My little web space has officially turned into a flower photography blog !

It’s probably due to the fact that a lot of my downtime lately has been devoted to go and smell the roses flowers, quite literally ! The cherry blossoms season is now mostly over, but I can happily say that I really enjoyed it this year. These wanderings also gave me a chance to discover a few places in Kyoto I had never walked, which is always nice.

After a few busy weeks at work, I needed to breeze some fresh air and decided to walk along the Lake Biwa canal. This aqueduct was built at the end of the 19^th century, between Lake Biwa – the largest lake in Japan- and the city of Kyoto, to transport water, merchandises and people as well as to generate electricity.

Late March through mid-April, the cherry trees that border this canal are all in different states of blossom, which really makes for a dreamy walk. The day I went, the  weather was cloudy and the sky turned grayer and grayer as I was progressing, still it was so beautiful ! (And it only started to rain once I decided to put my camera back in my bag, which was just perfect !)

It felt and still feels like it was a time out of time. Does it make sense ?

It went by so fast, and at the same time it felt like slow motion.

I don’t remember the beginning of the month, but have very clear memories from the 11^th. I had just entered our apartment, went to wash my hands and started to feel dizzy. I went to drink a glass of water and still felt dizzy. Then I looked up and saw the ceiling lamp swaying gently. After a quick check, every single hanging thing was swaying. It was so very strange. I sat down and thought for a minute that it was over, but as I checked the ceiling, the lamp was still moving. More than 2 minutes had passed.

I used to live in a region with very frequent earthquakes. A few a week. Then we moved to Kyoto where I only felt 3 of them in 2 years. Usually, your common earthquake starts strong, lasts for 20, 30 seconds, sometimes just a bit more, and then stops. This one was so incredibly long. It felt more like an underground wave than an earthquake.

When it finally stopped, I knew something big must have happened because such a slow shaking over a few minutes couldn’t be a good sign. I switched the TV on to discover that every single channel was in alert mode, the tsunami alert having already been issued and the whole coastline being at risk. I stayed like that, a bit awestuck until the evening, as I watched the tragedy unfold in front of my eyes in the safety of my living room. Mails were sent, lots of them. Then mails started to come, the phone started to ring.

G. got back home in the evening, having felt the quake, but without knowing exactly what had happened. And we stayed there, stuck to the TV, for 2 days straight, trying to process the images on the screen.

That was the beginning of March in my memory.

So, a whole lot happened in March, among which

• Friends came to live with us for a while
• Family came to live with us for a while
• I cooked and cooked, and cooked some more
• I cried a lot at other people’s loss and misfortune
• I got angry a lot at how the crisis was sometimes handled
• I cried some more
• I prayed a lot, asked dear friends and family to send good thoughts for the people in Tohoku
• I was amazed and comforted by people’s good heart
• I prepared an emergency bag. The one we have been talking about for years, and never quite got around packing.
• I listened to a lot of French pop.
• I caught a nasty cold just after our friends left.
  

But most of all, I think March got me grateful. Grateful for friends and family, for a roof above my head, a warm bed at night, a job, and drinkable tap water. Grateful also for the amazing amount of love we’ve felt. And curiously maybe, March also got me hopeful. The immediate response from people all over the world, the burst of kindness and generosity, all these reminded me of the sheer amount of good there is in the world.

We’ve just started to settle back in a more “normal” daily life. April is here, marking the beginning of the fiscal and school year. Cherry trees are in bloom. My heart is quite full and I feel…a bit restless. I suspect a lot of reorganizing and making is going to take place in April. For now, I just want to take my camera out and keep on recording this beautiful season.

(Edit: just as I was writing this post, the apartment started to shake. It turns out another big earthquake just hit Fukushima. All is fine here in Kyoto, but  my thoughts go to all the evacuees and the people in the northern regions.)

