Teru-teru Bozu

It’s not cold in Tokyo today…the temperature is very comfortable.  And it’s forecast to stay this warm all week at least.
It’s nice weather today but it’s forecast to rain tomorrow and Friday.

If you have outdoor plans on a day that it’s forecast to rain, what do you do in your country?

In Japan, people (especially children) hang a Teru-Teru-Bozu up.

Do you know what a “Teru-teru-bozu” is?

Teru-Teru-Bozu is a Japanese charm that is supposed to keep rain away.

When Japanese kids have an outdoor event, such as a school “Sports Day” or a field trip, and it’s forecast to rain on that day (and cause the event to be cancelled), they will make a Teru-Teru-Bozu out of cloth or, more commonly, tissue paper and hang it up.

There’s also a song for the Teru-Teru-Bozu that is along the lines of the English song “Rain, Rain, Go Away”.

Actually, I’ve written about Teru-Teru-Bozu once before, five years ago. (Click here to read it.)

Rain, rain, go away….

It was raining in Tokyo yesterday and today, and it’s forecast to rain tomorrow too.

Tokyo's weather forecast for 30 May - 5 June 2009.

I don’t like rainy weather…but it only really bothers me when I have plans that depend on good weather.
And I have such plans tomorrow.

Tomorrow is my youngest two daughters’ 運動会 (“Sports Day event“) at their 中学校 (Junior High School)…unless it rains.

If tomorrow is a rainy day, then my youngest two daughters’ 運動会 (“Sports Day event“) will be postponed to next Thursday and I won’t be able to attend. 😦

Japanese children have school 運動会 (“Sports Day events“) every year from kindergarten to high school.
In kindergarten, the events consist mainly of easy races, games and dances…as the kids get older, the events become more competitive.
It’s a fun day.

I hope the weather is nice tomorrow.

So, to wish for nice weather, I will “hang” a てるてる坊主 (“Teru-teru-bouzu“) on my site:

てるてる坊主

What should I call 「てるてる坊主」 (“Teru-teru-bouzu“) in English?
“Fair Weather Monk“? “Nice Weather Baldy“?
I guess a literal translation is strange. I’d call him “Fair Weather Charm” in English.

A real てるてる坊主 (“Fair Weather Charm“) is made of tissue or cotton and hung outside the home by Japanese people to hope for nice weather when an event is coming up that depends on nice weather.

And just like there’s a rhyme about rainy weather in English that goes: “Rain, rain, go away! Come again another day…“.
In Japan, children sing:

てるてる坊主、てる坊主、明日天気にしておくれ…

Which means: “Fair weather charm, fair weather charm, please make tomorrow’s weather nice!”