Glimpses of Japan Local - in JEnglish

  Two Fresh Candles: When you light two pristine candles at the same time, they each burn in their own subtle way. The flame flickers in the wind, melting the wax, which drips down, sticks, and hardens again, sometimes reshaping the candle’s appearance. Wax may pool at the base of the candlestick, too. Even if their lengths and shapes end up different, all the wax burns out at nearly the same time. ＊ A chilly Morning with the Candle: One chilly morning, I tried to relight a candle that had gone out halfway, but it wouldn’t stay lit. It seemed the wax around the wick hadn’t melted enough. I checked the instructions on the candle box: “In cold weather, warm the wax around the wick before relighting.” Lesson learned. ＊ A Sudden Burn: After a winter in Japan, I returned to the scorching summer of Perth. On 13 January 2003, at night during a drive, I felt an intense discomfort in my upper back—like a heavy, hot metal plate pressing against me. Out of nowhere, I remembered a chain email ...

  Season's Greetings Cultural differences, customs, and religions... Despite all the variety, I think it’s important to cherish beautiful traditions, like sending a kind word to reconnect. In Australia, around Christmas time, friends often send "Season's Greetings" along with New Year's wishes. It's becoming less common to get messages celebrating Christmas itself, though. Since many of my friends come from different backgrounds, it makes sense that the holidays and celebrations vary. Some even celebrate the Lunar New Year. I appreciate the updates on recent events or how people are doing, especially during these times. Late Autumn at the Beach and the Ashiya Sand Sculpture Exhibition The beach gets lively during the " Ashiya  Sand Sculpture Exhibition," where incredible sand sculptures by famous artists from around the world are displayed outdoors. Fine Detail in Sand Sculpting It turns out that the finer the sand, the better it is for creating sand...