A few days after the earthquake hit Japan, and multiple waves of tsunami hit the coasts, as the enormity of the disaster just started to sink in, and the nuclear crisis started to occupy the front lines, a friend commented that Japan will never be the same. At the time, we all agreed, foreigners and Japanese included. A few days later, I’m still convinced it is true. This event, with all its ramifications and consequences, will probably set the delimitation for a before and an after. Japan, as many countries, has known quite a few major disasters; this one somehow seems to set the bar for recovery higher than it’s ever been.

In the midst of this crisis though, we’ve witnessed a lot of good. Cohesion among people, genuine empathy and a strong desire to help those touched the most by the disaster. Somehow this all gives me hope that it will eventually be ok, even if the road is long.

The relief effort toward the most devastated areas is complicated by the amount of destruction and damaged lifelines, by the tsunami mud that covers everything, by the limited space to construct temporary housing etc. The list of hurdles is unfortunately really long.

A lot of people, including family and friends, have asked me what they could concretely do to help. I already mentioned ShelterBox in an earlier post, but many organizations and funds have mobilized to provide relief to the people in the most affected areas. You can find this information in many other places on the web, but I thought it couldn’t hurt to put it here as well.

• Save the Children has also responded.“Save the Children has been working in Japan for 25 years. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, Save the Children deployed emergency response teams to assess the needs of children and their families. Multiple child-friendly spaces have been established in evacuation centers in Sendai City where displaced families are staying. Child-friendly spaces provide children with an opportunity to play with other children while freeing up parents to work on the recovery. More child-friendly spaces will be set up in the coming days. (…) Donations to the Japan Earthquake Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund will exclusively be used to help provide disaster relief and support for Japanese children. In addition to immediate relief, this fund will help support long-term recovery plans to restore education and child care in Japanese communities ravaged by the disasters.”

• Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has already sent teams to the Iwate and Miyagi prefectures. They have been treating patients in the most affected areas, notably providing much needed care for chronic diseases. Complementary teams of psychologists have also been sent to help deal with the variety of stress disorders common among evacuees.

• The Salvation Army in Japan immediately dispersed teams following the disaster to the most severely affected areas where they are distributing basic necessities to survivors. These teams will also assess the damage to discern the next steps in their relief efforts.

• UNICEF is also coordinating efforts to help the children of Japan.

• The Red Cross has already contributed more than $10 millions for Japan.

A lot of Etsy shops are also participating in the relief effort.

Quite naturally, the last few posts have mostly been about what is happening right now in Japan. I will probably keep on writing about it,  because it somehow helps me process, but I’m also going to go back to talking about other things too. As crazy as it may seem (and from here, believe me, it does seem crazy) life is going on. A bit different than it was before, but it is going on.

Once again thank you for your sweet messages, they really warm my heart !

“We’ve all seen the images and videos rolling in of the devastation from the Japan earthquake and tsunamis. While aftershocks and tsunami scares are still happening days later, the nation is in for a long long road of recovery. So far, the death toll is estimated to be 2,800. In just one town, 9,500 are missing. Not only do the survivors have to suffer the loss of loved ones, but as temperatures fall, electricity, water and food are now scarce to none. Many have tried to go back to their homes and to start picking up the pieces, only to find the tsunamis have plowed their homes down and there is literally nothing for them to come home to. Convenience stores have lines hours long and a limit of 10 items to each person. The second crisis has only begun and so many are left helpless.

We are not ones to sit and do nothing. While as much as we’d like to hop on a plane and fly there to help with the search and rescue, the immediate need for help for those in Japan is the dire need for shelter. This fundraising page is specifically geared to help with that. Utterly Engaged and Ever Ours have handpicked ShelterBox as the organization to donate to.

ShelterBox provide emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for families around the world who are affected by disasters at the time when they need it the most. Each large green ShelterBox is tailored to a disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items. A whole box costs $1,000 (US), so we’re hoping to raise enough to send 5 boxes.

Please join us. We know it won’t save the nation, but we strongly believe every little helps. Whatever you can contribute, we truly appreciate.”

More detail on Lydia’s Ever After.

After the quake, we spent the first 2-3 days in a haze of broadcasting news and Internet updates, only to realize that completely immersing ourselves in the news might not be the healthiest thing to do in the long term.

