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Blossoming
My prediction was wrong. The sakura appeared on Saturday! Our long walk took us along the Kanda river near Edogawabashi. The park there is lined with cherry trees that hang over the water. So beautiful! The trees should be in full bloom later this week. I wonder if the season will last until next weekend;…
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Library cards
We have library cards. We took a long walk yesterday and discovered a small library not too far from our house. We stopped in and marvelled at all the books: a huge children’s collection, cookbooks and magazines on the first floor; music, novels and non-fiction on the second floor. Mainly in Japanese, of course. We…
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Documented work
Outdoor workers are often accompanied by a photographer to document their work. In a case like this, it would be difficult to tell in a few weeks’ time if the work had been performed adequately, so photos tell the story and prove the work was done. The sign notes the date and location as well…
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Almost blooming
The sakura are almost ready to bloom. The buds are huge and swollen but not quite popping out yet. Wednesday or Thursday next week, I’d guess. That’s about ten days earlier than usual. I’m looking forward to walking under the pink clouds of trees that give up their petals within a few days of blooming.…
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We broke the toilet
We broke the toilet seat. Maybe it was already broken and we just noticed it. Or perhaps (most likely) it was about to break and our big, gaijin butts were the straw that broke the camel’s back and cracked the plastic seat. Having just moved into this new building, I figured I’d better ask the…
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Just around the corner
Just around the corner and down the street from us is the Japan Shiatsu College. The founder of the school, Tokujiro Namikoshi, is also the the father of the shiatsu. Namikoshi is depicted in a larger than life bust in the front. He looks so happy. There’s an interesting article about him written by Shirley…
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A million yen sounds
A million yen sounds like a lot, but doesn’t go far when you’re doing taxes. My gross income was just over a million yen which makes my taxable income about 450,000. Subtracting out the deduction of 380,000, I should be taxed on only 70,000 yen of my income. (That’s about $500). I’ve already paid about…
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It’s tax time here
It’s tax time here in Japan. National, city, and metropolitan taxes are due on Friday. Do I have any of mine done? No. Last Friday, I went to our ward office to pick up forms but got so confused that I left with one form but no instructions. Trust me, you can’t do this two…
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When I’m not in
When I’m not in my office, I’m often at DigitalEve Japan events. Here I am with Satsuki at the registration desk of yesterday’s Photoshop workshop. The workshop was a great success from my point of view. I ran around and played classroom assistant while Cara Dailey did the teaching. She covered clipping paths, layers and…
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This is the most
This is the most loved room in our house–the office. There’s no denying that it is the hub of our home. I spend most of my waking hours here. Tod is normally found at his desk (pictured to the left) or tinkering with his computers in the rack. At parties, guests usually migrate to the…
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