Early summer is the rainy season in most parts of Japan. Tsuyu (or Baiyu) is what the Japanese call the rainy season, it means plum rain (plums ripen at around the same time). The rainy season is caused by the collision of cold northerly and warm southerly air masses, resulting in a relatively stable bad weather front over Japan. The rainy season last from the beginning of June to mid-July, depending on region. Earlier for Okinawa and Hokkaido is barely effected by it at all. In Tokyo it usually from around June 8 to July 20. It does not usually rain every day during the rainy season and the amount of rainfall varies. A movie that I recommend everyone see called Ima, ai ni yukimasu has the rainy season as a major part of the plot.
Teru teru bozu (Teru is a Japanese verb which describes sunshine, and bÅzu is a Buddhist monk) are often seen during the rainy season. Teru teru bozu are small doll like charms made with a ball or wad of stuffing and a piece of white cloth or paper tied just below. They are hung as a charm to invite good weather. If the weather is good they maybe given faces. To make it rain occasionally you will see them with either black heads or hung upside down. In the movie mentioned above, the little boy hangs them upside down to bring rain. In Azumanga Doiah, a couple of the characters hang Chiyo-chan (one of the main cast members) upside down outside the window as a Teru teru bozu.
There is also a Warabe uta (song like nursery rhyme) associated with teru teru bozu:
Teru-teru-bozu, teru bozu Do make tomorrow a sunny day Like the sky in a dream sometime If it's sunny I'll give you a golden bell
Teru-teru-bozu, teru bozu Do make tomorrow a sunny day If you make my wish come true We'll drink lots of sweet rice wine
Teru-teru-bozu, teru bozu Do make tomorrow a sunny day But if it's cloudy and you are crying (i.e. it's raining) Then I shall snip your head off
Some people also flip a shoe into the sky, if it lands on its face it would be sunny tomorrow. Osaka does this in Azumanga Daioh, it happens to land on a moving vehicle so she does not find out via shoe toss method if it will be sunny the next day.
In the month of November
I set a goal for myself
to write at least a
50,000 word story (chosen
subject was a Ranma
fanfic). While I did make
an attempt to reach that
goal; I did not. I would
have liked to have done
so but I didn't. This
doesn't overl...
November 15 was America
Recycles Day. A day that
is dedicated to
encouraging Americans
(though from what I can
tell most of the time
people say Americans they
mean only USA) to recycle
and to buy recycled
products. I regularly
recycle via curbside
re...
I am nowhere near where I
should be for my current
writing goal but as I
write I started to
contemplate style.I was
wondering whether I
should use macrons and
other diacritics. In
general I do not use
macrons or diacritics on
this blog because I am
l...
I'd like to say that I am
off to a good start and
have written at least
1667 words (50,000
divided by 30 rounded to
nearest whole number) but
sadly that is not the
case. I had a few false
starts where I wrote
something and then
deleted it because I d...
To Each & EVERY
Blessed member of Our
Care 2 Family:As many of
you already know, my
husband Rick was arrested
in San Francsico in Sept.
on a violation warrant.
He was beaten up quite
badly at the time of his
arrest. At the time, we
were both home...
My Husband Richard Lell
is currently incarcerated
at Kilby CI in
Montgomery, Alabama. 20
years ago he was driving
home when a 15 year old
driver fell asleep at the
wheel and crossed the
center line. Three
members of the other
driver's ...
I just wanted to update
everyone on Rick's
situation. He was
extradited to Alabama in
the Past two weeks. He
has to go to a hearing in
December. It will either
be the 1st or the 15th.
At the hearing the judge
could let him out then or
he could get any...
Rick was arrested Last
Thursday for Some fines
He owed Alabama 10 years
ago. When they took him
to jail, they beat him
up. He has two black eyes
and raw knuckles and
bruises on his face. For
all of you who have been
at Care2 for awhile...You
know wha...
The Alzheimer's Memory
Walk 2009
Dear Friends and Family:
I am writing you this
letter to let you know
that I will be
participating in the 2009
Alzheimer’s
Associations Memory Walk.
This is my second year
participating in this
event....
Blog: A Perfect Earth Screensaver for Your Desktop by Past Member .
(0 comments
|
discussions
)
— Rixane Interactive
provides us with yet
another great screensaver
for your Windows-based
PC. This one is sure to
get those space
enthusiasts interested,
and anyone else who wants
to have such a
beautifully detailed,
fully three dimensional
screensaver... more
Blog: ghillie suit by Imran M.
(1 comments
|
discussions
)
— Ghillie Suit Superstore
has a large collection of
Ghillie Suits, Paintball
Ghillie Suits, Kids
Ghillie Suit, Sniper
Ghillie Suits. We offer
FREE shipping on all our
products and
unconditional 30 days
Money Back Guarantee. more
Blog: Faith That Moves Mountains by Nance R.
(0 comments
|
discussions
)
—
Have you ever felt your
faith in God slipping
away? You are not
alone. Every
life--is a series of
successes and failures,
celebrations and
disappointments, joys and
sorrows. But even
when we feel distant from
God, God is never d... more
Blog: Feds assess terror watchlists after airline attack by HM S.
(0 comments
|
0 discussions
)
— WASHINGTON -- Federal
authorities met Monday to
reassess the nation's
system of terror
watchlists to determine
how to avoid the type of
lapse that allowed a man
with explosives to board
a flight to the U.S. even
though he was flagged as
a possible ter... more
Content and comments expressed here are the opinions of Care2 users and not necessarily that of Care2.com or its affiliates.