＊Strength of an Old Folk House ＊

Now, it seems that the first typhoon since I arrived at the Gotō Islands is about to pass.

I still feel the lingering wind.

"Absolutely do not go outside,"

the senior islander’s suggestion, my son and I quietly stayed at home yesterday.

There were various first-time experiences.

Firstly, lizards started to appear all around the house.

I wonder if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I wonder if there's a behavior where lizards seek shelter indoors when a typhoon comes?

There seems to be a rule for dealing with insects,

The kind nurse we met advised,

"For centipedes,,, pour boiling water. But for spiders, coexist without killing them.”

You catch grasshoppers and walfroaches and release outside.

But I didn't hear the rules about lizards..

And for other senior islanders, they introduced an app called “Windy” to constantly check and close the storm shutters when the Gotō Islands are surrounded by a red color.

I faithfully follow this as well.

Regarding measures against natural disasters like this, it's important to faithfully listen to the voices of the locals. This applies even when I was racing windsurfing, understanding the character of various beaches through conversations with the local residents is crucial. The attitude of arrogance, saying,

"It's okay, I’m used to the ocean” is the biggest no-no. It's important to remember how small we are when humans face nature's grandeur,

And when the Gotō Islands enter the red zone, the wind does indeed become fierce.

However, this old house I live in, probably standing for 60 to 70 years, remains incredibly sturdy even in the face of strong gusts.

Not even a creak.

Surely, the wisdom of the old craftsmen from this island, which often faces typhoons, is packed within this house.

That's the feeling I had.

And as night falls, suddenly I notice,

The rain and wind have stopped, and an eerie quietness sets in.

The eye of the typhoon is passing over.

I remembered when I was a child, living in Nagasaki, during the passing of the eye of the storm, my mother used to say,

"I'll go buy things now quickly!" and leave.

Thinking the wind will surely pick up again once the eye of the typhoon has passed.

I lay down to sleep and in the middle of the night,

"Oh, it's coming again,,," and doze off.

The story of experiencing the first typhoon on Goto islands.

I hope everyone stayed safe and no harsh damage to the farming crops....

P.S. My friend who read this post told me it is not a lizard but gecko They are called "Yamori" in Japanese, means "protecting the house"