Posted by bastish at 06:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (2)

Posted by bastish at 05:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by bastish at 04:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by bastish at 04:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by bastish at 02:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by bastish at 02:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by bastish at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted by bastish at 09:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by bastish at 09:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by bastish at 08:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by bastish at 08:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted by bastish at 07:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by bastish at 07:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by bastish at 06:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by bastish at 06:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by bastish at 06:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by bastish at 03:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by bastish at 02:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by bastish at 01:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last month the I went out to Enoshima with some members of the Japan Photography Mailing List living around Tokyo.

More of the photos can be seen at the japanphotography.com web-site. I hope that soon some of the others who were there will be ready to post some photos.

Posted by bastish at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (2)

Two days till I get to head out by bike around Shikoku. Can't wait, but I saaw on the news today that Kochi (a city we planned to stop by on the southern coast of Shikoku) is getting 160 cm of rain per hour now. I hope that doesn't happen when we're there. Although, on the other hand, it would add a touch of adventure.

Now that I think about it, I guess we are getting soft. A couple of years ago we rode our bikes from Tokyo to Nagoya (give or take a few kilometers). One of the days was pouring rain all day. It was the most unatractive part of the trip as well, passing through the factory fields of Fuji. Can't say it was all that fun, but it sure did give us a sense of accomplishment.

Posted by bastish at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (1)

Posted by bastish at 02:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Peole ask me a lot if I touch up my photos before posting them. I don't try to make it a secret, but I do apply a liberal amount of Photoshop magic to them. Sometimes, such as with these, I may overdo it a bit.

Posted by bastish at 02:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (2)

First, thanks to all the people who commented about my dilemma on and off-line. I feel a little guilty that people are actually spending time reading that when there are so many other sites that people should be reading instead. I also feel guilty because I'm not so sure that I was really as undecided as I may have seemed. Basically, I am sure I am going, but it's a big decision so I wanted to argue the other way and see how it feels. If I could convince myself that it might be better not to go, then I would have to make a tough decision.

I still don't know about buying a new camera yet though. On one hand, I think buying the camera would let me move forward in terms of my photography and learning more about photography. The negatives are, of course, the price, and the fact that I already have a camera. But then I have to think about how much of this is simply a selfish desire to have more stuff. How much do I really need this camera to keep me happy?

Considering the evironmental costs of buying a new computers and high-tech gagetry just for the sake of having the latest version, I wonder if I should wait until my current camera is broken beyond repair.

Of course, as Kelly (my sister) mentions, I can give my old one to her, or, more likely, let Tomoe use my old one so that when we are walking she doesn't have to get so imaptient when I stop to snap a photo every few meters. My parent's were thinking about getting a digi-cam as well, so I'm sure this one would fulfill their needs as much as buying a new one would. Either way would certainly keep the old camera from being wasted.

Posted by bastish at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Recently I have been itching to buy a new camera, one of the lower priced DSLRs. I was thinking maybe I should do it this weekend, before going on our bike trip next week around Shikoku. It's a big investment, and I am not really sure why I wanted it, other than to have access to manual controls so I can do what those pro folk do.

I was looking through my old photos today trying to find some examples of night-photography that turned out nicely, trying to see what I did so I could leave a semi-coherent comment on Dave Pollard's request for some night-time photography advice.

It's been a while since I looked through my archives. I really should do it more often. They gave me a million ideas, memories, and changed my thoughts on some things I am contemplating today.

• My photography

  Although I felt like I was getting better, looking back at some of my older pictures I am a little disappointed. I feel that I have lost something. My photos now seem much more restrained, and "normal". Maybe it's because I am running out of "new" subjects, after all, I do take a lot fewer photos than I used to, and many more of them tend to be personal photos of the birds and Tomoe. Maybe it is because I am more conscious of other people looking at them and I am becoming too careful about putting what I perceive to be the bad ones up here.

• Do I really need a new camera?

  I really like some of my older photos (some of my newer ones too). The camera I am using is great and obviously does what it is supposed to and more. How much extra will I get out of a new $2000 camera? Maybe if I didn't already have this one I would start right off with the DSLR because the improvement over nothing would be worth the cost, but is any improvement I can get over what I have worth that much?

