Tsuyu (Rainy Season) · Worksheet 1
Read the story. 英文を読もう。
1In June, the sky in much of Japan turns gray. It rains on many days for more than a month. This is the rainy season, called tsuyu. The kanji for tsuyu mean plum and rain. Many people say this is because plums get ripe at this time. Some people say the name first came from another word for mold.
2Old Japanese calendars have a special day called nyubai. It means entering the rainy season. Today, this day is decided by the position of the sun. It is usually around June 11. Farmers used it as a sign to get ready for planting rice.
3But the real rain does not read calendars. So the weather office in Japan watches the sky and says when the rainy season has started in each area. In Okinawa, it usually starts in early May. In Hokkaido, there is no official rainy season at all. Every September, the office checks the summer weather again and sometimes changes the dates.
4Children have their own way to stop the rain. They make a teru teru bozu, a small white doll of paper or cloth. They hang it by the window and wish for a sunny day. The idea may come from China, where a paper girl with a broom sweeps the clouds away. And if you hang the doll upside down, you are asking for rain!
Tsuyu (Rainy Season) · Worksheet 2
Choose the best answer. 正しいものを選ぼう。
What is the passage mainly about?
When is nyubai usually?
What does the weather office do every September?
In paragraph 1, what does ripe mean in plums get ripe?
Why does Haruki tell Mia not to hang the doll upside down?
Tsuyu (Rainy Season) · Worksheet 3
Words & phrases. 単語のれんしゅう。
Sora and the Rain
It is (1) . It rains every day. Sora wants to play (2) on Saturday. So she makes a teru teru bozu with white (3) . She draws a smiling (4) on it. Then she hangs it by the (5) . On Saturday, the sky is blue. "Thank you!" Sora says. The (6) is shining!
Tsuyu (Rainy Season) · Worksheet 4
Read the clues and fill in the puzzle. ヒントを読んで、クロスワードを完成させよう。
Tsuyu (Rainy Season) · Worksheet 5
Find the hidden words. かくれた単語を探そう（→ ↓ ↘ ↗）。
Tsuyu (Rainy Season) · Worksheet 6
Collect the letters on the right path. What is the secret word? 正しい道の文字を集めると、ひみつの言葉になるよ。
Secret word:
Tsuyu (Rainy Season) · Worksheet 7
On a rainy day, I like to ______ because ______.
If I made a teru teru bozu, I would wish for a sunny day for ______.
Tsuyu (Rainy Season) · Worksheet 8
Trace the words. Then color the picture! なぞって書こう。絵に色を塗ろう。
Draw your Tsuyu (Rainy Season)! 入梅（梅雨入り）とてるてる坊主の絵を描こう。