Kansai News » rain

Let Rainy Season Begin

Kyle Yates — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 14:46:18 +0000

Tis not the season to be jolly. It is the season with which lots of rain comes tumbling down.

Tsuyu is Japanese for rainy season. The rainy season is caused by cold northerly and warm southerly air masses that collide resulting in consistently bad weather for several weeks on end.

June is known for being rainier than other months.

Those wishing to travel inside Japan should be prepared for rainy, windy elements. Bring a raincoat if you have one. Don’t worry if you forget your umbrella from home. Umbrellas can be bought on almost every street corner for next to nothing. Convenient stores carry them for under ¥500. Some places sell the clear see-through umbrellas for just over a few hundred yen.

Don’t forget that typhoon season has also begun. They add a bit more rain to the rainy season!

Saturday’s Gonna Be a Great Day for Hanami

Kyle Yates — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 07:06:47 +0000

Rain is forecast for tonight and early into tomorrow morning. But by sunrise tomorrow, the rain should taper off and the sun should come out to dry up the rain-soaked grass and dirt where most people will sit to enjoy cherry blossoms.

For diehard hanami participants, the rain is actually a blessing. Wet grass and dirt deter many from leaving their homes, which means those who do venture out will not have to beat the crowds to popular cherry blossom places.

So if you are thinking that the rain tonight is going to spoil your cherry blossom viewing tomorrow, you might want to stick to your plan because the sun will come out tomorrow and you can bet your bottom dollar that it will be beautiful anywhere cherry blossoms are blooming.

Tomorrow blossoms will be mankai (fully bloomed) in most places around the Kansai region. Just don’t forget to take a sheet or chair to sit on if you plan to sit and admire the blossoms, or else you may need a change of clothes!

Poor Momiji Reports

Kyle Yates — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 02:47:04 +0000

Talked with many momiji viewers who have already been to temples, shrines and parks to see the changing of the autumn leaves. Many seemed disappointed with what they saw. Most complained that only a few trees had changed colors so far.

If you have not been to see momiji yet, fear not. You are probably a lot better off not having been somewhere yet.

Look for trees to be more colorful this coming weekend. Trees out in open sunlight will have already begun changing if not already begun dropping leaves. They may be past the red color stage and begun turning brown. Trees deeper in the forests hidden by sunlight will be turning colors and some may even be still green. But by this weekend, maple trees should be turning lighter green to yellow, orange and red.

For the better momiji viewing experience, venture off the more trodden path. You will more likely find unique beautiful autumn settings worthy of picture taking!

Here are some of mine from yesterday’s momiji check.

Rainy Season is Here

Kyle Yates — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:59:11 +0000

Rainy season has arrived. It officially started back at the end of the first week in June, but didn’t really kick in until two weeks ago.

Rainy Day in Japan

Rain has been forecast for about every day of the week except for a few days last week. Expect rain each day this week too!

Rainy Season Number 2 in Japan

Kyle Yates — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 23:08:02 +0000

Normally, rainy season is before summer. But with the recent wind currents snaking over the country, Japan has had tons more rain than it got during the official rainy season.

While Tokyo has seen torrential rains and flooding, the Kansai region has also had its share of downpours and flooding.

Now that typhoon season is officially ON, more rain is in the forecast as they pass by or over the country dumping even more rain.

If you plan to visit the Kansai region or any other area of Japan over the next month or so, be prepared to experience rain. Bring a raincoat and wear shoes that you can walk in the rain with. Don’t ever worry about bringing an umbrella to Japan. There are more umbrellas for sale than anyone could ever imagine. They are cheaper than bottled water and sold everywhere, especially at convenient stores, which are a dime a dozen and on about every street corner.

Rainy Season Officially Over in Western Japan

Kyle Yates — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 01:10:18 +0000

The Meteorological Agency of Japan has officially declared rainy season over in Western Japan, 7 days earlier than last year and 4 days earlier than the average year.

Rainy season is generally not the best time to visit Japan. However, rainy season in Japan does not mean that it rains every single day.

The rainy season is caused by the collision of cold northerly and warm southerly air masses resulting in relatively bad weather fronts for several weeks.

In most of Japan, the rainy season lasts from the beginning of June to mid July. However, Hokkaido is barely affected by the rainy season because of its northern position to the collision course of the northerly and southerly air masses.

Now that rainy season is officially over, tourists to Japan can visit the country, especially the Kansai area, with somewhat peace of mind they won’t run into bad rainy weather, unless you happen to come during a typhoon!

Always check the weather before you travel. For the Kansai region, go to KansaiConnect and get the latest most accurate weather provided by the Meteorological Agency of Japan in English.