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What would the world look like if everyone took the day off?

Mt. Fuji from a distance, at sunset

This barely conveys the majesty, but these days even from these distant parts (Saitama) Mt. Fuji has often been in view (though it helps to be on the top floors of a shopping mall parking garage). According to Naoko, it is said that part of the reason Fuji-san is so visible during the New Years holidays is because most everyone is off work and all the factories are closed. Sounds a bit apocryphal and certainly doesn’t account for all the cars on the road (or packed into same shopping mall parking garage), but it does make one wonder what the world would look like if there was one universal day off.

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Fuyu allegro

Kaika, seeing snow for first time, Dec. 29, 2004

Kaika on the balcony, on the day of seeing snow for the first time. Unfortunately he’s got a cold, nothing serious but a persistent runny nose, so we couldn’t really go out and thrash around in it like I’d want to. Here’s hoping he grows up to be someone who can delight in the rare snowfall like his papa and not be the ho-hum “what a hassle” adult the rest of the family seems to turn into on occasions such as these.

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Hagoita Fair, Asakusa

Hagoita fair vendor

Hagoita fair, Asakusa, December 18, 2004

A woman doing her best “you expect me to accept that offer” expression, at the recent Hagoita fair in Asasuka, Tokyo. hagoitas are rackets (battledores) used in hanetsuki, or Japanese badminton. These ornamental versions sell for anywhere between 20,000 to 50,000 yen ($200 – $500). More information here.

(Click on above pic for larger version. Mind you, this is just cropped from the low-res digital “contact sheet,” no color correction or anything else has been done. No time….)