Somethings in my home

 This is a regular daily section in the newspaper. It shows the radiation levels throughout the area. Sendai is usually 0.05 but on occasion it rises to 0.06. In Fukushima prefecture the levels are much, much higher.

 One thing that seems to surprise people who come to Japan is that fax machines are still widely in use. Because of kanji, writing can be easier than typing and you get a permanent copy of the information. The usage seems to be dropping but I suspect that they will still be used many years from now.

 This is a TV program about the game igo. This particular program is giving a play by play analysis of a game that was part of a major competition. This cable channel has nothing but igo and shogi. For both games, they show actual competitions and have lessons. I frequently watch the igo programs.

This is something that is found in almost every home. It is incense. Many homes have a Buddhist shrine dedicated to the family's immediate ancestors and incense in burned at that daily. It is also frequently used when going to a temple. I am not sure why we have this, since we do not have a family altar and seldom go to ceremonies at temples. I have another box of incense that was left over at the end of my Ohenro pilgrimage. I suspect that this box in the picture was used when my wife visited some ceremony with her friends.