Now that almost a week has passed, it feels a bit like being caught in a bad disaster film, except we’re not just in the audience anymore. What is happening is obviously very real, but is so enormous that it lacks reality. Does it make any sense ?

My heart aches when I think about the tragedy people in the northern part of the main island have faced and are still facing. I can’t even imagine the amount of grief. Lost parents, lost children, friends, devastated towns, it all breaks my heart. I hear people talking about how they survived the first, second and third waves of the tsunami just to come back to a world where they don’t have a family anymore. Just typing these words make me choke up. Even now, I find it difficult to comprehend the severity of the crisis.

In Kyoto, everything is fine. We are starting to notice a shortage in heating oil and emergency products (like flashlights, compressed gas cylinders, etc.) but nothing that really affects our daily life for now. We definitely feel very lucky…and powerless at the same time.

Since Tuesday, a family of friends from the northern part of the island has come to live with us. I’m really glad they’re here, safe and sound. Our apartment is really tiny for more than twice the usual number of people, but it’s all OK. I hope they can relax a bit after the crazy days they have been through just after the quake.

The nuclear crisis is nowhere near to be contained and that’s the one thing we’re the most worried about, though, once again, we are far enough to not feel any immediate threat.

Thank you all for your concern and your sweet messages. In such a tension filled atmosphere, it’s really nice to know that people are thinking and caring about us.

A little bit before 3:00 this afternoon a major earthquake hit Japan. At a magnitude of 8.9, it is the strongest earthquake ever recorded here. Although it was felt the strongest in the northern part of the main island, we felt it in Kyoto too, more than 700km away.

The first impression is that it lasted so long. I first thought I was dizzy, but it turned out the ground was just still shaking. What a strange feeling. I’m used to the normal 15-20 seconds quakes, but this one, more than a minute long, literally left me a little bit off balance.

I grabbed my computer and called my mum in France because I knew she would hear about it as soon as she wakes up. While we were talking, e-mails started to accumulate in my box. Friends and family wanting to know if we were ok. I answered them as soon as I ended the call with my mum. So thankful to have people in my life who care enough to be worried. I sent my share of worried e-mails too, while watching on tv the first waves of tsunami sweep the shores . So thankful we don’t live near the sea or a river.

So tonight, images of devastation filling my eyes and weighting on my heart, I feel incredibly thankful for my friends and family who are safe and sound, for the ones who care for me. And my heart and thoughts go to all the people who won’t be able to go home tonight, for those whose home just vanished in the waters or collapsed after the quake, for those who worry about their loved ones, for those who are scared.

Would you please join me and send a few thoughts their way ?

I love how the blossoming of seasonal trees and plants is cause for celebration. Camellia, plum trees, cherry trees, peonies, irises, hydrangea and lotuses are all favorites, but I’m particularly fond of plum blossoms. They look somehow quite similar to cherry blossoms but when you get to know them, are actually so different. Plum blossoms are pretty, cute and fun, while the beauty of cherry blossom is more subdued, more subtle, and has lot to do with how quick they are blown away by the spring wind. I find plum blossoms are more friendly…if it makes sense !

This year, I really wanted to go plum-watching, but was not really in the mood for the hassle of a crowded shrine or temple. After a bit of research, G. and I discovered that the park of the Imperial Palace has a plum garden. We had high hopes for a quiet atmosphere since the park is so big and major plum sites are scattered elsewhere around the city. It turned out even better!

Some people were walking around, enjoying the view, but not enough to be referred to as a crowd, the weather was cold but perfect, many kinds of plum trees were blossoming gently, each displaying its own shape and colors, and its own smell. As we were walking towards the plum garden, the air around us became sweeter, kind of Spring-like, with a hint of fresh leaves thrown in the mix. It is so difficult to describe a smell, but we had an amazing time enjoying the sweet perfume of the plum trees !

Spring was definitely in the air !

