Happy New Year 2026 from「VAoJ」

あけましておめでとうございます。

今年もよろしくお願いします。

Ubusuna Shrine prepped and (almost) ready to go (?)...

There have been big changes at our local shrine in the last year. The local elders, who have been in charge of preparations for most of the shrine activities for years, decades really, resigned en masse in April. Really, there are no others who are prepared to replace them and their knowledge. The biggest question was, who would prepare and officiate the shrine for the New Years activities? Unlike last year, I was not asked to help or participate. These photos were taken before in the late afternoon of December 31, 2025, before the expected big rush at midnight. I have no idea who did the set-up. But it is very different and minimal compared to previous years.

UPDATE (post midnight 1/1/26): This post and its illustrations will be very important to understand the big changes from previous years. The photos from after midnight will be posted shortly. Please wait for a while...

Here's Another One that Got Away (in '25)...「Oh no, it's falling over (the car has moss on the roof)」

My last post on community problems and this post on community collaborative problem solving have unintentionally come together as bookends and an appropriate way to ring out the old year.

On September 7, 2025, my daughter and I were walking out of the Sada Lifelong Learning Center in Hirakata City after our anthropological research and fieldwork on deaf children's sign language acquisition (a long-term project for my daughter's 6th grade solo class exhibition and presentation in January this year; she is the Principal Investigator and I serve as an assistant and advisor) when we saw this car, a white Daihatsu Hijet microvan with a moss-covered roof. I took a few photos of the unusual vehicle. Little did I know that I encountered my first collaborative SDG project. We anthropologists are a busy bunch, so the photos got swept away until a few days ago.

After some investigation, I saw that this wagon was a transport van for a local cleaning and delivery service, Sakuraya Izuhara Dry Cleaning. It was created by and is used by Kazuya Izumihara, a former teacher at the Osaka Prefectural Horticultural High School, the director of the Japan Moss Greening Research Institute, promoter of global warming prevention activities commissioned by the Governor of Osaka Prefecture and an artist with various projects in his Moss Terrarium Workshop Izuhara. He calls his car「やぁね、こけちゃっかー」or 「屋根苔着車」(Yaane, Kokechakkaa, loosely translated as "Oh dear, the moss is falling of the roof car").

Izumihara and his car have been featured on the Government of Japan's X/Twitter account. The car serves to raise environmental awareness and fight global warming. The Daihatsu Hijet microvan is supposed to be good for the environment as it is a hybrid with good fuel efficiency and low emissions. The moss on the car takes in CO2 and produces oxygen.

Source: https://x.com/JapanGov/status/1644943279149178880 

To be honest, I have been doubtful about SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals); while the intentions are good, it seems that businesses and institutions use SDGs more as self promotion rather than educating the public and making actual improvements. But I am very impressed with this local endeavor that is a collaboration between art, technology, horticulture, environmentalism, education and small business. You can learn more about the art projects, environmental activities and local delivery business at the following sources:

https://itp.ne.jp/zenkoku/osaka/kishiwadashi/kishikichiyo/272765319062251400 Moss Uncle's Moss Terrarium by Kazuya Izumihara: https://koketerariumu-sakuraya.net/

Sakuraya Izuhara Collection and Delivery Specialist Dry Cleaning: https://0724-55.com/

Here is an especially interesting project: https://koketerariumu-sakuraya.net/%e3%82%84%e3%81%81%e3%81%ad%e3%80%81%e3%81%93%e3%81%91%e3%81%a1%e3%82%83%e3%81%a3%e3%81%8b%e3%83%bc%ef%bc%88%e5%b1%8b%e6%a0%b9%e8%8b%94%e7%9d%80%e8%bb%8a%ef%bc%89/

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlI3uBO-aWc

Here's One That Got Away (in '25)...「Community Problems: The Park Is Not a Pet Toilet!」

The first three of the photos in this series were from July of this year at a park in my neighborhood. But maybe the timing might be better to reveal this community problem now as many people are attending bonenkai (忘年会), "end of the year drinking parties to forgot all the bad stuff that happened during the year". So maybe it is a good idea to put this shit behind us now... And please don't pee in the park after the bonenkai...

The sign on the fence:

フンの放置多発中!

子ども達の通学路であるこちらの周辺で、飼い主が散歩時にフンを持ち帰らず、放置したままになり大変不衛生になっています。

犬の散歩時のマナーを守れていない方を教えていただければ、市より、その方のご自宅に伺い、市条例により注意を促しますので、ご連絡ください!  

"Pet droppings are frequently left behind!

This area is a route children use to go to school, and pet owners are leaving their dog droppings behind instead of taking them home when they walk, creating a very unsanitary environment.

If you know of anyone who is not following proper dog walking etiquette, please let us know. We will visit their home and issue a warning in accordance with city ordinances."

The wooden sign on the ground next to the tongs:

子供や孫が遊ぶ公園です　草むらでおしっこ　ふん　やめて

"This is a park where children and grandchildren play. Stop peeing and pooping in the grass."  

The fence post:

ここはペットのトイレ (illegible).

(Probably something like) "This is not a pet toilet." or "Do you think this is a pet toilet?" 

The other fence post:

⛩️ ペットのトイレ (illegible).

⛩️ (Mark for Shinto Shrine tori gate followed by probably something like) "This is not a pet toilet."

Sometimes people place a miniature tori gate or draw one on a wall or area where people (or their pets) urinate in parks, alleys, next to drinking establishments, etc. For an example of this, scroll down to the pictures of a Kyobashi back street on my recent x-mas shopping trip.

https://visualanthropologyofjapan.blogspot.com/2025/12/christmas-shopping-in-kyobashi.html

Update: today!

Apparently the fence makes for a better place for someone's lost keys... Hope that someone sees and retrieves their keys. They look rather rusty (they weren't there in July). Pet urine turns out to be very corrosive, which is another part of this problem, especially for light posts and air conditioners.

Season's Greetings and Happy Holidays from「VAoJ」

Two left-over shops from x-mas shopping in Kyobashi.

New taco and hamburger shop near work...


Bonus Shots (w/ sources):

https://www.facebook.com/mongolialive.org/posts/because-i-cant-wait-till-christmas-to-post-this/2037414819653657/ n.d

https://japantoday.com/category/picture-of-the-day/Santa-Sanae 12/24/26

Christmas Shopping in Kyobashi...

Neighborhood Jalan Jalan (106):

Bonus link: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BlNOwq8IIPU

2025年度第24回手話言語研究セミナー The 24rd Sign Language Research Seminar「Memories of the Deaf Evoked by Home Movies」

Seems to be a perfect match for VAoJ! Sign language and home movies...

The Japan Institute for Sign Language Studies (JISLS) held its first "Sign Language Research Seminar" in 2000 with the aim of deepening the understanding of sign language research by exchanging opinions among participants from various fields such as sign language, sign language interpreting, welfare, and education. From FY2021, the seminar is being held as part of the "Sign Language Research and Dissemination Project" commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

In 2025, the theme will be "Memories of the Deaf Evoked by Home Movies," and we will discuss the importance of preserving old footage related to sign language, share the status of domestic and international research (Part 1) , and present research findings in 2025 (Part 2).

For more information and registration: https://jisls.com-sagano.com/seminar/

Grading is Over...

Bonus link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCpXMy5GalI&list=RDlCpXMy5GalI