According to the meteorological station, on the 20th, the Kinki region was covered by a high-pressure system, resulting in clear skies over a wide area. It is expected to remain mostly sunny for the next week as well. The meteorological station announced on the morning of the 20th that “the rainy season is considered to have ended in the Kinki region.” This year’s end to the rainy season is one day later than usual but three days earlier than last year. Many schools are having their first-term closing ceremonies today, and tomorrow marks the beginning of summer vacation in many places.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic, which has lasted for three and a half years, has not yet completely subsided, it seems to be gradually heading towards an end. Over this period, society has undergone significant changes. The utilization of IT has further evolved, and various aspects of life, such as work styles, school teaching methods, and interpersonal communication through social media, have changed considerably. I’m also curious about how the accumulated energy from the past three and a half years of frustration will be released.
Even when riding the Nankai train that connects Kansai Airport and downtown Osaka, one can be surprised by the large number of foreign tourists. The news mentioned the day before yesterday that the number of foreign visitors to Japan has exceeded ten million. Although it is still far from the pre-pandemic fifty million, it is expected to surpass that number again sooner or later.

気象台によりますと、２０日の近畿地方は高気圧に覆われ、広い範囲で晴れました。この先１週間もおおむね晴れる見込みで、気象台は２０日午前「近畿地方が梅雨明けしたとみられる」と発表しました。梅雨明けは、平年より１日遅く、去年と比べ３日早いそうです。学校も今日が一学期の終業式で、明日からは夏休みというところが多い様です。丸3年半続いたコロナ禍も、まだ完全には収束していませんが、徐々に収束に向かいそうです。この3年半で社会も大きく変わりました。ITの活用がいっそう進化し、働き方から学校の授業のやり方、SNSによる人的交流も随分変わりました。鬱屈した３年半に溜まったエネルギーがどう言う形で発散されるか、興味もあります。関西空港と大阪都心を結ぶ南海電車に乗っても、外国人旅行者の多さにびっくりします。先一昨日もニュースで来日外国人が一千万人を超えたとか。これでもコロナ禍前の五千万人には遠く及びませんが、早晩これもはるかに超えるものと期待します。