Fireworks in Yokahama

Traditional Japanese Yukata

Today, we are headed to Yokahama, Kanagawa after work to enjoy the fireworks over Tokyo Bay.  Apparently, it is tradition to show up wearing the Yukata for the fireworks display.  The Yukata in this picture was the one that was given to us during our day at the onsen last month.  Since then, the girls have all bought their own and plan on wearing them for the first time tonight.  R will be taking the bus with people from her work, but the kids and I are taking Japan's wonderful trains!  They are cheaper and much more fun than the bus!

The Heat!

When we arrived in Tokyo on June 26th, the weather was rainy and warm, but certainly not hot!  Cloudy, 75-80 degree weather continued for a week, and I began to doubt the rumors of a hot summer in Tokyo were "just rumors", but last Saturday the weather cleared and the temperature skyrocketed!!  This is like summer in Columbia, SC!  We are hoping the temperatures moderate soon.

Today:

Sun and clouds mixed. Hot. Heat index near 110F. High 97F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.

Its A Small World After All

We have been in Japan for just over two weeks now, and the jet-lag is finally gone.  Thank goodness!  I thought I had experienced jet-lag before, but +13 hours is a mountain of change for our bodies.  We have quickly become familiar with our immediate surroundings, but if we venture further than a 10 minute walk, we are still totally lost.  It will just take time to grasp the enormous size of Tokyo.

Even in the largest city in the world, 7,000 miles from home, it really is "A small world, after all".  To begin with, we met a colleague that grew-up in Duncan, SC and believe it or not, worked for a competitor of CFS in the vending industry many years ago before joining the foreign service.  A few days later, while visiting an english-speaking church in Tokyo, we met a man from Greenville that works for Michelin and is TDY here in Japan.  Just a day or so later, we met someone else that had a brother in grad school at Clemson!  We just can't escape our southern roots, and honestly, I am so glad that is the case.