In this short but sweet month, I

• turned 33. I don’t know why, this one felt like a big one.
• had my annual teaching session : 3 very intense weeks of teaching about Japanese culture and society to international classes. As challenging, interesting, motivating as ever. I feel so grateful for this job. I always come back feeling I’ve learned so much.
• enjoyed a copious amount of coffee. From cans (yep),  in white mugs, in white ceramic cups, in paper cups, in plastic cups. Some not so good, some nice, some very good. All of it quite needed !

• met a lot of friends, talked, laughed a lot, got some good advice. How nice it is to have friends nearby. I now live in Kyoto, but a lot of my friends are scattered here and there, notably where I go once a year to teach. It is such a treat to get to see them while I’m there. Good times.

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• went and met with some people, regarding the possibility of another teaching position. It turns out such chances are painfully slim, but it was good to get to talk to wise people anyway. Sigh.
• got to experience the whole range of climate variation : winter cold, snow, frosty mornings, rain, fog, clouds, spring warmth, bright and blue skies, windy afternoons. Not necessarily in that order. And all this made me feel strangely content.
• went back to Kyoto, to once again settle back into my life here. Not so easy, but no so hard either…!

For March, I’m wishing and striving for a little more balance, in my plate, in my schedule, and…everywhere, really !

“I wish I could make something everyday. Be it some beading, some sewing, some drawing, it doesn’t matter, I think it would be really nice to carve a little creative time in my daily schedule.”

I have been telling myself this for a few years now, and there are some times when I do manage to do exactly that. But some other time, I get in a boring daily rut, where I don’t even feel like taking any supplies out. Which is just so, so sad.

So, to counter the rut and not be able to give myself the “but-I-have-to-get-the-supplies-out-and-then-put-them-away-again” lame excuse, I have set a little craft table in the room where I have my work desk. On it, I put my sewing machine, little plastic drawers in which I can put any beadwork in the making, and other odds and ends that may come handy if I feel the crafty bug coming. And as it turns out, this simple setting has made quite a difference for me. Having a dedicated space, however small, is a really good way to actually make something. For me, not having to put everything away after each sitting is definitely a big plus…because when an unfinished project is put away in a box…well, it tends to stay there, in all its unfinished glory, forever for a very, very long time.

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I just hanged some little plastic buckets just to hold some more odds and ends (namely rubber stamps and zippers). I’m testing them right now and if they seem to work for this space, I’ll probably buy a few more.

(oh, and I decided 2011 will be the year I teach myself some more sewing, so what you can see just in front of the sewing machine is a little evidence of that. I’ll post about it soon !)

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Now, I’d like to find a (smart) way to store all things paper to have them ready to use, but I’m not quite there yet. I’ll figure it out though ! If some of you have any suggestions, I’d be happy to hear them !

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It took a bit of transitioning, but I can say that I’m ok now ! I don’t feel in foreign land in my apartment and neighborhood anymore, I’ve settled back into work smoothly and have even readjusted to life as a couple !-

-So, in January, I

• started the year in France, enjoying family & friends and helping my mum prepare her move to another apartment
• went back to Japan and settled back slowly but nicely into my life over here
• painted my nails red or bright pink on a few occasions, and it kinda lifted my spirits a little bit. Funny how it works.
• re-contacted people for a research project I’ve had at the back of my mind for more than a year
• saw 4 movies (Inception and The American in the plane back to Japan, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and Before Sunset, a 2002 movie with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy)
• enjoyed a nice cup of coffee upon arrival at work everyday, and it has made starting to tackle the tasks at hand that much more enjoyable (I do love that first coffee)
• baked a bit (green tea cake and a yogurt cake, recipes to come)
• cooked 2 new dishes, both really simple and very tasty : beef+broccoli sautéed with oyster sauce and soy sauce, pork+green asparagus sautéed with lemon juice
• did crossword puzzles like they were going out of style (yeah, I’m a nerd like that. I find crossword puzzles oddly soothing)

Last year went by at such incredible speed, I felt a bit unsettled not to have noticed just where time kept disappearing. So I thought this year, I’ll try and document a bit more the ordinary, and do a short monthly wrap-up, like above. Just to keep track of these little bits of life that otherwise go unnoticed or forgotten…!