• The Week #257

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    • 🪐 Leo had a field trip to the Shonandai Culture Center, which he's been going to since he was one. Sometimes it's nice when field trips take you some place new, but this time it was an old favorite. Though it was his first time going with his friends, so I suppose that's new.

      He had such a good time that he came back and said "Dad, I want to go to the culture center with you on the weekend!". And so we did. We also saw a show at the planetarium, always fun (and a good place to almost catch a nap 😉).
    • 🍝 After the culture center and an hour at the park, Leo and I had a guys night out and ate dinner at Pepita Lion.  I had fresh pasta with nama-ham and greens. Leo had the tomato omelette rice and we split an order of fries. The food was excellent as always. Although it was too late for coffee, their coffee is really good as well. They were roasting coffee out front as they usually do, which is not something you usually see and equally excited both Leo and myself.

      How nice is it to go to a favorite place again instead of the usual chain family restaurants? So so nice. And it's supporting a local business that's been in the neighborhood for longer than I've been alive. If you're in the neighborhood, I highly recommend a visit. Much easier to just drop in now that they take credit cards/touch payment.
    • 💪 I switched from a short program to a medium program in alpha progression (weight training app) and it (predictably) is making a difference. Seeing the number of reps and or weight go up each week is motivating. I'm not sure how accurate my scale is in terms of body fat / muscle mass (as there's nothing to hold on to to get electric impedance testing from my upper body), but clothes are fitting different so that's all the matters.

  • The Week #256

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    • 🏮 We went to the annual international festival at my alma matter in Totsuka. And like I (probably) blogged last year, this year it hit all of the nostalgia. The campus is full of forest and has a bridge with an excellent view of Fuji, you could really see yourself doing some quality thinking out there. The thing I think I was the most nostalgic for was the amount of headspace I had back in uni to study and think about the problems facing the world.

      This year Watanabe Youichi, famous war photojournalist and  alumni came to speak. We attended his event, but had to leave 10 minutes in because Leo was bored, but Leo was paying attention. As soon as we got outside he asked why the children had guns, did they just find them? Shouldn't the adults keep them from them? We explained that not everywhere is as peaceful as it is in Japan and that we're fortunate to live in such a place where we do not need to worry about such things.

      The informatics majors setup a room to teach kids programming with Scratch, which drew Leo in. They had 4 laptops setup with a half-finished game, then they'd help walk you through how to finish it off. Leo built the last part of an air hockey game. I think having the app in Japanese probably helped, though it was full of kanji he doesn't know.  I feel like I'm going to have to get a computer sooner or later so we can do Scratch properly...

      Kanachu, the local bus company, brought one of their EV busses for people to see – and it was pretty great. It felt like it was a bit larger inside than their usual busses and there's usb-a sockets at every seat so you can charge your devices as you travel. We got to sit in the driver's seat where they told us there are 11 mirrors that the driver uses to check all of the angles. The battery is also large enough that they can drive it all day on a single charge. But the most surprising thing was that the bus was made by BYD – not one of the Japanese bigs. Though the fact that it's an EV should make that obvious it's not Japanese as they're currently lagging Apparently these usually run along/around Kamakura because there's more/better infrastructure for charging overnight. Maybe I'll make a mission to ride one of these.
    • 🍻 I went out for dinner and beers with a friend near Tokyo. We messaged at the start of the year that we should hang out, then 5 months passed. Just as I was thinking "man, we said we should hang, we should hang" and he messaged me. I'm glad he did.

  • The Week #255

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    • 🚲 I rode my Brompton into work twice last week and it was great. Having my bag on my bike let me carry things I wouldn't otherwise (my lock, extra shirt) and made the commute much more comfortable. Cycling there had me feeling more focused and on the way back I was able to turn off work-mode. I still need to get the timing of my fold and bag/de-bag and unfold to be a bit quicker, but I 'know I'll get there with a bit more practice.

      Going by bike has also enabled me to get coffees at places I wouldn't usually visit / be anywhere near, which is an added bonus.
      Cafe Latte at Verve in Roppongi
    • 🏃 My running has been limited to about once a week as of late. But I think cycling to and from the office is maintaining my cardio, especially the the big hills in Tokyo on the way in, and in Yokohama on the way home. This week's run, thanks to those hills, was easier (and faster) than it had been the past few weeks. Gives me hope I can find a balance between running, cycling, and lifting which doesn't cause me stress trying to do all the physical things.
    • 🏍️ It's been about 5 years(!) since I first watched Long Way Up. Last week (or the week before last) the newest edition of the duo's motorcycle adventures Long Way Home (youtube) started on AppleTV+ and it's great.

