Rainy Season

Ask any travel guide about visiting Japan in June and you’ll get the same warning: “It’s rainy season — avoid it.” As someone who lives here, let me tell you a secret: tsuyu (梅雨) is one of the most underrated times to visit Japan. What Exactly Is Tsuyu? Tsuyu, literally “plum rain,” is Japan’s rainy season. It typically runs from early June to mid-July, moving north from Okinawa (which starts in May) to Tohoku. Hokkaido barely gets a rainy season at all. ...