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The end of year
The end of year cleaning frenzy has begun. Everyone in Tokyo is tidying house before the new year begins. A friend once commented that the only time his kitchen was grease free was on the last day of the year when his wife finished the annual house cleaning. The shops have every variety cleaning and…
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Despite my aversion to
Despite my aversion to Christmas, I really love the day after. Growing up in my family, we vied for the coveted spot on the sofa to read all of the new books we’d just acquired from our literary friend, Santa. We called it Couch Day. This year, it’s Bed Day for me. I’ve tucked up…
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Berate me as Scrooge
Berate me as Scrooge or the Grinch, but holidays make me cringe. Even at a remove of 10,000 kilometers, there is pressure to follow traditions that don’t apply here in Japan. I recall even more pressure to conform in the States, but maybe it was mitigated through commiseration –sharing the stories of cookie-baking marathons, rounds…
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We walked from the
We walked from the Sun to Pluto this afternoon with Katie. Most people would have thought we were just walking down a street, but anyone who observed closely would have seen we were pacing off the astronomical units between planets and laying down planets to scale. Earth is a peppercorn; Jupiter is a chestnut; the…
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The turkey is thawing
The turkey is thawing in the living room. This is not, as you might imagine, a health hazard because the living room is only slightly above freezing. Freezing cold rooms in wintertime are a normal feature of Japanese homes. Rooms are heated individually, not centrally and every room has a door so that you can…
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I found a turkey.
I found a turkey. Frozen. Priced at 3800 yen; the store didn’t even an attempt to pricing it by weight, but it works out to about $3 per pound, I think. Soon it will be thawing in my refrigerator waiting for Christmas dinner. This will be the first traditional holiday meal I’ve cooked in many…
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Yuki, yuki, yuki. (That’s
Yuki, yuki, yuki. (That’s ‘you-key,’ the word for snow, not ‘yucky.’) The weather report says 70% chance of snow today and a high of 5 degrees (that’s 41 F). This is unusual for December–the weather is usually clear and mildly chilly until mid-January. Then we get some rain but rarely snow. I’ll bundle up in…
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At 2 am, there’s
At 2 am, there’s nothing but taxis on the streets. The trains stop running at midnight and late-night revellers catch cabs to get home. The taxi drivers must make a fortune with their 50% late-night surcharge. Last night the streets around the Imperial Palace, hub of central Tokyo traffic, were jammed with taxis and their…
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Two towers of brightly
Two towers of brightly colored Christmas toys flank the entrance at Olympic, a local discount store. On the left are the hot pink selections for girls: Hello Kitty kitchen set with a plastic stove and food; a Pengin pudding maker that steams real food; manicure kits with glitter stickers and fake nails. On the right…
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Yesterday morning, the Mita
Yesterday morning, the Mita line was running late. Tod arrived at Kasuga station to board a train for work, but had to wait on the platform for 30 minutes. When he finally made it to Otemachi station, a train employee gave him a note to hand to his employer to explain why he was late.…
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