  Also, I like my photos for their color and "artistic" view, not for any technical correctness. I like taking the photos because I see some colors or some lines I like, or a bird in a tree. I never think about technical aspects I read about in photography books. I wonder if I would like thinking about such things. If I buy the DLSR, will I simply use it on automatic all the time? Will thinking about aperture ruin my photography experience? I'm sure I can still have fun with the DLSR, but if I am using it in the same way as my point and shoot it's surely not worth the money.

• Time to pull my camera phone out of mothballs

  I was looking at my moblog photos from our bike-trip to Nagano last September (scroll down mid-way through the page). It makes me anxious to start again next week for our trip. I just hope Mfop still works... I haven't even checked it in a while, but I haven't been flooded with complaints, so I assume it's still running. (BTW, I have an account set up at Sourceforge for Mfop3 (splash page design by Rudolf Ammann from Tawawa), which will basically just be a cleaned-up open source version of the same thing... that way maybe people wont have to rely on my spotty support. No promises on when I will get started, but if anyone is interested in helping out, just let me know.)

Posted by bastish at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Posted by bastish at 09:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I got a few good comments in response to my grad-school choice. First, I have to say that I am pretty sure I'll go. If for nothing else, just so I don't regret not doing it later. Of course I have been thinking more about it, and it was nice to hear other people's thoughts and views.

Gen wrote:

To me, change is almost always a positive force, forcing you to do things differently, live differently, think differently, learn, grow, etc. Change is even better when you are the one deciding upon the changes (rather when they are forced upon you.)

I agree. I used to be all for choosing the path that brought more change. Five years ago I wouldn't even be wondering if I should go or not. Of course five years ago I didn't have such a comfortable and settled life. Ever since graduating high-school, when everyone is forced to make change, I have not been in the same place for as long as I have been here. In the six years between high-school and Tokyo I lived in seven different cities, in two different countries, two states, and two prefectures. Change was the norm then and easier.

Now though, I have lived in Tokyo for almost five years, and I've been in this apartment for over four of them. When I think about it, this is the most settled I have been for a long time. Is that just something that makes change scarier, or is finally being settled a goal. I obviously want to get settled sometime, and I feel more ready now than I ever did before.

Also, consider the opportunity costs of school. That time could be very valuable if you used it wisely in another way. That's the main challenge for grad school- justifying the time away from "life."

The opportunity costs are hard to figure out. I am confident that no matter where I go, or what I do I am able to find opportunities. Going to school would give me some more opportunities, and staying here would give me different opportunities. In my mind though, the monetary cost of those opportunities plays a role. If I go to Sweden, I am paying $1000 / month in living costs for those opportunities, but if I stay here, I can work and get payed, while still finding other opportunities, and keeping some change in my pocket so I don't miss out on any future opportunities I may not be able to afford.

Martine says:

and you know the old saying.... THINKING about doing something is always harder than just DOING it.

But thinking about it doesn't bring any of the negative side-effects that will come with doing it.

Andy says:

When I was a kid I went fishing with my dad and a friend. After a few hours they had caught lots of fish, and I had none. I spent the whole time wandering around the lake looking for a better spot, while they stayed put and fished.

It's nice to hear a voice in favor of staying put as well. When I applied for the school it was because I wasn't happy with the fishing spot I was in. I decided to go to the other side of the lake. On the way there though, I found a nice fishing spot. If I want to make it to the other side of the lake (my original goal) by sundown, I have to leave this good spot in a few minutes. Or, I can stay here until the fish leave, but I don't know when that will be.

Do I stay here and catch as many as I can in the short time before moving on, not knowing if the other side of the lake even has any fish? Or, do I stay here and fish as long as I can while the fishing is good, not knowing how long that will be, but giving up the chance to make it to the other side?

Kelly writes:

I have classes for 4 hours per week. Because it is an international course and there are varying levels of English, we don't have nearly as much reading or as many papers as I had as an undergrad. For me, I have enough time to do all the work for the course well and then I'm also taking a Japanese course full-time, Swedish courses, and still have plenty of time left over. I have heard that the Swedish system not set up to force students to sit in classrooms listening to lecturers but rather for them to do the work outside of class. So, my point is, even if you join the program, if it is anything like what i've experienced, you will still have plenty of time to self-study...and some supplementary lectures and guidance. And a Master's Degree at the end.

That's not very encouraging. I'm not so worried about not having time to self-study if I go there. In fact, I would hope I don't have that much time if I go there. It seems like a real waste to do the same self study there that I could do here, but without all the benefits. I may be better suited for self-study, but if I sure wouldn't go to a University to do total self-study.

