Making Powders and Eating Good

Making glucose powder in the hospitals powder packaging machine. Feeling like a real pharmacist today. Powder medicine is more popular in Japan in comparison to the United States. In order to divide the powder up into individual doses, they use a machine to individual package unit doses of the medication.

First you crush the tablet (as long as it's not on the Do Not Crush list) in a blender. It reminds me of the Bullet Blender from the As Seen on TV section in stores.

Next you put the powder into the machine.

 

You tell it how many dose units the powder should make. In this example, three units.

Then is slowly moves the powder through the machine.

Then it evens the powder on a circular conveyer belt. Then it divides the powder evenly and pushes the amount into a tube.

 

 The tube put the powder into a plastic film. Then the packets pop out.

 

 

Here is the finished product!

 

I will not be taking this back into the states, how quickly do you think it would take a TSA officer to tackle me with this packet in my possession. Lol. "Officer I swear it's just glucose... I understand that it's all written in Japanese... But I'm a pharmacist... Yes, I would like a lawyer" haha.

For all that hard work, it was time to take a stroll and get lunch. Mini feast. Plus dessert.

 

Hiroshima

 

You cook the meat in the pot.

Do It Yourself ice cream sandwiches

Ice cream sandwich

 

Such a great day. 

Birthday Suit Hot Spring

The Japanese Hot Springs are called Onsen

Different minerals provide different health benefits, and all hot springs are supposed to have a relaxing effect on your body and mind.

 

Now the hot springs are a little different from what you are use to in the US. Here are the Japanese rules:

 

1)	Take off all your clothes in the changing room and place them into a basket together with your bath towel.

2)

Japanese hot springs are enjoyed naked. Swimming suits are not allowed in most places. However, it is the custom to bring a small towel into the bathing area, with which you can enhance your privacy while outside of the water. Once you enter the bath, keep the towel out of the water. READ THIS RULE AGAIN LOL

3)

Before entering the bath, rinse your body with water from either a tap or the bath using a washbowl provided in the bathing area. Traditionally, just rinsing your body is considered sufficient (and many older baths do not even provide showers and soap), but particularly among younger bathers you will find an increasing number of people who insist on taking a shower before entering the bath these days.

4)	Enter the bath and soak for a while. Note that the bath water can be very hot (typical temperatures are 40 to 44 degrees). If it feels too hot, try to enter very slowly and move as little as possible. I DID NOT READ THIS RULE AND WAS CHUGGING WATER TO STAY HYDRATED!

5)

After soaking for a while, get out of the bath and wash your body with soap at a water tap, while sitting on a stool. Soap and shampoo are provided in some baths. Like in private Japanese bathrooms, make sure that no soap gets into the bath water. Tidy up your space after you finished cleaning your body.

6)

After you finished soaking, do not rinse your body with tap water, for the hot spring water's minerals to have full effect on your body.   Now that you've read the rules, let me clarify a few things. This was a Women's Only Onsen. However, young children of all genders were free to come and go. Might of had a very awkward moment with a 4 year old boy. Also, being a curvy black lady, a rare sight in Japan, is even more of a skeptical in the nude. Haha. What an experience!! Our view of an active volcano So refreshing

The Wakunaga Journey

Wakunaga Garlic Plant

 Wakunaga conducts research and development as well as manufactures 130 different products which include pharmaceuticals, dietary products, and reagents and diagnostic medicines. Their primary product is aged garlic extract. Photos were restricted in many areas.

Wakunaga Family Artifacts Collection

Looks like a Tiffany's Lamp

 

How cool would it be to sign something as "Nobel Laureate"

 

G12 Summit

Lunch Break

This place reminded us of a Japanese Crackle Barrel.

The pot was put in front of me

 

Lunch is served

The Garden

Here are some photos for the nature lovers out there. The flowers were so beautiful. The workers from the Wakunaga plant created this garden 60 years ago. It is open to the public. In May, they have a rose festival.

 

Beautiful Garden

 

 



Secret Garden



 



Breath-taking



Waterfall

 

 

Medical Plant Garden

 

Do you see the frog?

 

 

Walking in bliss