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: […]
The Conversation Clinic
I was at a local clinic today for some elbow rehab. It’s a fascinating place, mostly frequented by elderly who pop in for treatment for the aches and pains of aging, in a communal treatment room full of benches and machines that are showing their own signs of age. Other than a few kids with […]