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When I first visited Japan I was surprised by the amount of advertising nearly everywhere I looked. Even in a lonesome rural area, on a long trip by rail, I could gaze out at the view and see signs promoting "727" brand cosmetics.

But impressively, Japan had vast amounts of water - beautiful rivers and streams - and I was fascinated at the sight. I had to touch it.

In Gifu I put my hands in a small stream near the castle, while in Iwakuni I waded in the river below the famous bridge.

In Gujo Hachiman I could drink the water! Where I reside, in Southern California, the weather is commonly dry and warm.

Recently this blog listed the annual hours of sunshine for an assortment of world cities, including Tokyo, Kyoto, and Los Angeles. Of course (sigh) we have the most sun hours of all. Yes, sunshine is nice and I do appreciate it, but I wish we could get more rain than we have so far this season, which has been next-to-nothing.
I can image global warming here as being somewhat akin to the world portrayed in the 1973 film "Soylent Green." (Now, wait a minute, don't look shocked.). Charlton Heston makes his way through this movie looking perpetually hot, sweaty, and uncomfortable, and this is PRIOR to making his shocking discovery.

I like to view Japan's travel web cameras (recommend: www.shimogo-live.jp and Lake Ashi at www.hakone.or.jp) and often the scenic view has water. Over time, through my numerous searches I have learned that ...