28 December, 2010

Today's weather in Tokyo

Weather holds us captive. It isn't something we can do a lot about. I think it is a good reminder of how powerless we are! Many Australians are currently looking on helplessly as their property is destroyed by floods. We are watching their news, equally helplessly.

In the light of an unseasonable summer in eastern Australia, here is a snapshot of Tokyo's weather forecast for today and tomorrow. Not unseasonable at all.

You may not realise that not only do we have winter here, we also have short days. It says the sun rose at 6.49am today (before me) and will set at 4.35pm. It is the setting one that unsettles me at this time of day. It makes the evening go a long time. It also give me no external feedback about the time of day plus school holidays means that I'm struggling to stay on top of keeping things in a reasonable schedule at present.

Unlike part of Europe we don't have an extended twilight period, we are not close enough to the north pole. However the days seem short enough to me. 

But look at that lovely sun. It is nice outside, if you're dressed well. In Queensland when the sun shines, it is hot. I still don't get it that the sun doesn't have the same heating power in winter at this latitude! I remember our first years in the north of Japan where it hovers around zero during the day for several months. Looking out the window when the sun was shining, it looked warm and inviting, until you considered that the snow lying around out there wasn't melting and remembered that the temperature was probably as cold as a deep freeze! That was a mental adjustment. I am thankful that we don't have that to cope with now, we can even ride our bikes all year round here in Tokyo.

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