Also, having only 4 hours / week would mean my life is pretty much like it is now, except I wouldn't have the work, I wouldn't have the comfy apartment, Tomoe wouldn't be there... instead of sitting here overlooking my bright sunny river, I would be spending most of my time in a crappy dorm doing the same things I can do here?

Also, The reason I applied to the schools in Sweden is that

a) It's cheaper than schools in the US. I'm not sure that I would be able to justify the monetary costs of a degree from an expensive American University.

b) It's not the US. I have lived in the US for a long time, and now Japan for a while as well. If I am going to go to school again, I wanted it to be someplace I have never been, to give me some new perspectives.

While I figured it would not be as challenging scholastically as an American University, I didn't expect it would be as bad as Kelly has described. If I'm going to go there, I want to get something out of it that I can't get on my own. I sure don't want to be held back by it.

everyone here goes out to clubs and parties everyday but i hope you weren't referring to me cause i hardly think that going to a quiet pub once or twice a month is too much.

I wasn't referring to you, which is why I wrote "all the people around her".

I think that if I lived in an apartment I wouldn't feel so old but everyone hereiin my corridor is an undergrad and look at me with pity when i tell them i'm not going to the BIG PARTY in town or, frankly, i don't care what theme they choose for the next corridor party.

But how much is an apartment? Again though, this is discouraging. Either I can live in an apartment for less social contact, or I can have social contact with party-hearty teenagers? So I'm not getting anything out of class, because there are only four hours and no course-work, I'm not getting anything out of the people around me because they are the same people I avoided when I was an undergrad, and would like to avoid even more now... what is the benefit again?

but let me tell you that it will disappear quicker than you think.

How much is it costing you? According to the literature I should be getting by on $1000 /month, but I am always cheaper than most people, so if that is average, I will be lower.

i complained about my life and my job more than not and one more year would have made me a very bitter, angry person. Let's say you pass up this chance and a week later something happens (or like you say, Tomoe leaves Tokyo)...wouldn't you regret it then? And always wonder 'what if...?'

If I was complaining about my life it would be a different story. But I am not right now. I love it. And there is a 90% chance that Tomoe will be in Tokyo again for her next rotation. If not, chances are she would be sent to America, in which case I would join her probably. I'm not so afraid that I will not like life if I don't go, I am just wondering if it will really be as bad as I am imagining.

Which city is this program you were accepted to?

Linkoping, just southwest of Stockholm. map of sweden.

Jonah says:

These kinds of experiences don't come around every day and the older you get the farther away the chances to do something like this will get.

This seems to be the number one reason to go there. The fact that I have to opportunity now, so I feel I might as well take it. These opportunities wont come around so often, but I can always come back after a year and kind-of pick off where I left off. Of course I will have less money, and will have missed out on a great year...

Klaudia writes:

You will decide as You wish, but I would not leave Japan...if I there.

Putting this into a different perspective... I am looking at not going as if it were giving up a unique opportunity, but living in Japan is a unique opportunity too.

When I wrote yesterday, and started this today, I was pretty sure I would be going, but now I'm not anymore... mainly because of what Kelly said about the possible caliber of the program... Although, as I said yesterday, this program is six months in Sweden and six months someplace else in Europe, so the "newness" of the surroundings might make up for any boredom I feel from a less-than engaging learning experience... if indeed it is as bad as Kelly says.

UPDATE:

Posted by bastish at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Just as I am getting used to love my new lifestyle, I get accepted to one of the grad-schools in Sweden which I have applied for.

I am waiting for a reply from a second school, which is actually my first choice, studying a subject more in-line with what I want to do (environmental sustainability related), rather than this school, which is more in-line with what I am doing now (more tech related).

If I get accepted by the first choice, there is really no question, since I am convinced that I want to go to move my career more into an environmental direction, rather than follow a pure technology course, which is interesting, but that interest may be waning.

As I have been writing recently, life is going well for me now, I enjoy where I am, I am making some lifestyle changes that are more comfortable for me than the situations that drove me crazy and led me to apply to the school more as an escape than a real goal.

I was half-hoping that I get rejected by both of them so I wouldn't have to choose, but having found out last night that I am accepted, I have some contemplating to do. Though it is fairly obvious to me already what the answer will be, I still have to go through the steps to rationalize it. Although, it's strange. Usually when making a choice like this, I feel afraid for "logical" reasons, but my gut-feeling is always totally one-sided, telling me the right decision. This time, my gut seems to be divided also.

