Rainy days are here again. In most parts of Japan, rainy days start around the beginning of June and last up to 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 it flooded on the streets. 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. 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 tsuyo as what they call it in Japan. What a waste!
Rainbows
So, what to do? There is a saying that says, “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 have 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).
Ajisai
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And what more? Of course, there is the rainy season star of the garden – the ajisai or hydrangea. Hydrangeas bloom during rainy season. There are many varieties of hydrangeas and they grow everywhere. They bloom so beautifully they make the rainy days so colorful. Take a walk and you will see them on the roadside or in the neighbors’ garden. I so love hydrangeas and that makes me look forward to the rainy days.
Firefly Festival
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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 the access to places which hold Firefly Festivals were difficult. But now that I live in a countryside, with the Hotaru matsuri just a 20-minute bus ride away from me. I’m not gonna let this opportunity to 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