Next to newly flooded rice fields, I think my favorite thing in Japan is a clear day during rainy season. The rain seems to wash all the haze out of the air and the sky becomes a crisp, rich blue that would do justice to Hawaii. Even the greens seem greener, a shimmery iridescent green. Last Wednesday was just such a day, and what a delight it was, as I returned home from the southern Chiba peninsula on the train, which follows the coastline for some distance.
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