Terrain, Terrain... (Patreon)

As we go into the month of August, there are two de-facto "anniversaries" in that are never celebrated nor marked as holidays on the Japanese calendar. One is August 15, which is the end of World War II in the Pacific (which, as a side note, is actually debatable as the signing of articles of surrender didn't take place until September 2), and the other is August 12, which is when the deadliest commercial airline crash in history took place, a.k.a. the 1985 Japan Airlines Flight 123 accident. For some reasons, this crash has given rise to a multitude of conspiracy theories, the depth and abundance of which could probably be paralleled only by theories on the JFK assassination or the 9/11 attacks.

And of course, the day of the capitulation was preceded by the two nuclear bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, respectively. These grim throwbacks to the past, along with the fact that mid-August is the time of Obon (which is sort of Japanese version of Halloween), in all seem to associate a scent of death to the season of late summer, which could otherwise be fun and relaxing. (Continues)