Miya Ando: A Visual Dictionary of 2,000 Japanese Rain Words

Explore the Poetry of Rain with 2,000 Japanese Terms and 100 Evocative Drawings

Japan’s relationship with rain is deep, poetic, and surprisingly vast. When a culture has 2,000 words to describe rainfall, you know the experience runs far beyond simple weather. Artist Miya Ando captures this beauty in Water of the Sky: A Dictionary of 2,000 Japanese Rain Words, a remarkable collection that blends language, meaning, and art.

Ando explores every shade of rainfall. She reveals how rain changes the world, how it moves, and how it transforms the person who watches it. I recently flipped through this book at a local bookstore, and it is an absolute delight. Ando reveals how rain behaves, how it shifts across seasons, and how it shapes the mood and imagination of the person experiencing it. The vocabulary moves from the everyday to the poetic. Some entries describe specific weather patterns, such as mukaame, meaning very fine spring rain. Others reach into the realm of folklore, like bunryuu, a phrase for rain powerful enough to split a dragon in two. There are intimate descriptions like kisame, the droplets that fall from tree branches, as well as sweeping concepts such as takuu, the blessed rain believed to nourish the entire universe.

Ando’s artwork does more than illustrate these ideas. Each drawing serves as a quiet meditation on the texture and spirit of a particular kind of rain. The book showcases 100 of these pieces, supported by a complete alphabetical index of all 2,000 Japanese terms and their closest English interpretations. It is a remarkable tribute to the many ways rain can be seen, felt, and understood.

Here are some notable examples from the book:

• Mukaame (むかめ): “Very fine rain that falls in spring”.
• Bunryūu (分流): “Rain that splits a dragon’s body in half” (a mystical, powerful rain).
• Kisame (木雨): “Raindrops that fall off the leaves and branches of trees” (a minute, specific detail).
• Takuu (多雨): “Blessed rain that quenches all things in the universe” (a vast, cosmic rain).
• Emori (雨漏り): “Rain that leaks through the umbrella” (a common, relatable experience).
• Hifu san-u (飛風散雨): “Merciless rain and wind that provoke a feeling of sorrow” (emotional weather). 

Rain in Japan carries profound meaning: impermanence (mono no aware), renewal, emotional depth, and the presence of the divine. Rooted in Shinto’s reverence for nature’s cycles, it’s seen as both a life-giving blessing and a reflection of human emotion. From ukiyo-e to haiku, rain symbolizes cleansing, quiet resilience, hardship that strengthens, like the saying “after the rain, the ground hardens,” and the fragile beauty of fleeting moments.

In Akira Kurosawa’s classic Rashomon, relentless rain drives the film’s intense mood, symbolizing moral decay, confusion, and the harsh realities of post-war Japan. The torrential downpour creates a dark, oppressive atmosphere that mirrors the characters’ inner turmoil as they take shelter beneath the crumbling gate. Rain becomes more than weather; it acts as a psychological and physical barrier, emphasizing the clash between subjective truths and objective reality. The eventual clearing highlights redemption and hope, exemplified by the woodcutter’s final act of compassion. Kurosawa’s rain is unforgettable, pounding through both scene and memory, leaving a lasting impression on viewers.

Japan is not the only culture with a rich weather vocabulary. In Scotland, you will find more than 400 words for snow, such as “feefle” for swirling snow, “flindrikin” for a short snow shower, and “spitters” for tiny wind-blown flakes. The Inuit language includes 52 terms in Inuktitut for the many forms of snow.

Highlighting cultural weather words creates a deeper appreciation for how different societies connect with nature. Miya Ando’s work reminds us that rain is more than water from the sky. It is emotion, environment, memory, and art. Flipping through Water of the Sky by Miya Ando feels like stepping into a world where rain speaks in thousands of beautiful ways. This breathtaking visual dictionary captures Japan’s rich vocabulary for rainfall, blending poetry, indigo-hued art, meteorology, and cultural insight. From delicate spring drizzles to cosmic downpours, each page invites you to pause, reflect, and experience rain in a deeply meditative way.