The Monday Read

No Time to Die Edition Saw the new 007 film on Friday with my wife. We went to the new Aeon Cinema down the road, and caught the morning showing (8:30!). My first time in the Aeon, we got the fancy armchair seats. Very civilised. The film was good, probably the best Bond film for […]

The Monday Read

Autumn is here edition And it feels great. Really enjoying the cool, dry weather, sunny days, and wonderful evenings. Definitely my favourite time of year in Japan. Went to Koganeyama Shrine on Kinkasan in Miyagi again this year for the ‘get rich ceremony’. Allegedly if you participate three years in a row you will become […]

The Monday Read

Going back to the cinema edition My wife got her second vaccine almost two weeks ago, so I am planning to go back to jiu-jitsu next week. Worryingly I don’t feel the same hunger for it I had before, but I’m hoping I’ll be able to build a different relationship with it, more sustainable and […]

The Monday Read

Mountain climbing edition At least the weather and scenery made up for the early start and the leeches lurking in wait (I avoided them somehow with my bare legs while one of the group decked out in gaiters and hiking trousers found a couple inside her sock). Can recommend getting out in nature for a […]

The Monday Read

End of Suga Well, that was quick. Had some hopes for him as he wasn’t from a political dynasty (I loathe politicians that inherit their Daddy’s seat and political machine) but very much did not rise to the challenges of the last couple of years. Not going to miss Mr Suga. Wonder who we’ll get […]

The Monday Read

Online Conference Edition In the before times I organised a few RetireJapan events. I gave a talk, took questions, then everyone kind of hung out and chatted. They were really fun. I also did an online finance round table this week, and it really brought home to me once again how many people are really […]

The Monday Read

Take care of yourself edition It’s been a rough year and a half, eh? Recently I’ve been getting a bit too sucked into the news, into Twitter doomscrolling, into ranting at the TV. Not helpful or healthy. Or productive. Or happy. So I pulled back a bit. I tried to read more books, focus on […]

The Monday Read

Rain, rain, go away We’ve been spared much of the rain up here in Sendai. Just a gloomy, cool, rainy few days. A bit like being back in the UK, really. I’ve been watching the news on TV a lot, and I am flabbergasted by the fact that I haven’t heard anyone talk about climate […]

The Monday Read

Olympics are Over Edition Well, that’s the end of the Tokyo Olympics. Still think they should have held them next year instead (thanks, Shinzo Abe). Wonder how many more there will be in this current format? Paris, LA, Brisbane… and then? Personally I think we should have a decentralised Olympics, with cities bidding for individual […]

The Monday Read

Fully vaccinated edition I had my second Moderna vaccine on July 10th. Day one was fine, although I started feeling a bit sluggish in the evening. Day two I had a fever, headache, muscle/joint aches, and felt very tired all day. Day three I was fine. Also managed to get an appointment for my wife […]