A warm hello to my few but faithful blog readers.

It has been some time since my last post. My absence reflects the funk I have experienced, an emotional state due in part to the Convid-19 pandemic. It has been easy to rationalize that given circumstances and associated self-isolation, there is little happening in the unusually quiet life of Tokyo today to share with you.

However, compared to what is happening all around us in the world today, Keiko, Toma and I are doing well. We are safe, healthy and happy. With Keiko required to work remotely from home, her presence is a welcomed gift due to the Convid-19 experience that has made this period of isolation more tolerable.

Observing the government’s stay-in-place policies and common-sense precautions, with some very rare exceptions I remain indoors, venturing out for enjoyable walks with Toma, infrequent trips to the food and veggie stores, and a daily 3-4 mile solitary health walk.

We did have a “breakout” this past weekend, taking a 30km bike ride through some of central Tokyo on Saturday and then our first train ride in a month (hard to believe I live in Tokyo where the train travel is a daily ritual!) to get hair cuts and celebrate Mother’s Day with Keiko’s mom.

As an only child, I have always found ways to satisfy my curiosity or amuse myself. Among my ways to keep busy, I have enjoyed finding new recipes to refine my cooking talents and purchased an espresso machine to test my barista skills.

I spend much of my time reading newspapers, books and on-line materials. The daily New York Times International Edition opens windows to world issues and the exploration of the fields of arts and culture, science and technology and other topics that would not generally capture my attention.

I have also spent much time observing and reflecting on a variety of social, economic and political topics. And that explains the other cause for my darker inner mood.

Despite my best efforts, it is hard for me to ignore is the state of political affairs in the United States.

I have been writing my thoughts. Most have simply been done for my personal intellectual satisfaction, occasionally shared with close friends in e-mails or articulated in Zoom conversations. It has helped me to deal with my concern and sense of rage. I think I will stand up and feel better!