Yokohama is a big city but it has a short history. It was in 1859 that Yokohama suddenly appeared in Japanese history, let alone world history. That was only 160 years ago. The peaceful era that had lasted for 300 years entered a major turning point after a mission from the United States appeared. Yokohama became the place to open a port for them. Fifty years later, the red brick warehouse was built as a national bonded warehouse. Now that its role has ended, it is now a beautiful shopping mall that is loved by citizens. Above picture was taken there at night time. The historical scenery during the day and the energy at night seem to symbolize modern Yokohama.
Il est étonnamment difficile de prendre des congés. Les causes résident à la fois dans l’environnement et en moi-mêmes. It’s surprisingly difficult to take time off. The causes lie both in the environment and within myself. 案外休みは取りにくい。その原因は、環境にも自分にもある。
Above photo was taken in France and obviously nobody would care where it is. 上の写真はフランスで撮ったものだが、誰もそれがどこかなんて気にしないだろう。
It was a somewhat unusual year. In 2023, after returning from France, I worked full-time in Japan, took almost a month’s vacation, and moved to a new job. So, I have selected some photos that I took during my off time.
The photo above was taken in Hokkaido, the northernmost part of Japan. Spending your meal time in a different place, with different food, and in a different way is a great way to break out of the mundane. There was a canal between the restaurant and me, with small boats passing by.
The photo below was taken in the Okinawa region, the southernmost tip of Japan. It was a very relaxing time just looking at the calm sea.
The last photo was taken in Kanagawa Prefecture, where I live. I knew there were orange groves, but I didn’t know they were so sweet. Interestingly, some of the orchards have farmers’ stands where you can pick your own, and I ate lots of oranges there while looking out at the beautiful sea.
As you know, those are not my favorite shots but favorite places I’ve been last year.
Even though it was early January, the temperature in Yokohama seemed to have risen to around 17 degrees Celsius today, and it was warm enough to walk outside in just a cotton shirt under the sunshine. There were many people working in their vegetable gardens and children playing in the park in a cheerful spring-like atmosphere, and everyone I passed took off their coats and carried them under their arms.
A low-pressure system passes over Japan before it becomes a typical winter atmospheric pressure distribution, but it probably passed quite north today. I think I heard somewhere that southerly winds blow into the low-pressure area, causing warm air from the Pacific Ocean to enter the southern Kanto region, causing temperatures to rise. I take a somewhat pessimistic view, thinking that no one will ever know whether it is global warming or a type of El Niño phenomenon that has become an annual event.
When it’s warm and sunny, the room temperature rises. The thermometer read 23 degrees at noon. By the afternoon, I was sweating so much that I wanted a sweet iced coffee.
When I have a coffee, whether it’s espresso or paper drip, it’s always coffee without sugar nor milk, and on top of that, I’m the type of person who gets sleepy after I drink coffee, so I was treated like a weirdo. It was when I lived in France. But on rare occasions, I find myself craving a sweet iced coffee. In other words, that sweet coffee and the coffee I usually drink are different things for me.
There are some websites that say there is no iced coffee in Europe, but that doesn’t mean there is no iced coffee at all. It’s true that they are rarely served in French cafes, but Starbucks has expanded into French market these days, and you can even find them in supermarkets.
In Greece, there has been an iced coffee called frappe for many years which is made by whipping instant coffee. Moreover, the name is maybe Nescafe. The filling is similar to a Frappuccino, but it doesn’t necessarily have ice in it. It has always been a soft-drink with a commoner feel.
l'atelier tanu | tagnoue 