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Stele
There is a stele at the top of the east road at 555, right around where I think the old road branched down the hill to the next village. This stone tablet was hidden by weeds until this week, when someone in the work crew uncovered it. It’s a bit of a mystery. 大日如来 (Dainichi…
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Embers
After a day of heavy rain yesterday, we were back at the burn. I didn’t take too many photos today because around midmorning, one of the hydraulic lines on the yumbo sprung a leak. We spent a couple of hours feeding the fire manually while we waited for a repair. Fortunately for us, Komatsu had…
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Offered to the gods
This morning I sang an improvised dirge as we started to burn the broken beams of the house. I don’t think anyone heard it but me, but it was comforting to sing to the house. It was a sad moment for me, and I can only imagine how the Kawasakis felt. They were quiet. While…
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Breaking it down
This morning, I woke up feeling insecure and my anxiety was turned up to 11. I saw on Facebook that they had been working at 555 yesterday, but I’d missed it. I asked about today’s plan and Fujii-san said he thought they’d be gathering again but he didn’t have any details. I am acutely aware…
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Gone, gone, gone
At about 12:30 this afternoon, an announcement came over the loudspeaker: 大山地区。建物火災。平塚５５１。 (Oyama area house fire. Hiratsuka 551.) 551 is the old house next to our kominka – the one with the big gate. Oh! But the announcement was wrong. It wasn’t 551. It was 555. Our kominka, “Go-Go-Go” is gone, gone gone. To be…
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Fukushima, ten years on
Today is the 10th anniversary of the Tohoku Triple Disaster: earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown. I wrote about my experiences at the time and you can look back though those posts (start here) if you want to know my thoughts in that moment. Here are my thoughts in this moment with a decade more experience:…
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Scat, Wild Boar
Never before see in our yard! Boar poop! The shiny circle in the center of the photo is a ten yen coin (about the size of a US quarter) for reference. What a big dump.
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Transformations with Jayne
You know how hearing your own voice recorded is just so strange? Listening to my interview on Transformations with Jayne is like listening to my sister and niece. We have the same voice! Which makes hearing that voice both weird and easier. Jayne and I talked about rural Japan life, my old podcast project, yoga…
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Temporarily Closed
I am feeling unsettled. I have been getting lax with precautions and it’s time to tighten back down. On Christmas day, Tod & I drove north to suburbia and enjoyed lunch in a shopping mall. We wanted a change of scenery and to mark the holiday, but in the middle of a rising wave of…
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Make Music Day 2020
Last year on the summer solstice, The Hill Sisters played some shows as part of Make Music Upper Perk. This year, we are separated by travel restrictions. But I decided I needed to perform anyway – the HILL SISTER Plays Alone – and set up a one woman show for cats and passersby. Maura grabbed…
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