The Japan Meteorological Agency announced on the 20th that the southern part of the Tohoku region and the Hokuriku region are believed to have entered the rainy season. Compared to normal years, this is 8 days late for southern Tohoku and 9 days late for Hokuriku. With this, all of Japan except Hokkaido has entered the rainy season. For about the next month, there will be many cloudy and rainy days. Since this is also a period when disasters caused by heavy rain are likely to occur, the Meteorological Agency is urging people to take sufficient care about rivers rising and mountains collapsing. It looks like umbrellas will be indispensable on days when you go out.
〜とみられる= is believed/thought to be ~; expresses inference based on evidenceNと比べると= compared to N; sets up a comparisonVたり〜Vたりする= doing things like ~ and ~; lists representative examples of actions〜ように呼びかける= to urge/appeal (to people) to do ~Vやすい= easy to V; prone to ~〜そう= it seems/looks like ~; conjecture based on appearance
Learning Notes
Grammar Patterns
Pattern
Meaning
〜とみられる
is believed/thought to be ~; expresses inference based on evidence
Nと比べると
compared to N; sets up a comparison
Vたり〜Vたりする
doing things like ~ and ~; lists representative examples of actions
〜ように呼びかける
to urge/appeal (to people) to do ~
Vやすい
easy to V; prone to ~
〜そう
it seems/looks like ~; conjecture based on appearance
Vocabulary
Word
Reading
Level
Meaning
大雨
おおあめ
N3
heavy rain
災害
さいがい
N3
disaster, calamity
梅雨入り
つゆいり
N1
start of the rainy season
Language Insights
•梅雨 (tsuyu) is the East Asian rainy season, typically occurring in Japan from early June to mid-July. Hokkaido is the sole exception — it sits far enough north that it does not have an official tsuyu period, making it unique among Japan's main regions.
•The Japan Meteorological Agency officially declares the start and end of 梅雨 separately for each region. The phrasing 〜入りしたとみられる ('is believed to have entered') reflects the agency's cautious, evidence-based language rather than a definitive declaration.
•〜とみられる is a staple of Japanese news writing. It signals that something is inferred from available evidence without the speaker fully committing to the claim — a more hedged register than simply stating a fact.
•The pattern Vたり〜Vたりする lists representative examples rather than exhaustive ones. Here, rising rivers and landslides are cited as typical rainy-season hazards, implying there are other risks as well.
•お出かけの際 is a formal, polite expression meaning 'when going out'. The honorific prefix お〜 softens the tone, and 際 (さい) carries a more written, official feel compared to the everyday 時 (とき).