Seeing in the New Year from a mountain top ‘Leisurely’. Yes, I distinctly remembered that particular adjective being mentioned. ‘Easy’, yes, I think ‘easy’ was there too. It was just a shade away from ‘strolling’. Half-way up a boulder-strewn mountain slope in the pitch-dark, elbows and feet grimly jammed into crevices in the slippery rock,…
“So, what will you being doing this year at Christmas?†This question was met with various permeations of bemusement, amusement and indifference. These were the most common responses: “Nothing really†“Working†(this is a Japanese office after all) “Having a party with friends†“Drinking†“At lectures†“Eating Christmas cake†“What? Should I be doing something? 
‘There’s Pride in Osaka?’ My incredulity says something about my expectations of Kansai Rainbow Parade 2013; I had been fore-warned that Japan, wonderful as it is, is sometimes not the most tolerant or permissive of countries when it comes to certain personal preferences. So, it was with a little trepidation and cautious enthusiasm that I…