1st day of summer

true to japan's notorious reputation for extreme weather conditions..it came as no surprise that on the first OFFICIAL day of 'summer vacation' = SUMMER arrived. it was a muggy, sunny some 80+ degrees today. JUST in time for all of us to be OUT of the chilly classrooms we were subjected to all year long. i awoke to the ever-annoying 'organized community stretches' song and dance that BLARES over the town's loudspeakers at 7:00 AM every day of 'summer vacation'. exhausted from 5 consecutive days of significant amounts of alcohol being consumed, i rolled outta the futon and went for a run, and then we headed to some nearby beaches to catch some sun and sea breeze. my allergies are so terrible (reminscent of LAST summer when i arrived), but 52 weeks later, FINALLY its summer again!