  • The Week #254

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    • 🌷 This week had Mother's Day. This was the first time I was able to get Leo into it a bit and we went out on a secret mission to the local Ito Yokado to get a card, chocolates, and a sweet Magewappa Bento Box (traditional wood bento). When we got some, Leo could not wait so he wrote his message and gave it to Yumi a day early. I facetimed with my mom for the fist time in far too long as well. A successful day celebrating all the moms in our lives.
    • 🚲 I rode my bike to the office for the first time in a long time. Rather than getting on/off the train at Shinbashi, I rode from one station further back on the Tokaido line, Shinagawa. The extra ride time was great. This convinced me it was finally time to retire my regular backpack of 12 - 13 years and got a messenger bag that I can attach to the front of my Brompton. This will make it so my bike is doing the carrying of things and my back won't end up as sweaty. I took it for  a spin over the weekend and it's everything I thought it would be. I look forward to commuting to the office again this week.
    • 🎥 I watched this excellent chat with Jony Ive. It reminded me how much I like thinking about not just the implementation details of software, but design and UX as well. There were some very interesting practices he and the design team at Apple used to build empathy between the team: someone on the team would be responsible for making breakfast for the entire team on Fridays and every so often they all go work and design at someone's house. I don't think I'll try these with my team (we're spread across the globe), but it's an interesting thought experiment nonetheless.
    • 📚 I finished In The Weeds: Around the World  and Behind the Scenes with Anthony Bourdain. If you're a fan of Bourdain and his shows, I recommend it. You get a real sense for just how difficult that show was to make and that it still turned into such good work is a testament to the entire team. Needing another non-business book to read, I started on Things Become Other Things by Craig Mod. I enjoy his newsletters and blog posts and this book does not disappoint.

  • The Week #253

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    • 🏆 It's golden week and I've enjoyed a 4-day holiday. The weather has been 75% great. 3 sunny days around 25c and 1 rainy day. Luckily the last day was the rainy day, so it creates an opportunity to rest by forcing you to stay in.
    • 🐓 We broke out the barbecue and invited the whole family over for lunch. We grilled all the colors of bell peppers, chorizo, chicken, shrimp,  yaki-niku beef, and some ahijo. It was a lot of fun, though the heat and lack of shade exhausted me by the end of it.
    • 🚲 I went Tokyo Pottering. This post has a lot of photos and reminds me of my blog 20 years ago when I was a student, especially as all photos were taken with my Canon Powershot. Navigating around with my cellphone worked great, though it chews through battery.
    • ⌚️ In my efforts to live a less distracted life I've been thinking about the role of watches and phones in my life. 

      On one hand, I find my Apple Watch very useful. I like tracking my movement and sleep with it. It's also very useful for when I ride trains and because I wear it on my right wrist (left handed 🙌🏻), going through the train gates requires zero cross reaching or digging for a passes. With the battery on its last legs, upgrading to a cellular version is tempting because then I could leave my phone at home.

      On the other hand, putting my classic G-Shock back in service to tell me the time sounds great. But am I going to become a double-watch wearer? That feels awkward. But also using a physical card for transport (no battery to run out) and phone in your pocket/bag feels consistent with my trying to use my actual camera for photos again. No conclusion on this one, except I think I may try double watches for a period.
    • 🎥 This film by Beau Miles, A moment 29 years ago changed everything, has me thinking about my own life, forks in the road to get where I am today, and community.

  • The Week #252

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    • 🥾 I went for a big walk around the Yamanote line with a few co-workers. We started at Ueno at 9am. Unfortunately, I was only able to join for part of the walk and had to bail after lunch at Takedanobaba.

