On Sunday, Jess, Andrea and I went shopping in Kyoto. With a Typhoon due to hit that night, the weather was miserable, pouring rain interspersed with periods of light drizzle. However, with the rainy season officially starting Today (and in realitly having been going for a while), we decided that we can't put off going out just because of a little rain, or we'd be housebound for the better part of 2 months.
Thus our Kyoto shopping expedition started with a Takatsuki based preparation shop, making sure we all had (reasonably attractive) gumboots and a good umbrella. I bought black ones with white spots, otherwise pretty ordinary. However, you can buy some pretty fancy ones, that look pretty much like ordinary heeled boots, except they're gumboots. When we first saw these boots for sale, we laughed at them, but we've changed our tune. In Japan, you spend a lot of time walking and riding, and in the rainy season, waterproof shoes are definitely advantageous. Of course, the fancy ones don't fit my giant Western feet. As it was, I decided that my new gumboots were not the most comfortable of shoes, but definitely more comfortable than walking around with wet shoes, which I would certainly have been doing otherwise.
I only ended up buying a few trinkets, but it was good to experience how life can be enjoyed quite well, outside in the pouring rain. Since buying the gumboots, I have worn them just about everywhere, because it is constantly raining, and it quite liberating to see a puddle, and then walk right through it, without worring about wet shotes.
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