Fifteen years ago, on what remains as possibly the most unhip day of my life, my entire family, all nine of us, went to have our group portrait taken at a local photo salon.

The impact was so strong, it bent the bar into a v.

It is believed that the picture was conveyed through the Hokuriku region on the Sea of Japan coast, but the Nagano Municipal Government noted that the figure bears no shield and that the vessel contains a circular emblem -- features setting it apart from those unearthed in the western half of the country.

Our conversation was short and sweet / It nearly swept me off-a my feet