Remember the Sun and Carry a Cute Umbrella

    Rainy season is upon some of us and about to be upon others. In Tohoku where I live, the rainy season starts sometime in June and basically eats the entirety of the month. It usually lasts about 2 weeks into July and then we go into the humid summer that I used to look forward to and now spend a lot of time dreading.

    Because of this, rainy season doesn't strike me as negatively as it used to, but I can remember how overbearing it felt to go through yet another rainy day in a week of rainy days that seemed like an endless streak of dismal weather.

    One good thing to remember about rainy season is that it is not actually a solid month of nothing but rain usually. There are always bright spots at some point. One of the locals here once told me that there was a pattern to it along the lines of "For every 3 days of rain, 1 of sun" or something similar, but I've long since forgotten it. Also, with climate change, ancient sounding patterns passed on by old folks seem a little less trustworthy, but the basic idea is generally true. Even though it will rain a lot, there will be sunny days, too.

    So if the rain has you down, try to remember that the sun is coming and to make the most of it when it does. When a randomly sunny day occurs in the middle of a rainy week, find a way to go and do something nice and happy outside. The sooner you can go out and enjoy it, the better you will feel. If you make the most of your sunny day and exhaust yourself completely, the rainy days will feel like an overdue rest in which you get to stay inside instead of an occasion in which you have to stay inside.

    Due to climate change in the general in predictability of weather, I also recommend buying a cute (or cool, or whatever fits your style) umbrella. This selection of folding umbrellas I found at the Copenhagen Flying Tiger store in the Aeon Rifu megamall. I carried one such umbrella on our Golden week trip and it came in handy numerous times. Since it comes with a cover, I never had to leave it at the umbrella stand and hope no one stole it. I even enjoyed the button mechanism on this one a lot more than the non-folding standard umbrellas I have bought before at the 100 yen store.

More cute ones. They don't fold, but they are still useful.

    Having a cute or cool or fun folding umbrella in your bag frees you to enjoy the moments of sun in rainy season without fearing that you might get stuck being drenched by a sudden downpour. In addition, knowing that you like the look of your umbrella means you won't feel as down about having to use it which should also help.

Other cute umbrellas at Flying Tiger. Non-folding but still good and cheerful.

    If you keep your eyes open for the sunny days and keep an umbrella in your bag in case that sunny day turns sour, you're sure to make it through rainy season with at least slightly better spirits than otherwise.