Day 12: A matter of degrees
This morning I strode outside and immediately thought to myself "Oh! It's so cool out!". The morning air felt brisk and different than any of my previous days here. The first hint of autumn is now in the air.
With this morning surprise I quickly checked the weather report, it was 28 degrees Celsius. This only a few degrees colder than the scorching days I've had even up until yesterday. These these facts didn't line up in my 'built for winter' brain.
Confused, I checked my other weather app only to confirm the report. Had I become acclimated to heat? Perhaps. What far more certain was that the humidity had dropped dramatically overnight.
Where in all the previous days the heat was accompanied by 80-95% humidity, making a 34C day feel like a 42C day, today it was 45% humidity and the difference that made was undeniable.
I came back from my morning stroll and was greeted by Takanori. He too had noticed the change and commented on how he could feel autumn in the air. We talked about the weather, and glumly noted that the weather report shows that it will warm up again next week.
At this point it is not clear if this is a small reprieve or if the humidity will remain low and allow warmer days to be more bearable.
This small break in the weather has me antsy and raring to get on the road, start walking towards Kyoto and beyond. However, my time in Osaka is not quite over yet.
The coming weekend is a long weekend here in Japan, so I opted to booked my stay here with Takanori through that weekend to avoid getting caught without somewhere to stay on the road with the rush of weekend travellers.
An unforeseen benefit of this decision is that there are a few traditional festivals over the holiday weekend, and Takanori has graciously offered to take me to see the one near his home. He has shown me videos of the revelries, and I have to say I am looking forward to the treat.
I have had the extreme good fortune to get too be included in a lot of small moments of daily life in Japan, the less touristy side of things, so the chance to see the festival is certainly one I jumped at.
Speaking of daily life in Japan, I was once again treated to a meal by the owner of the building. As I headed downstairs to go for an evening walk, Takanori let me know that she would be coming by in half an hour with homemade curry, so not to eat anything.
This warning may have in truth saved my life. The curry she prepared was so delicious and filling. Even if I had eaten before that meal I likely wouldn't have been able to help myself and blown out my stomach in the process!
As the owner prepared the meal I did my best to help with preparation, carrying food and dishes down from the second floor kitchen to the common area, and generally trying to be useful despite the strong language barrier between us.
We all sat together and ate, along with Takanori's father who is here at the guest house helping to run things for a while. Conversations jumped between Japanese and English. Takanori's father shared with me his stories of visiting Canada, and helped me participate in the Japanese conversations as best he could, despite his limited English. It was a warm evening with good food and laughs all around the table.
I cannot verbalise how lucky I feel to have been shown such hospitality and warmth, and to be taken into some of the quiet parts of these people's lives. Amid these first few weeks in a very foreign land, with my carefully laid plans tossed to the wind, I have been made to feel at more at home than I have any right to. It's incredible.
With this morning surprise I quickly checked the weather report, it was 28 degrees Celsius. This only a few degrees colder than the scorching days I've had even up until yesterday. These these facts didn't line up in my 'built for winter' brain.
Confused, I checked my other weather app only to confirm the report. Had I become acclimated to heat? Perhaps. What far more certain was that the humidity had dropped dramatically overnight.
Where in all the previous days the heat was accompanied by 80-95% humidity, making a 34C day feel like a 42C day, today it was 45% humidity and the difference that made was undeniable.
I came back from my morning stroll and was greeted by Takanori. He too had noticed the change and commented on how he could feel autumn in the air. We talked about the weather, and glumly noted that the weather report shows that it will warm up again next week.
At this point it is not clear if this is a small reprieve or if the humidity will remain low and allow warmer days to be more bearable.
This small break in the weather has me antsy and raring to get on the road, start walking towards Kyoto and beyond. However, my time in Osaka is not quite over yet.
The coming weekend is a long weekend here in Japan, so I opted to booked my stay here with Takanori through that weekend to avoid getting caught without somewhere to stay on the road with the rush of weekend travellers.
An unforeseen benefit of this decision is that there are a few traditional festivals over the holiday weekend, and Takanori has graciously offered to take me to see the one near his home. He has shown me videos of the revelries, and I have to say I am looking forward to the treat.
I have had the extreme good fortune to get too be included in a lot of small moments of daily life in Japan, the less touristy side of things, so the chance to see the festival is certainly one I jumped at.
Speaking of daily life in Japan, I was once again treated to a meal by the owner of the building. As I headed downstairs to go for an evening walk, Takanori let me know that she would be coming by in half an hour with homemade curry, so not to eat anything.
This warning may have in truth saved my life. The curry she prepared was so delicious and filling. Even if I had eaten before that meal I likely wouldn't have been able to help myself and blown out my stomach in the process!
As the owner prepared the meal I did my best to help with preparation, carrying food and dishes down from the second floor kitchen to the common area, and generally trying to be useful despite the strong language barrier between us.
We all sat together and ate, along with Takanori's father who is here at the guest house helping to run things for a while. Conversations jumped between Japanese and English. Takanori's father shared with me his stories of visiting Canada, and helped me participate in the Japanese conversations as best he could, despite his limited English. It was a warm evening with good food and laughs all around the table.
I cannot verbalise how lucky I feel to have been shown such hospitality and warmth, and to be taken into some of the quiet parts of these people's lives. Amid these first few weeks in a very foreign land, with my carefully laid plans tossed to the wind, I have been made to feel at more at home than I have any right to. It's incredible.
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