Talking about Japan s Rainy Season comprehensible input

Hello everyone it's Nako here It's June yes it's June What comes to mind when you think of Japan in June Do you know When you think of Japan in June It's the rainy season—basically a time of constant rain—and that's something I really dislike Yes today I'd like to talk about the rainy season What exactly is the rainy season I'd like to talk at length about the rainy season in Japan—since I'll be using many Japanese expressions related to weather please listen carefully Yes let's quickly explain what plum rain is—plum rain is a term close in meaning to the English "rainy season " But it's not exactly the same in English "rainy season" is translated into Japanese as 雨季 which means the season of rain That is it's the rainy season—the period of the year with the most rainfall For example I think countries in Southeast Asia and Africa tend to have many rainy seasons I believe there are many countries with rainy seasons By the way Southeast Asia means South Asia to the east Southeast Asia which includes countries such as Thailand Vietnam and Indonesia is referred to as Southeast Asia Many countries in Southeast Asia and Africa have a rainy season Does the country you live in have one and if so when is it The rainy season is the rainy season but what exactly is plum rain The rainy season refers to the period from May to July in East Asia including Japan China South Korea and Taiwan characterized by prolonged rain and overcast weather It's indeed the rainy season but this is during May to July in East Asia We don't call the rainy seasons in Africa or Southeast Asia "plum rain " During this time in Japan it rains or is overcast almost every single day—truly unbearable It's not the right month not the right season at all Today I'd like to start by talking about Japan's rainy season and I'll go into more detail shortly First it seems that rainy weather becomes more likely due to the influence of the Mei-yu front also known as the rainy season front A front known as the rainy season front moves from south to north marking the beginning of the rainy season in Japan which is called "midsuiri " And when the rainy season ends it is called the end of the rainy season or "tsuyu-iri" and "tsuyu-ake " It's a bit complicated but the Japan Meteorological Agency is the organization responsible for weather and earthquakes There is a government agency called the Japan Meteorological Agency which handles work related to weather The meteorological agency announces the start and end of the rainy season each year Around May or June each year the Japan Meteorological Agency announces that the rainy season has likely begun for example around June 7th Around June 7th they'll probably tell you it's officially entered the rainy season and about a month after that comes the rainy season In about a month and a half we'll be announcing the end of the rainy season for example It's announced that the rainy season likely ended around July 20 and they'll let you know that the rainy season ended around July 20 This time of year weather forecasts always inform us about the rainy season typically lasting about one to one and a half months The rainy and overcast weather will continue and the timing of the rainy season varies depending on the location The front known as the pre-summer rainy front which I just mentioned moves from south to north so the southern regions will enter the rainy season accordingly The rainy season sets in sequentially from south to north in Japan with Okinawa the southernmost region always being the first to enter the rainy season Around mid-May generally and in Tokyo around early to mid-June is when the rainy season typically begins And around mid-July the rainy season will end But of course this varies significantly from year to year depending entirely on the specific year Today is June 6th but we still haven't entered the rainy season yet—probably it'll start next week in two or three days I'm a bit uneasy about that By the way Hokkaido Japan's northernmost region doesn't have a rainy season I recently learned that Hokkaido apparently doesn't experience rainy season at all It's not that it isn't raining at all—seems like a little rain is falling Next I'd like to introduce what Japan is like during the rainy season How much rain do you think falls during Japan's rainy season It rains almost every single day It's cloudy or rainy almost every day and there are quite a few rainy days indeed Of course it varies by location but in Tokyo I'd say cloudy rain is most common There's always a gloomy feeling every day especially on rainy days when it often rains nonstop from morning till night When you wake up and look outside to see it raining It will rain steadily throughout the afternoon and into the night but not heavily It's just regular rain not heavy rain—nothing like pouring down heavily just normal rain or perhaps a light drizzle a slight rain really It also feels like it's been raining quite a bit people often say that during the rainy season it drizzles steadily It's drizzling and we say there's a lot of drizzle "Drizzling" refers to rain falling quietly and steadily It's silent a soft steady rain falling—this is what "shito" describes The rainy season evokes the image of quiet gentle continuous rain It's more like a steady quiet rain that drizzles nonstop from morning till night not a heavy downpour What surprised me was that Okinawa's rainy season was completely different from Tokyo's Okinawa's rainy season versus Tokyo's It's completely different—I had no idea at all before moving to Okinawa but once I started living here and experienced the rainy season I was truly shocked It's rainy season yet it's sunny—sky is bright and clear I was genuinely surprised to realize it's really the rainy season right now but in Okinawa the rainy season can be sunny and suddenly It starts raining suddenly—downpouring all at once even if it was sunny just moments before Then it stops raining It's like a squall—sudden heavy rain that pours down and then stops just as quickly followed by immediate clearing It feels like a sudden downpour—Tokyo's rainy season often brings nonstop rain all day long The rainy season in Okinawa has many sunny days but sudden heavy rain often comes without warning It's pouring down hard—really pouring Just look at this downpour It's pouring heavily a downpour but then suddenly stops completely and clears up right away—that's the vibe So even though it's called the rainy season I think the atmosphere of the rainy season varies depending on the location and region It's often said that when thunder sounds the rainy season ends thunder signals the end of the rainy season Just before or around the time of the rainy season ending heavy rains and frequent thunderstorms are quite common While it's called rainy season the atmosphere varies greatly by region so if you're planning to visit Japan in May or around July Please check the weather forecast—there's a chance you might need an umbrella a compact umbrella a raincoat or even rain boots Now you all know what Japan's rainy season is like—next I’ll talk about all the annoying unpleasant and frustrating things about it Of course I'll also share some of the good things about the rainy season—today I'll wrap things up here Thank you so much for watching until the end Alright take care and goodbye