21-Jul-2025
Today is a national holiday in Japan called “Marine Day.” Since many kids in Japan started their summer vacation from last Saturday, it’s a popular time to go to the beach or the pool. It’s been really hot every day, so that makes sense!
Speaking of summer vacation, it’s common for students to get a lot of homework. The assignments usually include regular subjects like math, reading a book and writing a report, doing a science project of their choice, or even making something for a craft assignment. There’s quite a lot to do, and even though the summer break is about 40 days long, it’s not always easy to finish everything.
Well, if they worked on it a little every day, they could finish it… but kids are usually too busy having fun! 😄
It seems that in recent years, though, the amount of homework has been decreasing.
Right now, I’m working on some 3-sun 18-step puzzle boxes, but today I’ve also started a new project: square-shaped boxes. This time, I plan to make boxes with a simple touch of traditional Yosegi as an accent (One-point yosegi design). I’ll also make a few versions using only regular wood, without Yosegi.
These boxes will likely have a 12-step mechanism. The one-point Yosegi boxes may look simple, but they’re actually quite popular. Maybe it’s partly because they’re priced a little lower. They might also be a good choice for people trying a puzzle box for the first time.
This box has become one of my favorites. Maybe it’s because it’s not in the traditional shape. While using classic puzzle box techniques, I try to create boxes that have a bit of a unique personality. So this is one of the designs I’d like to continue making. This time, I plan to make about 40 of them, each with a different design.
Today, I was working in the woodworking machine room even during the hot afternoon, which is pretty rare for me 🤣 Since there’s a lot of wood dust in that room, there’s no air conditioner. It gets really hot in the afternoon, but I wore a frozen cooling necklace around my neck while I worked. It felt nice and cold, and helped cool down my body 😆 I think I’ll start assembling the boxes from tomorrow.
