(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Japan)
It’s official! The rainy season has arrived in Okinawa Prefecture.
On Monday, May 4, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) announced the start of the 2026 tsuyu season in Okinawa. This announcement came one day earlier than last year and six days earlier than average.
This season is called Tsuyu or 梅雨, which means plum rain, as it coincides with the seasonal ripening of this luscious and sour fruit, according to one theory. Constant gray skies and gloomy showers can only mean one thing, a series of damp days with battles against mold.
During the season, cold northerly and warm southerly air masses collide to create anywhere from 45 to 50 days of continuous dreary weather, dropping anything from drizzle to torrential rain throughout.
On May 3, Amami Island was the first to enter rain season. Japan’s mainland is not expected to enter tsuyu until June.
On Okinawa, statistics suggest that the rainy season continues until mid to late June, so get your umbrella ready and be prepared for some wet, humid days to come.
