Wild weather
Temperature 7 degrees
I often get asked in my schools what the weather is like in the UK? Or how does the weather compare to your home weather? The UK is known for rain, let's be real. Whenever you think of the UK, you imagine grey skies and people holding up umbrellas. The UK is further north than people often think, recently a friend from Canada was shocked to see I was further north where they lived. Blessed by the golf stream the UK is one golf stream away from being a snowy paradise for penguins.
Recently, the weather has been quite extreme in both Japan and the UK. Shortly after I left the UK, I heard that it was hit by severe hurricanes and flooding. In my hometown, a river overflowed its banks, contributing to the gloom that affected many parts of the UK. The days there are already shorter due to its northern location, but the persistent cloud cover meant that some people went for weeks without seeing the sun.
My coworkers are often surprised when I tell them that during winter, the sun rises in the UK around 8 AM and sets just before 4 PM. In contrast, in Saga, Japan, the sun typically rises around 7 AM and sets between 5 and 6 PM. I find that I see the sun much more here in Japan than I ever did during the winter in the UK.
As the UK experiences snowfall, I thought it would be interesting to share the current weather in Saga. The temperatures here fluctuate significantly; this week, I've seen highs of 13 degrees and lows of 4 degrees. We've had sleet showers along with some lovely patches of warm sunshine—often on the same day! The mountains surrounding Saga now have a dusting of snow on their peaks. However, depending on the time of day, you might be forgiven for thinking it is already spring.
I will be heading to Hokkaido in about a month, so I know I will miss the mild temperatures when I arrive to find minus 10 degrees and snow as far as the eye can see. However, the current temperatures here are very mild compared to what I am used to in the UK. When I first arrived, I experienced an endless summer with days consistently reaching high 30s. In the UK, a hot week is a rare occurrence, and it’s often followed by cold and rain again. You may have heard the joke that the UK summer lasts just a week!
I expect the weather to get much colder as January progresses. Based on my students' responses about whether it snows in this area, I might see one or two days of snowfall at most. However, I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of spring and the cherry blossom season, followed by the rainy season, and then back to the oppressive heat of summer. The seasons in Japan are both similar and different from what I am used to. That's one of the interesting aspects of living in a different continent. I look forward to complaining about it being too hot and too cold in the same blog!
