Sunday Morning Rain is Falling

Chrissy is on the Internet phone calling friends and family. The windows of our house are all open. It has cooled off yesterday and today. It is actually in the lower 70s, but with the heat we have endured since we have been here, it actually seems like it is in the 50s or cooler. I love it. Chrissy says it is too cool.

I actually have been able to tune in the WSU vs. Arizona game on the Internet. The only problem, it’s the Arizona broadcast not my hometown team’s broadcast. Listening to the radio with the rain falling makes me miss the weekly routines at home.

This morning, before the game came on, I was looking out at the wet streets. One of the houses across the street also has their window open letting in the cool air. I don’t think I have mentioned this before, but all of the windows in our neighborhood are glazed over very similar to bath and shower windows. All of the windows are glazed, and all of the windows also have wires baked into the glass. I am sure they are this way for the earthquakes. There is very little clear glass. Even while the window is open across the street, they have a rice paper screen pulled shut. Our apartment has only two clear windows, both facing southeast.

I don’t know what the glazed glass says about Japanese culture. It may say something about their desire for privacy. Privacy is very dear to the Japanese. Indiscretions are not spoken about. Young girls are skirted away if something happens to them. Even some crimes may never go reported or are underreported. Family secrets are rarely made public. The Japanese do not want to be embarrassed by their actions or by actions of their family members.

Houses and apartments are built very close to one another. Our back windows look at four apartment buildings. All of them are built within feet of each other. There is no room to walk between them. There is a roof below second floor window. It probably is a place to park bikes. We really don’t have a view besides our neighbors’ houses, so there may not be a real demand for clear windows.

Of course the Japanese could just like glazed windows.