Ichiko Uemoto (as I decided to call you last time), it’s been a while.
Yes I do like yearend. People on the streets are in high spirits, and it’s all entertaining specials on TV. I’ve liked yearend since I was small.
On the other hand I’m not a fan of the New Year holidays. I’d compare the mood of New Year to when the band has an after-party while on tour in some provincial place, everyone gets wasted and has a great time, but the next day when you all meet up in the hotel lobby, everyone is a bit subdued.
As soon as the new year begins I feel refreshed, and wonder what happened to all that yearend craziness. It makes me sad to think people can so easily forget last year. Maybe it’s because I’m a guy. I get the feeling it’s men who find it harder to get over ex-partners, too.
I particularly dislike sanganichi, the first three days of the New Year. It makes me feel like I’m doing ascetic training. Because of the atmosphere of forced relaxation, I somehow can’t relax. The more I feel I should unwind, the more I get weirdly flustered. Like now, when I looked up how to write sanganichi with the correct characters, I got confused by how unclear it was — do I write it as 三が日, or 三ヶ日, or 三箇日?
“Since it’s yearend” has an liberating ring to it, but “since it’s the New Year holidays” feels restrictive.

I’m currently wondering whether to buy a guitar or not. Although I made up my mind to buy an incredibly expensive guitar, the clerk in the music shop is such an unpleasant argumentative sort that I don’t feel like buying it anymore. Or maybe it’s just because I’m scared of buying such an expensive guitar that I’m blaming it on the shop clerk. What do you think?

Somehow I’ve ended up doing nothing but complain.

Since it’s yearend, maybe that’s OK.