Can't wait for spring. My favorite thing about spring is the rain. Putting on a raincoat on a rainy night after work and going for a walk or run with my husband. It's a time when I really feel free. It's addictive.

People we pass are under umbrellas to keep their bags dry.

I used to not like rainy days because of the extra baggage. Walking through the wet world with nothing in my hands, I feel alive. I can smell the soil. It smells like flowers. Even though my face is wet, it feels good.

It was a clear autumn day this morning. No need to bring out my raincoat for a walk. Autumn is the time to read books. Today's incense has a sweet fragrance that relaxes the space. The smoke is beautiful too. Next to the light of the INCENSE LIGHT, my book time melts away.

---- Foreign trading company, 48 y.o

A book selection from this writer:
Whales at 52 Hertz / Sonoko Machida

"The 52-hertz whale — a unique whale that sings at a frequency too high for other whales to hear. Though surrounded by many companions, nothing it sings reaches them, and nothing reaches it. For this reason, it is said to be the loneliest creature in the world. A woman named Kiko, whose life has been exploited by her family, and a boy named Yohei, who was abused by his mother and called 'Mushi' (bug), both yearn for love due to their isolation and have been betrayed repeatedly. When they meet, a new story of souls begins to unfold."