Where does all the rain go?

Monday 26th October 2009

AM

Least: By 10:00am, I began to dread the circus which is an English school at Halloween. Despite having two costumes, I felt confident that when it came to the crunch I would stick to my English teacher in Japan costume. As I was putting the takoyaki costume into my bag, I wondered if today would herald a new low.

Most: At about 5:00am, I woke to the sound of thundering rain. It was as though someone had tipped a huge bucket on Tezukayama. A couple of hours later, when I finally rose, the rain and the water had disappeared.It seems rare to see huge pools of water gathering on the streets or even in gutters - Osaka must have some seriously good drainage. Maybe the lack of trees and hence leaves prevents blockages - a mystery.

PM

Least: At 3:55pm, I was being put under some serous peer pressure to wear a halloween costume at work. Rather than completely humiliate myself by wearing a takoyaki on my head, I chose the more subtle pirate costume. In the face of some, more elaborate costumes, I actually didn't feel that shame that I had expected. Still, it was pretty close to a new low.

Most: Between about 5:00pm and 7:00pm, a string of kids dressed in often eleaborate costumes walked thorough the door at Nakamozu. I was really surprised at the effort that most parents had gone to to dress up their kids. Highlights included the usual witches but also a devil and a fully suited racecar driver. Lots of fun if you're 5 years old!