Around 15 years ago, we were given an Asahiyama Sakura bonsai. It got broken when we moved a year later, so my wife planted it in a corner of our garden. The second photo is how it looked today before all the rain.
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Wataru Tenkawa 天河 航
@WataruTenkawa_1@social.vivaldi.net
mastodon 4.7.3+vivaldimodNaturalized Japanese citizen from Michigan via San Francisco. Car-free Tokyo resident since 1978. Thriving on a no-mammals diet since 1970.
0 Followers
0 Following
35 Posts
Joined January 11, 2025
Bluesky:
@10wataru.bsky.social
Now that the cherry blossom season is winding down, allow me to share a favorite photo from a few years back. I love how this tree, despite being old and bent over, still manages to blossom beautifully. An inspiration for older folks like me. (Location: Inokashira Park, Tokyo)
What have you personally found to be the greatest experience in life?
A miso shop in Kichijoji, which closed a couple of decades or so ago. The owner, like many who used to live upstairs from their shop, could no longer tolerate the increasing liveliness as surrounding establishments stayed open later into the night.
Today, the last day of the Golden Week holidays, was a day of great gains. The kind of gains that can be measured on a scale, and that come from eating Italian-style food sourced from five shops in three Shinjuku department stores, topped off by Famima sweets
Young NHK announcer, getting his chance during the holidays: "The last segment ended early and I'm supposed to say something to fill in the remaining time, but I can't think of anything interesting to say. Deepest apologies." This could either be his moment of fame or his demise, depending on the public reaction.
I ran into a neighbor, around 50, out walking his dog this afternoon. After the usual greetings, I asked him about the recent visit to his house by the police (Yeah, I'm that kind of a conversationalist); and he replied, "My wife got out and had to be brought back," which is about what I had expected. His wife has early-onset dementia and has been known to wander far away from home, despite the presence of a home helper. He does all he can for her but has a really tough situation on his hands.
If you make it to your 80s like me, when you look back on your life and the things that made it special, not one of those things will be the sports you watched, no matter how much (needless) anguish they are causing you today.
Say what you will about Facebook, and I'll nod in basic agreement. But if I didn't follow my niece there, I wouldn't get regular updates on my kid brother, who is in hospice care. Also, I got more than 600 Likes on a couple of old photos I posted there. For us ordinary non-influencers, engagement is just on a different scale from other social media I use.
With coffee so expensive these days, I may have to rob a beans shop. I'll wear a mask, sunglasses and baseball cap, go in there brandishing a hamono no yo na mono, and in katakoto eigo say, "Give me mame!"
"A close reading of the Justice Department’s charges Monday afternoon against 31-year-old Cole Allen hints that he didn’t fire any weapon at all.
In fact, it’s not clear from what we know that this was a “shooting” at all."
https://www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/is-the-justice-department-lying-about-saturday-s-shooting
I was listening to some absolutely beautiful music, totally enraptured. Wanting to know who was singing, I Googled the lyrics, "Sitting in blood-choked rows," and discovered it was a large black female singer. Then someone interviewed her and got some brutally frank responses, but still said he really loved her. After waking, I again looked up those lyrics and got nothing. Dreams are like that.
Replying to
@matuzo I think hell is running out of special places by now
My friends know I have a long-time love of Croissants aux amandes. I have sourced them from all over Tokyo, and now have a new favorite, a rather large and sumptuously rich one from bricolage bread & co. Their main shop is in Roppongi, but they also sell from a shop in Tokyu's Food Show in Shibuya (shibuchika).
https://bricolagebread.com
RE: @michael_w_busch@mastodon.online
Japan's carriers nonetheless are pushing it like it's the next big thing
Replying to
@Powerfromspace1@mstdn.social @rysiek@mstdn.social
What I disliked about Bluesky was all the people posting about how much they hate Twitter. I hope Mastodon does not get that way about Bluesky. Let's just be ourselves, doing what we do best, and not get so obsessed about other platforms.
Replying to
@OldCoder@dansu.org Thanks for taking the time to respond. I have already deleted my comment, written more out of exasperation than deep thought. I have long experience with Mastodon, Twitter, Bluesky, and even Threads. They all have their good and bad points, but my ultimate choice(s) will be made based on my own needs and usage.
What's your favo(u)rite of these tropical fruits?
【衝撃】韓国人「日本のケンタッキーまっず！ファミチキの方がマシ」 http://blog.livedoor.jp/kinisoku/archives/5675207.html
Replying to
@sheepchase @fetchezlavache Then you've lived in the area for quite a long time!
Replying to
@sheepchase @fetchezlavache Yes, near Sun Drug
Replying to
@CarlWatkins@mastodon.social You can also follow many Bluesky users (and Threads users) right here on Mastodon.
Replying to
@ShaulaEvans Japanese-to-English translator here, with more than 40 years of experience, working for dozens of major and minor Japanese companies, universities, and government agencies, in fields that include telecom, IT, energy and the environment, metals, whisky, and much more.
Replying to
@Colman Maybe, but the trends so far are interesting
Replying to
@leftyknowitall Thank you for identifying yourself, and congratulations on your choice! Being one of a kind is special.
Replying to
@deborahh @joybooster
But is it tropical? We have them growing right here in Tokyo.
Replying to
@RachelThornSub Oh, there's nothing boring about a mango, my favorite as well. (I'm surprised to see no papaya lovers yet after more than 50 votes.)
Replying to
@c_merriweather@social.linux.pizza @blogdiva@mastodon.social I wrote my final exam along the same lines when in theological school back in 1967 (and got an A).
Replying to
@donni@mastodon.social Outliving the people who wronged me in the past has been my own favorite form of revenge.
The hottest places in Japan today
順位 地点名 気温 時刻
1 練馬（東京都） 30.5℃ 12:10
2 甲府（山梨県） 30.4℃ 12:15
3 八王子（東京都） 30.1℃ 14:25
4 大月（山梨県） 29.7℃ 12:09
5 上里見（群馬県） 29.6℃ 12:02
6 前橋（群馬県） 29.5℃ 13:09
6 さいたま（埼玉県）29.5℃ 12:48
8 越谷（埼玉県） 29.4℃ 12:46
9 所沢（埼玉県） 29.3℃ 13:55
9 南部（山梨県） 29.3℃ 13:17
11 韮崎（山梨県） 29.1℃ 14:11
11 鹿嶋（茨城県） 29.1℃ 14:06
13 伊勢崎（群馬県）29.0℃ 14:22
Replying to
@glen_malley@mstdn.ca It is a very different atmosphere over there, one I'm not comfortable with. I think it has to do with expectations. People on Bsky are far more conscious of their peers, and how they are expected to act. People here can just be themselves and nobody really cares what you are or how cool you are.
Replying to
@datn I'm a combination of 2 and 5. It sounds like it would be really useful to have, but I would worry about lifetime.
Replying to
@updn Yes, I regret not having included Great music among the choices
(Still alive but pondering whether to stay on Mastodon)