August

August is an absolutely horrible month to be in Japan. Summer is not my favorite month at the best of times, and I will certainly not be changing my mind this year!

It is not actually that hot, usually being closer to 30° than 40°. But as the normal humidity levels are around 70 to 85%, one tends to melt after even the smallest physical effort.

All this to say that long hiking trips and such are absolutely out of the question.

But all this is no excuse for not posting on the blog for so long, as I haven't been not doing anything all these weeks!

It being so hot and humid out, the first things one wants to do of a week-end is to go to the beach! This I did with a friend from the house, to make it even more fun.

Fist, we went to the beach at Zushi, it being the closest by train. It was like a completely different beach from what I had previously seen, the road-side lined with bars and beach booths, and the sand literally crammed full of people, all with parasol and tents.

We finally found a spot for our towels right at the edge of the swimming area, and had an enjoyable afternoon in the water, with Fuji-san peeping through the clouds in the background.

The week after, we decided that although Zushi was close, there were just too many people, so we set off to find ourselves a smaller beach. This we did, and spent a very enjoyable day at a minute little beach further down the coast from Zushi. The water was beautiful, and there were hardly any people at all, so was totally worth the longer time to get there.

Another fun event of August was the beach volleyball contest held at Uminokoen, near Kanazawa-hakkei. I had head of it through the folks at the lab who were participating in it, and decided to go cheer them on. What I had not realized, was that it was a huge event, with more than 400 teams participating!

Despite some of the JAMSTEC teams being quite good, they just could not compete with teams from volleyball clubs, and so by late morning everyone had retired to the blanket they had set out for the consolation prize, which was a cooler full of beer.

And of course, one of the biggest events in August in Japan are hanabi, firework displays. They are literally everywhere, and on week days, too. As it gets dark quite fast, most fireworks are from 7 to 8pm, which leaves time for everyone to get home, and doesn't make anyone miss work. This means everyone can go, and it is traditional to wear your yukata to go.

A few weeks ago I had in fact bought a yukata, and so my friend Nanae, with whom I work, shoed me how to tie it all up, and off we went to see fireworks! I would like to point out this point that it was by general concensus rather than personal choice, that my yukata is pink.

It is very fun going to the fireworks, both the fireworks themselves, which are absolutely magnificient, and simply watching all the people, both in traditional and modern wear.