Rainy Days in Tokyo

As someone who grew up in a city nicknamed “Raincouver,” it always feels nostalgic when it rains in Tokyo.

Even though I normally enjoy listening to music at home, I usually turn it off on rainy days so that I can hear the pitter-patter of raindrops. It’s nature’s percussion performance, as rain lands on different surfaces making different sounds. It’s relaxing, and at times, exciting, especially when the rain starts pouring. It was something I’ve always enjoyed before “A.S.M.R.” (a feeling of well-being combined with a tingling sensation in the scalp and down the back of the neck, as experienced by some people in response to a specific sound) became a trend. While it’s healing to hear the sound of raindrops, what else is there to do on a rainy day in Tokyo?

One thing many people may not know is that many shops offer a rainy or storm day discount. As tempting as it may be to stay indoors and away from the humidity, why not go out and walk around the area to see if there are any discounts you can take advantage of? Not only can you save some money, but places are likely not as crowded as usual, and you can have a bit more time and space to yourself. If walking around outside doesn’t appeal to you, you can always choose indoor shopping centers, department stores, or underground shopping streets. If shopping isn’t really your cup of tea, what else can you do?

Ask yourself this question: Are there any places you’ve always wanted to check out but have managed to convince yourself over and over again are too crowded or that you’re too busy to go to? Well, this is the time to do it! Some good places most of us often put off visiting are galleries, museums, and aquariums. There are tons of exhibitions in the city you can check out no matter the season or what you’re into. Of course, there are always art galleries, but there are lots of specialty museums such as the Samurai Museum in Shinjuku, teamLab Borderless digital art museums in several locations around Tokyo, beer museums, or trick art museums. You can even make your way to the Cup Noodles Museum in Yokohama, which is a stone’s throw away from Tokyo.

Many of those museums offer an immersive experience, or even actual hands-on experience where you get to make things, like your own cup noodle. On top of museums, many schools also offer same-day reservations for classes like glass making, ceramics making, soba making, or even Japanese archery and dance.

So, what about those who just want to let out some steam and have some fun? Don’t worry, I’ve got you! There are tons of indoor theme parks available in Tokyo. One is VR ZONE located in the heart of Shinjuku, right in Kabukicho behind the Godzilla; and the other is Joypolis, located in Odaiba. VR ZONE is a theme park that specializes in VR, or virtual reality, gaming systems where you can enjoy a full-body experience. There are tons of original games, as well as collaborations with big anime or game titles such as Mario Kart, Dragon Ball, and Evangelion, which you can play by yourself or against your friends, so you can call up your friends to go, too! You can also try their arena games for Dragon Quest, where you can battle the Demon King together in a party of up to four with your friends for an out-of-this-world experience; or, you can participate in the 4 vs 4 Ghost in the Shell arena battle with another team. For Joypolis, they have an indoor roller coaster, and best of all, they offer a free day-pass on your birthday! They also have a lot of fully immersive attractions and arcade games you can do alone or with your friends.

But sometimes, it’s also not a bad idea to just stay at home and curl up with a good book, or watch a movie on TV, while munching on your favorite snack and sipping your favorite drink.

Loki

Vocabulary

pitter-patter (noun) – a series of light sounds or beats, such as from rain or footsteps
put off (phr. v) – to push back to a later time
a stone’s throw away (idiom) – a short distance
immersive (noun) – providing, involving, or characterized by deep absorption or immersion in something (such as an activity or a real or artificial environment)
let off steam (phr. v) – to do or say something that helps you to get rid of strong feelings
curl up (phr. v) – to sit or lie in a comfortable curved position