It’s come late this year, but the rainy season, or tsuyu has arrived. Lasting for about a month, it’s generally a season the Japanese don’t enjoy, but although I dislike the intense humidity that builds up at this time of year, I do have a deep appreciation for the rain.

The earthy smells, the moody grey skies, the feeling of quiet calm a day of rain brings. The sound of big tropical drops splashing down on the roof tops, the cosy feeling of being indoors during a storm, or the delights of walking outside whilst the warm rain batters your umbrella. Rain is one of the pleasures of life, but though I expect many would disagree, is it not better to embrace and enjoy it, rather than detest and avoid it?

I love how the elements can completely alter not only the scenery, but the feelings experienced by a human on any given day. From balmy summer evenings that evoke memories of beer gardens and barbeques, to the raging snow storms that assert nature’s authority over us, the weather shapes our emotions as well as our landscapes, and in an urban age when man moves ever further from the natural world, it reminds us that Earth still has some powers we cannot control.