Yesterday I went to the dentist for a small procedure. Two weeks ago, an X-ray showed a tiny cavity, so this visit was to take care of it before it became something bigger. They used anesthesia at the beginning, so I didn’t feel any pain—only a faint vibration, probably from the grinding tool. Not feeling pain was such a strange sensation. My brain kept telling me, “You should feel something,”  but there was nothing there. It almost felt like my brain and body were slightly d

As you may know, a major winter storm is expected to hit New York this weekend. Even NYC might see close to a foot of snow. Whenever I hear news like this, I’m reminded of a winter back in 2014, when I was living in Queens. After one heavy snowfall, there was a huge pile of snow in front of the house where I lived. (I still have a photo from that day.) I grew up in Osaka, Japan, where snow is rare. Even when it does snow, it’s usually closer to sleet and hardly accumulates. I

It’s so easy to stop writing a blog. The last time I wrote about pop-ups, the season started… then ended… and suddenly it was a new year. So—okay. Let’s start again. Over the past couple of months, I started using Libby , the public library app. You can listen to audiobooks just like Audible, but for free. A friend told me about it, and now I listen to books while making jewelry. I was surprised by how many audiobooks are available—and how easy it is to borrow, return, and ev

Two weeks ago (April 27th), I joined the Brooklyn Yarn Crawl  — an annual event where several local yarn stores each host their own happenings across the borough. It’s not a big gathering at one place; instead, you visit each shop to enjoy their individual raffles, limited-edition yarn colors, exclusive tote bags, discounts, and other crafty treats. This year, five local yarn stores participated — and yes, I went to all five! If you don’t know me well, I’m a big knitter. Not

On Friday night, I went to a Kraftwerk   concert. They are considered pioneers of electronic music, innovators who shaped the genre. But this wasn’t just a concert—it was something I had never experienced before. Four men stood in a row, facing the audience, no typical musical instruments in sight. Behind them, a massive screen projected synchronized visuals, perfectly linked to the sound. It felt more like watching a movie than a live performance. Kraftwerk once described th

The other day, I saw daffodils sprouting near our apartment. A small but sure sign—spring is coming. In Japan, April marks the start of...

Lately, egg prices have been surging due to the ongoing bird flu outbreak. The other day, we went to Costco and bought two dozen eggs for...

Last week, I went to a concert in Brooklyn to see Klangphonics , a German "human techno" group. I first discovered them on Instagram...

There are only 2 weeks left until 2021. How was your 2020? Nobody expected this year to go like this. 2020 was nothing like 2019. The...