Sebaceous Hyper-What?

investigating a disagreeable discovery

Welcome readers, old and new!

Please hit the ❤️ above to learn why tinkle may be a little star—especially in the field of agriculture.

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It seems like only weeks, but I’ve actually been in Japan for months. By the time you read this, I’ll be back in the U.S., scraping the winter grime off my apartment windows and wading through the swamp of mail that awaits. An unpleasant prospect. I’m trying to focus on the positive: my friends, the theater, in-person activism. But leaving my family here always feels like having my heart ripped out through my throat. Word of the Day: Ambivalence.

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In a different realm, where there’s zero ambivalence (and searing clarity), have a listen.

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While in Tokyo, especially as my departure approaches, I cram in as many long discovery walks as possible.

A few times a week I choose a destination—one I haven’t yet been to or an old favorite—and wander over, often turning off the path to poke around a narrow side street, each one a cabinet of curiosities. A line of small, pot-bellied stone statues squatting among a riot of neon pink and purple azaleas; an imposing private residence, its smoky-green tiled roof and lush bamboo garden peeking above a latticed fence; a fake-distressed Tudor façade offering “hair and make” (“make” meaning, as I understand the translation, the act of applying cosmetics rather than cosmetics themselves).

It isn’t unusual for me to clock 10 miles in an afternoon, just wandering and noticing. So I was happy to read about the journeys of many predecessors, though I’m comfortably suited up in my Onitsuka Tigers, leaving the straw sandals to the spiritual ascetics.

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After the paywall, a reader confronts her skincare confusion with the question, “What would Val do?”

Naturally, Val turns to the experts.

HNTFUYF is a payola-free, reader-supported zone. I get no cut from sales when I mention a product. My recommendations are offered without obligation, making HNTFUYF one of the very few places where you can get unadulterated beauty advice.

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