Who said summer is over? With juicy & squeezy treats like this in abundance, I'd say it has just started. Temperatures hover around 28/29 degrees centigrade and this is most definitely a summerish condition. Why is it then that Hokkaidoites have been saying "aki poi" (feels like fall) almost every day since the start of O-Bon? I have a habit of listening to the radio on my day off, and every summer on the first day of O-Bon almost every announcer keeps talking about how the weather, or the mood, has changed to "aki poi" even though temperatures are usually around 30 degrees!!
So, in order to avoid hearing "aki poi" I've decided to exclusively hang out with English speakers (non-native or native, either is good) until the end of September! I am also avoiding going to stores and malls so not to be bothered by the display of wool sweaters and winter boots. Here in Sapporo the shop window and store decorations changed from summer to winter fashion before O-Bon, in mid-summer so to speak when all I could think of was going to the beach, wearing a bikini!
It seems like O-Bon is a turning point in Hokkaido. The store shelves get restocked with warm wear just before it, the beer gardens close just after, and I've seen several dozen women wearing knit sweaters and boots in the late summer heat ... I guess (some) Hokkaidoites can't wait for winter to come, or at least for fall. I like to ask my students what their favorite season is, and about 50% answer "fall". Maybe that's why the term "aki poi" is so popular here?
私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。
IF YOU ASK FOR LITTLE YOU DESERVE NOTHING
Who said summer is over? With juicy & squeezy treats like this in abundance, I'd say it has just started. Temperatures hover around 28/29 degrees centigrade and this is most definitely a summerish condition. Why is it then that Hokkaidoites have been saying "aki poi" (feels like fall) almost every day since the start of O-Bon? I have a habit of listening to the radio on my day off, and every summer on the first day of O-Bon almost every announcer keeps talking about how the weather, or the mood, has changed to "aki poi" even though temperatures are usually around 30 degrees!!
So, in order to avoid hearing "aki poi" I've decided to exclusively hang out with English speakers (non-native or native, either is good) until the end of September! I am also avoiding going to stores and malls so not to be bothered by the display of wool sweaters and winter boots. Here in Sapporo the shop window and store decorations changed from summer to winter fashion before O-Bon, in mid-summer so to speak when all I could think of was going to the beach, wearing a bikini!
It seems like O-Bon is a turning point in Hokkaido. The store shelves get restocked with warm wear just before it, the beer gardens close just after, and I've seen several dozen women wearing knit sweaters and boots in the late summer heat ... I guess (some) Hokkaidoites can't wait for winter to come, or at least for fall. I like to ask my students what their favorite season is, and about 50% answer "fall". Maybe that's why the term "aki poi" is so popular here?
私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。
IF YOU ASK FOR LITTLE YOU DESERVE NOTHING
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