Today we managed to find a cafe with some outdoor seating for breakfast. It was 12 degrees celsius, and I was half-expecting to see no tables outside despite the google listing showing otherwise. Still I think they were surprised that we rejected the warmth of the cafe for the cold outdoors. We did pass by a couple of places with outdoor seating, and very strangely we were not the only ones who are dining outdoors. Other people are probably not doing it to avoid covid though, so they must really like the cold?
The food quickly got cold of course, but we were just grateful to be able to sit somewhere and eat food that was at least hot for a few minutes.
Along the way to somewhere else we passed by a shrine that allowed people to hang their well-wishes, and this message caught my eye:
I am no longer a romantic, but I still appreciate it I guess.
I used uber eats for the first time so that we can dine in warmth at the hotel. It was a little anxiety-inducing because I didn’t know if it would really work but thankfully it did. Uber exited Singapore for a few years by now, so I was impressed by the little details in the user experience. After having several meals in the cold we are just grateful to be able to have warm food from a proper restaurant. There’s just something about the japanese hamburg steak that is delicious.
We walked to a crepe place for dessert. It had nothing except cream. But the cream was exceptional. Sometimes the most simple of foods are the most impressive. And what is it about japan and milk products?
The highlight of my day was seeing a tv screen in a department store showing the CO2 readings for their indoor areas. It made me almost want to cry. At a time when people are arguing about the necessity of ventilation, it is just so inspiring and heart-warming to see a place that still cares (co2 is an approximation of how often the air is exchanged. The less ventilated a place, the more likely virus-containing aerosols are still hanging about).
I can’t help but be cynical and think that this is an artefact that will disappear soon because the pandemic is “over”. I just wish this is a thing everywhere. Even without covid, wouldn’t it be nice to breathe in clean, oxygenated air? Readings above 1000ppm can result in fatigue and headaches among other symptoms. But it is very common to see readings of 1000ppm (I go around with a co2 monitor), because most places do not care about ventilation, or humans actually. Japan however, has regulations on the ventilation rate of indoor places, recognising airborne transmission and actually implementing something about it.
I am not sure if I can keep this up. I don’t know how Craig Mod does his pop-up newsletters where he writes thousands of words and includes a ton of pictures after walking tens of kilometres the entire day. But it feels really good to document my thoughts and impressions on the day itself, and not rely on a hazy memory post-trip.
I do wonder if I manage to keep it up, will the style of my writing change? Will it become lazier or more complex?