Japan Nuggets

Lately, it’s been raining a lot in Tokyo. And when it does, umbrellas appear everywhere.

While you see plenty of black and blue ones, what stands out are large transparent plastic umbrellas. Every convenience store sells them for ¥500-600 (US $3-4) 

They are just perfect! Cheap, large, practical and transparent enough that you can actually see where you’re going.

What’s truly remarkable, though, isn’t the umbrellas themselves. It’s what happens to them once you arrive somewhere.

That’s when I realized that there’s an entire infrastructure for dealing with a simple question: what to do with a wet umbrella.

Arrive at an office tower, department store or museum and you’ll find umbrella wipers to dry them off and lots of umbrella stands.

Each umbrella gets an individual slot where it can be parked.

And sometimes, its own lock. Because even an umbrella deserves a secure parking spot, so it doesn’t get lost.

Some shops offer plastic sleeves, allowing you to carry your dripping umbrella indoors without turning the floor into a wet mess.

So, why is Japan so exceptionally good at managing umbrellas?

Perhaps because umbrellas are not treated as an afterthought. They are part of the infrastructure of everyday life.

Wet umbrella? Here’s an umbrella wiper.

Don’t want to carry it around? Here’s a rack.

Worried someone might walk away with yours? Here’s a lock.

During the summer heat, there’s the more glamorous alter ego: the parasol.

Walk through Tokyo on a blazing summer afternoon and you see many people (women and men!) carrying parasols. Elegant, compact and often surprisingly high-tech.

These aren’t simply fashion accessories. Many are designed for UV protection and heat reduction. Almost a portable little climate-control system.

I’ve certainly become a fan.

But the most interesting thing about Japan’s umbrella culture is what it reveals about Japanese urban life more broadly.

To me, it seems like a tiny example of how everyday life is designed in Japan:

Reduce inconveniences. Be considerate. Keep things clean.

The umbrella may be simple.

The umbrella system is anything but.

Did you know:

• When it rains, Japanese school children often wear bright yellow rain hats. This makes it easier for drivers and other pedestrians to see them.
• Tokyo has an umbrella-sharing service (Aikasa). Instead of buying a plastic umbrella you can rent one from one location and return it at another. Tokyo service culture!
• Tokyo has a traditional ceremony for stopping the rain. Mizudome no Mai has been practiced at Gonshoji Temple for more than 700 years. It started after prayers for rain during a drought were followed by flooding.

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