I started working from home

It was a sunny day with few clouds in Tokyo even though the climate was a little bit cold (around 5 degrees Celsius or 41 degrees Fahrenheit).

Zoni Soup

A Happy New Year!  I wish you all good health and happiness throughout the new year of 2015.
To me, the first posting of the year has got to be on this zoni soup (or "Ozoni", called in a politer way) which my auntie cooks for us on January 1st every year.  
Different areas (and households) of Japan have different recipes of zoni to celebrate the start of new years, and the one my aunt has is that of Kanto region.  
In the clear soup using the kombu and katsuo  stock, she puts slightly grilled mochi rice cake (square type: in some other regions, they use round type mochi), chicken, pink and white kamaboko (the combination of red and white colors are believed to bring good fortunes), narutomaki, spinach, and so forth.  If you happen to be at someone's house in Japan on January 1st, check out this tasty soup and wish for the well-being of you and the ones you love. 

Tokyo Station Building

Visited Tokyo Station building for the first time (with one of my best friends) after its remodeling project was completed two year ago.  We also took a visit to the exhibit "Tokyo Station: A Hundred Years of Its Legacy" held at Tokyo Station Gallery (scheduled until May 1st, 2015) which helps understand the history and the philosophy of the architecture.  The station has been familiar to me since I was an elementary school pupil but the building appeared new to me with a refreshed outlook. 

Peko-chan

When you are walking down some streets in downtown Tokyo (or many other cities in Japan), you will find one of these figures standing in front of a confectionery chain store named "Fujiya."  Her name is Peko-chan and she puts on different attires in different seasons.  For example, in Christmas holiday season, she is in Santa's costume, and in early January, you will see her wearing Kimono because some people visit temples and/or shrines wearing this traditional Japanese clothe to pray for the good health and happiness during the new year.  Check out what kind of clothes she's in when you happen to visit Tokyo.      

The Beginning

Dear My Reader, 

Thank you for taking a look at this posting especially at this busy time of the year when everyone is getting ready for the new year to come.

To begin the new year of 2015, I'm thinking of starting my new blog showing you bits and pieces of Tokyo, the city I have been living in for some 40 years from my point of view.  It'll be nice if it gives you a sneak preview or the slightest idea of what the place looks (or feels, tastes, or smells) like especially if you are a first-time comer.

There are a couple of excuses I have to make, though:

First of all, please excuse my English errors or mistakes as it's not my first language.  You are more than welcome to ask questions if you have any in case you are not sure what I'm talking about: but please allow me to spare some time to get back to you since I'm writing this in my spare time during the New Year holiday.

Secondly, although Tokyo is my home town or city, I don't know everything about the place; on the contrary, I get lost without knowing which subway line(s) to take even to my own destinations let alone where some strangers ask me the directions for, so please don't expect me to be your tour guide.  :-)

Finally, I'm quite a moody writer and sometimes I don't feel like logging on to the Internet especially when I come home exhausted from the day's work, so if you could forgive me for not being a blogger on a regular basis, I would appreciate it very much.

Enough for my excuses.  Let me begin with some introductory postings to show you what I meant by what I've just said above.

Thanks again for reading, and Happy Holidays!

Best wishes, 

George Joji Ohama   

Christmas is just around the corner.  We are having a Christmas service at our church on upcoming Sunday, December 21st.
What has the year 2014 been like to you?  I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

早いもので、2014年ももう残り13日。私の通う教会では、今度の日曜日がクリスマス礼拝です。今年ももうそろそろ終わります。みなさんにとって今年はどんな一年でしたか？どうぞ、よいクリスマスをお迎えください。