At lunch today I saw some policemen block off a street. After work I came by and there was a little festival going on there. There were stands set up at each end of the street, selling coupons for food and drinks, which you can exchange once you get inside. I bought some more kakigori (that’s the shaved ice I mentioned in another post) and watched a band play hawaiian music while a girl in a blue yukata danced the hula on a stage.
There’s something really enchanting about the summer evenings here. It’s so warm that it’s still messing with my head, though. I leave and get a rush of warm air, and then feel like I’m going in somewhere, because the concept of “outside = cold” is so deeply embedded in my mind. I’ve left chocolate outside and it’s melted because I wasn’t thinking of the possibility of anything melting outside, and if it gets warm the idea of opening a window still comes to mind.
Taking it easy again tonight but tomorrow I’ll meet Saharu in Ueno and have a quick dinner before she has to go back to Gunma.
Anyway, my washing is almost done!
How long will you be in Japan this time?
Just one week. I’ll be back in San Francisco next Sunday.