This past weekend saw me immersed in the planning and execution of a large-scale event. Consequently, the weekend newsletter went unsent for the first time in nearly a year to the day. Omataseshimashita (お待たせしました), as the familiar phrase goes—thank you for waiting. 

There may be something inherent to this time of year that invites a lapse. In London, May brings longer light, warmer streets, and a subtle uptick in restlessness—the sense that something is about to begin, even if no one has said as much. Activity seems to hum all around: the calendar fills with plans, the weather encourages drift, and the city becomes reluctant to stay indoors.

Or perhaps it was simply a matter of time and energy overtaking me, as I attended to the particulars that a significant gathering of people demands. From among those details, a tidbit offers itself up as this week’s subject. If you're a new reader and this is your first Tokyothèque, you might consider perusing some of the sixty-plus previous editions to acquaint yourself better with the newsletter's usual rhythm and scope.