Surviving Japan’s rainy season

Although Japan is famous for its gorgeous and distinctive four seasons, the country actually experiences five seasons every year.

The unofficial season we’re talking about is the rainy season, which is known as “Tsuyu (梅雨)” in Japanese.

Typically runs from early June to mid-July, the start and end times of rainy season can be different for each region.

During the rainy season, you’ll expect a fair amount of rain with an occasional bout of intense wind.

However, since the sky is always cloudy, the temperatures during this time are mostly comfortable, around 25 °C (77°F) on average.

The downside of the rainy season is it’s the humidity, causing a damp and sticky mess on everyone.

To help you surviving this kinda-annoying-weather, we’ve listed up several tips to follow, especially if you plan to visit Japan in June!

Gear up yourself!

The minimum equipment you need to fight the rainy season is umbrella and rain boots!

Yes, any good rainy season survival kit should start with an umbrella – the most basic ones.

There are a lot of variety of styles and designs of umbrella, but we strongly recommend buying the foldable umbrella, as it’s easy to carry with you at all times.

You can purchase the foldable umbrella from the nearest convenience stores like 7-Eleven, Lawson, or Family Mart. If you go to the department store, you’ll see foldable umbrellas with cute designs, and these umbrellas usually cost around 2000 yen – 3000 yen each. The average price of foldable umbrella is 1000 yen – 3000 yen.

In addition to the umbrella, you’ll need rain boots to protect your legs from the rain.

You can get these rain boots from the nearest shoe stores or department stores.

A pair of rain boots costs around 1000 yen – 5000 yen.

Admire the beautiful hydrangeas

Rainy season in Japan is accompanied by the blooming of hydrangeas.

There are several places in Japan that are famous for beautiful hydrangeas, and our favorite spots for hydrangeas can be found here.

The raindrops make these flowers look even brighter, making them a great subject for the gram!

See the gorgeous irises 

The gorgeous irises bloom in June, and look extremely phenomenal on rainy days.

Often found at traditional Japanese gardens, shrines, and temples, head to Meiji Jingu Inner Garden or Hamarikyu Gardens in Tokyo to see these gorgeous purple flowers!