Rainy Season and the Joy of Cooking With Plums
The most peaceful season in Japan
While some people might think the rainy season evokes feelings of gloom, it actually carries my most peaceful and quiet memories. The popular travel destinations are much less crowded, and the streets are less rowdy — a grace period after cherry blossom season and before the onset of summer vacationers, the weather seemingly slows down the city.
If you visit the mountains in Japan during this time, nature also takes on a different, beautiful form. The humidity and rain allow the moss to thicken and turn a brighter green, covering the tree bark and forest floor in a luscious, soft carpet. The mornings are misty and the nights are relaxing, with nothing but the sound of rain falling and crickets chirping.
Rainy season in Japanese is called “tsuyu,” written as 梅雨. The first kanji 「梅」reads “plum” in Japanese, while the second kanji 「雨」reads rain. For the Kanto region, it takes place from the beginning of June to the end of July and is a major indicator of the changing seasons.
It’s called tsuyu because the rainy season in Japan coincides with the plum ripening season. If you visited a supermarket or fruit stall in Japan during this time, you’d begin to see big plastic jars for making umeshu (sweet plum wine) or homemade umeboshi (pickled…
