Hey folks,
As lockdown drags on and on and on and on (seriously, please wear a mask outdoors … always), my thoughts linger on Japan. Usually by this time of year, I’d be over there visiting my wife and kids who travel early to see relatives, and I would be baking under the intense heat and humidity. Compared to Pacific Northwest summers, which are dry and somewhat short, summers in Japan are invariably hot, humid and just linger on and on.1
But at the same time, summers in Japan are full of festivals, parades, fireworks shows,2 yukata robes, shaved ice, fans and other fun things. It’s not hard to find something going on every week in the neighborhood area as one temple, shrine or community center has a festival after another. Plus, the food. I sincerely miss the food.
Thankfully, the family and I are well, and like everyone reading this, are adapting to the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean we don’t miss our life before this.
P.S. Our Olympic memorabilia we bought last year at the Tokyo Olympic stadium, now sitting forlorn:
1 I won’t even mention the mosquitoes. My daughter and I get bitten constantly, while my wife and son do not for some reason.
2 Fireworks in Japan, especially in Tokyo, go a surprisingly long ways back, and are very colorful and fun. Since people seldom burn more than sparklers at home, you never have to worry about pets being stressed out either, which is nice. No annoying bottle-rockets at 3am.
Gleanings in Buddha-Fields 