1. Get to go to Sweden for six months An old dream, in high-school / early university years was to study in Sweden. I'm not sure, but I think it may have had something to do with my junior-year girlfriend in high-school who was from Sweden. I spent a good deal of my free time studying Swedish, and soon came to love studying foreign languages, which is actually why I am in Japan now.
2. Get to go to some other European country for six months Depending on what I decide on for the thesis topic, I have the option to study in one of many European universities for the second half of the program. A chance like that doesn't come around often I suppose.
3. Having a Master's Degree is better than not having one Although the school is not exactly Harvard, having a degree is better than not having one.
4. Meet new people, make new connections This will give me a chance to get out of my Japan box, meet some other interesting people.
5. Tuition is free God bless socialism.
6. Gives me a goal I have been floating around seemingly goal-less for a while here it seems... well, actually, too goal-full. Going to school would force me to focus on one thing for a while at least.

1. I like my life right now See my previous posts. I like this lifestyle. I work for myself, I own my time... I received a request to do some professional photography work the other day!... I have finding more time to spend on myself... this is a great life.
2. I like my life right now Tomoe and I are both enjoying seeing each other more now, not having to talk on the phone every night.
3. I like my life right now Waking up early to walk the birds...
4. I don't really see myself as an academic. Although the topics are interesting for sure, in the past I have generally always done better with self-study. Should I treat this as self study as well? If I am really so interested in learning this stuff, why not just take on less work and spend more time studying on my own?
5. I don't see any job path (for the second choice) I don't see how I will be better off should I ever feel I need to get a "real" job. Since it's not really teaching a skill, I am not sure what it will do for me in regards to being self-employed either.
6. I'll loose my three year visa Right now I have three years of freedom before I have to find another sponsor for my visa. If I leave now, when I get back I'll either have to get a "real" job, or marry Tomoe.
7. I'll loose momentum I'll loose any momentum I have now in regards to finding my own clients. Not only that, but even though the school if free, living expenses will slowly drain my rainy-day funds the ones I was going to use to ride my bike around the world if worst came to worst and I hit a dry spell in terms of finding jobs.
8. I'm too old I would have never thought so, but looking at my sister's life in her University in Sweden (yes, I stole the idea from her) all the people around her do is go out to clubs and party. I guess I can't say I'm too old for it, but I can say I don't enjoy it. If I go to this school will I be surrounded by teenagers out to get trashed every night?

1. I don't really have that much momentum anyway I'm sure it's nothing that can't be made-up for with the new people I meet there, and the new experiences I gain.
2. Tomoe may not even be in Tokyo after Sept Tomoe's last six-month rotation at work may take her out of Tokyo. The ideal lifestyle would be destroyed anyway, and I would have nothing to show for it.
3. It's only a year It's pretty hard to make a wrong decision either way... I mean, it's only a year, not enough to have a long-term negative impact.
4. It wont leave me broke Even if I use up the rainy-day fund, I wont be broke, which is one of the reason I didn't apply for the schools in the US that I was thinking about... I'm not sure that those schools would have been worth the money. But with free tuition... if I don't spend my money to do things like this, what good is it? (of course, we may find a nice house on the side of a mountain, facing the ocean on our bike trip to the Shikoku country-side next week)

So you see, my life has too many problems and things to worry about... should I stay or should I go? It seems foolish not to go simply because I am comfortable now. In a year or so I will be just as fed-up with not moving as I was a couple months ago when I applied.

Posted by bastish at 02:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Everyone else posted their cherry blossom photos ages ago. The season has been over for alomst two weeks now, but I just got around to "developing" mine.

Actually, these are probably not so much cherry-blossom photos, as they are bragging about what a great apartment I have. This is the river that runs outside my window (you can actually see my building on the left hand side of the last photo). Many mornings we take the birds for walks here, I jog here semi-often, I stare out the window quite often. There are no cars, just lots of people walking by. At night the only sound are the copulating carp an the ocassional bike whizzing by.

Since I have been working at the table facing that window most days, I find myself being overwhelmed and taking the same photo out the window every day around twighlight (those photos are yet to come). Of course it's always the same photo, but for some reason I get the urge to take it agian and again. The photos never turn out so great, so you may never realize, but I gotta say, I have one of the best apartments in Tokyo. If I gotta live in Tokto, I'm glad I live here.

