This broken umbrella isn’t linked to a particular memory I want to hold onto, so
I’m bending my own rules here a little. Today’s post is more of a general reflection on Japanese weather, well, in particular the rain. Thus an image of an old umbrella suits me just fine.
When moving to Tokyo I didn’t know much about the Japanese climate besides that the country had four seasons – just like I knew from Europe. Having lived in London for 8 years prior to our move, I was happy to escape from the persistent rainy and grey days I never got used to.
We arrived in Tokyo in March. I can’t remember what exactly I was expecting weatherwise but it definitely wasn’t heavy rain for about two weeks.
I immediately noticed the all clear plastic umbrellas that many people were using. I later found out that you could purchase those at any konbini (convenience store) and, as they are relatively poor quality, we’ve owned many of those since.
Having experienced a very wet first month in Tokyo, I thought I’d be prepared for the rainy season from about mid-June to early July. I was wrong. The never-stopping masses of rain for a total of 5 days and ward announcements of possible landslides in our neighbourhood took me, again, by surprise. Over the past three years I got used to torrential rain during the rainy and typhoon seasons, yet, I still haven’t invested in a quality umbrella.
katazukete 