Hot Autumn, Small Changes

    Climate change is well upon us as most of us are fully aware, but you might notice some friends, family, and colleagues here in Japan dressing based on the seasons according only to the calendar. As of September 23rd, autumn has officially come even if the temperatures even up here in Miyagi are still topping out at 27 degrees.  A couple of days before the equinox, my husband donned full-length slacks and a new sweatshirt as we walked out into an unseasonably warm, sunny day. Meanwhile I was still rocking shorts with a short sleeved dress, partially because they're still the most comfortable thing I have in my closet.

    Where I come from, we pick our clothes based on what we see on the thermometer (or the weather forecast, or the sky) and not what the calendar says. Texas has never had the regimented seasonal change that Japan is so fond of. While Japan may have four seasons, Texas can do four seasons in one day. Even after spending a third of my life in Japan, this is where my mind is when it comes to dressing for the day.

    The signs that Autumn is coming are still few and far between, but one of the big things I can point to easily is the change in front of HonShiogama station.


The Year of the Cow painting, in a photo taken back in January of this year.

The cow painting is gone. The little cow statue remains, masked and on its pedestal.

    Year of the cow may not be over yet, but the painting from the shrine celebrating the yearly animal zodiac has disappeared and in a few weeks, a new one will arrive with the painting to celebrate the animal signifier of the coming year. This is a change that happens every fall and I am happy that I have grown accustomed to it. When I first noticed this change years ago, I was shocked and thought that perhaps they were doing away with this tradition entirely. I was really upset for a couple of weeks, only to be delighted when a new painting appeared further into the season.

    Meanwhile, my daughter's tomato plant continues to bloom like it might still be spring. It seems like every day I come out to the balcony to find another few little yellow flowers blooming and ready to make something delicious. We didn't have the heart to kill the plant at the end of her summer project and she cited the belief that more blossoms were about to grow in her homework as a reason why she had not assessed the roots of her assumedly dead plant. Hopefully our lovely little green orbs have a chance to mature before it actually gets cold enough to hurt them.

    So while the leaves haven't changed up here yet and the painting of the annual zodiac has disappeared, at least the warm autumn might allow for one more cherry tomato harvest before the year is out and for that I am tremendously grateful.