The most recent Japanese holiday celebrated the Autumnal Equinox, a time when the sun appeared to cross the celestial equator. In the Northern Hemisphere, this phenomenon ushered in the Fall Season. And so it really began: the unbearable heat and humidity of the summer days slowly gave way to the cooler and dryer fall weather. In the past week, since September 27, it has rained almost everyday. A typhoon was supposed to be working its way to the city, but the only evidence I saw was the gusty wind. If there was a rainstorm, it must have happened during the time when I was fast asleep.
Slowly, the leaves in our trees start to cover the earth in our garden. It is true that only in any place that truly observes the four seasons could one appreciate the change of the season. I have lived in San Francisco for over ten years, but the year-round beautifully mild weather of the Bay Area had always left only a tiny hint for me that we were entering a new season. Here in Tokyo, where for the past three months I have been wearing the heat and humidity of my skin, I am now exchanging it gladly for the cape of cool breeze and occasional sprinkles.
