Guide to the rainy season in Japan: What are the best “Tsuyu” apps?

It is still the rainy season in Japan, so if you are visiting it during the tsuyu time, you might experience a few inconveniences.

Tsuyu (梅雨) is the Japanese word for the rainy season, and it usually lasts around a month, between June-July.

This period is part of the category gray, gloomy, and some people would even say depressing.

As for me, I am a fan of rain, so I can say I enjoy the rainy season quite a lot. This time of the year, many places have fewer tourists, and not so many people choose to travel because of the inconsistency of the weather, so it is less crowded, and I like taking advantage of that.

However, whenever I am up for a trip and before buying any shinkansen tickets, I tend to check out a few weather apps. As much as I love rain, I would still prefer to catch some sun rays while exploring new places.

Therefore, without further ado, I will introduce you to a few of my favorite apps that are also quite popular among my Japanese friends:

Yahoo! Weather (Yahoo! 天気 yafū tenki)

The Yahoo! Weather app is probably one of the most used weather applications. It recently got updated, and you can now see how many minutes later it will start or stop raining.

You can also look at the rain clouds radar and find out the rainfall intensity, also displayed in eight stages (such as ぽつぽつ potsu potsu, which translates as a little bit/in small drops, or ザーザー zāzā, which is heavy rainfall).

tenki.jp

On tenki.jp (app provided by the Japan Weather Association), you can see the latest weather information, but also the forecast for a total of 10 days. I find it convenient when planning a trip!

AR Weather Simulator (ARお天気シミュレーター AR otenki shimyurētā)

This application is a new one, and you can check the current situation of the area you are in when it rains. You can also set the values for inundation depth/precipitations, then turn on your phone camera, and it will show you how the area will look like in the case of heavy rainfall.

Sky guidance (そら案内 sora an'nai)

Another convenient application is sora guidance. It is easy to read, and all you need to do is introduce the area you live in, and you will immediately be able to see the forecast for it. This app is also suited for those who want a simple design and easy-to-understand settings.

Cmap

Cmap shows you the information in real-time, and you can see the rain clouds radar, wind direction, and warnings (if any) all together on the map. It also has a damage prediction, and in case something happens, information (including texts, images, or videos from social media) will get posted on the map.

App Store

These are my five go tsuyu apps. Please feel free to share with us your tsuyu app recommendations or thoughts on the apps above in case you've tried any.

By - cinnamonellie.