日本から新年あけましておめでとうございます!

2026年1月1日🎉 January 1st 2026

👉 You see this picture? It’s the stereotype of Tokyo isn’t it? The glittering glam city on the Eastern edge of the world…..

👉 Well, it was the film that brought us here. A newly released Japanese drama directed by a Sang Il-Lee, a Korean director. It’s called Kokuho, and deals with the world of Kabuki Theatre and the Yakusa (Mafia). Well worth the 3 hours! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6k9Y-irvOE

👉 That’s if you can bear the thought of a cinema on the 9th floor in the Shinjuku district……

👉 It’s a crazy time to be in Japan. “Christmas” has promptly been dismissed, and everybody is on holiday for the New Year. The decoration has already appeared on the gate of “my” house…

👉 It’s not as cold as it should be. Climate change no doubt. The gingko fruits are scattered on the ground…….

…and the sun is really quite warm….

….filtering through the late autumn leaves…..

and onto the ground……

There are tasty things in the shops……

👉 I had one of these Taiyaki (a waffle shaped like a sea bream and filled with sweet beans ) with a coffee….having got lost in the local mega store.

Looking for a thermos flask, I found myself in the wheelchair department for some reason…..may need one of these some day……!

…Do I need a shrine?….er….no…..

…or maybe a tasty fin?………

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👉 As you know from my blogs from Langen, I am fascinated by building sites. I am sure you share my enthusiasm…….ahem……well….what’s this then? On a very steep slope in Hoshikawa they look like they have built parking spaces…I couldn’t work it out – especially the little trees….

👉 but oh no….of course….you dimwit….they will construct wooden houses in these spaces. Like the one down the road…..perfect high quality woodwork….very impressive…!

👉 Whilst we are looking at what Nigel can see from his bedroom window we can pause and look at the fantastic evening light the other day…..The View of the Towers

Not appreciated by all. Miro-chan has other priorities…..

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👉 You will remember* that last week I mentioned playing music (* I expect you to read all my blogs diligently of course) .

Portrait of a ‘cello at Senzoku-ike railway station….before…..

….and after….

👉 Well, this week Tomoko and myself finally got it together…..(no, I am not inserting the recording here. Nobody wants to hear two amateur musicians scraping away 😅)

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👉 So if you are not playing chamber music or sitting in the luxurious seats of a Tokyo cinema, what can you do here in December then? Well, go to the beach of course. No, not to swim. They are horribly crowded in summer, but in winter?…….let’s have a look at Muirakaigan – only 45 mins south of Yokohama……

👉 Hello Japan in winter.……yes, it’s a kite….

….and there are horses….

and pretty shells…..

..and odd things….like radishes drying in the sun…

and….well…what’s this?…..

…..a fish left high and dry…poor thing !

………a fishing boat that didn’t make it home….

…and always that seductive sound of the sea…..

👉 I love to see what efforts have been made in the past to haul boats out of the water. Either with muscle power….

or with the help of a motor……

But the sea always wins in the end…..burying the boats…..

or carrying nutrients to the rock pools….

or by it’s mere presence….See those people? They were collecting shells, and had a little saucepan of water to clean them.

blue is the colour……

👉 So there you are. No Kimonos, no cosplay, no temples…..but I did find a few Buddhas…..They crop up in mysterious places….like in Oppama further up the coast….

…some are even coloured……….

Some are too big to be coloured….

👉 Sometimes you find an old book of Sutras to pray with……However, the elements or the ants have got to this one …

👉 No Japan blog is complete without this scene is it? I was of course photographing the power lines when I noticed that volcano in the background….

Well, that’s all for this week. Take care everybody. Try and avoid the ‘flue, and again …🎍あけましておめでとう…akemashite omodeto…Happy New Year!

Thank you for reading, and feel free to forward on to anyone who might be interested.

読んでくれてありがとう！。ご興味がある方にはお気軽に転送してください。

See you またね 🍾

nigelwruddock@gmail.com

https://www.instagram.com/nigelruddock/

The End

終わり✨