Business trip to Tokyo. Since a protest was happening right during my break, I decided to join in.

First, the “Palestine Land Day March.” We marched all around Shinjuku. It was quite intense feeling the eyes of the crowds in Shinjuku on us. Lots of tourists were snapping photos. I saw a person in a Bluey costume riding a glass-walled bus for a parade, with kids chasing after it with all their might. It was a beautiful, sunny day.

After marching to Shinjuku Station, the group dispersed. I headed straight to the National Diet Building. The “Otaku Anti-War Protest” was packed with people. The placards were so creative and full of humor. While some were participating passionately, many others were just chilling in the park, listening to the speeches. It was a great demonstration—a perfect mix of a laid-back vibe and high energy. Instead of a placard, I held up the cover of the book I just bought at Maruzen Junkudo: “This Is How We All Stood in Solidarity.”

By the way, I bought a solar panel and a portable power station. If it turns out I was just being over-prepared, that’s fine. In that case, I’ll just throw a “Solar Power Party.”

War is the Absolute Worst. Also, About Dieting.
War is the worst. It’s total bullshit how those pieces of shit sacrifice children, civilians, history, culture, and even our “boring” daily lives just to maintain their own power. Seriously, fuck them. It is unbelievably disgusting.

Anyway, I’m feeling sick thinking about it, so let’s switch to a different topic. I’ve lost about 4kg in the first three months of this year, so I’ll leave my method here as a record.

The Two Core Strategies
-Strength Training: Increase muscle mass to boost basal metabolism.
-Dietary Management: Keep lipid (fat) intake low.

I used AI (Gemini) to support my dietary management.
The human body is built from three macronutrients: Protein, Fat, and Carbohydrates. While low-carb diets (keto) show quick results, they tend to make your brain feel foggy. That’s why I recommend fat restriction combined with strength training.

You can calculate your ideal daily PFC balance (Protein/Fat/Carbohydrate) using sites like this:
PFC Calculator

I set a realistic goal of losing 1kg per month. I fed those calculation results into Gemini and started reporting every single meal. Gemini then estimates the PFC amounts for me. All I have to do is eat while keeping those numbers in mind. If I’m unsure, I can just ask, “How much can I eat for the rest of the day?” and it tells me.

For example, if you eat one piece of convenience store fried chicken, you’ve basically used up more than half of your daily fat allowance. Because of that, I haven’t touched fried chicken once this year. Instead, I eat a lot of chicken breast and gizzards. I still eat ramen occasionally, but I deal with it by consciously cutting fat in my other meals.

A low-fat diet naturally leads to high protein intake. It can be tough to get enough from food alone, so I supplement with protein powder. The best part is that you can still eat a decent amount of rice and noodles, so it feels way less restrictive than a low-carb diet.

The key is to report every meal to Gemini until you develop an intuitive sense of the PFC balance. Gradually, you’ll naturally learn which foods are low in fat.

Strength Training as a Foundation
Adding muscle increases your basal metabolism, making your body naturally leaner and helping to prevent the “rebound” effect.

But if it’s too intense, you won’t stick with it. Doing it for just one minute every two days is what matters. The muscle soreness was brutal at first, though.

My routine is basically squats. Lower body muscles make up about 60–70% of your total muscle mass, so the logic is that if you’re dieting, just hitting the legs is enough. If you have extra energy, a 40-minute brisk walk after training is apparently even more effective. I recommend Noda Crystal’s video for proper squat form.

Once you gain some muscle, squats alone won’t feel like enough, and you’ll want to ramp up the intensity. Out of all the fitness YouTubers I’ve watched, I recommend [The Earth is a Gym] fitness mate—his “agitation” (motivation) is top-tier.

I’ve been continuing this way without pushing too hard. One thing I’ve learned: “Spot reduction” is a myth. If you want to lose belly fat, there is no other way than reducing your overall body fat. None. Period.

That said, I feel that having low fat is actually a disadvantage for a living creature. Having some fat stored probably increases your survival rate (especially in cold places like Nagano, where I live). “Health” looks different for everyone, so it’s best to find what works for you.

The “right to be foolish” is a vital part of living. It’s crucial not to judge others’ bodies or choices. We should all aim for whatever state we personally desire.

Dieting has been a great way to learn about the body. In the book I mentioned before, “How to Walk the Beast Path: A Hunter’s View of Japanese Nature by Shinya Senmatsu”, there’s a story about how bears—normally carnivorously inclined—switched to a herbivorous diet due to the impact of dams and rivers. It surprised me that a wild animal’s diet could switch like that, but looking at it through the lens of dietary management, I now see animal bodies as “devices” that take in PFC from the outside and convert it into energy. It makes sense now.

I want to keep keeping myself in shape. I want to stay healthy so that I’m always ready to stand up for anti-war.
Fascism won’t even let you exist in the state you choose for yourself. It is truly, utterly fuck.

I’ve been juggling so many tasks lately that I haven’t been able to update my diary.

Yesterday, I received a formal Shinto prayer for the first time in my life. I visited Yatsurugi Shrine, famous for observing “Omiwatari” (The God’s Crossing)—a phenomenon where Lake Suwa freezes over, creating an ice ridge that looks like a path for the gods—and performing divinations based on it. They check the temperature and the lake’s condition every morning this time of year, but due to global warming, it hasn’t been observed for seven years. Apparently, it requires at least three consecutive days of -10°C, which seems tough. A cold wave is expected soon, so we’ll see what happens.

