The UK has four seasons which seem to merge into one another at a fairly standard rate, allowing you to slowly adapt to the coldness of winter after the few good days of summer and vice versa. Japan on the other hand is slightly different. Yes it has it’s basic four seasons of Autumm, Winter, Spring and Summer, but it also has a rainy season (or two). Just a few days ago I was walking to uni wearing full fleece-hat “oh my frickin’ ass it’s cold” clothing, whereas now I’m finding myself wishing I’d brought more (any) shorts (that are wearable outside). For an excellent description of the seasons themselves, read Joshua Zimmerman‘s description, The Five Seasons.

The seasons here seem to change with the subtlety and tact of kick to the groin and a pie in the face at the same time. Definately agreeing with Joshua about stepping off the plane into a wall of heat and water, turning to winter seemed to happen overnight with me being thankful that my AC would also function as a heater, and now that it’s warm again am thankful for the AC once more.

It’s going to get a lot warmer in Osaka, so I guess along with books and other things I’ll be sending back early, I’ll have to start thinking about my warmer clothes too and getting them home … the heavy buggars.