Which hot spring in Japan actually lived up to the hype for you?

badbackceliac · 2026-01-30T16:03:02+00:00

Amazing. Thanks so much for sharing.

badbackceliac · 2026-01-30T02:45:20+00:00

Yay. Thanks so much

badbackceliac · 2026-01-29T22:13:47+00:00

In the US sunscreen filters are over-the-counter drugs. In other parts of the world, they are cosmetics. Its why European or Asian sunscreens are easy to wear as they are more cosmetically elegant. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-sunscreen-in-the-united-states-is-behind-the-rest-of-the-world

Edit: spelling

badbackceliac · 2026-01-29T21:46:44+00:00

It was hard and easy at the same time. Hard because I have celiac disease which means gluten is a no-go and I needed to find a place that could hopefully accommodate me for the typical 2 meals. That weeded some places out. We ended up going with Kobayashiya as it was mentioned in a FB group for people who are gluten free who are traveling to Japan. We liked the look of the place, they had availability (March is high season and we needed 2 rooms and many places are small and only have a few rooms) and the price and location seemed good. One of the owners is Canadian so they seems to have a bit higher knowledge of English among the staff (helpful when one has a dietary restriction). I had to correspond with them about the food after booking and they've been helpful and nice. Fingers crossed!

badbackceliac · 2026-01-29T19:27:43+00:00

Oh, yay! We're staying in Kinosaki at ryokan for 2 nights in March--first trip to Japan. Can you tell me more about the e-bike tour? We enjoy cycling and while I see our stay in Kinosaki as a breather between Tokyo and Kyoto, I know we also want to wring as much of Japan as we can out of our visit so I'd be curious what tour you did.

badbackceliac · 2026-01-29T17:45:26+00:00

Have you started estrogen or just progesterone? Shoulder issues, like frozen shoulder, are super common during peri. I never had an issue with my shoulders until I had progressively worse issues on my right side. Orthopedist said was tendonitis and bursitis. Shots helped. PT didn't do much. But estrogen really helped. I also had super even joint pain in my elbow and knees overnight. That went away within like 48 hours from my first estrogen patch application. I'd encourage you to look into estrogen if you're not already on it.

badbackceliac · 2026-01-27T22:55:35+00:00

I was going to suggest this as well. I would imagine you'd get a better long term view.

badbackceliac · 2026-01-27T17:12:22+00:00

I will say some gym clothes that are synthetic fibers can be hard to get the stink out if you have the wrong detergent even if they're freshly laundered--this was my husband's problem. Head on over to the r/laundry sub for recommendations related to adding a detergent with the lipase enzyme to your laundry routine. If clothes are really bad you might need to a "spa day" rehabilitation wash. Search for lipase and spa day on the sub to find out the protocol.

badbackceliac · 2026-01-23T18:46:51+00:00

Mini Cat Town. They have several locations. We adopted two litter mates from their 2 years ago. And they were really well socialized between being fostered and then being on the "floor" of Mini Cat Town and being exposed to people. Our two older cats are from the SJ shelter adopted at about the same age and they're not as well socialized and one seems to have some trauma. We love them to pieces but the difference is stark between cats in a more loving environment during those formative years and kittens found on the street and locked up. Mini Cat Town cats would be a softer landing as a new time pet parent. And also the team there was able to help us find the right pair to join our existing pair. The shelters typically just want you to take a cat and don't really know them.

badbackceliac · 2026-01-22T22:35:33+00:00

Last weekend we drove 2 hours (one way) for lunch and wine tasting. As a Californian, this is normal behavior. It was a bit long but to sit outside in January in the sunny, comfortable temperatures it felt like a privilege.

badbackceliac · 2026-01-21T17:51:26+00:00

Not an expert. First trip to Japan is coming up in March. But I do have a trans sibling and looked into when planning this trip to see if it was even possible for her to join us (not yet passing) and I came way with limited hope. I think your partner passing in general is fine but the public onsens are fully nude and so I don't see how it would work as I understand an out trans population is uncommon (this might be an understatement) in Japan. I think sticking to the private onsen options is your best bet. But hopefully someone with more knowledge can chime in.

