Visiting the doctor

Because I'm down and out again with a cold I thought I'd tell you about some of the every day things that go on with visiting a doctor in Japan. I've been to him twice in the past two weeks... Tetsu took his mother for a check-up at a major hospital last week... my friend was visiting the doctor this week and we have been talking about the pros and cons. A lot of different viewpoints.

When I went to the local doctor a couple of weeks ago I arrived at his parking lot at about 8:30 AM. Now I know he doesn't open until 9:00 but that was why I went early. With the local doctors you don't make an appointment and so I knew that unless I got there early, I'd be in for a long wait. I was the second one in the parking lot but the other man got out of his truck and went and stood in front of the hospital/clinic door. I decided I felt bad enough that I did NOT want to wait outside in the cold until the nurse unlocked the clinic.

By 9:00 a little group of people had gathered in front of the clinic... all patiently waiting in a line to get in. As soon as the nurse unlocked the door I joined the line... went inside... removed my shoes and put them in a cubby and then put on slippers and went to the registration desk. Since I rarely need to go to the doctor's, I hadn't been there for awhile and needed to fill out a registration form again. I also had to show them my insurance form card and give them the clinic's card that they'd made for me before with my number on it... (if I'd forgotten that the nurse would have to look up my history some other way... I just saved her time.)

While I was waiting I was handed a thermometer and told to take my temperature. This thermometer is to be placed in the armpit... not the mouth. I remember 35 years ago I stuck the thermometer in my mouth and the nurses got very excited about the stupid foreigner!

A short wait, not bad at all! and then I got to see the doctor. He looked in my throat, checked my heart, typed things onto his computer and sent me away. I saw him for about 1 minute if that. Back in the waiting room and I paid some minuscule amount (yesterday it was about $5) and was given a prescription that I took to the pharmacy next door. I paid another $5 for three types of medicine at the pharmacy and then I went home. Until recently, doctors doled out the medications. They had a pharmacist in their office I guess, and the receiving and paying for medication was all done at the receptionist's desk. Recently laws have changed and I have to go next door. (Which sort of seems like an extra step to me since somebody had to build a tiny pharmacy next to the doctor's office and no one but the doctor's patients go to get their prescriptions filled there.)

That's what visiting the local doctor is like.

Now for Tetsu's mother...

Tetsu left home at 6:00 AM to go pick up his mother who lives 30 minutes away. He got to her apartment at 7:00 and together they went to the major university hospital another 30 minutes away. Tetsu's mother had an appointment for between 9:00 and 12:00 that morning... Again, the doctors don't start seeing patients until 9:00 AM but Tetsu said that people were lined up in front of the computers (where you insert your appointment card) and waiting for the computer terminals to open (inside the lobby). He said at 7:30 they were the 47 person in line. Finally at 8:00, the computer terminals opened, they stuck in the card and were sent on over to the doctors window. This is a major hospital so there are walls of windows and rows and rows of benches to sit at. I think they had to register again at the window to let the nurse know that they were there but supposedly the order in which you arrive doesn't matter... at least that is what the nurses tell the pushing crowds trying to put their ticket in the box before everyone else.

Finally around 9:30 Tetsu's mother was called and she went in to see the doctor and tell him what all was wrong with her. She has an ongoing every three month appointment so she figures she needs to tell him everything that has gone wrong the past three months and ask all the questions she can because she won't see him for another three months. Tetsu said the doctor (often a new one each time you go...depending on the day, the doctor's schedules for surgery and such, transfers etc.) did not seem too sympathetic. In less than three minutes they were out of there and back in the waiting room this time to get medicines and pay. In the major hospitals I think this is all done in one whack. Tetsu and his mother were both very happy that they were out of the hospital by 10:30! Sometimes Tetsu's patience level explodes because there are blood tests or eye exams etc. and each involves another hour's wait and they don't get out of the hospital until 2:30 or 3:00. That is par for the course for major hospitals.

And then my friend who went to her local doctor said she evaded the waiting system by asking her husband to drop by the doctor's office on his way to work before 7:30 and place the little card in the box before everyone else. I guess at her doctors the waiting room isn't locked or something. This means that the card got in first and my friend didn't have to sit in the waiting room or the car (like me) or stand in the parking lot. My friend seems to think this is a good system.

Actually I don't like this system because I remember taking Takumi to the doctors when he was a baby and, seeing no one in the waiting room at 9:00, thinking that we would be out of there in a flash. But no... people had brought in their cards, left them and gone back home to do whatever and came back at the approximate time that they thought the doctor would see them. I've had nurses tell me to go ahead and deposit my card and come back in the afternoon since there were so many cards in the box already! With Takumi I remember always thinking that we were the next one up and not getting in to see the doctor until 11:00 or so. And with a crying, sick child, this was miserable!

