The rainy season, or "Tsuyu" has started in earnest. This means heavy rains almost everyday, sometimes without stopping for days on end. I have to admit it's a horrible season to have come right before I leave. Just at a time when I'm dying to get outside all the time! Not only does it constantly rain but the temperature and humidity have been steadily rising. I find myself sweating in class, and the chalk falls apart easily in my fingers while trying to write on the board. Mold is starting to creep in. In to the shower, my shoes, blankets, and dishware.
Anyway, I'm trying hard not to let the rain deter me! Tomorrow Tyler and I will cycle to Kokubu, about 50km north, near the national forest. Hopefully we'll have an onsen, and stop off for some nice coffee and Italian food, as well as make a stop at the biggest bike shop around! If the torrential rains don't claim us along the way. In the meantime, here is a poem about the rainy season by one of my favorite Japanese poets, Saigyo.
Staring blankly
at the drops
from rafters ends,
barely getting through the days-
fifth-month rainy season
***
Tsukuzuku to noki no shizuku o nagametsutsu
hi o nomi kurasu samidare no koro
No comments:
Post a Comment