What to say?

Yesterday was the wedding anniversary - which both of us failed to remember. Well, my excuse is that I remembered and Sonia forgot....

It has gotten incredibly hot in Tokyo now. Temperatures have made it to 34 degrees today, and the forecast for tomorrow is the same. The problem is that there is sufficient humidity to make it intensely uncomfortable, without being quite as problematic as HK or Malaysia. In HK and Malaysia the culture adapts by turning the air-conditioning up a notch, and as a result the interior of the buildings is actually quite comfortable. Here, everyone grabs a fan, umbrella, and sweats (or perspires if you are a girl).

Fireworks are the big thing at the moment. This is the season for festivals, which are usually accompanied by a large number of fireworks being let off. People crowd into the parks to watch, although some smart people look for more comfortable (air-conditioned and less crowded) alternatives. For example, I was asked by a couple of people at work if it was possible to see a particular park from the apartment windows. The suggestion was that they would come over tonight for pizza to watch the fireworks. However, the apartment faces the wrong way so they departed with downcast faces to look for alternatives. :-)