Or there was the time when Leiya had the chicken pox or something and was feverish. The nurse (who didn't want to have the other patients contaminated) ASKED us to wait out in the car for an hour instead of sit in the waiting room passing our virus onto the others. She kindly came out to the car to let me know Leiya's turn was up.

So. I'm just as happy that I don't get sick very often. Yesterday I beat the system by going to the doctor's at 6:00 PM, just as the nurses were putting out the closed sign... I was in and out in a minute or two, the next door pharmacy people were just checking out the doctor's parking lot to see if they might expect any more patients. Too bad. They had to wait for me.

Back to bed.

Crunchy or sweet?

Do you like crunchy or sweet? There seems to be a time of day for both. I am partial to sweet, especially chocolate, but I find myself craving for crunchy things too. I love nuts and Japanese crackers that go "saku-saku" (the sound of crispy things being eaten). Chocolate makes me happy, the sound of crunch in my ears gives me satisfaction.

So... wouldn't you know that Japan has the answer for both cravings!

Royce Chocolate is an exclusive Hokkaido (northern Japan) chocolate maker. Let me tell you, in Japan this is known as GOOD chocolate! And Hokkaido is also known for its potato industry. Can you see where this is leading?

Yep. Chocolate Potato Chips!

Yummm. GOOD! SATISFYING! Do I dare open this box and serve these? Yes, I do and I hope everyone will eat a lot of the sinfully delicious chocolate potato chips because anything left will go directly into my mouth!

Frills

I am assuming that Leiya does not check my blog. (Remember when I asked Takumi ...via blog... if he wanted my beach scenery small quilt? No reply so I guess he didn't read that post... ) Anyway, I made up a muffler for Leiya (and Leiya if you see this post then you can still act surprised when you open the package). I wanted to show you the interesting way it turned out.

This is called Frill tape. I seems to be made out of cotton or silk or something (sorry, I threw away the packaging) and is extremely light and soft. There were quite a few colors one could chose from but I liked the way the stripes accented the finished product. The sample I saw was in black, and black and white tape. This is white, and black and white tape. The knitting was extremely simple. Thread 20 loops (they are already made on the tape) onto the knitting needle turn and knit back. Every two rows put the other color tape over the first. and when 4 rows have been knitted, change colors.

Knitting the fine thread part (loops) pulls the wider tape part into frills... thus the name. I think the weight of the end rows makes the center part narrower... I did not decrease any stitches. A fun, easy project done in a couple of hours. The "yarn" is a little pricey but for a one time project for a special daughter I think it is nice.

Now to remember to send this.

Saturday miscellaneous

I participated in the final role playing seminar for language interpreters again yesterday and learned a lot. Especially about the Japanese insurance system! I came away thinking that how the medical bills get paid seem to be of greater importance than what the money gets used for. Maybe that is true all over the world. At any rate... because of the greatly confusing insurance system almost anybody in Japan can afford medical care. Of course there are a lot of situations with illegal aliens who do no pay national insurance fees...

Here is a rare picture of me "working". I think I was playing a pregnant mother-to-be. (That's pushing it quite a bit!) We were also fed lunch! Yum! I love the fancy box lunches that Japanese restaurants will prepare and deliver for special occasions.



I'll have you know I have laid aside my patchwork (not completely) for awhile, and am now knitting! Tetsu's annual Christmas present from me is a sweater or vest and so I need to get started. I "saw" a vest pattern I liked but cannot get the book for... I "think" I can make my own pattern and come up with something similar. I bought yarn already and have knitted up a swatch to check my gauge but am sort of concerned that the pattern is going to get lost in the mohair... I lovingly thought mohair would keep Tetsu warmer... true but it doesn't do a lot for a cable pattern... My annual knitting is always such a hit and miss affair.

And I'm also working on a scarf for Leiya. I think I can show that tomorrow!

Char-rin!

Mrs. Ochiai came over yesterday and spent a couple hours showing me what my new cell phone can do. We also resolved a couple of my computer problems. It is so nice to have a computer and electronic literate friend.

落合さん！　ありがとう！

（I just said thank you to Mrs. Ochiai. She is one of my friends who just visits my blog for the pictures. ）

So... I have relearned how to back up my blog. Mrs. Ochiai has taught me how to do this before but I forgot. And I have checked my computer for a bluetooth device which we determined it doesn't have. Not that I've missed it in the past two years...

And I registered my cellphone on-line and now can use the cellphone-wallet application. Japan's stores abound with little disks at the cash registers where you place your compatible cell phone and can pay for purchases without opening your wallet. Whether this is necessary or not I don't know but I wanted to have fun with my cellphone right? So now I can do this.

After on-line registering, Mrs. Ochiai and I went down to the nearest convenience store and with her leading me by the hand (not really) she proceeded to direct me on how to "charge" my cellphone with money and buy something.

To the convenience store clerk,

"I want to charge 1000 yen (about $10) to my cellphone."

