SORABYCO | Life in Japan

I drive for most of my shopping in Japan, even when the store is not very far away. Over time, it became automatic. If I needed something, I grabbed my car keys. If it was only one small item, I usually added it to my shopping list and waited until my next grocery trip. Recently, though, I started thinking, “Am I walking enough?” I spend a lot of time at home, and driving for almost every errand means there are days when I barely walk anywhere. Then I ran out of bar soap. The supermarket is about 1.1 km from my home, and I only needed one or two bars. It was a cool October day, so instead of getting in the car, I took a small reusable bag and walked. It turned out to be much easier and more pleasant than I expected. I bought what I needed, got some walking into my day, and used no gas for that trip. That gave me a simple idea: instead of making separate time to exercise, I can sometimes use a small errand as my reason to walk. I’m not giving up my car. I’m simply trying to stop using i...

My husband and I both use soft-bristled toothbrushes, and in our home in Japan, we usually replace them about once a month. It has become one of those small routines we barely think about. A new month starts, we open new toothbrushes, and the old ones go out. For a long time, I assumed that replacing a toothbrush every month was a fairly normal rule everywhere. Then I checked. The recommendation in Japan is actually shorter than the guidance commonly used in the United States and the UK. In Japan, the 8020 Promotion Foundation recommends replacing a toothbrush about once a month. The American Dental Association recommends changing one every three to four months, or sooner if the bristles become worn or frayed. In the UK, guidance commonly suggests around two to three months, with some advice using three months as a simple rule of thumb. So if you have been wondering how often you should replace your toothbrush in Japan, one month is a commonly recommended Japanese guideline—but it is n...

How often should you wash your pillowcase? Washing it every day may be ideal, but for most people, that is not realistic or necessary. A more manageable pillowcase washing frequency is usually every three to seven days, depending on how much you sweat, the season, and your skin. I started thinking about this after watching a Japanese TV show that compared pillowcases to clothing. The idea was simple: both come into close contact with your skin and collect sweat, oil, and dead skin. It made sense, but I also knew I was not going to remove, wash, dry, and replace my pillowcase every morning. So I found an easier solution. I place a thin face towel over my pillow and change the towel each morning. I still wash the pillowcase about once a week, but the part touching my face stays fresher without creating much extra work. How Often Should You Wash Your Pillowcase? For many households, washing a pillowcase every three to seven days is a practical schedule. You may want to wash it more often ...