In the End, Another Day of Dense Fog

 Our short trip to the Yatsugatake area ended much as it had continued—in dense fog and rain. Yet on the other side of the same weather front, people were facing something far more serious.

 

We left the hotel before noon because I had a haircut appointment later in the afternoon.

From early morning, the television was filled with reports of heavy rain warnings.

Today, it was Fukui.

With this, all three prefectures of Japan’s Hokuriku region had been hit by severe torrential rain.

The highland pastures were still buried in thick fog.

It looked as though sightseeing would be impossible again today.

There was little point even trying to enjoy a scenic drive, so we headed for the Chuo Expressway.

Without ever getting a proper view of the Yatsugatake mountains, we returned to Kamakura.

Apparently, it had been relatively cool in Kamakura today. That made me feel slightly disappointed, wondering whether we might actually have been better off staying home than spending our time in the foggy mountains.

On the news, scenes of flood damage in Fukui were being shown.

On our side of the weather front, we had experienced little more than fog and rain. But farther along that same front, people were going through something like this.

The thought filled me with sadness.

And apparently, the heat will return again tomorrow.

Sometimes the same stretch of weather brings nothing more than an inconvenient fog to one place—and disaster to another. 

 ・・・

Vocabulary for Learners

dense fog
Very thick fog that makes it difficult to see far ahead.
濃霧

torrential rain
Extremely heavy rain that falls in large amounts.
豪雨、猛烈な雨

highland pasture
Grassland in a high, mountainous area where animals may graze.
高原の牧草地、牧場

scenic drive
A drive taken mainly to enjoy beautiful views and landscapes.
景色を楽しむためのドライブ

weather front
A boundary between two different masses of air, often bringing changes in weather.
前線

flood damage
Damage to homes, roads, land, or other property caused by flooding.
水害、洪水による被害

be better off
To be in a better or more favorable situation.
〜した方がよい、〜の方がましである

#Japan #Yatsugatake #Kamakura #Hokuriku #Fukui #HeavyRain #Flooding #DenseFog #Weather #Climate