It's that time of year again - tsuyu 梅雨 (つゆ) or in English, rainy season. It seems like there are a lot of weather words in English, but I think there are many more words in Japanese. There must be hundreds for the rainy season alone, but that is more than I know. Many of these Japanese words are onomatopoeia, the words that sound like what they describe. You can just imagine what it is by the sound the word makes. Here are a few words for the rainy season.
ame 雨 (あめ) - rain
bisho bisho - drenched to the skin
byoo - byoo - strong howling wind
doshaburi - downpour
goro - goro - the rumble of thunder
jakuu - weak rain
kasa 傘 (かさ) - umbrella
kirisame - drizzle
konukaame - fine rain
kumori 曇り (くもり) - cloudy
niwaka ame - sudden shower
oo-ame 大 (おお) 雨 (あめ). - torrential rain
pika - pika - the sparkle of the lightning
potsu-potsu - raindrops hitting dry ground
shito-shito - drizzle
tsuyuake 梅雨明け (つゆあけ) - the end of the rainy season
tsuyubare 梅雨晴 (つゆばれ) - sunny spell during the rainy season
zah-zah - pouring rain
雨がすごく降っています
Ame ga sugoku futte imasu
It's raining cats and dogs.
Japan, except for Hokkaido, has a rainy season, called Tsuyu, every year between late May and late July. The wet weather is caused by cold winds from the north colliding with warm southern winds. Where I live, the average dates for the rainy season is June 8th to July 21st.
The first year I lived here in Shizuoka, it hardly rained during the rainy season. I was still asking when will the rainy season start, after it had ended. This year seems to be the rainiest rainy season ever. Every day I am wet walking to work and wet walking home. The laundry never seems to dry. All of this is inconvenient for me, but is really nothing compared to what is happening in Kyushu, the southern most of the four main Japanese islands. Some people have been evacuated from their homes, while others are stranded by the deadly floods and mudslides. Yesterday I read the death toll was 66 and 16 were still missing.
Over 300 millimeters of rain has fallen through Saturday and it is still raining. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued its second highest evacuation order to more than 450,000 people, but such orders are not compulsory and most residents are choosing not to go to shelters because of coronavirus fears. It is difficult to ensure the safety of those in emergency centers, but the centers are doing what they can.
The company where I work makes large commercial air conditioners. Last week the company donated five of these large units to shelters in Kumamoto prefecture in Kyushu and quickly had them delivered and installed. I am in awe of the generosity of Japanese people and companies even in these poor economic times.
Every day I am thankful to be living in Japan for so many reasons. There is no where I'd rather be, even in the rainiest season.
