It is in the afternoon on the end of 2009.

I jogged and embraced the strong sun light on the last day of 2009.
I love spending the new year in Japan. Almost every single business is closed and everybody goes back home to spend sometime with his/her family. Less traffic and people on the streets and no lights in office buildings. The constant commotion disappears and the sound of quietness dominates the whole country. The air gets crisp and clean. The sky gets crystal blue. All the shrines and temples in the whole country prepare for the new year ceremony. People cook "osechi," the special cuisine for the new year. "Kadomatsu," which symbolizes a tree provided for the descent of the gods, is decorated almost every single house. Through the entire year, this is the most precious time when we all are simply connected to our heritage.
Peaceful and spiritual energy travels though the country.

Looking back this year, there were many changes in my life--moving back to Japan from NY, quitting my job, leaving my friends. Still, now I am in transition, not knowing exactly where my life heads to. Experiencing "unknown," yet I felt grateful. While jogging, I said to myself, " I will accept anything comes along and I'm not scared. " I'm here in Japan. It is funny in a way, as I didn't really plan well on coming back here, but I will surrender. I think I have been trying to fight or control my life enough. Now, I just want to let everything happen, like as a true observer. The fact that I was jogging, exposing myself to the sun, breathing the clean air, listening to the sound of the wind, being soaked myself into serenity in my neighborhood just made me feel happy tremendously. Indeed, people passing by looked happy as well. That's how Oshogatsu do to people!

I am thanking for this year and for the fact that I can spend the new year in Japan.
A happy wonderful peaceful New Year.
Love for all.

Hannari

"Hannari" is Kyoto dialect.
You can find it in almost any guide books for Kyoto, yet the meaning of it IS mystery. Occaosinally, there are words that can grab my heart and excite me by just listening to without knowing why...., like unfathomable, abyss in English. "Hannari" is really it.
When I was in Kyoto last time, I asked a several Kyoto people what it meant and how it could be used in a conversational context.
They all go,
" Well, it doesn't have a clear and solid meaning. can't really explain, yet we use it...you know."
"I don't know...." I replied and insisted like "Could you give me some examples?"
"You could say for this particular part of the neck of this particular Geisha," showing me the photo of the geisha.
"or just for somebody," the other cited.
" or, for this particular shape of one's finger." "oh, for the particular scenery." "Right, but also for the food?"
They went on and on.
After a long discussion, then the conclusion was this:
"Well, yet, actually, it all depends on each individual."
".....!?"
OK...., this word is in a way very discriminative to a sense that "Sorry, if you are not from Kyoto, you can't know."
That's very Kyoto-ish, indeed.
So, is it really bad thing?
As much as I felt disappointed and annoyed by the fact anybody couldn't give me a clarification of the meaning, after a while I started respecting this attitude. Isn't it nice to use the word that doesn't have a clear meaning, yet to be able to understand feeling of it between people's communications? That's the essential spirit of Japan. Like an ability to understand invisible or quintessential point without relying on much explanation.
Our language is very subtle and sensual to begin with. It would be originated from that spirit.
We, in fact, have so many "Gitai-go," (mimentic words) like "shito shioto," "Beto beto," "chira chira," "kira kira," "choro choro," "gotsu gotsu," "hishi hishi," to describe more feeling of situations. (Not to describe the sound of animals or actions, like WOF WOF in English. )

More importantly, in order to preserve the traditional cultures, we do need a sort of healthy pride. Pride not as arrogance or patriotism, but as " strong faith in what you believe."
I feel that this attitude or mentality is missing in Japan, especailly in Tokyo now.
Not only the cultural scenes, but also our spirits have been westernised to an extreme degree.
Just being in Kyoto, touching the traditional culture there reminded me of the importance of finding the "lost." It IS hard in tokyo to find it, yet even in its urban canyon, behind the glaring neon signs, there would be still something to be picked up. There would be something "Hannari" somewhere, I believe in.

There would be a distinctive aroma in each city

and the aromas of Bonitto and incense were the ones in Kyoto. Well, walking around the city, I found myself almost always hungry...... then the flagrance of the incense brought me back to a sober state of mind. I'm loving this particular combination of two aromas. I traveled to Kyoto alone last fall. It had been a several years since my last visit. Yet, Kyoto was always Kyoto, to me. With mountains, the rivers, one temple and shrine after another, old customs and traditions, what the city could offer was immense, giving opportunities to re-appreciate greatness and grace of the old Japan.