[ Abundant sunshine

Two weeks in to 2026 and things have been quiet, if not busy. My first week
back at work was awful with so many things coming up at once, but I think the
dust has mostly settled now.

We are lucky in Tokyo in that winters are quite mild. Yesterday it went up to
15c / 59f, which was nice. Today it's looking to go up to 13c / 55f and then go
down again during the week, but not by much. We have abundant sunshine here
just about every day, which is very welcome indeed. To those who are stuck in
the snow and gloom and/or have Seasonal Affect, you have my sympathies.

I tried to do Hatsumode this year (where one goes to the shrine to pray for the
new year) but I had to give up because Meiji Jingu (next to Harajuku station)
was packed with so many people. I went twice, on two different days, but the
crowds were just too big. I went to see the action at Kaminarimon in Asakusa
(from a safe distance, of course) and it was even more full of people, so I
exited stage left.

Of course I have to interact with people at work, but with the new generations
things aren't the same anymore, so I cherish my time off. What with the nice
weather I can explore deep Tokyo, away from the crowds. One nice place I found
is Aoyama Cemetery near Roppongi. I spent several hours there wandering around
looking at the burial plots. Some go back as far as the 1870s, and Hachiko is
there along with his master. There's a section for foreigners, as well. I found
the final resting places of Gottfried Wagener and Frederick William Strange,
among others.

Enjoy your weekends