From Hyogo AJET: June 2013
Hi all!
I hope that everyone is delighted about the weather warming up, I’m certainly happy that I can comfortably leave the windows open and cycle around in a t-shirt. No doubt by next month we’ll all be complaining about lack of air-conditioning and sweating in places we didn’t know we had glands. As a result of the clement (if slightly drizzly) weather, there are loads of really exciting things going on this month, so I hope you can all get involved!
Firstly, there is a Hyogo AJET trip to the races planned for June 23rd. I went on the same day last year and had an amazing time. It is one of the biggest races of the year, so everybody is on tenterhooks and the resulting atmosphere is fantastic! It probably also helps that despite being an absolute gambling novice and only making 100円bets all day, I managed to win enough to buy myself dinner- happy days. Meeting time and place TBC (check the HyogoAJET facebook page) but if you turn up to the Hanshin Racecourse (2 minutes from Hankyu Nigawa station) during the day, I’m sure you will find us there, having a flutter and possibly sunbathing with a gin and tonic.
There are also lots of live music events happening round and about this month. One that has been particularly recommended is PARK IT! which is a completely free music festival at Osaka Nanko Sankaku Park on June 9th. If you’re particularly interested in soulful music, or would just like to spend a day in the sunshine enjoying some free music, this “irregular party for irregular people†sounds like it might be for you!
Finally, this month I am particularly excited about cycling the Shimanami Kaido, a road that connects Honshu and Shikoku, via six small islands in the Seto Inland Sea. According to everyone’s pictures and stories it’s a really beautiful journey, and only 60km, so doable for even the un-fittest of cyclists. A perfect way for me to spend a June weekend as far as I am concerned, provided that the rainy season doesn’t live up to its name!
Whatever you do, enjoy June!
Over and out.
Anna
