台所で、梅の枝が冬の日を暖かくしてくれます。
With the temperatures still cold outside, it’s nice to see this small plum branch blooming in the kitchen.
Plum branch with buds popping in kitchen
Month: February 2013
Rice ball and coins outside small Nakano shrine
お供えに、おにぎりはどうですか。
Saying a brief prayer at my local shrine, I was startled to see that another visitor had left a saran-wrapped onigiri (rice ball) next to a small pile of coins on the threshold. I guess the local gods enjoy earthly food as well as currency.
Snow covers small shrine near our apartment
ちょっとしたお祈りのために、この家の近くにある小さな神社にたまに行きます。
This is my go-to place for rapid spiritual consultations. The shrine looks best in snow and during festivals.
An old danchi housing from the 1950s being replaced with “The Garden Residence”
家の近くで、古い団地が新しいマンションに建て替えられています。Garden Residenceという英語の名前はありふれていると思います。
A large parcel in my neighborhood is being excavated for a new housing project, called “The Garden Residence.” Who doesn’t like gardens, but couldn’t they have come up with a more unique name? I am curious what landscape will be visible to the neighbors.
Plum blossoms on pedestrian path give off intoxicating scent
寒い日に、梅の花が濃くて甘い匂いを出しています。冬の歩行者通路をきれに見せてくれています。中野で。
On a cold overcast day, these white plum blossoms provide a thick sweet fragrance. It reminded me of narcissus and early spring, although we’re still in mid-winter.
This Tokyo duck has seen finer days
この東京のカモは元気がなさそう。
I am not sure why this used furniture shop thinks the duck is going to inspire shopping. The duck looks like a cautionary tale of some sort.
Who’s in your back pocket? Mine is Kotooshu.
後ポケットに、いつもだれがいますか。私のポケットには、琴欧洲がいます。洗濯ひもは家と外の間にあって、庭のまんなかにあって、台所の机からいつも見えます。
The laundry line in our Tokyo flat is ever present, in the middle of the garden and directly in view from the kitchen table desk. Whether decorative or not, the laundry line is a porous border between inside and out, home and neighbors.
My handkerchief collection now includes the Bulgarian Kotooshu, one of the longest serving ozeki sumo wrestlers, as well as Asashoryu, the Mongolian yokozuna forced out of the profession a few years ago for bad behavior. Given the function of handkerchiefs, perhaps it’s not the most appropriate form of hero worship.
Snow and ice on the hallway outside our apartment
マンションの外の通路に、雪も氷がたくさんありました。こういう日は、自転車を乗らないほうがいいと思います。
Trekking in Nakano snow
大雪の日、中野駅まで着くのは、大きい冒険のように感じました。
Just making it to Nakano station seemed like a great adventure in the heavy snow.
Fruit tree and old home covered in thick snow
柿の木と昭和時代風の窓は、大雪の下で魔法にかけられたように見えます。
The Showa-era home and its old persimmon tree I always pass on the pedestrian path look magical under thick snow.
Four season Nakano garden under snow
駅に行く途中にある狭い庭は、どの季節もきれいです。今回、大雪の下で、魅力的です。
Ishii-san’s garden is interesting in every season. Here it sits under heavy snowfall. His white camellias survived and were still flowering when the snow melted.
A solitary thrill to leave the apartment in fresh snow
外に出る瞬間、特に大雪の日は、ワクワクします。
I am a bit of a shut-in during winter, but there’s something exciting about leaving the apartment lobby and entering fresh snow. It’s a solitary thrill.
Snow piled up on balcony flowers, but everything survived storm
雪がベランダの花と野菜の上に積もったけれど、皆、負けませんでした。
Last month, the snow covered the balcony plants. Somehow all the flowers and vegetables survived this heavy snow.
Snowfall behind the dormant green curtain
先月、雪がたくさん降りました。外に人が少なかったから、都市が静かになった。
A heavy snowfall last month briefly slowed down the city and produced an unusual quiet. I loved seeing how fast it accumulated.
Up-potting radish seedlings, with some thyme on the corners
冬の暖かい昼に、ラディッシュの苗を大きい植木鉢に入れました。角に、タイムが二つ種類あります。
I took advantage of a warm winter day to up-pot the radishes into a one big rectangular pot. The larger plants on the ends are two types of thyme. Despite the cold temperatures, they’re growing a little every day.
