In the Pines

Happy New Year Hope everyone’s New Year is off to a good start. Mine has been mixed so far. I’m trying to pull myself from the lethargy of the holidays so that I can actually get some work done. As for the holiday itself, it was very nice. This was my second New Year holiday spent with my in-laws in Japan ; I like the holiday in Japan much more than I do in the U.S. The focus is very much placed on preparing to greet the new year, which is good in the end, but a horrible process. “Horrible”. . .that may be strong. What makes it so bad is ōsōji 大掃除 , the “big clean”—of house and car mainly. This may not be such a dread for many Japanese, but my wife is a fanatic cleaner. I, though nowhere near my wife, am fanatic once I get going (however I am often content not to “get going”) . The whole event is made even more pleasant by the fact that Japanese homes do not have central heating, which is actually a moot point as often the windows and doors are left...