A parasol, some paint, and perhaps most importantly, plenty of peace and quiet.
Tranquil time out #78
Japanese drinking buddies?
Like father, like son.
Yamanashi grape vines and wines
Samuel Johnson’s famous adage that, “when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life” is also equally true when talk turns to Tokyo, although at the same time, extricating oneself from the Japanese capital every now and again is not only nice, but occasionally necessary.
And, as it’s not much more than an hour away — from west Tokyo at least — Yamanashi offers a genuinely convenient contrast to the concrete and crowds.
Well, the grape growing region of the prefecture does anyway, as the flavoursome fruit can found almost everywhere.
Even on vines above vehicles.
And now is the perfect time to go and pick some.
The only trouble is, it’s really hot. Really horribly hot in fact. However, all is not lost, as even though the wine found in them isn’t very nice,
and taking note of it,
let alone tasting it,
isn’t what I would call wise, the region’s cellars are, unlike the Chardonnay, really quite refreshing.
And, as an added bonus of sorts, they may also offer up a brief glimpse of a young boy’s burgeoning love affair with booze.
Sizzling in the Japanese sun
Even before this summer really started sizzling, parasol use was practically a prerequisite for many, and combined with a liberal layer of sunblock over already covered skin, it’s amazing it didn’t result in a resurgence of rickets rather than just a whole load of people with complexions as pallid as the one I have to put up with.
But that said, there are still those who take it to the opposite extreme, and as if 36 degrees or so wasn’t hot enough, literally cooking on the concrete is apparently called for. The heat of which, without a doubt, would have me hauled to the hospital within half an hour.
Shogi on a sunny afternoon
It’s impossible to even guess how many games of shogi these two pensioners must have played over the years, or indeed what their running tally of results is, but what does seem definite is that on a sunny afternoon, there really can’t be many other places where they’d rather be relaxing.
