Kenzo graduates from kindergarten on Thursday, which means this special year of him and Osamu going to kindergarten together is coming to an end on Wednesday. The next time they'll go to school together is two years from now when Osamu starts first grade and Kenzo starts third grade.
For my part, I feel confident that when I look back on my life I won't regret not making the most of this last year. I have the physical exhaustion and emotional scars to prove it. It's been quite a ride, and it's onward and upward from here.
I went with Eri and the boys to the bus stop this morning because I was tasked with taking commemorative photos.
When the bus stop moms took off their masks I felt physical shock. I realized instantly that I have never seen their whole faces before and they looked nothing like what I imagined.
Today happened to be the official day that the Japanese government loosened mask guidelines. There was never really a mandate, but in this society a guideline is interpreted as a mandate. I have loved the mask culture in Asia since looooong before the pandemic. When people catch a cold or have a cough or a sniffle that they don't want to spread but they still have to go out, they wear a mask. Regardless of the effectiveness, and I think it might be effective since doctors wear masks when doing what they do and the last time I checked covering your mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze is still recommended and polite, I am all for masks.
Having said that, I waltzed into the Indian restaurant down the road to have lunch with friends sans mask and felt great. Later I moseyed into my local Lawson convenience store and donned a mask because the clerk cleaning outside had one on so I thought maybe it would be appropriate and polite to reciprocate. However, when I went inside the clerk at the counter was unmasked and I felt a weird sense of elation, like the world is gonna be okay after all.
Lovely photos, thanks Miklos
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