Japanese rainy season, its advantages and how to protect yourself from the rain

Rainbow shines near the unifinished Tokyo Sky Tree tower. Photo taken after some heavy rain from our balcony.

Recent rain and incredible humidity have marked the start of the yearly rainy season here in Japan. This means about one month (possibly a bit less) of frequent raining. In most parts of the country, the rainy season begins in June, except in Okinawa where it begins about one month earlier. The northern island of Hokkaido gets barelly affected by the rainy season.

Japan Meteorological Agency has compiled a quite precise schedule with average starting and ending dates for several regions of Japan:

Okinawa: May 8 – June 23
Southern Kyushu: May 29 – July 13
Shikoku: June 4 – July 17
Kinki (including Osaka and Kyoto): June 6 – July 19
Kanto (including Tokyo): June 8 – July 20
Northern Tohoku: June 12 – July 27

Even though tourists usually aren’t too excited about the rainy season, this time of the year also has its advantages. There is less travel which means less crowd in popular outdoor attractions. Temples, gardens and similar attractions offer some breathtaking views and unique atmosphere that will make you feel like you’re visiting Japan in ancient times. If you visit towers or other tall buildings, for example Mori Tower’s Sky Deck in Tokyo, you can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view after the rain has cleared the skies, giving you a chance to see far into the distance.

So what can you do when you walk around, happily buying Hello Kitty goods and you get surprised by sudden rain?

No panic! In Japan, umbrellas sell like hot cakes (oops, rice!) You can buy a typical transparent umbrella for just 300 Yen or about $3 in pretty much all convenience stores, like 7 Eleven, Lawson, Sunkus, Family Mart and others, as well as supermarkets and kiosks at all train stations. Since they are so common, you and a few million other consumers will be using the same type of umbrella.

If umbrellas are too old school for you, you can also buy a disposable raincoat. Convenience stores often carry these for as low as 100 Yen or $1.

In order to protect the floor from wetness, Japanese stores like to use a small trick: outside the entrance to most supermarkets, shopping centers and department stores you can find dispensers with thin disposable covers which shoppers put on their umbrellas to prevent them from dripping. When you’re finished with your shopping spree, just throw the cover away in the basket in the dispenser.