It think actually, the problem lies with me. I complain about the weather far more than anyone else I know, and I think it's because the weather in Seattle stays between about 50 and 75 degrees all-year round. There are exceptions, but you can pretty much count on that range. Everywhere else in the world, however, people puts up with more inconsistency. It broke 30 degrees Celsius in my apartment today, and that is where I draw the line. I have been avoiding AC for various reasons, but 30.9 (87) is simply too hot. The only thing keeping me from seeking out a Starbucks and camping out is the thought that I have to wear clothes if I want to go there. The only way I can describe the humidity is: Arkansas. We just went through rainy season here, and all I could think of was that the streets of Kyoto smelled like Arkansas.
This rant about the weather is going to look pretty silly (if it doesn't already) when August turns out to be worse than July and I have nothing to talk about.
On July 17th I will be pulling a float in the Gion Matsuri festival in downtown Kyoto. It's one of the biggest festivals in all of Japan, and for the first time in its history there will be a float pulled by an all-foreigner team. I am looking forward to it... kind of. Everyone who does it says that right afterward they feel like they never want to do it again. Two years ago it took place in a rainstorm. It's also very possible that it could take place in 90 degree heat. Shivering cold or dangerously hot, the 25 of us will be pulling a two-ton float down the street. There is no mechanism to turn the floats so we will have to physically pick it up and turn it 90-degrees. I will post pictures of the event.
In other news, I went to Hiroshima sometime between my last post and this one. I went to the Peace Park and the A-Bomb Dome (the remnants of a building that was directly below the blast) and also ate some delicious okonomiyaki. Pictures:
A monument at the Peace Park. If anyone has ever been in an elementary school class where you made cranes and sent them to Hiroshima, then this is one of the places they end up.
This is a building that survived the August 6th blast. The rest of the ruins were cleared out and built around, but it was decided to keep this one in its present state. However, because the building continues to deteriorate, there are efforts to restore it to its original ruined state.
And this is the most delicious picture ever taken. Hiroshima is famous for its okonomiyaki, and we went to a place called Okonomiyaki Village to eat lunch. mmmm.
And lastly, I spent a few days relaxing on Miyajima, which is an island off the coast of Hiroshima. The island's main claim to fame is its giant Shinto gate that lies on the beach. When the tide comes in the gate looks like it is floating in the water. The shrine associated with the gate is built off the ground so that it, too, appears to be floating in the high tide.At low tide.
At high tide.
All in all, Hiroshima was a nice little vacation. I have now been to both Nagasaki and Hiroshima so I somehow feel that my latent unconscious war guilt has been assuaged. Hiroshima's peace park is way better than Nagasaski's, by the way. So if you are planning a nuclear pilgrimage and can only go to one, you should go to Hiroshima. The one in Nagasaki is just filled with awful publicly financed sculptures from governments all over the world.
I don't think I will be taking any vacations any time soon. July has got Gion Matsuri and some other international events and August will see the new JETs come to Kyoto. There are something like 45 new JETs, which is an absurd number. There are only 75 or so JETs in the prefecture, and it's going to be an adventure to have half of them leave to be replaced by fresh meat. As PA, though, I am able to look over their files, and it seems like they are a pretty competent bunch. I look forward to meeting them in Tokyo.
