It’s raining, again. A steady, soaking shower that begins to puddle in parking lots. But it’s still hot, too hot to wear a rain coat, and the humidity causes sweat to pour down my body as my clothes are also drenched from the outside, under an umbrella that does little against the wind and blowing rain.
There is little that is appealing in this weather. I normally enjoy the rain, the peacefulness of raindrops quietly pattering in the lonely woods, the new perspective that comes with seeing the world dripping and glistening, the simple fun of splashing through muddy puddles on a bike or in hiking boots.
Here, I still don’t mind the precipitation, but it lacks the refreshing quality that it holds back home. It does nothing against the hot, muggy air that is the constant norm. The thought of doing any physical activity in this humidity is anything but inviting. So instead, we sit in our tiny dorm-like rooms, sipping coffee and reading and writing and whatever else, pondering a grocery store mission later in the day.
There will be another couple weeks of tsuyu, the rainy season here in Japan that begins in early June and lasts til mid-late July. Then it will hopefully be a little clearer, and we’ll be able to catch glimpses of the high mountains that are currently continually shrouded in clouds. We’ll be in the mountains then, in cooler air and out of the city. We’ll be in my element, and I’m so excited to see all the places I’ve been hearing about and reading about and looking at maps and pictures of.
But for now, for a couple more days, I read about others adventures in the mountains until we have some of our own.
Here are some of my favorites so far:
CJW, who writes beautiful descriptions and takes absolutely breathtaking photos of climbing and mountaineering in the Japanese Alps, and a few other places.
One Hundred Mountains, a interesting blog about the history of Japanese mountaineering.
Hanameizan, a blog about a man and his dog, Hana, who avidly runs the mountains of Japan.
Adventures in Japan!, a variety of stories by a Canadian who spent 15 months in Japan and Southeast Asia.
Sean Breslin, British photographer and bicyclist who takes some really amazing pictures.
helena kotala 