assorted things

The longer I procrastinate in writing a blog post to summarize the last, oh, six weeks since my last post, the more daunting the task becomes. So this post isn't going to try to do that. Instead, I give you bullet points:

• The rainy season is officially over. Indeed, it seems somewhat less humid lately than it was last month. But it's still pretty hot. High temperatures have been around 90°F/32°C. In June we wore unlined kimono, and in July and August we wear thin kimono and open-weave obi. Of course there are several (albeit thin) layers underneath those. Air conditioning is a luxury given how careful people here are about electricity usage, so I've gotten used to the feeling of sweat rolling down my face even as I sit quietly during class. Still, I'm not so frugal with the electricity when I'm in my dorm room.
  
• This Friday is the end of the current school term and graduation for our senpai. I'll miss them, but I'm also looking forward to a batch of four new students who will be entering in September. Since we'll be spending more time with those students (the September-to-March term being longer than the April-to-July term), I expect we'll probably bond more closely with them.
  
• This Sunday is Gion Matsuri. It should be a pretty crazy weekend. Anna and I are going to wear our yukata and I'll be sure to take my camera. Can I tell you how glad I am that Anna is here?
  
• Speaking of crazy weekends, four of my classmates and I went camping on the shore of Lake Biwa a couple of weekends ago. We rented a tent and sleeping bags, brought large amounts of booze, went swimming, set off (legal) fireworks, and lay in the sun with insufficient sunscreen to prevent sunburn. It was a great time.
  
• And speaking of Gion Matsuri, originally all of the men in our class were going to be helping to carry one of the hoko floats, but one of them was asked not to participate because of his prominent leg tattoo. The other men were outraged, and I agree it's a silly basis for discrimination, but where was their outrage when we learned that only the men were invited to participate?
  
• Contrary to what you might think based on my photostream, I do not in fact spend all of my time eating beautiful sweets.
  
• We students from overseas recently gave slide presentations to the vice principal and our classmates on our lives back home, both chado-related and otherwise. I included this video still showing me at work. I'm not sure whether they were more impressed that I help operate a spacecraft or shocked at my formerly purple hair. :)