Bad Bloggers

I just saw that we haven't posted anything here for 2-1/2 months. That's a long time, but especially so now given all the stuff that has been going on. So maybe I'll just put down a list for those who haven't been talking to us, or who haven't been here for these events. (And by "list" I mean, of course, a series of headings followed by my usual rambling attempt at getting a tiny fraction of the experience into words.)

Samba Festa:
This happened in mid-July. It was the first big event of our samba group's new 2013 theme and was supposed to be awesome. The festa is a day-long event in the harbor area of Kobe, which seems to host many similar festivals throughout the year. Unfortunately, it was extra hot and humid and both of the concerts were outside. I was on video/picture duty since I didn't have a costume and wasn't playing that day. To combat the heat I was running around with wet handkerchiefs around my neck and packs of frozen sports drink that I would use to stave off the heat by drinking and using as cold packs. (This was one of the many experiences I had this summer that once again proved that I am no match for this kind of weather. In contrast, most people were downing ¥100 iced coffees, which I think would have simply made me ill.)
Anyway, it was awesome... until the rain came. The rain was great for destroying the heat, but decidedly horrible for the festival because the lightning that came with it meant that they had to wait so long that the competition was canceled, meaning that our group never got to really play on their own. Instead there was just a "samba all stars" jam session with a mass of drummers on stage and dancers moving around in a big circle.

Visitors:
The week after Samba Festa, Rachel's family came to visit. We did all sorts of awesome things with them, which took us back and forth between Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto, Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, and several other places. The timing of the visit missed the bulk of the hottest weather this summer, but it was still during the long march up the mercury that seems to characterize June through late-August here.
The central event of the trip was a climb up Mt. Fuji for me, Rachel and her dad. We did it over the course of about 24 hours. The uphill was hard going with a sudden rainstorm and amazingly strong winds coming around from the north side of the mountain. It would have been slow anyway, but I think the weather added at least 1-2 hours to our total time on the ascent. In any event, the climb was fantastic, as were the views (when we could get them) and the lounging on the summit the next morning was absolutely worth the high-altitude sunburn we got.
We also got to see lots of small towns (Magome in the Kiso Valley and Matsue on the north/west coast) that we probably never would have visited without the familial impetus.

August:
Is hot.

Asakusa Samba Carnival:
This was on the last day of August and was finally the big chance for the group to do the full 2013 song and dance routine. Being in August (even though Tokyo is usually not quite as hot as Kansai) it was damn hot. As before, I was extremely glad I was not wearing a costume. Also as before, I was on video duty, this time officially (I even had an armband). Even though I wasn't playing (and at this point I was actually kind of jealous of those who were) it was pretty amazing to be walking along with the parade. Aside from one practice the week before, I had only ever seen the routine in the crampt rehearsal space in Kobe, with the full costumes and the full width of the street to walk around in, the effect of the choreography and the float was pretty awesome.
I might have more to write later about this, but I was really quite impressed with the whole thing. Normally I'm not a big fan of parades. I usually come away thinking that they are too hot, too long and more than a little hokey. But a big parade like this with some actual unity and competition (they have 3 levels of groups, and several prizes) made the experience much more engaging.

September:
Is less hot. It is, nevertheless, still hot.

25 days:
Until we fly back to the US. Hopefully we will have an apartment in which to place ourselves...