| | The Asia Rice Foundation: Japan Rice Articles |
 | | Indeed, the name tsuyu itself signifies fruition: The Chinese characters used to write it are those for "plum" (or, more accurately, "Japanese apricot") and "rain" -- a pairing probably chosen because tsuyu arrives just as the succulent fruits are ripening. |
 | | And were it not for tsuyu, the rice cultivation that is the basis of Japan's culture and psyche would not be possible. |
 | | Daigo Yoshiyasu, a former official at the Japan Meteorological Agency, was so impressed by such adages that he compiled them into a book published in 1984, in the forward of which he observes that ancient weather wisdoms were sometimes accurate even when the most advanced forecasting models failed. |
| www.asiarice.org /sections/whatsnew/Japan4.html (1671 words) |