Hello Rainy Season

Japan's rainy season (梅雨, tsuyu) officially arrived today! It's actually been a long time coming, as I was expecting it at the very beginning of June, but it's taken until the 14th to arrive in Tokyo.

Rainy season in Japan is caused by cold northerly air masses meeting warm air from the south, which creates a stable front across Japan, bringing clouds and rain. The average rainy season in Tokyo lasts from 8th June until 20th July, which seems like a long time for it to rain! But it doesn't rain every day, and I read an information page that said that Tokyo records an average of 12 days of rain in June, and 120 hours of sunshine. But this fluctuates from year to year. Okinawa (沖縄) and the other southern islands get rainy season from the beginning of May until about the 23rd June, so it's much earlier, and then it spreads north from there. But Japan's northernmost island, Hokkaido (北海道, Hokkaidou) hardly sees any of the rain because of the northerly latitude. So lucky!

I remember the rainy season two years ago, in 2008, was quite short and not very intense. It arrived earlier than usual, and I recall it only lasted about three weeks. It was actually quite comfortable, keeping the heat down, and the misty drizzle made me very nostalgic of Britain. But it was very humid, and on the days when the temperature rose, it was very sticky and uncomfortable! The humidity seems to average about 95% in rainy season, but there were plenty of days when 100% was recorded.

This year so far the humidity has only started to worsen over the past week or so. Up until then it was gorgeous sun and clear blue skies, but now it's getting to the time when you walk home at night in sandals and shorts and see moisture dancing in car headlights.

The next week's weather forecast is mainly for cloud or light rain, with temperatures hovering around 28C, but today is only 19C, so it's being kind and easing us in slowly. Thursday is going to be a bit of a killer, with predictions of 31C and cloud. That's going to be a very humid day!

It's a shame because from now until I leave rainy season will be in full swing, so my immediate memory of Japan will be cloud and mist! But it might mean Britain is a relief from the rain! (Which I don't think I've ever said before...)

There's more information about the dates tsuyu starts and ends on the Japan Meteorological Agency website.

Summer Plans

As the end of my work at Gaba approaches (my last day is Sunday 29th June), I've started making plans for July and the first week of August. I fly home to Britain on Thursday 7th August so from now I have less than two months left in Japan.

Unexpectedly, one of my friends has decided to fly out to see me for a week at the beginning of July. That should be really great, I never thought I'd have two visits! I'll have to decide where to take him in Tokyo.

After that, I'm going to travel around Japan for one week. It's not a long time but accommodation is so expensive, I need to keep the cost down. I find the south and west of Japan much more interesting than the east and north, as I think most people do, so that's where I'll go.

At the moment, I'm booking hotels in the places I want to visit. My plan is to take the Shinkansen all the way from Tokyo to Kyushu (九州) and stay in Beppu (別府) (a hot spring town in the northern Kyushu prefecture of Oita) for two days. That way I should be able to relax in an onsen hot spring (温泉) and see a real beach! I also have a penpal who lives near there, who I hope to meet.

Then I plan to move back up the country, going to Hiroshima (広島) for two nights, giving me a chance to see the Peace Park, and nearby Miyajima island. Miyajima (宮島) is one of the three great sights to see in Japan, so I'm really looking forward to that.

Then I will spend three nights in Kyoto, giving me a chance to explore the Kansai region. I've been to Kyoto before, but didn't see everything I wanted to, so I will try to get to Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺) and Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine (伏見稲荷大社) while I'm there, and also visit Nara (奈良), Kobe (神戸), and Himeji Castle (姫路城).

After that, I will head back to Tokyo on the Shinkansen.

That's the plan anyway! I hope rainy season will have finished by then, although I know that in the middle of July, Japan is very hot and humid, so I don't expect to be comfortable.

I have heard that the Inland Sea area near Hiroshima and Okayama is relatively cool and fresh in summer though, so I hope that's true.

It should be good! A fitting crescendo to my working holiday.

Shinjuku Gyoen

Today I went to Shinjuku to go to the Sakura House main office and pay my rent. I changed the last of my travellers' cheques in the currency exchange before I went.

From my guesthouse it only takes 16 minutes by train, with 10-15 minutes walk beforehand, to reach Shinjuku station. But being in the station doesn't mean you're "there" by any stretch of the imagination, it's so huge! I left by the first exit I came across, and wandered around until I saw something I recognised.

I took some photos as I went. They're not thrilling, but might be interesting if you've never been to Shinjuku.

The 2008 rainy season (梅雨 - tsuyu) officially started on Monday 2nd June, but today was lovely weather. It was 27C and sunny (but there were clouds in the sky). It was humid, but there was a refreshing cool breeze too, so it didn't matter.







I stumbled upon the bus stop where the Limousine Bus first dropped me off on my first day in Japan. I was having flashbacks to my first bemused impressions of Shinjuku when I arrived, dragging a huge heavy suitcase that insisted on knocking my shoes off.

Bringing New York to Tokyo.

After paying my penultimate rent payment at Sakura House, I walked back to the station, and then went to find Shinjuku Gyoen (新宿御苑), which is an Imperial Garden. It's only about 10 minutes from Shinjuku station's South-East exit, but I was on the other side, which is a long way away! So it took me a while to get there.

I could see where it was from a distance because the buildings suddenly gave way to treetops. Yay! Green!

It cost Y200 for me to go in, as an adult. Children are Y50, and babies are free.

I was very hungry, so I bought a box of mixed sandwiches for Y550. I had some Oreos in my bag too so it was a good combination. I was so pleased to see people sitting on grass here! I immediately flopped down and ate picnic-style. Most places have 'Keep off the grass' signs but people were walking freely here. The second time for me to walk on grass in Japan! Japanese grass is hard and spiky, it's not like British grass, which is soft and comfortable. Ah well, beggars can't be choosers. I was just glad to be able to sit on the grass in hot sun.

