That pitter-patter you hear right now is probably only the remains of the rainy season slipping drop by drop from your eave spouts. Yet there is another melancholy drizzle in this land that falls all year round. It is that misty-eyed drool for all things past. Yes, this country is literally dripping with nostalgia.
The Japanese term is natsukashii, and to say it properly you must squeeze it out. You must sigh, you must squint, and you must strain the word slowly through a contented smile, the overall glow in your soul not far from that floating release behind that first gulp of cold beer at the end of a hot day.
Natsukashiiii -- the word stretches well. It is not stiff and awkward like its English cousins, "nostalgia" and "nostalgic." Those are terms with dust on them. They get unfolded from some seldom-opened closet in the back of the brain and then are applied from a respectful distance.