Well not quite, but this year Japan has experienced the hottest summer since records began back in 1898!  It broke the previous record which was set in 1994.

 I am just glad that I don’t live in Shimane anymore because I am sure the humidity levels are much higher down there!

In Britain, we sometimes get heat waves during the summer where there is very little rain and it is hot and sunny almost every day.

Although, by ‘hot’ I mean around 28 or 29 degrees Celsius at most!

Also, we don’t have a humid climate so when the sun goes down it gets quite cool in the evenings.

It is actually very nice though because we can have barbeques outside and it doesn’t get dark until 9.30pm.

Plus, we don’t have to worry about mosquitoes interrupting our fun!

Martin

I’m saying that to anybody who lives in the Aizu area. I know that being in a ‘basin’ in the middle of the mountains in the north of Japan means we get some quite extreme weather at times but it also gives us lots of opportunities.

Now we are in the middle of a very hot and humid summer but just a short drive out of the city and we can lie on a beach and swim in a nice, cool lake! If you are more adventurous, you can bomb around on a speedboat.

Also, in winter when the kotatsu or smell of kerosene gets annoying, we can take a short 30-minute drive to about 5 different ski resorts. When I lived in Shimane prefecture, I had to drive about 2 and a half hours to the nearest slopes in Hiroshima prefecture so I really appreciate the convenience!

Thankfully, we still have a couple of months until the cold sets in. Enjoy the last few weeks of nice weather!

Martin

As I mentioned on this blog a few weeks ago, I went to Iwate and Akita over the holiday. It was a really nice trip but it was surprisingly hot! I thought it might be cooler than Fukushima but not really.

However, the temperature did dip a little in Akita when the typhoon came. It rained all day and it was quite windy but thankfully it wasn’t too bad.

On the way to Akita from Morioka, my wife and I stopped at Kakunodate, which is about halfway between the two cities. It is quite a famous old samurai town in Akita prefecture.

We walked around a little bit but it was so hot that I didn’t feel like doing too much sightseeing! It did remind me how beautiful old Japanese houses are though.

I would love to go again during cherry blossom season as they have so many trees!  I hear it’s an amazing sight when they are in full bloom.

Until next time!

Martin

As mentioned in a previous blog by Takako-sensei, last Sunday a group from Windmill went to British Hills near Shirokawa, about an hour away from Aizu by car.

When we arrived, as well as the sight of the English-style buildings, the smell of damp grass and the fog really felt like we were in England!

First of all, the students listened to our guide Ben talk about table manners and some things we had to be careful of, such as bears outside. This reminded me that we were really in the Japanese mountains because bears would not be a problem in England!

Then we made shortbread biscuits and this was a lot of fun. It was quite easy to do and I really enjoyed eating them later!

In the afternoon we had a tour of the Manor House and it was a real treat. Most of the furniture and fittings are originally from Britain and my favourite part was probably finding the National Geographic magazines from 1925 in the library. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to sit down and read them!

I think everybody had a great time and I would certainly like to go again.

Martin

So the final will be played by two European teams, Spain and the Netherlands. I am quite surprised to see both Argentina and Germany get knocked out after such bright starts to the tournament but maybe they just peaked too soon. The game is on early Monday morning (Japan time) so I am still not sure if I am going to watch it or not!

One thing that is interesting about the World Cup is the opportunities it creates for players who play well and impress coaches and scouts alike. The tournament is watched by millions of people around the world and is a shop window for previously lesser-known players to get noticed.

From the Japanese team, Yuto Nagatomo is close to moving to newly-promoted Serie A side Cesena. Admittedly, I have never heard of them but I think if he is a regular there he will gain much more experience in Italy than in Japan and this will benefit him personally and the national team aswell.

Also on the move is Eiji Kawashima, who is on his way to Belgian side Lierse SK. The Belgian league isn’t one of the biggest leagues in Europe but if he plays well there he may get a chance at a bigger club.

I am pleased that these players are taking risks and moving away from their comfort zone in Japan and I am sure they will learn a great deal from the experience.

Martin

Well, not for the last eight teams still in the competition but certainly for Japan and England who both lost their second round games.

I think that they had very contrasting tournaments even though they were both knocked out in the same round. England were expected to do quite well in a relatively easy group but performed poorly and only just qualified. They were then comfortably beaten by a much younger and more organised German side.

As for Japan, everybody apart from their manager thought they would struggle to qualify from the group stages but they played some good football and were quite unlucky not to go through to the quarter-finals after losing to one penalty kick against Paraguay.

So it was not to be for either nation. Who’s going to win the tournament? My money is still on Argentina!

Martin

Early this morning Japan beat Denmark 3-1 to progress to the next round, where they will play Paraguay for the chance to enter the Quarter-finals. The Samurai Blues have had a great tournament so far and taken many people by surprise, including myself!

In a previous blog, I said that I was looking forward to watching Takayuki Morimoto play. Well, so far he hasn’t come off the substitute’s bench so maybe his time will come in four years at the next World Cup! I think the best Japanese player so far has to be Keisuke Honda, who has been Japan’s most threatening player in attack.

As for England, we will play Germany in the 2^nd Round on Sunday. The team’s performances have not been good enough so far as a result of injuries, suspensions and too many players off-form. However, I have faith that they can improve considerably from now. Let’s hope so anyway!

Good luck Japan and England!!!

Martin