June 26st- June 30th, 2025 is Summer-Middle of GESHI (Summer solstice)-29th KOU “HANASHOBU (Japanese (water) irises bloom.”
HANASHOBU is a type of irises and has been loved by Japanese people since old days. It is said that there are an astounding 5,000 different combinations of flower colors and shapes. Many municipalities have designated it as their official flower.
HANASHOBU looks beautiful in the rain, but this year’s rainy season in NAGANO City is a little strange. It began on June 10th and there were several rainy and cloudy days, after that hot-summer days with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees continued for one week. Today, the sunshine was very hot from the morning and a rain shower came in the afternoon. The maximum temperature was 30 degrees. It was a summer-like weather.
HANASHOBU here began to bloom in late May. They seem to be trying hard to bloom elegantly in time with the season, which is about two weeks earlier than usual.
The Japan Weather Association announced today that “the end of the rainy season is expected to be in early July, much earlier than usual.”
