We're Back in Japan and Greener Than Ever...Literally and Figuratively

Sydney and I arrived back in Japan on Thursday and although the trip was long, Sydney was an angel on the flights. And surprisingly we haven't had jet lag too bad! Sydney didn't miss a beat and is sleeping at night and her normal nap time. I'm the one who's up at 5am. But otherwise, I'm feeling fine...and it gives me this alone time to blog and upload photos. Take a look at the photos from our trip in the photo gallery.

Anyway, while I was gone, Brian used his (very limited) free time productively to watch Live Earth and make sure we are being as kind to the earth as I will allow. (I love the earth as much as the next person, I just hate to make life too much more difficult for myself.) Yesterday we tried out his new "sun oven," which uses solar power to cook foods outside (on sunny days only, of course). He made his famous chili, which some of you may get nostalgic about. It was tasty as usual, didn't heat up the house, and I didn't have to cook, so I'm on board with that...

And also with the typically elaborate Japanese outside laundry drying equipment he installed on our balcony. (The dryer can take up to four hours to dry clothes completely!) And I'm okay with reusing Sydney's fancy washable cloth diapers (called Fuzzi Bunz) for the new baby. And I also have no choice but to recycle in Japan.

But even though I affectionately call Brian "Mr. Green," he gave new meaning to this nickname while we were away. Mostly I should blame the Japanese rainy season for this. (Although he probably blames my being away.) I was lucky enough to miss the rain this year, but we are still trying to recover from the literal green mold that ensued as a result of the humidity and lack of air circulation through the house while he was at work. There was green fuzzy mold covering my dining table placemats, Sydney's highchair straps, some shoes, the diaper bag, and our backpack carrier for Sydney, just to name a few. Thankfully, he discovered the problem two days before I came home and cleaned most of it up without any major damage (or effort on my part!) But I'm still searching for (and finding a few) hidden areas, which may also be tending towards green.

So, I agree to the sun oven and other such environmental eccentricities...as long as the dehumidifiers/AC can be run as consistently as necessary to deal with the 80+% humidity that lingers even with sunny days ahead. Much as I loathe fuzzy green stuff in my personal space (and the cleaning of it even more), I consider this humidity/lack of central AC one of the only down sides to living in Japan. In addition to the excessive recycling, of course! Just call me Mrs. Chartreuse...