Place it on the disk and hand the clerk money. Push a couple buttons on the screen.

"Char-rin!" (the sound of coins "dropping" into your cell phone.)

Now what to buy... two soft drinks. One for Mrs. Ochiai, one for myself. Back to the same clerk.

"I want to pay for my purchases with my cellphone."

Place it on the disk and another "Char-rin!"

Purchase made. The clerk was laughing at me while I was anxiously checking my cell phone to see if I'd really used the money that I'd just put in. Sure enough... some 700 yen left!

Mrs. Ochiai warned me not to keep too much money in my cell phone just in case I lost it...

Sometimes I feel like a dinosaur in a digital world...

(picture from the Internet)

Curries and Chapatis!

Tuesday I got together with Bajiwa-san (from Pakistan) and his family and some pool friends. His daughter-in-law showed us how to make Pakistan curry. Oh~ so delicious! (She held down the spices for us wimps that can't take real Pakistan spicy... Even so we all warmed up quickly.

This is me after poking a hole in the chapati that I was trying to make. Lahira though it very funny the way we all gasped at the amount of red pepper she put in her curry and how our chapati kept flying off onto the counter (better than the floor).

We, in turn, were amazed that Lahira could cook in her garb... the tassels and head scarf seemed to come so close to the flames but Bajiwa explained that the women ALWAYS wear the traditional clothes (sorry, I can't remember the name) and that Lahira has been cooking since she was 10 or 11 so no need for us to worry.

We (actually Lahira,) made three types of curries and chapatis. And I came home with a whole set of spices so that I can do this again in my own home. Hah! I'm willing to try but I doubt after one lesson I can make authentic Pakistan curry again! I doubt that I'll ever attempt the chapatis. Especially as Lahira seemed to think it would be very difficult to make chapatis in a regular fry pan...



Good friends and good food again! Oh, and I finished the baby quilt in time to give it to Bajiwa-san's grandson.

Beauty parlors

Nothing much interesting going on here. I got my hair trimmed just because I was looking authentically witchy for Halloween and needed a simple beauty boost. I don't know if it worked.

All my life I had very long hair. As a child it was mousy brown and straight. I remember my mother using the word "witch" to describe my hair back then. In my teens my style could be called Joan Baez style...　 Long and parted down the middle. I don't think I have EVER been to the beauty parlor in the States.

For quite awhile in Japan I stayed with the long straight look but maybe because of the humidity my hair started to curl. And get darker. My mother has always wondered if this was due to eating Japanese food... For years, every summer she would finger my hair and say,

"My goodness Tani. Your hair is BLACK! It must be all the seaweed you're eating."

When the kids came along I started changing styles. Short bobs, sculptured necklines etc. Too much trouble to keep getting it cut. Too much fussing in front of the mirror every morning. Another term of short hair was when the white started coming in, Mother's comments in thirty years changed to,

"My goodness Tani. Your hair is WHITE! How old ARE you?"

For some unknown reason I'm growing it out again.

ANYWAY... I don't know American beauty parlors, only Japanese. I go to a nice older women who has a little shop off the side of her house next to forest... Only grandmas and me go to her.

I suppose in a lot of ways beauty parlors are all the same. Hair washing area, spinning chairs, lots of magazines. But how about this? In Japan when a beautician washes your hair she always places a small white handkerchief over your face? Is this common elsewhere? I suppose the white handkerchief keeps the customer from looking into the beautician's armpit as she scrubs the head but I'm always reminded that dead people get a handkerchief placed over their face too while they lie in state...

There was one beauty parlor that I patronized for awhile where the hair washing could be done in a machine. I'd get put into a chair with my head lying over a sink and a big dome would come down and water would spray from all sides, shampoo would dispense from somewhere and plastic automated fingers would do the scrubbing and rinsing etc. Not too bad... Sort of an experience... I never got wet anywhere else so I guess the machine was perfected...

In most Japanese beauty parlors and barber shops, at the end of the cutting and styling experience, the customer is given a simple head and neck massage as part of the shop's service. I'm not too fond of this myself... The beautician thumps her palms and wrists against the head in various places and on the shoulders... I have no idea what a head massage has to do with cutting hair.

And I've had beauticians offer to shave my face for me! "

"NO WAY!!! I do not have a beard (yet) thank you! Stay away from me with your razor!"

This isn't such an uncommon service and many of my friends like to have their faces shaved. (Strange tastes!)

Another service that Japanese beauticians are qualified in is the dressing of customers in kimono. Putting on a formal kimono is so complicated that most women when dressing for a special wedding or funeral or such situation where a kimono is appropriate, will have the beautician do all the dressing and obi tying etc. I suppose they have to get their hair styled anyway so Japanese beauticians train in both hair and dressing skills. This is another service I've never taken advantage of...

I'm not really looking too different from before I went to the beauty salon so no picture of me today...