Tsuyu is here!

Japan's rainy season (Tsuyu) is finally here, and it wants everyone to know about it! There was no nice introduction, no drizzle and then progression of rain, no 'occasional shower'...just one great big downpour that started on Friday, and hasn't really stopped since! Tsuyu is one rude season!! The thunder storms on Saturday night were so noisy and severe, that they kept me awake for most of the night, as the rain clattered on the roof of my apartment, the thunder rumbled ominously, and the lightning flashed through my bedroom window more times than I care to remember. It was not a good night's sleep! Yesterday, the rain was fat, noisy, and constant, and I ventured out only once (to the supermarket) when I saw that it had calmed down a little. The biggest surprise was when Neal called me in the morning, to tell me that most of Yanai was 'under water'....What!!!! You should definitely take a look at Kat's blog to see some amazing pictures of how deep the water was in some parts of town, and to see the ordeal that the poor thing went through, as she tried to walk/wade back to her apartment! My area of town was ok...no floods...just a lot of surface water, which caused many cars to splash me this morning! But yesterday it appears that life in Yanai ground to a halt, as all trains were stopped and parts of town were cut off. Kat said she even saw fish on the street! Today the thunder storms have stopped, but the rain has continued, and I braved the wet walk to school as quickly as I could. However, I have learnt from past mistakes, and so today brought a change of clothes and socks! So it may still be wet outside, but I have no damp socks drying underneath my desk like last time. For now, therefore, I'm happy and dry, but dreading the walk home tonight!