Record breaking season

Despite dim prospects in for medals in Athens in the next few weeks, Japan’s doing great in other record breaking areas. Mother Nature is having her own field day here in Tokyo.
This is the 40th straight day of manatsu-bi, midsummer days that reach 30 degrees or more.
It’s the longest unbroken stretch of hot days since Tokyo meteorologists started taking notes in 1923. The previous record was 37 days in 1995.
Tokyo’s new record doesn’t touch the one set in Kobe in 1994: 76 miserable dog days. Kobe can keep that gold medal; that is one record I hope we don’t break.