how to find medicine for a canker sore

I hate canker sores. It’s like having a ripped hangnail or a paper cut - the pain isn’t severe; it’s just annoying. You have to exercise various mouth muscles just to keep certain foods from touching that tiny, ulcerated spot. Perhaps I should also mention the enjoyable, bitter taste of Anbesol (Benzocaine). Relief only comes when the sore is numb, at least until we eat or drink something again.

When I was a sophomore in high school, I suddenly acquired canker sores all over the inside of my mouth - on my tongue, the roof of my mouth, the sides, the gums; they were everywhere. In true fashion of my typical doctor visit, the doctor had no idea what was wrong with me. “It’s some kind of bacterial infection,” he noted. Well, that comes as no surprise. How can I treat it?
“There’s nothing we can do for it - it just has to go away on its own.”

interesting links around the web (September)

The lovely Autumn moon overlooking Oigawa River and Horai Bridge

How to be a good housewife in Japan
In case you were wondering...

HOW TO: Make a library card in Japan

I don’t know about you, but when I lived in the U.S. I regularly borrowed stacks of books from the library. I think only the internet fares better in the battle of free information and entertainment. So I wondered what kind of books I would be able to find at libraries in Japan - any English books? Could I understand Japanese children's books? As it turned out, many libraries in Japan carry English books - though selections outside of major cities are rather slim. So whether you wish to practice your Japanese learnin’ by reading kids’ books or want to take a break from ebook spending, the local library can be a great place.

My current local library is rather small compared to libraries I’m accustomed to in the U.S., but they do offer a myriad of choices: DVDs, CDs, cassettes (yes, Japan still uses them), children’s books, adult fiction, non-fiction/resource and a small selection of English books. I was happy to find a shelf of classics, which I look forward to re-reading in my hard-to-find spare time. Not surprisingly, many of the English books were Japan guides and cookbooks, and what else, the Harry Potter series.

First, for those who don’t know, library in Japanese is 図書館 (としょかん, toshokan). You can easily enter the kanji into Google maps with the name of your city/town to determine how to get there.

From the Sempai: Rachael of Tokyo Terrace

Rachael

Welcome to the second edition of "From the Sempai!" The first post, including a brief explanation of what "sempai" means, can be found here.

Today I would like to introduce Rachael, a food blogger here in Japan over at Tokyo Terrace. I discovered Rachael's blog through Twitter, and being an avid food blog reader, was blown away by what she "brings to the table." (Groan, I know. Couldn't help myself!) As a fellow expat in Japan, and a foodie herself, she has discovered how to make the most of local ingredients in her kitchen. (Oh, and her photos are GORgeous.) In the time she has lived in Japan thus far, she has certainly learned something about "surviving in Japan," and would like to share some of those thoughts with us: