あけましておめでとうございます。
The year began under a low sky.
Onioshidashi Park, at the foot of Mount Asama in Nagano,
is shaped by eruptions that never fully belong to the past.
Lava fields stretch outward, rough stone and dark ground holding their form,
as if time decided to rest there.
Mount Asama feels restrained rather than dramatic—
like a horse standing still, strength held beneath the surface.
Beautiful, but wasn't obedient.
That tension defines the place.
(meanwhile, the bear warning signs scattered around the park kept us on edge—
fog thick, no one else in sight, bear spray firmly in hand....)
Hyojin in Nada Retro Striped Corduroy Flare Trousers.
It actually brought back a memory from 2023, climbing Pen y Fan in Wales—
a day when rain and mist erased the view, leaving the world blank.
It felt similar.
And that was refreshing in its own way.
The stillness, as if no one else existed, felt right for the start of a year.
Scattered through the park, small shrines and bells mark the land.
Here, even destruction is treated as something to acknowledge rather than deny.
The presence of oni—figures shaped after fear and force—
is less about threat, more about memory.
A reminder that nature is not meant to be controlled, only respected.
Here, every moment carries the weight of a small ritual.
Walking, stopping, looking—each one feels considered.
It’s something I often sense in Japan:
the idea that everyday actions can hold meaning on their own.
We ended the day in an onsen, letting warmth replace the cold.
That’s how the Year of the Horse began—
without any rush.