Tag Archives: new years

Personal Musings

Diary: Starting off 2020 with Coffee and Classes etc.

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A coffee break at “Tartan something or other” (not actual name) in downtown Okayama

So it goes, the festive season passes yet calendar stays busy with the usual sorts of things. Yesterday included returning books to splendid library, a few letters (Switzerland and Indonesia) to the post office, a stop for the best ramen, and a visit to a chiropractor and then a super good little (i mean little) coffee shop – like just perfect right? 

In amongst, we repaired/re-did a wall in Tsuchida Cottage, attended a parenting class(!), went to opera variety show, hit up Hatsumi-san’s piano recital, moved some brick around outside, printed more flyers for Mae Maes gig, talked to a guy about replaced some drafty windows, recycled plastic items, booked a trip to Nagasaki… 

Here is a variety of snippets collected along the way, with minor annotations as possible. 

we ordered umeboshi by the kilo – i love these pickled plums and nope to make them myself one of these days soon but in the meantime, order up in bulk! salty, sour goodness
one morning i awoke to Ryoko singing snippets of so many songs – realized she was tidying up all her sheet music/scores etc.
tidied up the Kamidama a little bit with fresh items to bring good fortune and happiness more and more

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Personal Musings

Diary: New Year’s Bar-b-q at Kobayashi’s Rural Caprine Farm

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Hanging at my non-secret hideaway with sempei Mac Kobayashi.

On January 3rd, to continue celebrating the new year, we organized the parents, uncle/aunt and cousins to head over to Mac Kobayashi’s Rural Caprine Farm for some leisurely bar-b-q fun.

I gave farm tours to check on the big pigs and tiny horse and the old cow barns, feed storage areas, piles of dirt, old van, possible campgrounds and whatnot. 

Anyhow, was very pleasant and i love eating Mac’s food but even more, hanging out with him and his ridiculous music collection. 

The parents and uncle/aunt enjoyed some Koti Beer and Mac’s assortment of wines – so happy!

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Personal Musings

Diary: New Year’s Holiday “Kojo Piano Club” Friends Music Party

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Ren-san, Dave and Hamazaki-san at Kojo Piano Club party
having laffs with my pals Ren-san – Left (master of Piano Bar) who played some John Cage-ish piano composition, and Hama-san who served as MC and due to his recent birthday, received a groovy hat gift from Ryoko and me

Note: In the day’s between / around New Year’s – there are plenty of activities… today’s activities include hanged up the New Year’s decoration, drinking all the coffee to try to wake up & thwart headache, then going to an afternoon friends party/talent show where we will be singing a duet with Ryoko on piano.

Our selection is a modified (taking out the sort of dodgy creepy lyrics) version of “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” with an arrangement vaguely based on this lovely scene in TV programme “The Crown” season 1. 

Do not expect video documentation of our performance though we diligently practiced and made a special vocal arrangement with some trade offs and whatnot. 

However, I will present some insta-photos as evidence and to provide a bit of flavour of the 5th annual Kojo Piano Club (there was even a theme song) party / event in which all the friends (many of whom, perform or learn together) perform music in various ensembles, plus usual eating, drinking and frivolity. 

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Personal Musings

Diary: New Year’s Morning + Day / Reiwa 2, Let’s Enjoy!

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Well hello 2020. Let’s enjoy. Step 1 (or 2) #japanlife

special stash of Indonesian coffee beans
give em a special extra roast
into the Moka (not mocha) pot – my fave all-around way to prepare coffee
warm up in our chilly little cottage

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Personal Musings

Diary: New Year’s Day Reiwa 2, Shrine Visit

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Off to the shrine on New Year’s morning, in this case to a smallish local shrine called 天津神社北側参道 / Achi jinja, up a hill/mountain nearby. 

To amuse (some of the hundreds of) kami at the shrine who (according to some pun-ny alliteration) enjoy 5 yen coins with holes, plus 500 is the going rate for the amulets, some 50s in there too..

There is an arts and crafts component to this activity as well. Come along… 

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Personal Musings

New Years Greetings / 2020 + Reiwa 2 / from Dave + Ryoko

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+ Happy New Year 明けましておめでとうございます+

New Years Greetings / 2020 + Reiwa 2 / from Dave + Ryoko

Here’s vibe-ing Reiwa 2 / 2020 comes with some combination of full hearts, hearths, cradles, pockets, and postboxes as well as small museums, slow trains, free hugs and happy health. You are adored and appreciated.

xo from Dave and Ryoko at Tsuchida Cottage, Okayama

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Post'd (cards + letters)

Post’d: Festive Cards and Greetings, batches away!

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Batch 2 of festive greetz away from the main downtown Okayama postoffice!

And technically, this post box is just for mailing New Year’s cards within Japan, so the pedantic ones amongst you need not point this out… Festive display made for a pleasant photo.

The overall count was smaller than batch one however several bonus super-deluxe envelopes of treats in the mix.

Destinations include: Germany, UAE, Scotland, Sri Lanka, … and the usual USA / Canada locations.

Such fun applying the stamps and interacting with the post office staff as so many folks are in preparing and mailing New Year’s cards.

This lil elf dropped off 80-ish new year cards into the hopper.

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Post'd (cards + letters)

Post’d: New Year’s cards 2020, wave 1

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Batch one of New Year’s postcards sent to seven countries. 95 items in this wave, many more to come…

I will admit, the printer messed up on some of them and the paper choice wasn’t quite as expected, so please grade me on a curve.

Say a prayer to the postal kami that my hand-writing of addresses passes readability standards, and the inky and postal stamps meets approval for both aesthetic and practical purposes.

Noting, if not already, this dispatch definitely put me over 1000 items mailed in 2019. I received almost 50 items in return – each a treasure. #wink

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Personal Musings

Intentions and Musings for a Fresh Year, 2019

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++ Art and Peace for a New Year ++

A humble offering of Musings and Intentions for a Fresh Year, 2019.

‘Tis 2 mins of art and peace with music by Nikos Paraskevas.

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Personal Musings

Musings and Intentions for 2018

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Intentions for 2018
Intentions for 2018

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