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Keeping the family active on rainy days

By on June 10, 2018

We all know it’s coming, have adequate time to prepare, yet most of us dread anything to do with the season known locally as “tsuyu.” From around the first week of June to the middle of July, people attempt to avoid these six weeks of dark and damp dreariness that holds us prisoner in its humidifying grip. We change routines, reroute daily commutes, and become social bores, all to avoid getting wet. However, simple planning can help you to embrace the season and enjoy acivities you might not otherwise consider.

 

Indoor Choices

Try and resist the temptation to turn on the TV. Even if you do, local channels will be most likely broadcasting something about the weather anyway, so don’t let it rob you of a terrific opportunity to discover other activities. You can go out and buy a Nintendo Wii (and Wii Fit) and try to convince others that it’s actually an exercise machine, but you won’t be fooling anyone. You might as well stay in the electronics store and try out the massage chairs for free.

Why not beat the weathers blues by starting a new exercise regimen at a sports club? In addition to offering conventional equipment, most gyms now offer yoga or pilates sessions, and even spa treatments to help remove stress and increase physical well-being. Instead of massaging your body, how about massaging your mind a bit by cozying up to that good book you purchased months ago but never seemed to have the time to finish? With children, spend time reading to them or engage in creating crafts, doing puzzles, or playing music. For an example of a great cultural experience, have your children create a teru-teru bozu, a traditional doll made from white tissue paper, and hang them up in windows to ward off the rain.

 

Around Town

Drizzling days can also be the terrific opportunity to put down that PSP and learn more about your host country. Sign up for lessons in taiko (drums), shodo (calligraphy), sado (tea ceremony), yakimono (pottery), or a martial art (kendo, aikido, karate, or judo) to gain a stronger appreciation of Japan. Attending a kabuki play or visiting Edo Tokyo Museum is also an excellent way to spend an afternoon, and is unlikely to involve long lines typically associated with going to Disneyland or Kidzania.

 

Small Excursion

If you are determined to leave the city, Hakone, about an hour and a half southwest of Tokyo, is a popular destination for its onsens (hot springs). It also is densely populated with copious amounts of Ajisai (Hydrangea), a flower that symbolizes the rainy season in Japan and can change from violet to pink or several shades in between depending on the amount of rain, temperature, and humidity in the air. An ideal subject to photograph for aspiring photographers, Ajisai can be viewed at many parks and botanical gardens, and can even be spotted along train tracks and on drives throughout rural areas. Of course, it would be unwise to finish a day in Hakone without the small respite of relaxing in an open-air onsen (rotenburo). Travel activity is low during tsuyu which translates to fewer vacationers and therefore better chances of securing a great deal on accommodation.

 

Welcome the rain

A great way to desensitize yourself from the rain is to partake in activities that will get you wet anyway. For example, scuba diving in June, when ocean temperatures in Izu start rising to a comfortable level, almost guarantee superb underwater adventures. Early summer diving can often be exhilarating and rain is rarely a cause for tour cancellations. For scuba students, the rainy season is an opportunity to complete textbook instruction and pool sessions, followed by training dives in Atami once the weather clears. Similarly, you can indulge in whitewater rafting in Gunma Prefecture regardless of your level of experience.

Whatever you and your family end up doing, invest in proper footwear beforehand. Make sure to always have a sturdy umbrella in hand that can withstand the battering of heavy downpours. Just make sure it doesn’t end up as one of the 420,000 that are reported lost annually.

 

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