Tokyo in the Rain

Grey skies and shining footpaths

Par Imogen Riethmuller

Rédacteur web

Tokyo carries on under a sea of umbrellas, even if there is only light drizzle

Glistening pathways in the gardens next to the Toranomon Twin Building

Taxi lights, shining roads and a canopy of trees in central Tokyo in the rain

The Toranomon Twin Building, blending in with the grey sky

Grey and green are the dominant colours on Tokyo’s rainy summer days

Raindrops on the water of a ritual cleaning fountain outside a Tokyo temple

In summer, Tokyo averages temperatures of about 29 °C, and is extremely humid. There's also a great deal of rain, particularly in June, with Tokyo sometimes receiving more than 200mm of precipitation. The most ferocious storms don't tend to come until around September. In the meantime, the rain, for the most part, is hardly inconvenient: at rarely more than a light drizzle, it isn’t enough to prevent you from carrying on with your plans. Although practically every local seems to be brandishing an umbrella, it is usually possible to go about without one. Tokyo itself quite suits the rain. With grey skies and shimmering footpaths, it seems mellower, simpler from being slowed down slightly, and more picturesque.