The rainy season is way behind schedule this year, having started in only parts of the country when it should have commenced already throughout most of Japan.
On average, tsuyu — as it is known in Japanese — begins on June 7 in the Kanto region, where Tokyo is situated. As of Thursday, it still hadn’t been called for the region by the Meteorological Agency.
The rainy season is “significantly delayed nationwide” this year, said Masayuki Hirai, head of forecasting at the agency. In that sense, this year's rainy season is “unusual,” he added.