Posted by bastish at 09:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (3)

Posted by bastish at 01:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by bastish at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I couldn't believe how scared these kids were of the birds. A little later another girl, probably around twelve years old, came by and she was afraid to touch them as well.

I'm pretty sure they weren't worried about the avian flu, so what was it? When I was a kid I never got many chances to touch a bird, but I don't think I would have hesitated if given one.

The photo of the little boy touching Klee's head is a little deceptive. The kid touch Klee for a split second and jumped back. Later Klee flew up and tried to land on him. That was a lot of fun.

I made a mental note to myself to make sure that when I have kids they are going to have exposure to many kinds of animals from a very young age. I feel bad about my lack of experience with nature when I grew up in Michigan, but I can't imagine growing up in Tokyo where the only wildlife are crows and pigeons.

Posted by bastish at 02:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (1)

Posted by bastish at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by bastish at 09:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I wrote a few days ago about how often I give up my recurring dream to learn the basics of sketching and painting. I suppose I could chalk it up to "not enough time", but that's just taking the easy way out. If I cut back on the time I spend playing with this computer I could do so many productive things. Unfortunately, my current finances are tied to playing with the computer more than I like them to be. While a few weeks ago I was enjoying the freedoms that come with working from home, a tight schedule recently got me into the habit of turning on the computer first thing in the morning, and spending most of the day in front of it. The schedule is not so tight anymore, but sitting in front of this thing sure is easy. It's great for tricking myself into thinking I am being productive.

It's time to get serious about making changes in my life again. It seems that I am getting serious about it every other week, yet despite the fact that my life now in no way resembles my life only six months ago, I never feel that anything is changing. Maybe it's because I didn't set any clear goals about what I really want to do with my time, and, as importantly, what I don't want to do with my time.

I guess a good place to start would be to re-describe my ideal lifestyle, take a serious look at how much of it I have come close to already, how much can be accomplished within the given time restraints, and just get to it. The thing is, I have little confidence that that will work any better this time than it has in the past. Generally what happens is I make a list of things I want to get done, things I want to practice and study, and then something else captures my interest. I spend too much time on it, and feeling guilty decide to cut back. Of course then I have one more thing added to my "want to do" list, which is always too long anyway. Cutting things off makes me feel like I have failed, and generally I still want to do almost everything that was on my list a year ago, and everything I have added since then.

In the end, to avoid having to decide what dreams to forget, I wind up sitting in front of the computer, doing something that appears to be worth the time. It's so easy to read a tutorial about something programming related, and because I can see immediate applications, feel that I have made progress. It's just not progress that leads to results I value.

I'll get cracking on that ideal lifestyle just as soon as I get back from my first early morning jog in over a week and seriously practice the speed-reading for the first time since Thursday (leisure reading before going to bed doesn't count). It makes me feel sick just thinking about the fact that I woke up over an hour ago, and have done nothing but check email and write this.

Update:

Posted by bastish at 08:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I vividly remember one day when I was a kid, maybe eight or nine, I was in my room trying to close the door, but it just wouldn't close. On the other side I could hear my little sister screaming, but for some reason I didn't put one and one together, and I just kept pushing, trying to close that door. After a few seconds of leaning against it, pushing, opening it and attempting to slam it shut, I realized that my sister's finger was wedged in between the door and the wall near the hinges.

At that time what should I have done? Thinking back, I guess I had two choices. I could have either opened the door to let her get her finger out, or I could keep right on trying to close the door. After all, I wanted that door closed!

Not a taught choice as you can see, and even at that age I realized the right thing was to open the door and let her get her fingers out. Of course I could blame myself for not noticing the fact that she had her fingers in there in the first place, it was pretty ignorant of me, but at least I didn't just keep on pushing.

A while back I posted some photos and a price list of a typical trip to the grocery store ( It makes me sick to look at it now.... [shudder] ). Since then, I have learned quite a bit about the effects my choices as a consumer have on the environment. Despite fear that being a responsible consumer meant doubling my monthly bills, and loosing out on a lot of the foods that I thought I loved, I have made some changes.

The more I learned about what I personally was doing to contribute to the degradation of our earth, it was hard not to change. Like learning that I was about the break my sister's fingers, I learned that I was helping to break the world, and only because of what I wanted.

