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Welcome to the rainy season: Tsuyu

Last month, we experienced a lot of rain and cold weather in upstate New York, where I currently reside. It reminded me of June in Japan. 

Japan has five seasons. Spring is followed by an unpleasant, short rainy season, known as Tsuyu, which typically starts around the middle of this month. It brings continuous rain, accompanied by cool temperatures and high humidity. 

Tsuyu 梅雨 is written in a combination of two kanji-Chinese characters- ‘Japanese plum’ and ‘rain’. It sounds poetic. 

The weather forecast predicts and announces the start and end of the rainy season on TV, much like the announcement of the Sakura front, the cherry blossom front which I wrote about in the April newsletter.

The rainy season front, tsuyu-zensen, moves from south to north, forming in mid-May in Okinawa. By the beginning of June, it moved to the Kanto (Tokyo) region, migrating further north to the northern areas and Hokkaido by mid-June. Upon hearing the news, people prepare for this event. 

While I was living in Japan, I rushed to the pharmacy and purchased a dozen dehumidifier (moisture absorber) boxes. I strategically arranged them in the closet and drawers where I stored clothes, kimonos, and bed linens.

Within a week or so, these boxes accumulated 1 to 2 cups of water. I rushed back to the pharmacy several times in the rain to purchase more and replace the old ones.

Ume, the Japanese plum, plays a significant role in Japanese culture.

The Japanese population greatly admires the ume flowers that bloom in February for their humble elegance (pictured earlier).

The flowers represent resilience and symbolize the arrival of spring. The tree bears green fruits, ume, ready for harvesting at the end of May and the beginning of June.

We use these young fruits to make umeshu, ume-infused liquor.

Continuous rain during the rainy season provides sufficient moisture for the green fruits to mature to an orange-yellow color.

We harvest them to make salt-pickled plums, umeboshi.

New Recipes

This month I added three recipes. Umeshu, Umeboshi and Ground Pork and Chinese Cabbage.

Ground Pork and Chinese Cabbage is a dish in which ground pork and Chinese cabbage leaves are layered, creating umami-rich flavors and a beautiful cut surface.

I enjoy this dish throughout the year, with a subtle difference in serving methods: in the summer, it's served with a tomato-based sauce, and in the winter, with a loosely thickened cooking broth sauce garnished with generous amounts of grated ginger.

The preparation video is also on Instagram, so check it out. If you have any questions on anything, please write to me!