In the forecast for June — a lot of talk about the weather
This week, the 気象庁 ( Kishōchō , Meteorological Agency) announced rainy season had 'likely' begun in the Kanto-Koshin and Hokuriku regions, with areas south of that entering the period known as 梅雨 ( tsuyu , rainy season) days prior.
The word 梅雨 is made up of two kanji: 梅 ( ume , plum) and 雨 ( ame , rain).
The latter kanji, 雨, is an obvious choice. Look out your window for most of June and you'll see a lot of rain.
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NHK
20 hours ago
- NHK
Scorching heat grips much of Japan, expected to continue on Sunday
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Japan Times
2 days ago
- Japan Times
Western Japan sees earliest end to rainy season on record
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NHK
3 days ago
- NHK
Over 400 tremors detected around island chain in southwestern Japan
More than 400 tremors registering an intensity of 1 or higher on the Japanese seismic scale of zero to 7 have been observed since Saturday in the seas around the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan. Japan's Meteorological Agency is calling on residents in the area to stay on the alert for possible strong tremors as a series of recent tremors have occurred at a more frequent pace than previous cases. The agency says seismic activity has heightened in the area around Kodakarajima Island in the Tokara island chain since Saturday morning. Noticeable tremors have continued in Toshima Village, which consists of Kodakarajima and other islands. As of 4 p.m. on Wednesday, a total of 432 tremors registering an intensity of 1 or higher had been recorded. Of those, six quakes registered an intensity of 4, 21 had an intensity of 3, 114 were with an intensity of 2 and 291 registered an intensity of 1. Among them, the largest was a magnitude 5.1 quake that struck Akusekijima Island in Toshima Village shortly after 5 p.m. on Sunday, registering an intensity of 4. Tremors with intensities of 1 or 2 were also observed on several islands nearby, including Amami Oshima Island. No tsunami was observed. By day, the number of tremors registering an intensity of 1 or higher was 28 on Saturday, 119 on Sunday, 175 on Monday, 59 on Tuesday and 51 up to 4 p.m. on Wednesday. In the past, areas around Kodakarajima Island have experienced a large number of tremors in a short period. In September 2023, 346 tremors with an intensity of 1 or higher were recorded within 15 days, while in December 2021 the number was 308 within 26 days. Agency officials are urging people to beware of possible strong tremors for some time, saying there have been cases in which seismic activity continued for several dozen days.
