雨

Rain, rain, rain. With an occasional thunderstorm thrown in for variety. Followed by rain.

It's been raining close to non-stop for more than a week. And even though it is rainy season now here in Kyoto and consequently rain shouldn't come as a surprise, even the locals tell me that this year rainy season is being particularly wet. Apparently there's been mudslides up in Nagano Prefecture, with several people getting killed and hundreds being evacuated... Fortunately, nothing nearly so bad here in Kansai, but we certainly have had our share of precipitation. Here are some pictures I took from the Takanogawa bridge just up from where I live. Bear in mind that the "before picture" (April) was taken already after close to a week of rain that we've had back then:

During a rainy week in April and...

... yesterday

Now, up in BC we know how to handle rain: we get all outdoorsey, put on our MEC Goretex^TM shells and rain pants, and, with gritted fists and clenched teeth, go out to brave the elements. But this approach couldn't possibly work here in Kyoto. It's just simply too warm and humid here and no matter how Goretexy and ventilated your jacket is, you'd be soaked in your own sweat in about 60 seconds flat. And that, as they say, would rather defeat the purpose.

So how do the natives deal with the rain? Yep: good, old-fashioned umbrellas.


Everybody, from the oldest granny to the youngest schoolkid carries an umbrella and is not afraid to use it. No, umbrellas are definitely not considered in any way effeminate, or sissy, or uncool here. Heck, even Toshiro Mifune probably used an umbrella, although for some reason I seem unable to google-up any pictures of him carrying one... But certainly the average guy or gal, no matter how cool, happily uses a parapluie. Or, a 傘 (=kasa=umbrella), as the case may be.

People not only walk around with umbrellas, but quite skillfully cycle around with them, one hand on the handle-bars. In the rain, with wet breaks. And yet, somehow, I have not once seen a traffic accident here.

And should you forget your umbrella at home, a range of makes and models is available at every convenience store for as little as 380 円. And that's pretty darn cheap.

At 380 円 each they are much more affordable than the average Goretex shell

To avoid dripping water on the parquet when you go into a store, post office, or restaurant, you should leave your umbrella in the umbrella-stand provided outside. And chances are your umbrella will still be there when you come out. But if it's gone, then draw comfort from the fact that such "theft" is unlikely to have been intentional: most likely the new owner of your former umbrella simply mistook it for theirs. And since they presumably left their old one in the rack, you should feel free to help yourself to one similar to the one you just lost. Just make sure the umbrella you leave with is at least as nice as the one that you arrived with! Somehow, I can't seem to get the knack for that trick and I seem to keep trading down rather than up... No doubt I will learn the ropes just as the rainy season comes to an end next month.

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe...

雨

Rain, rain, rain. With an occasional thunderstorm thrown in for variety. Followed by rain.

It's been raining close to non-stop for more than a week. And even though it is rainy season now here in Kyoto and consequently rain shouldn't come as a surprise, even the locals tell me that this year rainy season is being particularly wet. Apparently there's been mudslides up in Nagano Prefecture, with several people getting killed and hundreds being evacuated... Fortunately, nothing nearly so bad here in Kansai, but we certainly have had our share of precipitation. Here are some pictures I took from the Takanogawa bridge just up from where I live. Bear in mind that the "before picture" (April) was taken already after close to a week of rain that we've had back then:

During a rainy week in April and...

... yesterday

Now, up in BC we know how to handle rain: we get all outdoorsey, put on our MEC Goretex^TM shells and rain pants, and, with gritted fists and clenched teeth, go out to brave the elements. But this approach couldn't possibly work here in Kyoto. It's just simply too warm and humid here and no matter how Goretexy and ventilated your jacket is, you'd be soaked in your own sweat in about 60 seconds flat. And that, as they say, would rather defeat the purpose.

So how do the natives deal with the rain? Yep: good, old-fashioned umbrellas.


Everybody, from the oldest granny to the youngest schoolkid carries an umbrella and is not afraid to use it. No, umbrellas are definitely not considered in any way effeminate, or sissy, or uncool here. Heck, even Toshiro Mifune probably used an umbrella, although for some reason I seem unable to google-up any pictures of him carrying one... But certainly the average guy or gal, no matter how cool, happily uses a parapluie. Or, a 傘 (=kasa=umbrella), as the case may be.

People not only walk around with umbrellas, but quite skillfully cycle around with them, one hand on the handle-bars. In the rain, with wet breaks. And yet, somehow, I have not once seen a traffic accident here.

And should you forget your umbrella at home, a range of makes and models is available at every convenience store for as little as 380 円. And that's pretty darn cheap.

At 380 円 each they are much more affordable than the average Goretex shell

To avoid dripping water on the parquet when you go into a store, post office, or restaurant, you should leave your umbrella in the umbrella-stand provided outside. And chances are your umbrella will still be there when you come out. But if it's gone, then draw comfort from the fact that such "theft" is unlikely to have been intentional: most likely the new owner of your former umbrella simply mistook it for theirs. And since they presumably left their old one in the rack, you should feel free to help yourself to one similar to the one you just lost. Just make sure the umbrella you leave with is at least as nice as the one that you arrived with! Somehow, I can't seem to get the knack for that trick and I seem to keep trading down rather than up... No doubt I will learn the ropes just as the rainy season comes to an end next month.

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe...