Travelling through a well to another world
There are journeys that take place only when we can no longer live as we used to
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
For New Year decorations, mochi is wrapped around branches to evoke flowers at Omuraya, a Kyoto restaurant specialising in the traditional home cooking of the old Japanese capital.
PHOTO: JANICE TAY
Janice Tay
New year, new phase. On Jan 4, as people in Japan went back to work after the holidays, more than 1,000 Covid-19 infections were reported in the country, making it the first time in three months that the national tally had crossed that threshold.
Just two weeks later, the daily total hit a new record of 32,197 cases, exceeding the peak of the previous wave last August. More than half of Japan's 47 prefectures have come under or are moving towards a quasi-state of emergency, with Kyoto also set to return to social and dining restrictions this week.