Getting ready for the New Year's Day 2008

Our neighborhood grocery
store is ready for New Year's
Day with ornaments and
flowers for "Oshogatsu."
left: small "Kadomatsu" on
display

Lecture by K. Shimakawa, Dec. 12, 2007

Karen Shimakawa
(New York University)
gave her lecture "Mind Yourself:
Soundwalking in the Other's Shoes"
at our Institute on December 12th.

This talk is a part of her project "Somatic Citizenship" -- how bodily
experiences contribute to consolidate one's identity. She introduced an
interesting website "Soundwalk" (http://www.soundwalk.com/) which
is becoming popular among New Yorkers. Her presentation is in what
manner a person's identity can be destablilized by bodily experiences by
walking in an unfamiliar ethnic neighborhood guided by someone's
voice and sound effects only. You are a stranger in the neighborhood
but can participate its specific everyday activities guided by voices
from an audio equipment. How far can a person delve into an unfamiliar
territory of culturally, ethnically, and religiously foreign?

Merry Christmas from all of us!

Merry Chirstmas to you from Masui Women.　On the first day of my winter
break, I caught cold and had a quiet Christmas at home with my family.
S, Yoshie, Fumiyo, Yukimi
Mom and my brother Yobo
This year's sacrificial turkey for Christmas is a French-style with
chestnut stuffing. The turkey dinner safely drove me into a long sleep
on the Christmas eve and cured my cold. There should be certain chemical
in turkey to enduce sleepiness. . . . Does anyone know a scientific proof on
this? It certainly brought a homeopathic remedy of a sleeping cure on me.

Advent Season at the Tokyo Midtown

Christmas lights attract many crowd to the Tokyo Midtown, Roppongi,
one of the major urban construtions debut in the year 2007.
Roppongi downtown and the garden viewed from the second floor.
Ladies gathered for a Christmas and Birthday luncheon at Botanica,
Conran restaurant on the fourth floor.
Buffet dinner tempts repitition of plates from plates. . . . yummy
dessert selections from the buffet counter.
Roppongi area from Botanica



Water running over your head. . . .
A Giant Bean displayed

Nativity Scene on Campus

The Advent starts with this Nativity display at the Building No. 10.

Holiday Season in Shibuya

Shibuya scrumble crossing viewed from Starbaucks in Tsutaya on Sunday

Autumn Colors from University of Tokyo, Komaba Campus

Less than 10 minutes train ride from bustling Shibuya-station, University
of Tokyo, Komaba campus provides a natural sanctuary in a city. Here are
autumn colors from the campus. What makes fall colors in Japan
special is the bright red of maple leaves. "Momiji" this year is,
unfortunately, not that clear in color for the weather has been extremely
lukewarm during the Autumn months.


"Momiji" leaves.







Ginko promnade was beautifully colored with golden leaves.

Beautiful December Day

It was another beautiful December day here in Tokyo.

Colors on Campus

Autumn colours finally came to campus on the first week of
December 2007. It has been so slow for us to have cold weather
here in Tokyo. Global warming surely is affecting to the world
weather pattern. One good news from Bali, Indonesia today is that
the United States and Australia are signing the Kyoto Protocol.

"Momiji"



Exquisite collaboration of red, yellow, and glean maple leaves.

Ginkgo leaves





As if I can almost touch yeallow leaves from my window . . . .

Main Street in the Fall Colors

Wintry Scene from the Afternoon Tea, Jiyugaoka

Cherry trees have lost their leaves in the wintry promenade underneath
the windows of the Afternoon Tea, Jiyugaoka. The view from the terrace
is gorgeous with cherry blossoms in Spring.

My "study" for today is this corner table on the terrace of the Afternoon
Tea. Their tea selections as well as sweets are great. I come here on week
-days when Jiyugaoka streets are only with the locals. They let us stay
as long as we want providing even a hot-water jug to refill the teapot. My
order today is "tea set," a darjeeling teapot and two choices of sweets
with a scone.

Autumn Colours in Harajuku

On my way back from my opthalmologist, I found autumn finally
approacingto Harajuku. Here are photos with coloring trees on
the Omotesando Street.

Prada in daylights

Here are some photos of Prada and Cartier crystal buildings in daylights.
Tey are beautiful both days and nights. Look at interesting reflections
on both buildings.