      In front of Sugamo station

      I brought my point and shoot camera with me and I'm glad I did. It opened my eyes to all of the cool and interesting things that are all around us. I wanted my workflow to be as calm as possible. That is, I wanted to blog it like the old days – photos stuck on my camera until I get home and download them, socials not really live, so that I could be present with the people around me. I will try to make a dedicated post about the Yamathon, as I think it deserves as much, in the spirit of things.
    • ⛏️ The Minecraft movie came out in Japan and we went out to see it. It was a good fun. The crowds are not getting out of control like they are in the US/UK. As both the voice of Bowser in the Mario movie and Steve in Minecraft, Jack Black is really embedding himself as a central character in Leo's childhood.
    • 🇬🇧 We booked tickets and hotels for a family trip to London this summer. We'll stay about 10 days. I thought I'd have enough points to cover at least half of the hotel, but that was not quite the case. I guess the good news is that I'll definitely have enough points by the time this is all done for the next trip somewhere. While this will be my 4th trip to London, it will be my first time to just explore the city and enjoy the museums. We're all really looking forward to it.

  • The Week #251

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    • 🌎 Happy Earth Day! 18 years ago when I was an exchange student is when my interest in the environment really started to take hold. I was literally out seeing the world, watching movies like Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth and reading books like Lester Brown:s Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization.  ( This book is readily available in PDF from

      It all made sense to me. I tried (and failed) to gather a group of us to visit Earth Day Tokyo that was being held in Yoyogi. So I went by myself. I had a good time visiting the booths and being around people that cared about similar things. I wasn't alone. But I still had no idea how I could get involved professionally and "help the cause".
      Then and...

      This year I finally went back (with the fam)! I wouldn't have guessed that 18 years ago I'd be building the tech that is central to combating climate change and powering one of the main sponsors of the festival: Octopus Energy. Somehow I managed to find a way to help the cause.

      Back to this week – the Octopus Energy booth was really great. There was a bicycle you could pedal to generate electricity. I think it does a really good job at conveying just how much energy is required just to light a single bulb. Leo gave it a go but the bike was a little too big for him.
      Now

      Next year I hope to go again and maybe spend a more time at the booths, getting better connected to local environmental activities and to reinvigorate my granola-eating, Birkenstock wearing self.
    • ☀️ Fossil fuels fell below 50% of  US electricity for the first month on record (source). Further evidence that renewable grids will only accelerate. It's not only the morally right thing to do, but it's also the economical thing. Happy days when the moral and economic choice is the same.
    • 📞 With Skype shutting down in a few weeks, I ported my inbound number to a US carrier and an eSim on my phone. Slightly sad that I'll have a monthly $5 dollar charge instead of a yearly $23 fee, but alas. However, as the number is now connected to an actual cell carrier, I wonder if this will enable me to receive SMS and such like from banking applications now?

  • The Week #250

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    • 🏋️‍♀️🏃‍♂️ My first double emoji. I lifted three times and ran one last week. Not major progression in the span of a week, but trying to keep things consistent. It keeps me off the screens as well, which is good.
    • 📺 In an effort to bring more balance within our household, we rearranged our living area so the TV is in our tatami corner. This makes it so the TV is no longer visible from the dining table nor straight ahead from the sofa. Growing up we used to have a TV near where we ate, and I didn't like it  – the focus becomes what's on the screen and not the people directly in front of  you or even the food (which make it easy to overeat...or in certain kid's cases, get distracted every other bite). It's only been a couple of days but yeash what a difference.
    • 🇺🇸 At Shonan T-Site they had a US-themed "Garage Market" where a lot of area vintage stores brought out their US goods and setup outside. Lots of clothes, Pyrex, and little toys including some classic McDonalds Pancake transformer toys, gumby(!), and mario (US-editions?). It felt like being in an antique store in Alvin. 

      It was nice to remember for a minute that the US has some redeeming qualities. There's this country out there whose culture is popular enough that people emulate the people's dress,  organize buy/trade its artifacts, and admire its ideals. This isn't exclusive to the US, Francophile and people really into the UK all exist, but  scale that you see this for America is unmatched.

      It's easy to get caught up in all of the stupid stupid stupid things going on there now and forget that despite them being "in charge", the majority of people disapprove.  And to think that it will be this stupid forever, but it won't.
    • 🌺 We took Yumi's mom out for dinner at a Hawaiian place nearby. It made me really want to visit Hawaii again. Maybe some place with a bit more green. The exchange rate is certainly going in the right direction. That said,  with our experience with immigration last time and all of the stories you read, I'm not even confident I, an American citizen, could get in without hassle.

