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WHEN EAST MEETS WEST
Commentary by Hank F. Miller Jr.
A seasonal rain front swept through Okinawa in late May, marking the beginning of Japan's rainy season.
Today is the first day of rainy season at our home in Kitakyushu, City, Japan.
Photo Monsoon Clouds
Presently in our home town very light rain is forecast for this evening with
very heavy down pours forecast for during the night and tomorrow. The rainy season in our region of the Japanese archipelago will continue till about the end of July. The meeting of a high cold atmospheric pressure front over the Sea of Okhotsk and a warm high atmospheric pressure front over the Pacific Ocean forms as we know the Tsuyu or monsoons has finally arrived.
During Tsuyu, rain falls on and off for a couple of weeks, or sometimes it continues to rain for days on end without stopping. The gray skies, together with a very high humidity of the season, mean that this is a very gloomy and dark period with long periods with no sun at all for most people.
It does not, however, necessarily follow that to have rainy season is all bad, because at this time of year, farmers, with all the rain it brings, plant rice, and the rice paddies need a good deal of water. Tsuyu or monsoon season is a natural blessing to them. But one must be on alert for land slides or mud slides because they are most dangerous and at times cover whole houses and take human lives. Landslides or mud slides occur due to the many hills and mountains that surround us here.
Also for gardeners like myself, in the Miller country garden we have many trees, flowering bushes and shrubs as well as flowers; they all need plenty of water along with a lot of T.L.C. But recently the weeds have been overwhelming and thus must be attended to sometimes even during sudden downpours, there’s no rest for the weary when you have a well groomed garden such as ours. We have an American country garden along with an herbal garden, a tropical garden, with various types of palms and tropical flowers.
Along with the rainy season from the middle of this month arrives typhoon season which will start next week and will last until the middle or end of October or early November. So besides spring, summer, autumn and Winter we also have the two seasons in which I do not look forward to each year monsoon season and typhoon season.
Warm Regards and Best Wishes, from muggy, humid, damp and most uncomfortable, Kitakyushu, City, Japan
A Very Happy Summer to all.
Hank F. Miller Jr.
