This summer I opened an "omiyage" shop on our local beach in an attempt to help promote Shiraishi Island.

But I was overly optimistic. I hadn't considered, for example, that we would have the longest rainy season in 10 years, that there would be 10 more days of rain even after the longest rainy season in 10 years, and that an "unseasonal" typhoon would come along and blow down my shop.

With good reason, not many people came to the beach this year.