冬: Fuyu: Winter

Winter is here, and that brings some good and bad news. The bad news is the cold. I was warned by my coworkers today that it's about to get very cold--and it'd quite cold enough already in my opinion. On the bright side, there should be snow, and since we don't really get any of that in Florida I'm excited to see some.

The good news? Japan has some nifty ways of dealing with the plunging temperatures. This is my kotatsu:


It's the same table that's been in my apartment all along (see http://followkristeninjapan.blogspot.com/2009/08/my-apartment.html), but the top comes off so I can slip a blanket through it. There's a heater underneath it, so I just slip my legs under the table to keep toasty warm. It's very comfortable--a little too comfortable, actually. Once I sit down, I have a very hard time getting up again.

Also, ikebana is done for the year. We won't be meeting again until January. On the bright side, I got to make a Christmas-themed arrangement and a Christmas wreathe.



And this will probably be my last post of the year, since I doubt I'll blog once I get back to the States for Xmas. I'll be there from the 23rd to the 2nd and looked forward to seeing everyone.

Merry Christmas!
（メリークリスマス！）