pinch me

With only four months to go on our time in Tokyo,
the little things, peculiarities, niceties
are striking themselves in my memory banks.

Examples:

• yesterday on the surprisingly-uncrowded-for-a-rainy-morning metro (ok, i was a bit late for work), a business man bent down and retrieved from the spotless floor a dime-sized piece of plastic shrink wrap that had fallen off the handle of his umbrella
• only in the offices of Japan is there always a table that is spread with omiyage snacks that one or more colleagues have brought back from recent vacations or even day trips
• hanami (cherry blossom viewing season), which is just about to begin, is just one of so many traditional seasonal events that infuse the year with varying sized doses of festive spirit that feel more poetic than the holidays back home
• experiencing delicious bits of cultural fusion, such as eating organic brown rice mochi spread with St. Andre cheese or attending a performance inspired by a Croatian poet, featuring an Australian composer and Japanese dance & theatre artists, and taking place in a Shinto shrine

This wistful list will grow in my mind, i'm sure...