Shinjuku Gyoen is split into several sections, including greenhouses (which were being refurbished when I went), a French garden, an English garden, a Japanese landscaped garden, and crysthanthemum beds.

I did a circular walk from the Shinjuku gate, towards the French garden, then the English and Japanese gardens, finishing with the crysthanthemums.

The sun was very hot and it was lovely to stroll through all the greenery, finding little areas of shade along the way.

There was a nice lake near the Okido entrance, which I stopped to have a look around.

You can't see it very well, but in the centre of this photo, there's a turtle! I was so shocked to see a turtle wild in the very centre of Tokyo!

Makes it look very tropical I think. And it felt quite tropical.

Even though the city was so close, it was so quiet. This garden is a real sanctuary away from the rush. The loudest thing there was the mass of crows that seemed to follow me everywhere.

The French garden was surrounded by rows of trees, arranged in a very European style, I think.

Next on my list was the English garden, so I followed the lake (and the big birds) to it.

Well, not exactly an English garden, is it? I'll admit it looks like the park round the corner from my home in Birmingham, but garden is a bit far. It was great to lie down in it though, so that's exactly what I did. I put my jumper down on the ground and lay on it, reading one of the most British books ever, Pride and Prejudice, which I borrowed from my local library. I thought that someone going to study English at Uni should have read that book.

Tokyo Tower!
After a while of lazing in the hot afternoon sun, I made my way to the Japanese landscaped garden.

The nicest part of it was the traditional teahouse overlooking the lake and sloping hills.

After the Japanese garden, I walked back to the Shinjuku gate (I was quite tired by now, it's a huge park!), and I passed this cyprus tree root. How strange are they!?

Then I realised that I wanted to see the crysthanthemums too, so I dragged my tired legs back along the path. To find this! Nothing to see except greenhouses. Oh well... the cool walk through the shady forest was nice.

On the way back to the station, I passed these street performers. They had been there two hours earlier when I went to the park, but now there was much bigger crowd. The Japanese man sitting in front of them playing imaginary drums was loving it, and it was quite fun to watch them.

I went into Shinjuku station via the South-East entrance, and then realised that there was no way to get to the Toei Shinjuku line (都営新宿線) from there. I explained to the man on duty at the ticket window (in quite broken Japanese) what happened, and he took my Pasmo card, and worked some magic, before letting me through. Very easy.

I got home at 6pm, very ready for dinner, so I made myself a Chinese chicken stirfry, after helping one of my housemates, who is going home to Thailand in two weeks, with an English report.

This evening I will help two of my housemates with their English, and before I left for Shinjuku this morning, I helped one with her brother's resume. I really am the resident English teacher here!

I really recommend going to Shinjuku Gyoen if you have time and it's nice weather. I was so relaxed there, it was lovely. Nice to know that you can feel at peace in the busiest part of the largest city in the world.

The Heat Has Arrived!

Well, we knew it was coming!

Today the temperature soared to 28C. I stepped outside on my way to teach a private lesson at just gone noon and was hit by a blast of heat and humidity.

It was such a shock to my system to have that atmosphere suddenly appear. I walked for just 10 minutes up the road to the subway station and was so warm (and a little sweaty) by the time I got there. It was lovely and cool inside the trains, because the air conditioner was on full blast (that's what causes natsubate, which is the illness associated with fluctuating temperatures between inside and outside in summer).

When I left the lesson, I had recovered from the shock of the heat and was enjoying it a lot. The saving grace was that the cool breeze that was blowing around the city was nice and refreshing.

I went out several times just in my T-shirt and I was perfectly comfortable.

This is only May! It was like a hot day in British August! What will it be like when the true summer hits?

It had the smell of hot Continental Europe today, that strange mixture of humidity, drains and a little pollution.

So I did what you do in hot weather. I wore little, drank lots, relaxed, turned the air conditioner on (for the first time to cool myself down!) and made a summer salad for dinner.

It was so tasty. It took quite a while to prepare it though.

I went and sat by the Sumida river that flows right past my guesthouse in the evening, and it was lovely and warm. Great May weather!

Well, there's still no sign of the dreaded rainy season appearing. Looks like the rain last week was a false alarm. I did read that the intensity of the rain fluctuates each year, and sometimes it's like there is no rainy season. Fingers crossed!

An Early Start to Tsuyu?

Tsuyu is rainy season, which runs from some time in late May til the end of June, usually. This is the time that most Japanese people find the most uncomfortable. It's cloudy and rainy pretty much every day but that doesn't stop the summer temperatures soaring. This means humidity (湿度, しつど, shitsudo)! Good old humidity.

From May 10 this year the rain started. I'm not sure if this will continue until July but there's a good chance it will. Thankfully, the temperature has dipped now. Last week it was in the mid-20s but today it's only 12C. What a difference! My hands were actually cold when I walked to work this afternoon, I haven't experienced cold hands since February!

I've checked the forecast for the next ten days and it's still cloudy and rainy but the temperature should rise back to 22C.

I wonder if everything has shifted forward a bit climate-wise because cherry blossom season was early this year too, and now the rains have arrived earlier than expected. Global warming anyone?

After rainy season, the level of humidity should drop (but not by much) and the heat will rise to 30C as an average for Tokyo. Some people I have asked have likened summer in Tokyo to being in a sauna. Lovely!

It's strange that I feel comfortable when I step outside into grey drizzle. I think it must be because I'm British. You like what you're familiar with!