Summer is here in Tokyo which means that it is getting very hot and humid! I experienced my first ever rainy season this month also and it was quite surprising how quickly the storms would come and go. The summer term of my first year of my master’s is winding down. In the next few weeks, I only have a few final assessments before I can call it a year and begin my summer.
Managed to attend the last of my design classes before the state of emergency began again in Tokyo.
On the other hand, the current situation of the pandemic here seems little signs of improving. After only a brief lifting of the state of emergency measures, they have been reinforced in the city of Tokyo. I still haven’t been able to receive my first jab. I thought I may be able to receive the vaccinations through my university but they announced last week that they did not receive supply to the level they were expecting. However, I was able to sign up for an appointment eventually but I don’t know when I would be able to receive a second dose.
The Olympics open in just over a week and there is widespread public opposition to the holding of the games whilst the pandemic is still not under control here. I will be spending my summer reporting on the unusual Olympics for a newspaper. I have worked on some feature stories already and it has been a good way to exercise my language and writing skills in a different context to academia. I have found all aspects of the research, interview and write-up process to be good practise for aspects of the language that I don’t use as much in daily life.
My summer is looking like it will be very busy but I want to try to do my best to cover what is already shaping up to be a historic Olympics – but perhaps not the kind the organisers intended.
I was able to go and see an exhibition of Isamu Noguchi’s work that had been postponed because of covid.
My other summer plans include working on research for my thesis that I will write next year and considering my next steps after my master’s ends.
夏が東京にやってきて、とても蒸し暑くなってきました！ 私は今月初めて梅雨を経験して、嵐がどれだけ早く来て行くかに驚きました。修士課程の一年目の夏学期が終わってきています。数週間後には試験が数個残って、夏をはじめることができます！ 反対に、ここのパンデミックの状況はよくなる様子がありません。緊急事態宣言が解除されて、すぐに東京で発令されました。私はまだ一つ目のワクチンを接種していません。大学でワクチンを接種できると思っていましたが、先週に大学は思っていたよりワクチンの供給が少なかったと発表しました。ですが、一つ目のワクチンを予約することはできましたが、二つ目をいつ受けることができるかわかりません。 オリンピックは一週間ちょっとで始まりますが、パンデミックのコントロールができていないため、反対意見が多くなっています。私は夏は、フリーランスでオリンピックのリポートを新聞にします。もうすでにフィーチャーの記事を書いていて、アカデミアとは違うところで言語を練習するいい方法でした。私はリサーチ、インタビュー、書き上げ、のすべての面で普段使わない言語の面を練習するいいきっかけになったと思います。 今年の夏はとても忙しくなりそうですが、オーガナイザーが予想していなかったような、歴史的なオリンピックになっていく様子を、カバーできるように頑張りたいです 私の他の夏の予定は、来年書く論文のリサーチや、修士課程が終わったあとのステップを考えることです。