Oh, the weather!

I survived my first typhoon! Although I have to admit, typhoons don’t seem to be cause for much alarm in Japan, probably because they can occur pretty frequently during their typhoon season. In fact, they don’t even bother with unique names for each storm, but number them in consecutive order instead. As such, we were struck by Typhoon #11 while in Kobe. Rain fell in a torrential downpour. Winds achieved speeds of over 100 mph. Tree branches and leaves were torn off and blown about, creating a layer of debris on every street. Our hotel was noticeably swaying on its foundations. Nearly all public transportation systems were shut down during the peak of the storm. Basically, for the 2 hours during which Kobe was caught in the center of the typhoon, the entire city came to a momentary standstill. There was no obvious panic or change – everyone simply sought refuge indoors until the weather calmed enough to venture outside again. After the storm passed, city employees cleaned all of the broken plant debris from the streets within about 48 hours, and soon it was as if the typhoon never happened. Our only proof that it occurred lies in the pretty fabulous videos several of us recorded of some of our group running outside, getting buffeted by the wind.

The weather varied a little bit everyday for the rest of the trip, from light drizzles to a heavy downpour, moderate winds to bright sunny skies. I was pretty grateful for the frequent rain and wind – it kept the overwhelming misery of the humidity at bay, if only for brief periods at a time. Sweat was a constant companion, as were aching feet (be sure to pack GREAT walking shoes – cloth sneakers are not recommended if rain is expected!). A traditional fan, cooling towel, or general towel for mopping sweat are also extremely handy and provide immediate (if somewhat laborious in the case of the fan) relief. Sunscreen is also a good idea on sunny or slightly overcast days. Our last day of touring in Hiroshima brought the first truly sunny day of the trip - I underestimated just how much time I’d spend in direct sunlight walking around, and ended up with a pretty decent sunburn in just a few hours (light skinned individuals beware!). Overall though, I think we lucked out with relatively mild weather during our trip. A few of the students told us that the previous summer was one of the hottest and most humid in many years – I cannot express how grateful I am that we missed it this time. It seems that our day in Hiroshima was the best representation of typical summer weather for Japan – it was also one of the most miserable for me as a whole, so I’m very glad it only occurred on one day!