In Japan’s 72 traditional micro seasons, winter gradually hints at giving way to spring with rain moistening the soil, mists that linger, and the surfacing of hibernating insects. In Tokyo, some of the old signs of transition still appear, but I tend to notice spring’s arrival elsewhere. As I check the weather each morning, I […]
August 2024 Haiku
I don’t know what to say about this month without swearing. Megaquake alert, multiple typhoons, a rice shortage, ridiculous heat and humidity…all we need now is Godzilla to awaken in Tokyo Bay. Add to that a lot of deadlines and a dodgy elbow, and there was plenty to write haiku about. Here are a few: […]
Rainy Season: Haiku July 2024
Rainy season has officially ended in Tokyo. While summer can be grim here, rainy season for me is even grimmer. It’s peak migraine season for starters. I swear I have a seasonal cognitive slump every rainy season. That’s reflected in the quality and focus of the haiku drafts on my phone. I’ve done nothing but […]
Insomnia & Summer Romance: Haiku June 2024
A SUMMER THING the darkness sweats cicada calls our sweet nothings darkness rising… thinking her words cicada fall silent INSOMNIA 1am the caffeine-nap bites back 2am the dog chases pigeons in a squeaky dream 3am my bladder awakens
Haiku Word Choices
This post is going to start by stating the obvious: word choice is important for all writing. But it could be argued that the shorter the piece, the more precise language needs to be. Poorly chosen words are more exposed when there are fewer words around them. One of the reasons I first got into […]
March 11
MARCH 11: A HAIBUN The Ginza Line was pulling out of Ueno Station when the quake hit, jolting the train to a hard stop, then vibrating it like a car revving to free its tyres from thick mud. For the first few moments, I thought somebody must have thrown themselves under the train. It wouldn’t […]