＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:https://skawa68.com/
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
<2019/11/14 postscript>
Due to the “extreme heat problem at the Doha World Championships in Athletics” in late September, the “alternative plan to hold the marathon and walking races in Sapporo” began to be discussed around October 7.
And on October 16, IOC President Bach informed IAAF President Koh and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike of the plan. The Governor was not aware of the plan, and it was a surprise to her, and also many people in the public wondered, “Tokyo has been working hard on measures against the heat.
I too wonder why Chairman Bach is changing to Sapporo at this time of the year, when he has been so highly praising Tokyo’s heat measures until now.
But in the end, on November 1, 2019, it was officially decided that Sapporo will be the host city for the marathon and walking races of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The question here is, “Is there any guarantee that the temperature and humidity in Sapporo in late July and early August will definitely be lower than those in Tokyo?”
I previously wrote an article titled “Why the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were held in midsummer.” To begin with, it is impossible to hold the Olympics in midsummer in Japan. I don’t think this will be much different in Tokyo or Sapporo.
In 2019, Sapporo has had three consecutive tropical nights since July 29. Summer in Sapporo in recent years has not been as cool as people outside of Hokkaido imagine.
In addition, it is reported that “Sapporo citizens’ feeling” is not “welcome” but “anger” from the initial “bewilderment” at the hosting of the marathon/walking race in Sapporo, since summer is the peak season for tourism in Hokkaido, with events such as the “Sapporo Main Street Beer Garden” taking place in the city.
In any case, it will be interesting to see what kind of temperature and humidity conditions the marathon and walking race at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be held under.
１．The hottest town in Japan
Abnormal weather? Or is it subtropical? In any case, in the past few years, extremely hot days of 35°C or more have become the norm, and temperatures of around 40°C have been heard of here and there.
Until recently, Kumagaya City in Saitama Prefecture was the first place that came to mind when people talked about “the hottest city in Japan. Kumagaya City has taken advantage of its hot weather to advertise itself as “It’s hot! Kumagaya” as its PR campaign. There was also news that Kumagaya City is competing with Tajimi City in Gifu Prefecture to be the hottest city in Japan.
２．Foehn Phenomenon” on the Sea of Japan Side
Foehn phenomena” have often occurred in the Sea of Japan region in the past, resulting in abnormally high temperatures.
In July 1933, the temperature in Yamagata City reached 40.8°C. The Tottori Fire in April 1952 was caused by a foehn phenomenon, and a large fire in Itoigawa City, Niigata Prefecture, in December 2016 is also believed to have been caused by a foehn phenomenon.
３．The Mystery of Hokkaido Becoming the Hottest Point in the Nation
However, May 2019 saw unusually high temperatures across the country. One of the most surprising was that Hokkaido dominated the “Top 10 Highest Temperatures” list on May 26, becoming the hottest point in the country. Saroma Town recorded 39.5°C, the highest temperature ever recorded in Hokkaido.
This is due to the “dry foehn phenomenon.
While the temperature on the western side of the “Hidaka Mountains,” which run through the center of Hokkaido, is below 35 degrees Celsius, on the eastern side, there were a number of locations, including Saroma Town, where the temperature exceeded 35 degrees Celsius.
The warm air from Henan Province in inland China (40°C was recorded the previous week) flowed in, and the high pressure system sitting near Japan warmed the air, which was then flooded with strong sunlight. The warm and dry air flow hit the mountain slopes, causing a downdraft across the Hidaka Mountains to the east, resulting in the abnormally high temperature.
From now on, it will no longer be possible to say “Hokkaido is cool even in summer.