"Furusato" means "hometown" or "place of birth." Which is where most Japanese are right now, celebrating New Year's, honoring their roots and maintaining ties with relatives and friends.
For David Campignon, this means returning from Europe to Hayama in Kanagawa Prefecture, where he grew up. Also it is where he will make his "comeback" as a professional pianist Jan. 17, with a program of Schumann, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Stravinsky and Ligeti.
His French-born father, Jean Campignon, comes to meet me off the bus. As we climb the hill behind Gyokuzo-in Temple, he explains how they used to live in a house just above, but the temple wanted the land for a new cemetery. It was the family cat, Socrates, who found them new accommodation just 50 meters away -- an empty house secreted away amid woodland with a splendid view over the ocean.