It's Raining Orange Dust in Tokyo

This has been a strange week so far, weather-wise!

First, I'm used to temperature swings - we had them all the time in Georgia - but on Sunday it went from hot (perhaps approaching 80 degrees where I was) to freezing cold (well, probably in the upper 40s) by the evening. I was quite happy to have my jacket in the evening on the way home, after carrying and silently cursing it most of the day. Even then, by 9pm, a jacket just wasn't enough - the wind was strong and ripped the heat right from your bones.

from the Sydney Morning Herald

And on Sunday, to accompany the extreme temperature drop, a giant dust storm flew in from China. It wasn't pollution, like I originally thought (my students were talking about that Saturday morning). Instead, it was just a massive sandstorm that came due to the extreme winds from a large cold front. The picture above doesn't show the scary orange mass of dust that I saw when I looked to the west just as it reached Takadanobaba. Thankfully, David (in town for the WBC) and I were starving so we jumped into a Matsuya for some gyudon.

Speaking of David - it was nice to meet him in person. He has an outstanding knowledge of NPB players and cards, something I will probably never have. We spent Sunday and Monday together browsing card shops and sharing stories - mostly his. He's a great guy and was really good to me. Sure, I helped him plan some of his trip (I hope my information and suggestions were true and beneficial) but he provided me an unexpected, large restocking of my chocolate supplies as well as some great new cards for my collection. If I can ever help you out here again, let me know!

The past couple days have continued to be windy. I live in the plains, and the wind just flies through the area. I didn't realize it was so windy when I left today and I left my window open to air out my apartment and help my freshly-washed clothes dry (hung inside my apartment). The clothes aren't quite dry yet, partly thanks to the rain that moved in tonight. But more dust has fallen. There is now a layer of grey dust on a lot of stuff around my apartment. My floor. My keyboard. My table. The chair. If it's near the window, it has dust on it. I'm afraid to look at my bed sheets.

Tomorrow is White Day. If I have the motivation (SO busy lately, SO little interest in doing anything outside of work) I hope to write about the tradition. Until then, or my next post...