It's now been ten months since I left Japan, and my posting rate has decreased a lot, especially this summer. I also feel that almost all the issues that could be discussed about Japan have already been discussed times and again, so that it becomes quite repetitive. Most practical questions can now be answered by the FAQ or by searching for old posts. I wish somebody would write about local festivals or bring up new, little known subjects (Buddhist mummies, Kokeshi, differences between temples and shrines) as I used to do. But so far very few people have shown any real interest in traditional Japanese culture on this forum - apart from Mandylion, who wrote about Japanese sword, and a few others. Even when it comes to the economy or society, I feel that I am one of the rare members to have started new discussions over the years, and now that I don't do it so often, serious discussions are slowly dying away, except for politics (e.g. Yasukuni) and discrimination, which are not the most cheerful topics to discuss.