Rainy days and Mondays........that sounds familiar.

It is a rainy day here in Tokyo; it is also a Monday! 

It has been raining most of the day thus far, or rather, I think it has, but I can't be completely sure because I was asleep for most of the morning.  I only arose a little after 13:00 from my hard yet comfortable bed. Now, before you think something disparaging like Jason is a lazy arsed fool, or something equally as accurate, let me inform you I'd stayed up late to watch the US Grand Prix. The time difference between here and Austin is something like 14 hours behind us, so the build-up to the race on Sunday afternoon there started at 04:00 Monday morning here.  Therefore, I hope you'll understand my somewhat lackadaisical start to the day. 

After a long awakening shower at exactly 43 degrees Celsius, I dressed and tottered off to the local supermarket for some supplies for the next day or so. I do rather like my Olympic supermarket, not only as it's less than a two-minute walk from my apartment building, but also for the range of products they carry in a space that's about half the size of a football pitch. Now, I shan't bore you with a list of my purchases, save to say I got enough for three days of dinners including snacks, but no chocolate or ice cream.

'Jason, without chocolate, what is the world coming to?' you may exclaim silently, which of course would be understandable; such is my love of the brown heaven-sent delight. But I'm being strict with myself: unless I do 8000 steps in a day, I do not partake of chocolate. Furthermore, I have to achieve 9000 steps before my willpower allows me a bowl of ice cream.  I'm not being masochistic just for the sake of it; I do have a reason, which I feel is pretty valid. You see, I am, let's face it, overweight now, by rather a lot. I can't give you an accurate tally of the kilos, pounds, or stones my body currently has amassed, as I don't have scales here; however, in Australia, before my little plane and helicopter flights, I was weighed, and I came in at 103 kg. In old money, that's 16.21 stone, or a BMI of 36.9, which for a fella of 5ft5 (167cm) is more than just overweight; it puts me in the obese category. According to the NHS, a healthy weight with an average BMI for someone my age and sex should be somewhere between 51.6 kilograms and 69.7 kilograms!

So, yes, I'm being careful with what I put in my body, which is working, sort of. You see, if you think I'm a big fat bloater now, that's nothing to what I was around this time last year. I stopped jumping on scales after I broke my leg, as I wasn't able to do any exercise, and that was about twenty years back. Therefore, when I had to have a colonoscopy last year, I had no idea how much weight I was carrying, ok, that's not quite true; I knew I was a fat bloke, but exactly how much this extra blubber was, I had no clue. When the nurse sat me on a chair, that was actually the weighing scales, I guessed I was on the heavy side. I couldn't believe my ears when I asked her what my weight was; she seemed hesitant to tell me at first, but the pleading look in my eyes must have got to her. "138 kilos," she uttered softly. I'll save you from doing the maths; that is 21st 10lb. I let it wash over me at the time, yet after other doctor's appointments, it dawned on me that 'little old me' was anything but little! I wasn't just a porker; I wasn't just a bit overweight; I was gargantuanly fat, and more so, I was morbidly obese. They don't like to use that term anymore; it's something like obese level III, although to me it doesn't matter what term you use; it's way, way too bloody big and I don't want to get that way again, and rationing chocolate and fat intake is one way I can help prevent it. 

Therefore, the long and short of it is that as I've done little over 840 steps thus far today, no chocolate is passing my lips!

Going back to my reason for a late start to the day, it was an interesting race, not major excitement, thrills and spills with crashes galore, but fast and enjoyable. Plus, it was so good to see Charlie pretty boy LeClerc up on the podium behind wonderkid Kimi Antonelli and in front of Max Verstappen. Kimi looks like he's going to be World Champion after the next race in Mexico, which would make him the youngest ever driver to claim the title.  

Salad for dinner, yum. 

Calculate your own BMI here.

Further reading on definitions and diagnostic criteria here.

That's all for today..... Copyright © 2026 Seafront Media

Ever seen a statue move? Matsuo Basho

Have you ever seen a statue move?

Just along the river from my little apartment is the Basho Heritage Garden, a raised tiny oasis of beauty dedicated to the memory of Matsuo Basho, one of Japan's greatest poets, especially of the Edo period. 

Here, in this little corner where the Sumida River and Onagigawa River converge and not far from where Matsuo Basho is said to have lived for a number of years. Local legend has it that during the day he faces towards Mt. Fuji and then in the early evening he moves to face down the Sumida River. 

The statue is a life-size Basho sitting on a cushion and seems to cultivate a sense of stillness and calmness that soothes the soul and quietens the mind. There are examples of his work in the garden and along the side of the river on the terrace, which tourists from overseas and closer to home often stop to take photos of to enjoy at their leisure. There is also a little pond in this heritage garden; some say there are small fish swimming in the clear water, but \i'm not so sure. I can, however, say that on the six or seven times I've been there, I've not seen any. 

There is also, quite often, a gentle breeze up here that kisses the cheek like the softest feather, which itself encourages a peacefulness and reflection. Of course, the view is vastly different from the three-hundred-plus years since Matsuo's days; you can get an idea of what it might have been like days long gone. The modern bridges of Shin-Ohashi and Mannen Bridge are in the same places as many previous river crossings that his feet may have used.

 

That's all for today..... Copyright © 2026 Seafront Media

Arty riverside.....Art Para Fukagawa Art Festival 2026

I was walking along the side of the river the other day when I noticed there was a picture in a frame attached to the railings.  I thought, how odd, yet how lovely. It brightened my afternoon walk no end. But just a few paces along, there was another picture and then another and another and yes, another. They were all different, all unique, some colourful and one or two monochrome or black and white. I thought some were terrific, whilst others were not perhaps my cup of tea; still, they had artistic merit, and no doubt brought joy to others. I didn't have a clue why it was there, nor how long it had hung along the railings before my eyes noticed it, nor did I know how long it was going to be there. Although if it was back home, I'd only give it 24 hours before each one would either be stolen, vandalised, set on fire, or urinated on. 

After a few more wonderful artworks, I saw a poster, which, upon translation, informed me it was the "Urban art" part of Art Para Fukagawa Talkative Art Festival 2026. It read, "The 7th annual art festival is organized by local residents who deeply love Fukagawa and art. With the theme of "Living Together," it is a unique community art festival unlike any other in the world. In the downtown area of Fukagawa, which evokes the atmosphere and charm of Edo, you can encounter works by artists with disabilities. This year, across two areas of Fukagawa and Toyosu, approximately 2,000 pieces of art, original drawings and art votive tablets, are on display. The colours, shapes, and imaginations created by artists with disabilities will give you new inspiration and surprise. The power of art will capture people's hearts and make them stop and think and give rise to unexpected conversations and chats."

It wasn't just along the river terrace; it was all over the place, in key locations right across the area, plus a competition and exhibition, making it a truly accessible and open event running for 18 days. 

My heart was well and truly captured; seeing such creations made my heart sing and my soul enriched, and whilst I didn't engage in any chats, I stopped, thought, and felt much inspiration. To the artists and the organizers, I salute you; definitely a tip of the old chapeau. You have created something so magical and far-reaching that will live on in the memory for decades to come. 

 

TOP-2026(豊洲版) | ARTPARA FUKAGAWA

That's all for today..... Copyright © 2026 Seafront Media

Shopping, fire sailors and autumn dawns.

It has been a rather lazy couple of days down here in Koto City with lovely weather. Wait a minute, the cogs in your brain are whirring at full speed. You thought I was in Tokyo, but here I am telling you I'm in a city called Koto. I wasn't telling you a big fat porkie, promise. Koto is actually part of Tokyo. It is just off the central part of metropolitan Tokyo, between the two rivers, Sumida and Arakawa, and slotted between Tokyo Bay and Sumida and Edogawa. 

