On New Year’s Day 2016, the author awakens from a rare and joyful first dream spoken in English.
Arashiyama photographs and the phrase “Shōmon Raifuku” are offered to readers around the world as a New Year’s gift.

A Happy New Year — “Shōmon Raifuku”
2016-01-01
This year, quite unusually for me, I woke up having clearly remembered my first dream of the year.
How was it for you all.
My first dream was fitting for someone who continues to send words out into the world,
a dream in which conversations unfolded in English.
It was a very good dream.
Perhaps what I wrote yesterday, timed with the one hundred and eight tolls of the New Year’s bell, was the reason.
Now, about last year’s autumn leaves in Kyoto.
As I have said many times, they were worthy of the world’s greatest city,
truly the finest autumn leaves in the world.
Because of higher temperatures, the season was delayed,
and the true peak at famous spots came only after December began.
Needless to say, everything was magnificent.
Today, I offer photographs of Arashiyama
to everyone in Yuriage with whom I shared a dreamlike reunion on November 14,
to my teacher, to whom no amount of gratitude is enough,
and to readers all around the world.
As I have mentioned repeatedly, Arashiyama is my garden.
In order to capture the very best of that day,
whenever the weather was clear, I went there almost every single day.
S-kun, the words “Shōmon Raifuku” written on the New Year’s card you sent me in the first year after our reunion were wonderful.
I now offer these words
to everyone in Yuriage
and to all good men and women across the world.