Scenes from the sanctum

Two months left until the Tokyo Olympics! Yet Yokohama, Tokyo, Osaka and seven other densely populated prefectures are still under the government’s coronavirus “state of emergency.” In effect, it means people refrain from pleasure travel, restaurants and bars are told to close by 8 pm and not serve alcohol or offer karaoke. The measures are intended to prevent a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections. I predict a fifth wave of aggravated boredom soon. (It’s the lack of karaoke that may kill me. Kidding.)

Like the rest of the world the Rising Family™ has adjusted. We’ve been doing what we can to get out, stay active, and have fun. So in this post I’ll share a few photos from the first half of the year that give you a taste.

January: stayed home over the Christmas and New Year holidays. We were reacquainted with the delights of downtown such as Yokohama Harbor at night.

Our Yokohama life (Phase 2) is flavored with discovering new things about the city. We went to hatsumode -- the first Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine visit of the Japanese New Year – at an ancient shrine not far from our neighborhood. It just felt right to kick off the year that way. There were fewer people there than we expected.

Lady E. celebrated her birthday at home with a homemade cake. She’s in a down-to-earth mood these days. “Just family, please!"

Warm winters mean you can trek or hike trails year round. Jumping bean Marina was so full of energy she bounced down the trail to the car.

Every month my bud James Shalikashvili and I take off for day hike somewhere in the Tokyo-Yokohama-Chiba area. Here we are at the Miura peninsula; Mt. Fuji is across the bay on the right.

When I’ve had enough and need to get away, I take off for a day drive on my trusty 125cc scooter which magically enables me to skirt traffic jams. I find serene spots for downtime. This is the view I get from one of my favorite escape destinations: staring at the cedar tree boughs, sea salt in the air....