You might not know this, or if you've done a little bit of research, you probably would, but Tokyo is actually made up of a large number of other cities, or more accurately 'Special Wards' as most of them are officially called, despite being more widely known as cities. I think there are around 49 of those and another 10 or so towns and villages that go to make up the Tokyo Metropolis, which is home to some 14,264,798 people. And that, my little cherubs, is rather a lot of folks! In fact, it is more than the entire population of, say, Sweden, or Czechia, or Tunisia, or Portugal, or Greece, or Norway, Finland, Cyprus, and Estonia combined.

So, anyway, I've had an enjoyable couple of days doing normal things, like going to the supermarkets, getting shopping, walking along the terraces of the river, having a picnic and watching firemen on a boat, although, as they are on a boat, would that make them sailors? I'll just call them fire sailors, sorry if that's wrong. But I occasionally see them, as the two boats are based just a little way down the river from my apartment on the Chuo City side.

The days have been warm, 26 or 27 degrees with sunshine and blue skies, which isn't too darn bad for late October and the start of autumn. That's only here in Tokyo, though, because other parts of Japan have autumn at slightly different times, given how big the nation is. For example, in Hokkaido they've already had lots of snow settling; indeed, a few blizzards have been reported. In Kyushu, autumn doesn't start till the middle of November and lasts well into December. And back here in Tokyo, it is basically from now until the middle of December, yet the leaves are already turning golden, with some trees shedding as the breezes ripple through their branches. 

That's all for today..... Copyright © 2026 Seafront Media

A blast from the past at 4:40am

I was woken by my phone blasting out a version of Harpo's Movie Star, my current ringtone, at 04:40 this morning. My bleary eyes blinked open as the sound got louder; it took a few seconds to first locate my phone and then turn it around to read the illuminated screen. It was a UK number; for some reason that I've yet to discover, the caller ID doesn't display here, so I answered with a sleepy, croaky voice. "Hello," a voice I knew boomed out of the speaker, although it took a few moments for my sleep-addled brain to fire the neurons in my right inferior parietal lobe and recognise the dulcet tones of Simon, an old friend and beau of mine from times long ago. 

It was a surprise phone call, and Simon had no idea I was not in the UK and currently on the other side of the world and living in a time zone that was so vastly different to that back home. Now, I haven't had a conversation with Simon for ever such a long time, more than a year and a half, I'd wager. Therefore, it was jolly good to catch up and have a natter; indeed, whenever we do converse, we do so at length. This morning was no exception, and whilst he woke me up, I kept him up late as we gabbed away as if we'd chatted only the week before.  Our discourse lasted just over four hours this very morning, although it passed by in a fraction of that duration, I thought.

After a shower and a second cup of tea, I ventured to the local Supermarket for all sorts of goodies and supplies. After unpacking, I put a load of washing in the machine and went for a walk along the river. Only 7075 steps were completed before my little tootsies crossed the threshold of my eighth-floor apartment and I relaxed.

I may have felt a little tired all day long due to such an early start, but I was jolly grateful for the call. It is always great to have a conversation with an old friend, especially one that you have such a long history with. Simon and I first met way back in the early 1990s, and when I say early, I mean 1990; it might even have been 1989 — I'm not completely sure, but I'm sure you'll agree that is rather a long time down the long and winding road that is called the past!

All the way through my walk, fragments of our conversation came flooding back, as did memories of a lovely weekend in Oslo, staying in the Oslo Plaza Hotel, a massive mirror-fronted tower block hotel that was considered (at least at the time) one of the best the city had to offer. As memories of Scandinavia faded as the steps mounted, recollections of another overseas trip tumbled out; Malta was a dusty place, filled with old people with wrinkled faces, dark hair, and never without a cigarette. I can remember the two of was walking along the front of St Julians Bay, Valleta and buying comilation cassettes for a fractio  of the cost back home. Oh, the memories! So odd how some things from more than thirty years ago can seem clearer than what I did a week ago last Monday! 

That's all for today..... Copyright © 2026 Seafront Media