Hey guys, June is here which means Japan sees the start of 梅雨 (tsuyuu) or “rainy season” as it’s come to have been known in English.
If you ask the locals, June is the last month that they would recommend to visit so good luck to all of you who have booked a trip during the month! After starting in the middle of June, the rainy season lasts for about six weeks until the humidity clears and the scorching summer begins.
The only place to escape the rainy season is the northern most prefecture of Hokkaido where temperatures remain in the mid-20Cs throughout the summer, which is perfect for most people, especially us Brits!
At least it gives us the chance to introduce some rainy season related vocabulary below, which you can hopefully practice to improve your Japanese…
| kanji | japanese | english |
|---|---|---|
| 雨 | あめ ame |
rain |
| 大雨 | おおあめ ooame |
heavy rain |
| 小雨 | こさめ kosame |
light rain |
| 豪雨 | ごうう gouu |
heavy rain |
| 台風 | たいふう taifuu |
Typhoon |
| 梅雨 | つゆ tsuyu |
the rainy season |
| 地雨 | じあめ jiame |
continuous rain |
| 夕立 | ゆうだち yuudachi |
shower |
| 春雨 | はるさめ harusame |
spring rain |
| 時雨 | しぐれ shigure |
drizzling rain |
| 霧雨 | きりさめ kirisame |
misty rain |
| 五月雨 | さみだれ samidare |
early summer rain |
The following table shows the average starting and ending dates of the rainy season for selected regions of Japan, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency:
| Region | Start | End |
| Okinawa | May 8 | June 23 |
| Southern Kyushu | May 29 | July 13 |
| Shikoku | June 4 | July 17 |
| Kansai (incl. Kyoto) | June 6 | July 19 |
| Kanto (incl. Tokyo) | June 8 | July 20 |
| Northern Tohoku | June 12 | July 27 |
The rainy season in Japan is is caused by the collision of northern and southern air systems and produces, surprisingly, a lot of rain. The problem for us humans is the humidity at this time of year – you cannot leave your house without dripping almost instantly. A truly tough six weeks.
It doesn’t actually rain every day during rainy season, with Tokyo registering around an average of 12 rainy days in June – that said we did just say it starts in the middle of that month! Let’s just say it’s not the best time of the year so がんばります! (Try your best!).
