Talk about the weather
Ira here - A word about the weather..
Summer is probably the worst season weather-wise in Tokyo. It starts off in June with tsuyu - rainy season. As you might infer from its name, this is a five-week-or-so period in which it rains a lot. Generally with high temperatures. Very uncomfortable, but nothing compared with what's to come. Around the middle of July it eventually gives way to a brutally hot, humid stretch that lasts into late September. This is when the cicadas emerge from their dormancy and begin a daily serenade that begins around 4am and goes through to the next evening. These large bugs make a very loud buzz saw-like obnoxious noise that can drive you nuts after a while. It combines with the cawing of the huge crows co-inhabiting our neighborhood to make for a not-so-pleasant awakening too early each morning. Got an idea for a business - breed cicadas that taste good to crows that once eaten cause the crow to lose its voice.
Anyway, back to the humidity. It's really bad. Short walks outside result in drenched shirts. Do this a few times and you realize all of a sudden you're on your fourth layer of dried grime that day. And then try sleeping in it. Air conditioning, which I usually don't like while sleeping, is an absolute necessity, global warming notwithstanding. I've been avoiding looking at my electric bills all summer. There goes my cost-of-living adjustment.
So the last few days have been hellish. A typhoon (hurricane) has been making its way up from the tropics and has been pushing warm moist air ahead of it. If it's possible to have more than 100% humidity this is it. It's finally hitting us tonight, with loud, strong winds and horizontal rain. Never mind the umbrellas. Supposed to go on through tomorrow to the point where school might be canceled. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get any Japanese to commit to me with assurance that once this blows through the humidity will come down. Supposedly we've got another two-three weeks. Yuck.
After that the weather will be fine until next June. It'll get dry for the most part, and winter's not too bad. And the cicadas shut up.
Summer is probably the worst season weather-wise in Tokyo. It starts off in June with tsuyu - rainy season. As you might infer from its name, this is a five-week-or-so period in which it rains a lot. Generally with high temperatures. Very uncomfortable, but nothing compared with what's to come. Around the middle of July it eventually gives way to a brutally hot, humid stretch that lasts into late September. This is when the cicadas emerge from their dormancy and begin a daily serenade that begins around 4am and goes through to the next evening. These large bugs make a very loud buzz saw-like obnoxious noise that can drive you nuts after a while. It combines with the cawing of the huge crows co-inhabiting our neighborhood to make for a not-so-pleasant awakening too early each morning. Got an idea for a business - breed cicadas that taste good to crows that once eaten cause the crow to lose its voice.
Anyway, back to the humidity. It's really bad. Short walks outside result in drenched shirts. Do this a few times and you realize all of a sudden you're on your fourth layer of dried grime that day. And then try sleeping in it. Air conditioning, which I usually don't like while sleeping, is an absolute necessity, global warming notwithstanding. I've been avoiding looking at my electric bills all summer. There goes my cost-of-living adjustment.
So the last few days have been hellish. A typhoon (hurricane) has been making its way up from the tropics and has been pushing warm moist air ahead of it. If it's possible to have more than 100% humidity this is it. It's finally hitting us tonight, with loud, strong winds and horizontal rain. Never mind the umbrellas. Supposed to go on through tomorrow to the point where school might be canceled. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get any Japanese to commit to me with assurance that once this blows through the humidity will come down. Supposedly we've got another two-three weeks. Yuck.
After that the weather will be fine until next June. It'll get dry for the most part, and winter's not too bad. And the cicadas shut up.
Labels: Japan weather
posted by Katrina at
5:17 AM
3 Comments
