I was taught this during the course of a wonderful day. It was our day off, so I went with Fuko, a 19 year old WWOOFer from Osaka, to the main house and essentially sat in front of the fire all day, reading The Horse and His Boy, eating udon, and just hanging out. It's the first time I've been to that house on a day off, and it was warm, cozy, and friendly, a vibe Tsuji House, for all its exciting qualities, just can't compete with. As much as I'll miss our fire-heated, well-drawn bath under the stars, the bath I took today was absolutely fantastic. It's entirely automatic; I just had to choose the temperature and the water level, and in a few minutes the water clunked off and the most beautiful bath was waiting for me. Best Japanese thing so far, even better than the electric toilet.

I think I'm getting sick. I don't hate winter any less than I did before, but I really have come to understand it a tiny bit better, as much as is possible in the two weeks I've been living without gas/electric heat. I guess getting sick is a part of that, too.