With Typhoon Neoguri having passed, what awaited spectators was glaring sunlight and high temperatures perhaps heralding the start of the real summer.
And the arrival of the hot weather coincided with the beginning of the inaugural 3x3 Premier.exe basketball circuit.
On Saturday afternoon at Shonan Bellmare Hiratsuka Beach Park, hundreds of street hoop fans assembled to watch the opening round of the brand-new league, featuring games a little different from conventional 5-on-5 basketball.