Last weekend after rain, driving east on Route 8 near Shinkawa, Mitaka, I saw a rainbow—not a full arc but the bottom ends on left and right. Beautiful. Faintly visible in the circle in photo top; can you spot it?
Speaking of rainbows—recent Hawaii. Hawaii is nicknamed the "Rainbow State." A travel site says:
"On a Hawaii trip you'll constantly meet beautiful scenery; with luck you may see a rainbow. Rain on one side of an island and sun on the other makes beautiful rainbows relatively common."
I didn't see one, but in the tropics rainbows after squalls are frequent. Moonlight rainbows are said to be stunning. The site says travelers who see this moon rainbow "may return to Hawaii again"—our guide said something simpler: see one rainbow, visit again; see two, live there. Those who missed the real thing can still see rainbows—on Hawaii license plates. Stylish ＝photo left.
This design has been used since 1991. Before that, from 1981, "Warrior Head" warrior faces ＝photo top right. Earlier similar warrior motifs—apparently King Kamehameha who unified Hawaii ＝photo bottom right—and before that plain plates.
The travel site notes a Hawaii saying rhyming with "No pain, no gain": "No rain, no
rainbow"—no rainbow without rain, or "because there is rain, there are beautiful rainbows," also "after tears comes a rainbow." Okamura Takako has a song and album of that name.
Used plates are popular interior items sold at stalls—I didn't see any. Instead at a supermarket, mint tablets in a tin "refreshing mouth" ＝photo left. 16g for $2.49 (~250 yen)—a clever souvenir. Wish I'd bought more. Next Hawaii trip, maybe fill this case with sandbar "heaven's sea" sand as omiyage.
Palaceside Building B1 "Mainichi Travel" handles various overseas tours.
