Plant Plunderage

    Encountered a plant thief the other day while out jogging, which left me standing shaking my head. 🤦🏼‍♂️ We heard about this phenomenon on a variety show at some point, and had heard someone in the neighborhood say their plants had been stolen, but this was my first real brush with arboreal brigandry. I was out jogging, plodding along as usual on a hot morning, and could hear a faster runner come up behind me.

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    If you’re living in or visiting Japan, here are some useful resources we compiled regarding disaster readiness. Stay safe and help those around you if you can. 🎌🚒

    Happy New Year greetings to one and all, but our thoughts are with those impacted by the large & terrifying Ishikawa quake.

    Osechi food on New Years in Japan

    Ozoni soup, crab and osechi at Japan new years.

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    On 12/23 in 1982 Japan NTT designated this day “telephone card day”. My first real job was at a design co that licensed idol and actor photos, selling “tereca” printed with them and some English text, to dept stores. 🎌☎️

    Per GEDA, 12/22 1997 (H9) marks when generic medicines were first allowed by MHLW, giving Japan consumers access to cheaper alternatives. Med patents expire in ~20 yrs, after which generics can be made. 🇯🇵💊

    Walkers have precedence on the highways and byways of Sumida… 📷🇯🇵

    A bike rider in a grey jacket rides under an underpass while a walker crosses the bridge above. The yellow sign on the bridge admonishes riders that pedestrians have right of way, and to ride slowly.

    Optimists waiting in the cold to buy their 年末ジャンボー “year end jumbo” lottery ticket. 📷🇯🇵

    Long queue of people outside a Tokyo building, all bundled up against the winter cold.

    Baron Yoshitoshi Tokugawa (relative of the last Shogun) piloted Japan’s first powered flight 19 Dec 1910 where Yoyogi Park is today. 🇯🇵🪽

    Dec 16, 1890 (M23) marks the start of phone service between Tokyo and Yokohama with 155 and 44 phones respectively. The 7 female operators (with 2 males on night shift) could connect you for 240K JPY in today’s money. 🇯🇵📞

    Destruction of the ancestral “jikka” home under tarps, 2019. 📷🇯🇵

    A home between white and green tarps being torn down by a small yellow backhoe.

    A program in place since 1906 in Japan, Dec 15-25 marks the period during which you can post a 年賀状 “nengajo” postcard for Jan 1 arrival. 🇯🇵🏣📷

    A nengajo new year’s greeting postcard from 2012-13.

    Dec 13 marks the formal start in Japan of 正月事始め(shougatsu-goto-hajime) when the Big Tidy activities start and it’s off to the mountains to get 門松 (kadomatsu) materials. 🎍🇯🇵

    Alien traffic safety mascot approaches. 📷👽

    A person in a mascot suit, with polka dots in green, blue, and yellow, and antennae, has a sash with “koutsu anzen” (traffic safety) written on it.

    Scaffolding went up before the old “jikka“ ancestral home was torn down. Four years ago already! 📷🏡

    An old tan and brown Japanese style house with scaffolding around prior to it being torn down. Yard is kind of overgrown. There’s a makeshift utility pole with an electric wire strung from it.

    This weekend is 大掃除 “ohsouji” or the “Big Tidy” as I like to call it, where the nooks and crannies get so clean even Marie Kondo blushes. If you’re not in Japan, do you do this? 📷🇯🇵🧽🧹

    A Shiba dog sleeps on tan flooring under a dining table.

    Udagawa Yu-sui-chi is a little nature conservation area near a park we take Maru the Shiba to almost daily. You can’t go down into it but you can peer at it to see birds. 📷🦆

    Nature area on a small local river the Uda in the fall.

    Atsuta Horaiken is a famous eel shop in Nagoya since 1873. Two hour wait, and 3100 yen for lunch in 2011! The servers looked bored, but were chatting, pretty in their pajama-like purple kimono uniforms. 📷🇯🇵

    Unagi shop servers wearing purple kimono chatting while waiting for something to do.

    Can I get your PIN? At a 370 yr old wagashi sweets shop in Nagoya called Ryokuchiya Korekiyo, 2011. This person was kindly explaining and answering my many questions. 📷🇯🇵🍡

    Clerk in salmon pink uniform at Japanese sweets shop handing me a credit card scanner.

    Some snaps from a morning jog in Tennozu Isle Shinagawa Tokyo, 2016. It’s a whole feeling to wander among these buildings when there’s nobody around. 📷🏢

    Approach to Tennozu Isle subway stop in the morning.

    Building front with escalator tops.

    Building plaza complex showing bridges between buildings.

    The old are replaced … 📷🚕

    Older model sedan type taxi from Kokusai Motorcars in Tokyo.

    Japan Post’s 巡回郵便 “junkai yuubin” service truck (Shinjuku 2010), picking up and delivering near organizations with large mail volume. Usually it’s a SuperCub! 📷🇯🇵📮

    Small red Japan Post mail truck from the side.

    Small red Japan Post mail truck from the rear.

    Red Honda SuperCub mail delivery bike.

    Goroawase is flexible. Today 11/29 is いい肉 “good meat” day, but also ワンワン服 “doggy clothes” day according to Global Pets of Yokohama. 🇯🇵

    A Shiba dog wearing a blue and white raincoat catching snow on his tongue.

    Evening walk with Fuji. 📷🗻🇯🇵

    Evening view of Mt Fuji from a hill in the neighborhood in the fall.

    Mokichi Foods Garden in Chigasaki serves great food and has a lovely interior with luxe lighting. 📷🍷

    A restaurant interior, impressive with a large designer pendant lamp, wood floors and books along the far wall.

    Lo! The “dent of authenticity” along the top of a real, genuine Milk carton! No “milk drink” for these Cogleys, no sir. 📷🥛

    Top of milk carton showing divot in paper, which is there to help visually impaired people know it’s milk.

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