"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved" (Jeremiah 8:22).

There was indeed quite a harvest for Japan this summer. For one, there were the Olympic Games, in which our crop of medals surpassed all expectations. Over and beyond the boost to the national ego the Olympics provided, it gave a boost to the national economy as well, by making people rush to the shops in search of the latest thing in flat-screen TVs.

And then there was the heat. At one point, recorded temperatures reached 40 degrees in the Kanto area. This translates into 104 degrees F -- not quite Fahrenheit 911, but high enough for beer sales to soar beyond the brewers' wildest hopes.