last weekend, I played a show right by the ocean in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture. It’s mid-October. By all known laws of time and space, autumn should be here. Sweatshirts, hot coffee, crisp air, cool breezes... you know the drill.

Except... someone forgot to tell Saga.

I stepped out onto the stage, looked at the horizon, and realized: summer isn’t over. In fact, I’m pretty sure summer signed a long-term lease in Kyushu and lost the keys. The sun was staring at me like a landlord waiting for rent.

And then, right in the middle of all this heat, a ladybug randomly landed on my foot. Just sat there, chilling on my shoe. Apparently, a ladybug landing on you is supposed to be a sign of good luck. So there I was, holding a guitar, getting sunburned in October, wondering if this tiny bug was delivering a message from the universe... or if it was just as heat-dazed as I was.

Do you ever feel like the seasons are just having a private argument behind our backs? Like Autumn tried to walk into the room, but Summer blocked the doorway with a ladybug and said, “No, no, I’m not done yet.”

There’s something delightfully weird about playing music by the sea while the rest of the world is desperately trying to manifest fall weather. It felt like playing a show inside a glitch in the matrix.

Anyway, if anyone is currently searching for autumn, please don’t look in Saga. It hasn't arrived yet.

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