everybody in tokyo seems to be talking about one thing this new year, and that's "danshari" -- a word using the three chinese characters for "refusal", "abandonment" and "separation" (断捨離). it's meant to signify the pursuit of a simple and uncluttered life, by throwing away things you no longer need and learning to live with less. there's no doubt that a decade of deflation and economic stagnation is forcing people to re-evaluate their behavior. about a dozen people i met this past week have cited it as a resolution for the year.
but i'm all for new year's resolutions, and here are mine:
- read books more slowly. book-devouring all-nighters are a bad habit from high school.
- more japanese cooking!
- more photography. maybe try landscape this year? which means i'd need a new lens (danshari, danshari...)
- get back to swimming.
- learn a new language. i'll keep you posted on this one...
