Kyo wa ama desu.

Kyo wa ama desu. Today, it rains.
Since I arrived in this place, it has not rained. Winter here is dry, humid, although admittedly cold. Today came as a surprise for many. After a brilliant weekend of sunshine and airing futons over the balconies, it was an antithesis. The "ama", the rain, falls constantly and thick, a shroud that covers this land. Passing by the fields in the car, I find that the rice crops, at least, are benefitting well from the nutrient-rich water. At least the farmers are smiling.
Under this rain, Nagoya becomes a city of umbrellas. Okaasan remarked this morning how she was surprised at the British when she visited London. She saw surprisingly few umbrellas for such a wet country. Instead, the people got wet. I suspect that we have grown so used to the rain, that we do not feel it anymore, it does not bother us, as much as the wet here, where all the shops have holders outside their front doors, where you can slide in your wet umbrella, and easily pick it up as you go out. It keeps both shop dry, and the person happy as they shop. They do not have to worry about carrying a wet umbrella, and there is no need to worry about thieves because this is Japan.