Hello everyone,

Yesterday evening, the weather suddenly became very dramatic. One moment, it felt like a normal May evening. The next moment, the sky turned dark, the wind started blowing, thunder shook the windows, and rain came crashing down like someone had kicked over a giant bucket in the sky. It felt less like spring and more like summer arriving in a bad mood. In English we call this a “pop-up storm”.

These sudden storms always feel a little strange to me. There is a certain moment right before a thunderstorm when everything changes. The air feels heavy, the light becomes darker, and people quietly start looking out the window instead of at their phones. Then comes the first distant rumble of thunder. Then I immediately think… “Did I leave laundry outside?”

Some people love it. Some people hate it. I know for sure that my dogs are really scared. One of them always hides in the bathroom!

Spring in Japan is usually famous for soft things like cherry blossoms, warm sunlight, gentle wind… But near the end of spring, the weather sometimes gets wild. It’s like the seasons are arguing with each other. Spring says, “I’m still here,” while summer kicks open the door with lightning and humidity. Thunder. BOOM!

Japan really knows how to add sound effects to the seasons.