Right now we are getting a preview of the rainy season. Technically, rainy season starts in June, but there’s been a Typhoon and it’s been raining pretty heavily for three days. It’s not too bad on days where I go to the school on the bus, but on days I go to the school where I walk up the killer hill, I always get soaked.
photo credit: jonwick04
No matter, I love the rain. Weather is the best way to make new friends in Japan, or just about anywhere. Everyone loves to complain or at least comment on the weather, and you can do so without many language skills at all. An exaggerated shiver or a fanning motion can signify ‘oh! it’s cold/hot’ and some jazz fingers in a downward motion effectively conveys rain.
photo credit: Mondayne
Japan is a particularly excellent place to comment on the weather, as the weather here is so extreme. When I arrived in August, I’d never been so hot in my life. In the winter, due to lack of insulation, closing windows and central heating, I had never before been so cold inside buildings. And now that the rainy season is beginning, you can always comment on that.
photo credit: randomwire
Some Japanese!
Atsui desu ne – it’s hot isn’t it?
Samui desu ne – it’s cold isn’ it?
Ame!!! – it’s raining, again.
and my new favourite:
Mushiatsui desu ne – it’s muggy isn’t it?
Now you can connect with Japanese people all year round.
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