Watermelons in our garden (Japan)

I'm having kidney issues

My latest medical checks shows my kidney function is not doing too good. The eGFR (estimated Glomerular Filteration Rate) is 54 which means my kidney is functioning at half a normal person's. In this respect, my doctor has advised me to eat less salty and processed food. I am also told not to eat too much protein food like meat and fish. Also, I must not overeat. I also feel a need to lose some of my body weight.
So this may explain why the pictures of food that I consumed are in small portion and blend.
If I ignore the doctor's advice and continue eating the way I was, my kidneys may failed to function and I need to be placed on dialysis.

Missing my hawker food during Circuit Breaker

Growing watermelons in Japan

The watermelons although planted at around the same time, the growth or results differ from one fruit to another. The bottom one is the fastest growing melon with others still trying to play catch-up. We have planted them about 6 weeks ago. The time to harvest the biggest one is probably 3 weeks from today. Will post the result soon.

Karuizawa, Japan

Our Japanese friends who are living in Karuizawa, a mountain resort sent us the above pictures. Monkey is a common sight in this resort town of 20,000 people.
Karuizawa is a town in the Kitasaku district of eastern Nagano. With its cool climate, it is known as a place take refuge from the sweltering summer temperatures. In the winter, Karuizawa becomes a popular destination for skiing and other winter sports.

Growing Cherry Tomatoes