Rainy days are here again. In most parts of Japan, rainy days start around the beginning of June and last for about six weeks. The amount of rainfall varies from day to day. Some days will have few showers, and some days will have a really heavy downpour. One rainy day, when I was going home from school, it rained so hard that the streets flooded. One student even had his umbrella broken. The playing field turned into a shallow lake. To my amazement, I took a video (even though I was in a difficult situation). Here’s the video link if you want to see it: http://youtu.be/bzV5lZFF62g.
Many of us don’t like rainy days. It’s dark, it’s wet, and it’s gloomy. I really don’t like going outside when it rains. It’s a nice time to just sit and relax, read a book or watch TV, and be a couch potato. But, just imagine doing this for the whole duration of tsuyu, as they call it in Japan. What a waste!
Below are the things I look forward to on rainy season.
Rainbow
There is a saying that goes, “There is a rainbow after the rain.” Literally, yes, it’s true. I have even seen a double rainbow here in Japan. Not only once, but many times. And to think, I had never seen a double rainbow in my own country in my 30-plus years of existence on earth! Isn’t that nice? Yes! Rainy days are not that bad after all. (You may get to experience things you haven’t experienced before).
Hydrangeas
The rainy season star of the garden – the ajisai, or hydrangea. Hydrangeas bloom during the rainy season. There are many varieties of hydrangeas, and they grow everywhere. They bloom so beautifully, they make the rainy days colorful. Take a walk, and you will see them on the roadside or in the neighbors’ gardens. I love hydrangeas, and that makes me look forward to the rainy days.
Fireflies
Fireflies. Amazing little creatures. Imagine yourself watching thousands of fireflies glittering in the dark night on an occasion they call Hotaru Matsuri. I’ve never been to a firefly festival, but tomorrow (June 5, 2015) I will. I used to live in a big city in Fukuoka Prefecture before, and access to places that hold Firefly Festivals was difficult. But now that I live in the countryside, with the Hotaru Matsuri just a 20-minute bus ride away from me, I’m not gonna let this opportunity escape. If you happen to live somewhere close to Miyawaka, come, let’s go to Hotaru Matsuri in Wakita, Miyawaka.
224-1 Wakita, Miyawaka, Fukuoka Prefecture 822-0133
P.S. This article was first written and published on my WordPress website in June 2015, as mentioned in the last paragraph.
In Munakata, there is also a famous firefly viewing spot, about ten-minute drive from our house. The place is called Hotaru no Sato or Firefly Village. I will write about it in another time.