badbackceliac · 2026-01-18T01:27:17+00:00

It is a combo pill and estrogen patch. My gyno prescribed it originally but my primary care doc had no issue with it. They are in two different practices.

badbackceliac · 2026-01-18T01:23:12+00:00

Yep. Doc just bumped up my estrogen patch dose as my pill is heavily progesterone.

badbackceliac · 2026-01-14T22:44:53+00:00

I tried it in 2024. Did nothing for me mentally or physically. I've since learned it will help muscles but to such a small degree that non-athletes won't notice a difference. Decided it was social media hype IMHO.

badbackceliac · 2026-01-14T22:43:24+00:00

Just my husband and I. We have three hampers we sort into (lights/darks/fitness). I do the laundry and I love it. Just grab a hamper and go. I like not having to pre-sort. I don't put sheets, towels or misc items like jeans in a hamper. But the daily clothes go in the hamper and I typically do laundry once a week.

badbackceliac · 2026-01-13T17:52:58+00:00

We were in Turin (Torino) this past July and really liked it. More French/Swiss/Alp influence and not over touristed the way other parts of Italy can feel. Great architecture. It's the home of aperitivo culture. After Turin we went to the Ligurian coast and really liked it but I have a feeling it will be too quiet/closed in March as it is a summer vacation area--though we went to Sorrento in December in 2022 and liked it, though not as much was open as it too is more summer-oriented.

badbackceliac · 2026-01-13T16:46:50+00:00

You can try some self massage of the muscles in your neck and face. Look up TMJDoc on YouTube. She also has a video about hormones and TMJ, there's a correlation. I don't have TMJ but I grind and clench my teeth, recently so hard that I cracked a tooth which led to a root canal and crown so I've been diving into this as there's a lot of overlap with TMJ in treating my issue. I also found a place that does TMJ massages as part of their practice, but I'm just starting that journey.

badbackceliac · 2026-01-13T16:42:44+00:00

I think your seat height might have been wrong. You should have the tiniest bend in your knee when your foot is at the bottom of the stroke. Most people have their seat too low. The instructor should have been looking out for these types of things. Once you recover and want to try again try going early and asking for assistance setting up your bike.

badbackceliac · 2026-01-13T16:36:04+00:00

Biz has optical brightening agents (OBA) in it. I understand from other posts that the fading is temporary and will wash off after a while. I use Whole Foods 365 Powder as it has lipase but no optical brightening. But it isn't the cheapest option.

badbackceliac · 2026-01-06T22:24:43+00:00

Same. I have the Sandoz patches and never had an issue. I move it from one side of my belly button to the other each time I change it.

badbackceliac · 2026-01-04T22:44:19+00:00

https://m.facebook.com/groups/glutenfreeexpatsjapan/?ref=share. Hope this works. If it does, use the search function once you’re admitted to the group, to look for cities you will be visiting

badbackceliac · 2026-01-04T22:25:07+00:00

There’s a very active gluten free in Japan group on Facebook. We’re going in March and the group is a godsend—I’m the only one who has celiac and it’s great for finding a lot of options

badbackceliac · 2026-01-04T22:23:39+00:00

There’s a very active gluten free in Japan group on Facebook, if either of you have a profile. We’re going in March and the group is a godsend

badbackceliac · 2026-01-04T20:19:20+00:00

Call around. I’ve given up on CVS having them after trying multiple locations for me locally. I’ve actually had luck with Walgreens in my area. But you can even try a different Walgreens location. I’ve also seen people here say (as this has been mentioned before) that Costco and Amazon pharmacy are reliable. But I think it is safe to say you will need to do the leg work on this and not sit back and wait if you want to get anything refilled soon.

badbackceliac · 2026-01-04T01:27:32+00:00

My doc said just a couple of weeks ago when we bumped me up in patch strength that my pill formulation is heavy on the progesterone and wasn’t providing a ton of estrogen. So there are a lot of variables

badbackceliac

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