  • The Week #249

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    • 🌴 I took a, in retrospect, a much needed day off. I spent the day hanging out with Leo as he was on spring break. We went to Soratos on my bike and played on the roof where they've decked it out with all sorts of things to climb and slide on. I don't know how many more times we'll be able to play up there before it's far too hot. Either way, a successful day off.
    • 🚸 Leo started the 2nd grade. It's odd to me that 2 weeks ago he was in the first grade and now he's not. Growing up with a long summer vacation between grades, it felt like the transition between grades were more pronounced...2 weeks isn't that.

      Teachers can change each year in Japan and for 1st grade, his teacher was a bit strict, so we were (keyword) hoping for a new one. And as you can probably guess, to our disappointment, his teacher stayed the same. At least some of his good friends are still in his class....
    • 🏋️‍♀️ I lifted weights 3 times this past week. I'm really liking Alpha Progress, not only does it decide the program for me, but also has a button I can press for it to give me a bit more of a challenge. I think I'll sign up for it at the end of my trial.
    • 🚲 With the fantastic spring weather, I took advantage and rode my Brompton down to Enoshima, which is my first outing with it in a long time. Along the way I passed a strawberry farm and I could smell them from the cycle path, it was great.
      Brompton with blooms 🌸
    • 💸 My commentary about the stock market dropping massively won't add to the conversation, but it feels important enough that I should mention it happening this week. My retirement accounts are taking a beating like everyone else's. And despite seeing the probability of this happening, I'll admit I didn't spend enough time thinking about it to actually sell some of my VOO/VTI and buy BND on/before April 1st and speed up my re-balancing. Thankfully I'm still many years away from retirement so it should be "fine".

      Aside, this guy is so good at business the market volatility index has surpassed the movement from the pandemic 👏. But also you know he's going to buy a lot of stock just before he decides to reverse tariffs 🙄.

  • The Week #248

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    • 📕 Leo read his first new English word by himself, or at least that I've witnessed. He was looking at his iPad and the was some text (no icon) that said "Zoom", and he said Zoom. I looked at him and asked him how he knew that and he explained, well Zoo is z-o-o and there's an "m" at the end, so it's "zoom", that's how I knew. Color me impressed. English class is working.
    • 🥶 The week of spring was a false alarm and it's back to winter for a week. Booo!
    • 🎣 I went fishing...sorta! For a work social we went to Zauo, a sushi restaurant where you can fish in the restaurant! If you catch one they'll prepare the fish however you'd like (sushi, sashimi, cooked in a variety of ways)! I did not catch anything, but my mates did. When you catch a fish they celebrate with a Taiko drum, so it's quite lively around dinner time.Definitely need to visit with the fam at some point.
    • 🏋️‍♀️ I started lifting weights again. Deciding on a plan, writing down/remembering what weights I used felt like an insurmountable problem, preventing me from even starting. I know it's not, but that's a lot of decisions to make. A co-worker suggested I use  an app called Alpha progression. You put in your basic info, the equipment you have, and it will generate a plan for you, automatically setup timers and such like. 2 sessions in and I quite like it. 

      The yearly price is a bit much, but if  I compare it with working out with a trainer at a gym or just the gym, if it's able to keep me going and getting stronger, it's an absolute bargain. Bonus points for prominently including RSS icons with their social icons.
    • 📵 These past few weeks with all of the 💩 going on in the old country, I've been doom scrolling on Bluesky/Mastsodon. To be fair to Mastodon, the doom portion of the scrolling was mostly on Bluesky, but scrolling nonetheless, I turned my iPhone into a (mostly) dumb phone.  Mostly it was done by: removing all icons from my home screen, turning on grayscale mode, and setting up a text-only app launcher widget with 4 apps (messages, line, apple maps, and phone) (as per the instructions in dumb phone app). I didn't go all in and delete all-the-apps (yet).

      I think I like it? It's only been a day but the pull of my phone feels like it's less. I want to see if I can use this as a bridge to start taking photos using a camera when I'm out and listening to music on my iPod (besides when I'm on a plane). 

      Thinking about the camera aspect specifically, the reason we tend to use our phones, besides having it with us, is because it's quicker. But if something is really so important that we want to capture an image of it – what's the harm in spending an extra 10 seconds framing? I imagine all of the processing that phones do these days will be hard to replicate, but alas.

      Point is, dumb phone? Hell yeah.
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