How to enjoy Japan during the rainy season?

Umbrella

Don't forget your umbrella!

Kenichi Mashiba

Tips for Visiting Japan During the Rainy Season

From mid-June to early July, it is the rainy season in Japan (known as Tsuyu). Wind, humidity, and heat, this time of year is often shunned by visitors. However, it provides a glimpse of an intimate face of the archipelago...

Due to the benefits of rain, Tusyu is the ideal time to discover the beauties of Nature. Plain, forest, or even mountain, the smell of hard washing just wet combined with the reflections of the early summer sky offers pretty landscapes all around Japan. Especially in the countryside, where the rainy season announces the time to take care of the rice fields.

 

A moment of communion with the environment, the Tsuyu is also conducive to a spiritual retreat. The bucolic atmosphere of the temples and sanctuaries is soothing there, the reflections of the water coming to dress the wood of the buildings.

Admirer les sanctuaires sous la pluie

Admire the shrines in the rain

Flick/aresio

 

Amateur of hot springs, the rainy season will finally provide you with pleasant moments of relaxation. With your feet warm and your eyes glued to nature, the sound of rain from a sheltered onsen has never been so soothing.

 

 

 

Enjoy onsen with a cool spirit

Enjoy the onsen with a cool mind

Beppu City Official Website enjoyonsen.city.beppu.oita.jp

 

To enjoy your stay in the rain, you don't need to go very far either. The season of Tsuyu also sounds like the return to simple pleasures, and its benefits are appreciated daily.

True symbols of the rainy season, hydrangeas (or ajisai in Japanese ) are found in many metropolises in Japan. Their blue-violet reflections border the entrance of the temples, and it is not uncommon to see them along the railways or at the edge of the small townhouses.

 

 

 

Les allées du temples Takahata se parent de violet à Hino

The alleys of the Takahata temples are adorned with purple in Hino

Tokyo Weekender

 

If you hate rain, the Tsuyu will be an opportunity for you to discover Japanese coffee culture. Far from the Parisian cliche of the terrace where you sip your espresso, the Japanese cafe is a little haven of peace where it is customary to go out with friends.

Lunch, brunch, and even dinner, the Japanese cafe looks more like a brasserie than a tobacco bar. It can therefore be very valuable for taking refuge in the event of heavy showers, especially if it overlooks a garden or a panorama.

 

 

 

Le matcha, le roi de la maison de thé

Matcha, the king of the tea house

Flick/ Sawada Tadashi

 

Although they can't go outside to play, the children still find a way to keep busy during the rainy season. And for good reason, this is an opportunity for them to find Mr. "henohenomoheji".

 

Often drawn on bus windows or classroom windows, Mr. "henohenomoheji" is a friendly foggy man whose appearance follows the pattern of hiragana. His eyebrows as his mouth are symbolized by the letter "he" (へ), while his eyes will be represented by "no" (の) and his nose by "mo" (も). The shape of his face will take on it looks like a "ji" (じ), and building it will only take you a few seconds.

A good way, therefore, to memorize hiragana while passing the time!

 

 

 

 

Rencontrer M. Henohenomoheji

Meet Mr. Henohenomoheji

Ph.L

 

If you are manual, take advantage of the Tsuyu to make teru teru bozu, small rain dolls. Taking the form of white ghosts, the teru teru bozu would serve as talismans to ward off showers. They would then be placed above the windows with the help of a rope, and a little nursery rhyme would be sung to activate their charm.

If the weather is nice and you would like a bit of freshness, the legend also says that it would rain if the teru teru bozu is hung upside down.

 

Accrocher des teru teru bozu

Hanging teru teru bozu

shutterstock

Un jour de pluie au Japon

A rainy day in Japan

Iso Republic (free image site)

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