Ikigai

Digital Art: Ohiso

My cats enjoy the initial traces of spring—eyes like saucers for bugs and birds, crows on gutter spouts, and seemingly precarious branches that bend towards the earth. They turn their noses to breezes and sunspots.

The cats teach me boredom in wandering thoughts of the unknown without expectations. I feel my heart slow to meet the pace of presence. I think about the movie Perfect Days, which I continue to think about weeks later. It’s the story of an older man who cleans toilets in Tokyo and leads a simple life of reading, listening to cassette tapes, daily routines, and taking pictures of tree canopies.

He has found his “ikigai,” meaning “reason to live.”

Uwagimaya Run

About once a month, I do extensive shopping at Uwajimaya in the C-ID. It’s a chance to replenish staples like nori, rice, natto, soba, Pocky, sembai, loose green tea, gyoza, sake, mochi, ramen, cooking sauces like Ponzu, chili oil, dashi, soy sauce, mirin; and fresh items like onigiri, sashimi, nikumanju, assorted pickles, cod roe, sukiyaki beef, beef curry buns, etc.

Eating Japanese food is a connection to my childhood. It's when I feel most Japanese.

Today, I saw these teriyaki-flavored mochi snacks by Beika. They are zarame-style, which means a course sweet texture. The soy sauce coating mixes salt with sweet. The inside is slightly softer. The contrast is delicious on the tongue. Drink with an ice-cold beer, green tea or sake.