Pictured above is my dishwasher. We have yet to be able to hook it up, because our faucet is an odd size and we're having a very tough time finding an adaptor to fit it. Don't worry, the dishes in there are clean, they're just there for proportion.
While I'm glad to have this borrowed dishwasher, I only just now grasped the full depth of how grateful I should be to have this amenity, working yet or not. As I was just going through the paperwork that comes with all the appliances that we got from the 'self help' depot, a small piece of paper that I wouldn't have otherwise paid any heed to, dropped to the floor. I picked it up and started to toss it into my paper bin when I realized it was the price tag for this tiny luxury. And LUXURY it must be, because the price tag read a whopping 88,000 Yen! That's somewhere around $940.00 US, for a counter top dishwasher that's big enough for 4 plates, 4 bowls, some silverware/chopsticks, and a few little cups. Believe me when I say my jaw just about hit the floor and I am again aware of how increadibly blessed I am and have been in my life, where things like dishwashers and garbage disposals (me putting the food into the garbage can is our garbage disposal) were a 'must' for me to consider renting an apartment, and an oven wasn't even something I needed to consider if my apartment would have or not. Insulation was guaranteed as was a pre-cleaning and my microwave didn't short the breaker after 12 seconds...
I'm by no means saying that things here are bad. Quite the contrary. It is becoming more and more apparent to me how simple life really can be and still be completely fulfilling and busy. Do I enjoy washing all my dishes by hand? Not really. Do I like shivering while I wait for the house to warm up in the morning? No. Is it going to kill me? Absolutely not, in fact, it's making me a happier person because I can so much more appreciate life's moments of grace. A gentle breeze and sun pouring through my windows in the afternoon are so much more glorious. Going through my routine of shivering through the house, turning on heaters and opening curtains to let the sun shine in, gives me a strange feeling of peace, hope and good will. I am more aware that waking up every day is a blessing, and I can't wait to see the sun shine in!
Wow! the price seems a lot for the size of dishwasher. In 2006 I had noticed the prices on them when I was in Japan. I wondered how efficient it would be to have a dishwasher so small.
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Yeah, I don't know why it's so expensive, maybe it's got some extra fancy features or something that I don't know about since I can't yet read Japanese...
ReplyDeleteHave you gotten the dishwasher/ faucet hook-up resolved? dad
ReplyDeletenot yet. Unfortunatly it looks like we need to replace a portion of the faucet. The problem is that the new part we need has to be no bigger about 10mm on the end the water comes from and the only ones they sell that have an end that size are the ones with a 16mm across threaded side to attach to the faucet, meanwhile, our faucet needs a 25mm attachment. I didn't even see any that size for anything at the hardware store... So my plan for today is to go back, only I took apart the faucet and the dishwasher attachment and I'm taking them with me. We'll see how good I am at charades with my props.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post! And way to look on the bright side of things! My wife thought she was moving back to the dark ages when she first came with me to England.
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