I spent about three days in Karuizawa in mid-September and had breakfast at Kamado-taki Gohan Mikuriya in Hotchi. It was fully booked on the first day and I couldn't eat there, so I made a reservation for the next morning and came back on day two.
Read moreOn my first day in Karuizawa, I couldn't get a table at Mikuriya, so I had a late lunch at Restaurant Suju Masayuki, near the bustling heart of Old Karuizawa. The line at the soba place next door was way too long, and I was in the mood for Japanese food, so I came here instead.
Read moreWhen I got a custom domain for this blog, I compared six registrars side by side and chose Cloudflare Registrar. The deciding factors were no added markup on renewal fees, WHOIS contact information being hidden by default, and being able to set up DNS and connect the domain in the same dashboard.
Read moreI decided to keep an emergency go-bag at home and added an emergency toilet kit to my supply list. I like the single-use design, which lets me keep things sanitary for a set number of uses.
Read moreAfter years of getting around on foot, I took my first ride on a pedal-assist e-bike, long after these bikes had come out. Hills felt just like flat roads, my arms no longer got sore from carrying shopping bags, and I don't think I can go back to a regular bike.
Read moreSandbags were hard work just to carry, but flood barrier panels that stand on their own using the water's weight are light enough for women to carry easily. The rising water stabilizes them even in flash floods or muddy torrents, so I leave them set up during flood season.
Read moreA firsthand account of how a robot vacuum that mops, automatically washes its mop, and collects dust has reduced the time I spend cleaning and how often I do it while keeping my floors clean. I start it from the app while I'm away and leave daily cleaning to its schedule.
Read moreAfter setting up my NAS, I had the circuit breaker trip and cut the power unexpectedly a few times. Worried that an improper shutdown could damage the drives, I added an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). This post is about how the NAS now keeps running during outages and peripherals with static IP addresses reconnect automatically.
Read moreI started using the top-fill evaporative BALMUDA Rain humidifier. I wrote about how easy it is to refill, what it's like to control it with the app, and how its ceramic-like design doesn't look like a humidifier and blends in with the decor.
Read moreSitting makes me want to stretch. I also want to change the desk height to match my chair angle, and I want to work standing up, too. This is how I use an electric standing desk with three saved heights—sitting, standby, and standing—and switch between them with one press.
Read moreI've been able to put less strain on my wrist while using shortcut buttons and adjusting the cursor speed to suit me. This is my experience with a trackball mouse that doesn't need much space to use.
Read moreI used to forget to change the water on schedule, but leaving out extra led to mineral buildup. This is how I started using a PetSnowy water fountain that I can manage through the same app as my automatic litter box. I focus on how it keeps water ready for my cat on weekdays when overtime gets me home late, and how I can use the app to check when it's time for a refill or filter replacement.
Read moreI used to forget to feed my cat at set times, but putting out a large amount at once made me worry about the food oxidizing. This is the story of how I started using an app-controlled automatic feeder from PetSnowy, the same brand as my automatic litter box. I write about having it feed my cat for me on weekdays when I’m away from home or working late, and how it let me stop leaving food out.
Read moreHow I use the Synology NAS I set up at home. I canceled all of our Google storage and iCloud subscriptions, moved our family photos to the NAS, continuously record our security camera footage there, and run Gitea on it for branch management. I can also run application servers for development and self-study, giving me a testing environment without using paid external services.
Read moreWhat changed after I replaced the tray-style litter box my cat had used since kittenhood with a PetSnowy automatic litter box. I focus on the pull-out-drawer cleanup system and odor, and honestly share how the app's visit log helped me spot a health change and what the month-long adjustment was like.
Read moreI used tofu-based cat litter out of concern for both my cat's health and my own, but when I could no longer stand the stench from the waste, I switched to LION's mineral-based (bentonite) cat litter, ニオイをとる砂. Here's my honest take on what changed in odor control and clumping, plus the litter tracking that still bothers me.
Read moreI knew power recliners leaned back at the push of a button, but I had no idea they could swivel too. Once I started using one with my desk, it quickly became part of my routine. This is my experience with a single-seat power recliner whose plush comfort and leather-like upholstery helped me get more work done.
Read moreI'm not a YouTuber or a streamer, but I bought a USB condenser microphone to make sure my voice comes through clearly in online meetings. I explain why I chose one that mounts on an arm instead of leaving it permanently set up at my PC, and what it's been like to use it without anyone ever telling me they can't hear me.
Read moreAfter using nothing but AirPods, I bought Sony's WH-1000XM6 noise-canceling headphones. I write about noise canceling on my commute, calls and meetings while working from home, the features I don't use, USB Type-C, and battery life—all based on my actual experience.
Read moreI break down the four things I considered when choosing a desk fan for more comfortable summer work—quiet operation, airflow control, power source, and oscillation—along with what worked well and honest drawbacks like papers blowing away and fan noise getting picked up by my mic.
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