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Plank Pose
I started running yoga classes twice a week at Satoyama Design Factory. Today nobody showed up, so I decided to combine my yoga practice with some much needed floor maintenance. It’s amazing how many yoga poses you can do while cleaning the floor. I extended my usual 45 minutes to nearly 3 hours as I…
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Corner Cow
This is my friend and neighbor, Corner Cow. She lives at the dairy next door and watches over the intersection from her hilltop stall. From the road below, I greet her, talk to her about the weather, and sing her songs. She knows my voice and turns to watch me pass. She sniffs the air…
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Friday in Transit
20 min Walk 45 min Yoga 20 min Walk 30 min Bus 90 min Meander in Shops 30 min Walk 25 min Bus 15 min Walk 2 min Bike …Beer There you go, that’s my day. I had to get out of the house today. My bike’s been busted for over a week. I pedalled…
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Honking
Background: I’m teaching my first workshops at Satoyama Design Factory today. It’s in my new rural neighborhood and I have no idea who, if anyone, will turn up. Could be little kids, could be elderly neighbors, all of the above or no one at all. I’m OK with letting things flow and I can take…
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Courtesy Call
Our local policeman, Matsuda-san, dropped by this afternoon. He spoke in gloriously slow and clear Japanese to welcome us to the neighborhood and make sure that he had our details for his emergency book. We’ve had these courtesy calls in Tokyo,too, but this one was a little special. “If you ever have any trouble, like…
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Takezawa Demystified
Our questions about the mysterious Takezawa of the abandoned house were answered yesterday by Kawakami-san, who runs the gas station and LP gas business in the village. Takezawa moved down into town and lives in a nice, new house near the barber shop. He truly did abandon the house with no further thought of it.…
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4 Plugs
When Tod ran us our first bath in the new house, we discovered that the old bath plug was no longer sealing the drain – a slow leak meant that the water was noticeably lower upon getting out after a good soak. PLUG 1: Tod measured the plug – 34 mm – and we biked…
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Bus Tickets
Without a car in the countryside, we ride the bus pretty frequently. In fact, I have the schedule memorised now but it is pretty easy because there are only four busses a day that leave from our stop. Tod has invested in “kaisuken” discount bus tickets. They come in different denominations so you can pay…
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Adventure Hiking
A view from the heights above Kozuka According to Open Street Map, up behind the Hackerfarm, past the Kamado no Hi bakery and the site of the Kozuka Art Festival, and there’s a hiking trail. Google Maps doesn’t show it. Akiba said there was nothing but his friend’s house at the end of that road.…
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Shoji repairs
The holes and the old paper removal process This old house is totally wonderful and it is full of projects to do. Today I learned how to replace shoji, the paper on our interior doors. First you take the paper off by dampening the old glue and peeling the paper away from the frame. Our…
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