Talking (or more like moaning) about the state of the weather is a staple of British chit chat! So I believe that a post about the weather is a must, because boy have I moaned. As rainy season came to an end the ridiculously hot weather arrived, this also coincided with the arrival of my visitors and the start of an unforgettable 2 weeks around Japan.  

My very attractive rain suit! 

Rewind a few months. On the 28^th May Numazu council announced on the city tannoy system that rainy season had officially begun!!! It was early this year. The rainy season, known as “tsuyu” had already spread its cloak of high humidity and unpredictable down pours over Okinawa (Southwest Archipelago) and had arrived in Numazu.  Despite the fact it’s called rainy season, it doesn't rain all day every day, it varies from days with intensive down pours to other days with occasional sprinkles.

Heavy down pours can occur without any prior notice. So if you are in Japan during this time, always carry an umbrella or a rain suit with you. On my way back from Sawada School (a good 35 minute cycle from home) I was caught in a sudden shower that appeared on an otherwise sunny day. The rain was so heavy, I could barely open my eyes to see where I was cycling, my hair and clothes were dripping wet. Since this day, I have never forgotten to put my rain suit in my bike basket again!  As you can see from the picture, rain suits are not the most attractive garments to wear. It is illegal to cycle with an umbrella in hand (although many still do), so rather than risking a rather large fine from the police I opted for the unfashionable alternative to get me through rainy season. 

Ink sketch: Start of the summer begins with
rainy season. It is illegal to ride and bike and
carry  and  umbrella.

As the rainy season began to come to an end, the rain became extremely heavy for several consecutive days. One morning, in the early hours, there was a local announcement on the city tannoy system. Now this system is designed to warm people of earthquakes and tsunamis, so it is jolly loud. That morning, at 5AM, it was used to tell people “that it was raining really hard, be careful.” Whilst it is nice to know that we are being carefully looked after, I can only imagine that most people were very much aware of the horrendously heavy rain outside and were all tucked up in bed.

Rainy season is not the most comfortable time to travel Japan, but it is a great time to avoid the crowds as most people don’t travel during this time. The majority of Japanese people stay indoors avoiding the rain and eating lots of food ready for the hot summer around the corner.

The end of the rainy season was marked by a heat wave which enveloped much of Japan on Saturday (July 6^th) sending temperatures soaring beyond 30 degrees, the start of scorching temperatures and high humidity had begun, just in time for my guest’s arrival. August has been the hottest summer on record in Japan, with temperatures in Numazu reaching 36 degrees and humidity well above 80%. The city tannoy system regularly reminds us to drink lots of water and stay indoors. I have tried all methods of trying to cool my body down - you name it I've tried it, ice packs, three cold showers a day, drinking and cuddling frozen bottles of water, air conditioning, minimal clothing, towels on my head and neck… but not matter what the beads of sweat continue to pour. The heat and humidity just zaps you of all your energy and motivation and sleeping becomes impossible, but this wasn't going to stop us from having the best 2 week, non-stop tour of Japan.

It was 33 degrees and 85% plus humidity, but being reunited with my long-term boyfriend James at Tokyo airport was just the best! Weeks building up to the day I dreamt about our re-union. I imagined that I would be screaming, shouting and jumping with excitement when he walked through arrivals, but what I actually did was simply burst into tears! After a whistle stop tour of Tokyo we met Mary and Tom, it was amazing seeing my sister again and great to finally have Tom join the teaching team! Ali and I have struggled to acclimatise to the heat so you can only imagine how it felt for James, Mary and Tom. They described walking off the bus at Numazu station like walking into a sauna.

RE-UNITED with my best friend! <3

Mary, Tom, Myself, James and Ali reunited over three
hours of karaoke. 

Whilst summer brings unbearable whether, it does bring matsuri (summer festivals) and Hanabi-taikai (firework displays).

Matsuris are often a time for the Japanese to let their hair down. Small food and other festival stores line the streets. There are many delicious foods to try but I would recommend takoyaki (ball shaped Japanese pancakes with a chunk of octopus inside), and chocolate bananas. Numazu matsuri is a 2 day event over the last weekend in July. Elaborate shrines are carried by chanting locals wearing traditional dress, and if you look really enthusiastic you might get roped in to helping carry one of the shrines.

Carrying the shrine through the streets

Mishima summer festival is a 3 day event and is much the same as Numazu matsuri just larger. My favourite part of Mishima matsuri was taking part in the dancing with Michael-san and Junko-san. It was so so so much fun, everyone was getting involved and the moves were easy to pick up after a few beats.

Each night, Numazu summer festival ends with a spectacular fireworks show along the Kano River. Firework displays are a typical summer scene in Japan; they are BIG in Japan, both in scale and in popularity. Think London New Year but bigger, these are not your average village bonfire night displays! Tens of thousands of fireworks are set off at each show, with the show lasting up to an hour. This summer we have enjoyed several shows including Numazu summer festival fireworks, Atami fireworks and Ito fireworks.  There is a great atmosphere at these events. Throwing on your yukata or jinbei, grabbing some delicious festival food and drinks and finding a good viewing point with some great friends makes for a perfect evening.  

Numazu fireworks

Atami fireworks

I love wearing a yukata. They are often made of cotton and worn with an obi around the waist, and geta (wooden clogs) on your feet, although finding geta for my size 7 feet is almost impossible in Japan. It is casual and comfortable and has become popular and fashionable with many people wearing yukata at matsuri and hanabi-taikai. I have done a small painting of a women wearing a yukata in the heat of the day. 

Acrylic painting of a women in a yukata
in the heat of the day. 

Large-scale firework displays are very popular, but enjoying small hand-help sparklers and low-risk fireworks in backyards or on the beach is also very popular and great fun. During our holiday, we often grabbed a packet of sparklers and headed out to the beach with some food and drink!

Junko and I in our yukatas at Mishima Matsuri 

James and Ali wearing a jinbei and Ryu
in a mens yukata.

Matsuri and Hanabi were the beginning of a spectacular and unforgettable two weeks exploring Japan. The art is progressing and the blog posts are coming along. It’s going to take a while to post about my 2 week adventure as there is just so much to say, but keep checking my blog. Thankfully (in a strange way) typhoon season (oh dear) is at our door step, ready to give respite from the scorching heat of summer so hopefully my energy will return to update this blog asap.

Marion