Pink Greetings

Greetings from Kyoto, Japan.

Up until about a week ago, global warming was still doing its magic by blessing us with winter weather.

On the spring equinox, I thought we would have a decent day, but no, it was bloody freezing.

Shortly thereafter, spring finally arrived, perhaps this time, for good.

And so here I am one minute past midnight on Wednesday, March 28.

Spent three hours this morning doing minimum-wage online English conversation classes. Had a swiny lunch and then took the pooch for a walkabout.

Toronto is where I originally come from. Sure glad I don’t live there anymore. Have you checked out how fucking cold it is - still?

I remember spending the first 19 miserable years of my life in that part of the world and often the only thing a Canadian could do if he wanted some warm weather was to hop on a flight and spend a week or two in Fort Lauderdale or somewhere thereabouts. At least here in Kyoto, this time of year, shortly after the spring equinox, the temperature is definitely trending up. And when that happens I’m always happy to wear my shorts to take my furry friend outside.

In the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake & Tsunami, tourism took a hit in Japan because of the meltdowns at Fukushima 1 nuke plant. Like Chernobyl, Fukushima is a present continuous disaster. In spite of this, and the almighty yen, once again being close to 100 to the dollar, tourism in the city thrives.

Twenty years ago, you could count Chinese tourists on your fingers and toes.
Now, they are everywhere, a constant reminder of the neighborhood juggernaut.

(To be continued...)