Dedicated to the kriophobic Italian mothers.

This morning it was snowing, big flakes from the sky. Now the snow turned into rain and it is colder than before, when it was snowing. I get in the tube and sitting in front of me there is a boy, maybe around 17, dressed like he was at the beach in July. Short pants, a light T-shirt, beach sandals with no socks. The only item related to today’s weather is a vinyl umbrella.
On the almost empty train that lets in the freezing air at every station an unknown guy screams “つよっ！”. (You are strong!). I have always been sceptical about the cliché that describes Japanese as samurais, champions of self-denial virtue, and yet seeing this boy today makes me reconsider my opinion about this basically hedonistic country.
Once a friend told me that in his elementary school there was a kid that for a whole year has never been seen wearing anything heavier than short pants and T-shirt. At the year-end ceremony he was awarded a medal, like a GAMAN campaign medal.
Anyway, I don’t know why today’s boy was dressed like that, sitting down and reading a book, like he had stumbled in from a different season, behaving like it was perfectly normal, without the smallest shiver, surrounded by down jacket and coats.
Anyway, I think too that he is strong!