Although no one would have suggested that I ignore the screams and the knowledge that my sister's finger was in the door, I am clueless as to why so many people who seem to know better continue to ignore the fact that their own consumption is just not sustainable. I'm not even talking about people who disagree with the overwhelming scientific evidence, I'm talking about people who are well read and intelligent... yet are somehow able to ignore the screams, simply because they want the door closed.

I was one of these people, and I didn't like that fact. I, however, was lucky to have Tomoe, who has a masters degree in environmental studies, around me all the time to answer my questions and point me on the right track. It's one thing to know that what we are doing is just plain selfish, and frankly sucks, but It's another thing finding good reliable information about what we can do differently.

I've been working on a little personal project which should be launched soon that will hopefully help myself, and any other people who care, make heads or tails out of their lifestyle choices, but for now I will leave you with last week's shopping list. What I bought, why, and most importantly, how affordable it was. Being responsible doesn't mean being poor.

Just some background about what goes through my mind when I decide what to buy. I am basically trying to make the best decision, considering some of the following factors:

• Health: Regardless of how great it tastes, does eating it make my body feel good or bad over the long-run? Is it made with chemicals that I would not put into my mouth otherwise? -- It should be noted I don't eat anything that I don't love the taste of.
• Transport Distance To reduce the amount of fossile fuels used in transporting long distances. Do I really need a pineapple? Many foods transported long distances also require dubious chemicals to be added for preservation. Those chemicals end up in me, and inevitably, back into the environment.
• Agricultural methods: Are the vegetables grown with harmful chemicals and fertilizers that run-off into the rivers and streams where they are produced? Are they grown with something I would not knowingly put in my body otherwise? What happens to the biodiversity of the areas where the crops are grown?
• Sustainable Land Use: Are forests clear-cut to provide grazing land to feed the beef I am eating? Are wetlands dredged to farm shrimp for my consumption?
• Packaging While it is impossible to get away from packaging, and indeed packaging does play an important role in reducing waste by better preserving the foods, is the packaging for what I am buying within reason? Is it recyclable? Is there a similar alternative product with more responsible packaging?

Unfortunately, thinking about these things might have lead to a starving Bastish, were it not for the Tokyou seikatsu Kyoudo Sougou (THOTO), a co-op group in Tokyo which pays attention to what they stock on their shelves, offering domestic, often local products from small to medium sized producers using sustainable, as-chemical-free-as-possible growing methods. The co-op also offers regular field-trips to the farms, so the consumers can meet the producers, and get a better idea about where there food is actually coming from. The picture below is from one of those trips (I didn't go on the trip myself, though I hope to some time this summer... this photo is hanging on the wall of the co-op)

Best of all, although there is a small mark-up, thanks to dropping meat, poultry (except for an occasional egg) and most fish products, I actually spend less than I used to when I shopped at my old supermarket, and I eat and feel much better. I am able to eat healthier than anyone I know, and yet my monthly expenses are less than 90,000 yen, including rent and utilities.

There is a branch of the co-op about 10 minutes from my apartment, so I'm lucky enough to visit there once or twice a week to do my own shopping, and so far this year, I have not needed to go to any other supermarkets. If there is none near you, have no fear. They also deliver. If anyone is interested in ordering from them, leave me a comment and I can check to see where is closest to you.

Below is a run-down of our weekly grocery purchases and bill. ( Our staple is rice and various beans which we buy bulk online. )

Posted by bastish at 05:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (2)

In grade-school and high-school I had dreams to become good at drawing. Those dreams were forgotten, until about two years ago, when a friend introduced me to her sketch-club, meeting every Friday night. I started going, and really got into it, spending much of my free time sketching. I was learning to paint, and loving it.

Somehow I forgot that dream again, and for the past year I have rarely picked up a pencil or brush.

A couple weeks ago I went to an art exhibition by the sketch-club. After going there to see a friends painting, I had the urge to start sketching and painting again. I went back to the club once, three weeks ago, but somehow I haven't been back since.

Maybe, if I try real hard though, and make an effort to start participating again, next year I'll have a painting in the show again... Or maybe I'll just forget that dream again like I have so many times before.

One would think that the fact that I keep abandoning that dream means it's not really a high-priority dream. So why do I hang onto it?

Posted by bastish at 02:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A little more from last weekend's trip to Ogawamachi in Saitama.

Posted by bastish at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)