Anytime this week, the Japan Weather Association is going to announce the start of 梅雨（つゆ、ばいう）in the main island（本州/ほんしゅう）of Japan. 梅雨（つゆ、ばいう）is the word for the rainy season in Japan while rainy seasons elsewhere are usually called 雨季 or 雨期（both pronounced as うき）.
It usually starts early May in Okinawa and the “baiu” front （梅雨前線/ばいうぜんせん）which causes the rain moves up gradually towards the northernmost island of 北海道（ほっかいどう）, but by the time it gets to Hokkaido, the front is usually too weak to cause a serious amount of rain to fall.
The start of this rainy season is called 梅雨入り（つゆいり or 梅雨に入りました（つゆにはいりました, the rainy season has set in) and the end of the rainy season is called 梅雨明け（つゆあけ） or 梅雨が明けました（つゆがあけました, the rainy season is over）. And after that, hot and steamy 夏（なつ）is waiting.
