Jeepney Press / Dennis Sun

Editorial by Dennis Sun

If it rains, it’s canceled.

That is the unwritten rule that is practiced by many Filipinos. If it rains, expect people to cancel. They would give a dozen of different reasons for not being able to come. But the truth of the matter is, they don’t want to get out in the rain.

I wonder why Pinoys are afraid of the rain. Is it about getting wet? Getting your shoes and socks soaking wet? Your jeans and shirt dripping and drenched from the rain? They say, in the Philippines, when it rains, it floods! True, you don’t want to get stranded outside swimming in the middle of a muddy flood with so many things that you don’t want to know floating around you.

There is actually a term for fear of the rain. It’s called ombrophobia where “ombros” means “storm of rain” and it’s a fairly common anxiety disorder seen in children and adults alike. For children, they would always associate heavy rain with heavy winds, thunder and lightning. So for some, even a light rain could trigger this fear. For adults, it could be a totally different story. Many of my Filipino friends still believe that if they get soaked in the rain, they would get sick the following day or so.

Ajisai

Photo by Dennis Sun

And because the major public transportation system is limited to jeepneys, buses and tricycles, where one ends up soggy wet from the rain and the dirty muddy water splashed from the moving vehicles, who would want to go out?

I must confess, I was one of them when I was still in the Philippines. But when I came to Japan, it totally reversed to the opposite direction. I came to love the rain! Transportation is never a problem in Japan. And yes, there are very few people outside and I think that’s even one good reason to go out. Without the crowd.

I visit museums in Tokyo regularly and they are always busy. So when the weather forecast is rain for a certain day, I would always look forward to go to a museum or art gallery so I can have an almost private viewing of the art collections.

One of my Japanese friends loves going to huge parks when it rains. Parks are also almost totally empty when it rains. He said he loves being alone with nature and the rain. He doesn’t mind getting wet. He just sits down on the bench of a kiosk in the park, drinks coffee, reads a book in his waterproof Kindle, plays a few games in his Iphone, eats his bento and goes back home.

One of the usual things I do when it rains is I visit the nearby onsen in my neighborhood. It’s less crowded so you can enjoy the facilities even more. The rotemboro is a big plus where you can dip in the ofuro outside and have your face splashed and massaged by the rainfall.

Koyama Gardens

Photo by Dennis Sun

But what is so beautiful about this rainy season in Japan? For me, it’s the best time to view the Hydrangea flowers (Ajisai in Japanese). There are so many different varieties and they are almost seen all around Japan. There are even Ajisai Matsuri (festivals) at many different places. If you visit the temples, you would be sure to see Ajisai blooming abundantly. Kamakura would also be the great spot as hydrangea festivals are held at several temples during the rainy season.

So this “wet” season, they call tsuyu in Japanese, don’t stay indoors. You’ve stayed too long at home during these pandemic. Go out in the rain and dance! Celebrate the rain!

Dennis Sun

Jeepney Press Editor-in-Chief/Creative Director