What I’m doing now

EMPTYING THE CUP

One of my goals this year is to simplify my life at every level and avoid adding complexity, even when I often feel tempted by curiosity, impulses, or social pressure.

Today, I came across this koan that I remember having read years ago, but I somehow forgot about it, it reminds us how important it is to empty yourself before trying to fill back up:

Nan-in served tea, and when the guest’s cup was full, he kept pouring.

The guest, watching the tea overflow, said: “It is already full; no more tea will fit!”

“Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations about the world. How can I teach you Zen if you do not first empty your cup?”

This is my year to work less, travel less, take on fewer projects, read less, buy less, sign up for fewer events, watch fewer movies/series, take fewer photos, and write less… 

LIVING IN THREE PLACES

Even though I still consider Tokyo my main home base. Now we also spend part of the year in Okinawa (During winter months) and several months in Spain toward the end of the year.

JUST PUBLISHED TWO NEW BOOKS IN ENGLISH

I just published two new books in English.

The Spirit of Shinto is a non-fiction book inspired by my experiences visiting shrines across Japan.

Eternity in Kyoto is my first novel. Writing and publishing my first work of fiction has been both a challenge and a deeply rewarding journey.

Positive reviews on Amazon and messages sharing your thoughts on these books mean a lot, they help keep me inspired to keep writing!

WRITING

I’m always writing books, I write everyday. I blend non-fiction with fiction, and I’ve found that each fulfills a different need: non-fiction feeds my curiosity, while fiction delights and stretches my imagination. Over time, I’ve also noticed a rhythm in my writing: non-fiction flows best in the morning, while fiction comes to life in the afternoon.

READING

At the beginning of the year, I bought 10 printed books that help to give my eyes a break from too much screen time. After finishing each one I’m sharing reviews on Goodreads.

HEALTH

I have been dealing with SIBO-C, IMO, IBS-C issues for many years now. After working with doctors from the US, Japan and Spain, with varying degrees of success I’m now also using AI tools to help me handle symptoms and improve my quality of life. I do write a symptoms daily log and feed it to Claude, Gemini, Grok, ChatGPT and ask them what to do next (Changes in sup stack, routine etc).

I’m training my cardio when my symptoms allow me: running and swimming, to increase my VO2max. My goal for 2026 is to run 600km in total.

ONLINE PRESENCE

I try to spend as less time as possible online. But I keep updating sometimes here:

Updated February 4th, 2026, from Japan.

If you want to create your own “now page” this is the starting point. My “now” has been changing over the years. These are my archived Nownownow pages since 2016: