A "Farrah Lee" Faucet Majors Job

As I wrote in my previous blog, my attempts to repair the kitchen sink were to no avail. Even new packing didn't do the job. Apparently after 15 years the unit just seemed to have given up on the inside, where I cannot fix it. (Ed: photo taken when everything was apart.)

So, I went to Komeri, the home center that uses a cock as it's logo (why? I don't know) and purchased this new system. The faucet itself cost JPY 17,000 (about $153 at current exchange rates). I also decided to put on this $20 filtration system since I drink a lot of water and prefer it purified than straight from the tap, although I have been drinking it "tapped" for the entire time here.

The water runs smoothly, the faucet rotates well, and most importantly there is NO LEAKAGE. That is a good thing; a very good thing indeed. Now I can relax knowing that if the house is empty for a few days I won't come back to water everywhere. I seriously worried about this when I went to Canada, and the three dishtowels I had wrapped around the base were soaked when I returned three weeks later.

I'll see if I can get the owner of the house to reimburse me; he is usually very good about that so I'm not particularly worried. And even if he says no, it's money well spent.

*****

Note the can of Kirin Beer in the background. Let me tell you a little bit about the mythical beast known in Japan as "kirin". It is an amazing animal, and one we can all admire for many reasons:

The kirin is a mythical hooved Chinese chimerical creature known throughout various East Asian cultures, and is said to appear in conjunction with the arrival of a sage. It is a good omen that brings serenity or prosperity. It is often depicted with what looks like fire all over its body.

Although it looks fearsome, the kirin only punishes the wicked. It can walk on grass yet not trample the blades and it can also walk on water. Being a peaceful creature, its diet does not include flesh. It takes great care when it walks never to tread on any living thing, and it is said to appear only in areas ruled by a wise and benevolent leader (some say even if this area is only a house). It is normally gentle but can become fierce if a pure person is threatened by a sinner, spouting flames from its mouth and exercising other fearsome powers that vary from story to story.

Some stories state that the kirin is a sacred pet (or familiar) of the deities.

Japanese art tends to depict the kirin as more deer-like than in Chinese art. Kirin Brewery Company, Ltd. is named after the animal, and the word kirin has also come to be used in modern Japanese for a giraffe. It's depicted as a dragon shaped like a European-style unicorn, only with a horse's tail instead of a lion's.

Now THAT is a mythical creature your children would surely love!

I love you!

(back to my second beer...)

Cam