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It’s nice to know
It’s nice to know that foreigners aren’t the only ones with bad handwriting. A friend called Aizawa filled in her commuter train pass form. A machine scanned the handwriting and printed the name on the pass. Her new name is Fizaku (the bottom line in the example). Close. Very close. Fortunately, Fizaku is just a…
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I’m so caught up
I’m so caught up in my work now it seems like there was never a holiday at all. I spent all day yesterday writing, producing web sites and catching up on my DigitalEve work. And I’m at it again today, see?
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Oshogatsu is over. We
Oshogatsu is over. We now return to our regularly scheduled life. I skipped the traditional festivities and just rested. It was six tranquil days for me. I made no temple visit, no trip shout “banzai!” to the Emperor. I didn’t even buy a fukubukuro–a lucky grab bag. New Years can be dangerous. Six people were…
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Kakizome is the first
Kakizome is the first calligraphy of the new year. It’s traditionally done on January 2nd and the department stores and shops around Tokyo prepare for this day with enormous displays of writing tools for sale–brushes of many sizes, inkstones with different shades of black ink, traditional papers, scrolls, and decorative plaques. Shodo (the art of…
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Bunkyo-ku is famous for
Bunkyo-ku is famous for its universities and literary sons. Natsume Soseki, a 19th century novelist is pictured on the 1000 yen note and the site of the house where he wrote I Am A Cat is not too far from our own. When we first visited it, there was an old stone monolith carved with…
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Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu!
Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu!
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Tradition, faith, and superstition
Tradition, faith, and superstition send everyone to the temples and shrines at midnight tonight to make the first homage of the year. Clapping hands or ringing bells, you capture the attention of the enshrined spirit, then toss some change in the offerings box and bow. On the way out, you might make a purchase of…
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Here’s a year-end writing
Here’s a year-end writing exercise for you. In 25 words exactly, describe your year. It’s harder than you might think. I’ve managed this: Spent seven weeks on holiday in Maui, China, mainland US. Wrote lots, taught many, earned little. Saw the inside of my head. Didn’t do enough.
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Now through January 3rd
Now through January 3rd is holiday time. We’ll clean house and prepare auspicious foods for toshigama, the year gods, between now and Monday. Then we can kick back and enjoy the luxury of idleness for the first three days of the new year. Except I think it won’t work out quite like that in our…
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Good grief, we have
Good grief, we have four coffee making devices. In addition to the standard electric drip maker I use to make our morning brew, we have a stovetop moka pot, an espresso maker, and a siphon pot. We also have a french press packed away in storage in the States. We like coffee. And lately we’ve…
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