It was the day of Daikan (the coldest day of the year) with fierce winds. Enduring the cold, I listened to the Shinto prayers (Norito) and the sacred flute (Kagurabue), received purified salt, and had them pray for a year of good health and “Shingan-joju”—a sort of “all-in-one pack” for fulfilling various personal wishes. The vibration of the drums through my body and the rhythmic, polished sounds of the prayers were full of elements that heighten one’s spirit. It truly made me feel refreshed and ready for a new start. I could feel the strength and history of rituals that draw out such a mindset.

In Tokyo, I used to love watching the Goma (fire ritual) of the Shingon sect. Whether or not Kukai was influenced by Zoroastrianism is uncertain, but watching fire always gets me excited. The Fukagawa Fudodo of Naritasan is particularly flashy and fun. The chanting of Mandalas, voices echoing through the space, and the flames—it’s all so dramatic. The building covered in Sanskrit characters is striking, and inside, there are 10,000 crystal stupas that really lift your spirits.

Like the “Hell Temples” in Thailand, I feel that Buddhism places a heavy emphasis on experience and sensation. It feels as if they know the limits of what language can convey, which really resonates with me.

By the way, the Buddhism deep-dive episodes on COTEN RADIO were incredibly interesting, so I highly recommend them!

Also, here are some animations I’ve watched recently and loved!

Juana Molina – Desinhumano -Director: Dante Zaballa

☄️ Comet in Moominland -Animation by Karlotta Freier.

I don’t have a strong religious faith in “gods” as such, but I do have a certain sense of awe toward nature.
I want to stay sharp and mindful so that no misfortune occurs. I tend to let my guard down so easily, after all.

When I was little, I remember throwing a tantrum, insisting, “I absolutely have to see the first sunrise of the year!” My mother, however, explained that the “First Sunrise” (Hatsuhinode) is simply a sunrise that happens to occur on New Year’s Day, and as a phenomenon, it’s exactly the same as any other sunrise. With that, she brilliantly avoided the hassle of going out in the early morning. I remember how the fantasy of New Year’s—something I had held as a special, sacred thing—crumbled inside me at that moment. I really thought New Year’s was some kind of massive natural phenomenon involving the entire planet!

Thinking back, my family was quite dry regarding New Year’s. Even on December 31st, my parents would usually go to bed before midnight. Their stance on Coming-of-Age Day was, “Why should the government decide whether I’ve become an adult or not?” and celebrations like Christmas or birthdays stopped happening quite early on.
In short, it was a “party-pooper” household that didn’t buy into society’s collective fantasies at all.

As for me, I actually love the festive atmosphere of the city during Christmas and the year-end season. But I’m a bit bad with New Year’s Eve; it’s painful for me to have the “one-year” boundary forcibly shut down, and I find myself wanting to turn away from it. After all, every year is full of things I failed to achieve. Besides, don’t decide on a 365-day boundary on your own! Humans are so selfish! Cats aren’t aware of New Year’s! Out of such selfishness, I find myself making an effort to spend the day as normally as possible. Because of that, I kept working on my animation. Maybe I’ll write about that in the next diary entry.

On the 30th, at a local udon shop in Fujimi Town called “Yamayuri,” there was a live performance by the band “Kafka’s Ibiki,” consisting of Jim O’Rourke, Eiko Ishibashi, and Tatsuhisa Yamamoto. “Yamayuri” is an udon shop in an old folk house that also appears in “Evil Does Not Exist” (directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi). It felt so good to be bathed in such great sound in such a wonderful place. Even though Fujimi is a small town, I’m truly happy that people organize wonderful events in various places.
After that, the drunkards of Fujimi Town gathered one after another at a recently opened karaoke snack bar at the quiet Shinano-Sakai Station, turning it into a giant year-end karaoke party.

On the 31st, I was tinkering with Blender since morning. From the evening, everyone remaining in Fujimi gathered at our place for a New Year’s Eve hand-rolled sushi party while watching Kohaku Uta Gassen*. I didn’t know many of the performers, but I was surprised by how cool everyone was. After all, the kendama and domino segments were incredibly exciting. Is Vaundy a person, not a band? It was also great to see Aina The End on Kohaku. Also, Kenshi Yonezu’s performance was incredibly cool (I always thought his name was pronounced “Genshi”). I was enchanted by Seiko Matsuda‘s singing voice (The 80s Legend!), and as usual, I questioned the Kohaku victory/defeat system.
Apparently, next year is the Year of the Horse. It reminded me that two Decembers ago, I was in Georgia, and there were many snake goods at the street stalls in front of the Bus station. When I asked why, they said, “Because next year is the Year of the Snake.” I was surprised to learn that Georgia also uses the Chinese zodiac! and also made me think that we almost never use the zodiac except during the New Year season.

After everyone left, I touched Blender until about 4 AM to erase the feeling of “New Year’s Eve” within myself and to forget about boundaries like “one year.” It was a very quiet night, and I worked until dawn.

*Kohaku Uta Gassen– Japan’s legendary New Year’s Eve TV special where top artists compete in a “Red vs. White (Female vs Male)” singing battle.

I started dieting after people I hadn’t seen in a while told me I’d gotten “fat” at the film festival. I’m focusing on strength training and diet restriction. It’s really helpful that Gemini automatically creates my training menu. Kinni-kun’s YouTube videos are so informative. However, it seems Kinni-kun hasn’t updated his YouTube recently. I wonder what happened? I’m worried.