Happy New Year...

... Japanese style. The woofer is there purely for the purpose of perspective. The pine and bamboo  decorations either side of him are called kadomatsu, a custom with its roots in the Shinto religion. You will find them outside most homes and businesses, until the end of today when they will be taken down. 

New Year traditions are important in Japan and include visits to the shrine, watching the first sunrise, picking your fortune from a bamboo box,  eating soba buckwheat noodles and mochi rice cakes.

Not usually ones for resolutions, the woofer and I hope that Blippers everywhere have resolved to make their blip pledge. We love all your journals and hope to enjoy them for many more years to come. Plus, how can we plan more Blip meets if there is no more Blip?  

The race is on now...