2.24.23
Here we are, another month almost finished. As much as I am awful at fighting the chilly February mornings and nights (I may have been in 6 layers the other morning with a thermos of hot water and a cup of hot milk on the table...yet still managed to have numb fingers) I am embracing the quietness and stillness Yakage winter brings. It often feels like I walk into film clips frozen in time...and I can count in my head "1, 2, 3...unpause" that let's go of that clip forever. Perhaps I can also describe these clips as snowflakes that waltz down with life when in the air, but instantly fade into nothingness with a touch.
- The granny bent into a capital G revving her motor-basket-bike traveling at the speed of light--a sheer 5km/hr--as she reacts to the intersection's green signal light. 1, 2, 3...unpause.
- The koi flashing seconds of his red coat as I run upstream under fading skies. 1, 2, 3...unpause.
- As my bike turns closer to my Oda hoikuen destination, I catch a far off hollar echoing from the field of Yakage's most professional, world class, champion, number one croquette league made up of grans and gramps over the age of 80+. 1, 2, 3...unpause.
There are more word snaps I want to list, but in the meantime, I hope these photo snaps from one fine morning walk can also convey a little of what I am trying to say. If nothing else, maybe they show a glimpse of how Yakage gifts me daily beauty and joy without even needing to try.
Some February moments and updates to recount:
- Getting 2nd place at Yakage's annual 5K race does not end up with a medal, a certificate, nor cash prize. It ends up with an ice box filled with 35 bags of beansprouts. What a prize to bequeath...I'm not sure if it was more difficult to run the race or to give out all the beansprout bags before they went bad.
- I got to bake bread with my former co-teacher, Yasuda sensei, and it was so fun! We caught up as she introduced me to her newly built house (wild...it was still in outlet planning mode during the summer and BAM! BOOM! the houes is built. Sometimes Japanese efficiency scares me...) and played with her 3 year old. 'Twas a wholesome and yummy-smelling day~
- As always, I have come home with Ma-Chan goods which include, but are not limited to: raw sea cucumber, a huge head of chinese cabbage, a fresh box of ruby strawberries, stalks and stalk of green onions, handmade rice amazake that other grannies gave to her, fresh wakame harvested that day from the Seto Inland Sea, and a bag full of citrus fruits that was delivered to me at the Yakuba because I couldn't get to her place that night. Also she low key met the prince of Burkina Faso on Tuesday. Go off, Ma-Chan, go off. AND apparently she got so used to giving me hugs that she instictively went to go hug the prince--which is unheard of for Japanese people to do--and apparently he was so happy to give the hug back. But truly, who wouldn't be?
- Manki, Sam and I celebrated the Emperor's birthday by going to the Takahashi City Library which also has a playground, bookstore, giftstore, and a Starbucks all in one (also attached to the JR train station!?) It kind of felt like the Weasleys' eclectic Burrow. It was quite the memorable trip as we not only filled ourself with Starbucks Sakura Sweets (sakura frappucino, sakura soy latte, sakura matcha donut, and sakura chiffon cake) but we also ventured into this dark hole-in-the-wall food place for lunch that was in everyway sketch, confusing, and hilarious all at the same time.
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cabbage head!
homemade creamcheese bread!
sam with the bear's oven newly adopted cat
raw sea cucumber omgggggg
