In this booster
You already own the weather basics — ame and ii tenki arrived with Lesson 8 and Lesson 9’s branch enumeration (Ashita, ame desu ka. Ikimasen.). This small pack adds the rest of the sky: the words for sunny and cloudy, the umbrella, rainy season, and — the reason this pack exists — the typhoon layer: what Japan says when it decides, a day in advance, to stop its own trains, and what you should do about it. It runs on Lesson 9’s dou desu ka, Lesson 3’s arimasu ka, and itsu — no new grammar: every sentence here is a frame you already own, wearing new nouns. Boosters assume the finished core (Lessons 1–9).
The typhoon announcements below are cousins of Lesson 10’s disaster alerts — same voice, lower stakes, and this time the right move is simply to change your plans a day early.
Tap each sentence and listen first, repeat it aloud, then check yourself against the text and meaning that appear. Tap again to listen as often as you like.
The sky, and talking about it
Ashita wa hare desu ka.
hare — clear/sunny, the forecast’s favorite word. The same shape as Lesson 8’s Ashita wa ame desu ka — you’re just completing the set.
Kyou wa kumori desu.
kumori — cloudy. Hare / kumori / ame: the three icons on every forecast screen, now all yours.
Atsui desu ne.
Samui desu ne.
Ame desu ne.
These three aren’t weather reports — they’re Japan’s small talk, said to you in elevators, shop lines, and ryokan hallways. Nobody is asking for information; the whole game is agreement. Echo it back with ne (Hai, atsui desu ne) and the ritual is complete.
Rain
Kasa wa arimasu ka.
kasa — umbrella. Every konbini sells a clear plastic one for about ¥500 the moment rain starts — getting caught out is a solved problem in Japan.
Tsuyu wa itsu kara desu ka.
tsuyu — the rainy season: roughly June to mid-July over most of the country, gray and dripping rather than stormy. Hydrangea season, museum season, onsen season.
Kaminari desu ne.
kaminari — thunder/lightning. In town it’s small talk; on a trail it’s an instruction — head down or to the mountain hut.
Typhoon
Taifuu wa itsu kimasu ka.
taifuu — typhoon. August through October is the season; any front desk can answer this question, and the answer shapes your next two days.
Densha wa chien desu ka.
chien — delay, the word on every departure board when weather interferes. Red text next to your train plus chien = wait; red text plus the [R] announcements below = replan.
Dialog
Hotel front desk, typhoon on the evening news. Listen cold first — no peeking — then check yourself line by line.
Sumimasen. Ashita no tenki wa dou desu ka. Taifuu ga kimasu. Ame to kaze ga sugoi desu yo. Ashita, densha wa arimasu ka. Tabun tomarimasu. Keikaku unkyuu desu. Wakarimashita. Ashita wa hoteru ni imasu. Hai. Konbini wa kyou ga ii desu yo.Ashita wa hoteru ni imasu is the entire correct typhoon strategy in five words — Lesson 4’s imasu doing exactly its job.
What they’ll say to you
Three announcements for your ears — the station and the airport, storm edition. You never say these.
Taifuu sekkin no tame, keikaku unkyuu o jisshi shimasu. Unten o miawasete imasu. Kono bin wa kekkou to narimasu.The first line is the valuable one: Japan announces keikaku unkyuu the day before a big typhoon, on the news, station boards, and rail apps in English too. Hearing it means tomorrow is already decided.
How to behave: storm days
- When the suspension is announced, believe it. Keikaku unkyuu means the trains stop before the storm arrives and restart hours after it passes — travel a day early, or don’t travel. Fighting it puts you in a taxi line with the rest of the city.
- Shop in the morning. Konbini bread and onigiri shelves empty the afternoon before a typhoon. Water, snacks, and a charged battery turn a storm day into a hotel holiday.
- Weather small talk is a gift — take it. Atsui desu ne is the easiest Japanese conversation you will ever be offered: agree with ne, smile, done. It’s how strangers are friendly here.
- Umbrella etiquette: shops keep a kasa stand or plastic-sleeve dispenser at the door — use it, and take back the umbrella you actually brought. In a typhoon, though, no umbrella survives; that’s what the hotel day is for.
Vocabulary reference
| # | Romaji | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | taifuu | typhoon | Taifuu wa itsu kimasu ka. |
| 2 | hare | sunny, clear | Ashita wa hare desu ka. |
| 3 | kumori | cloudy | Kyou wa kumori desu. |
| 4 | kasa | umbrella | Kasa wa arimasu ka. |
| 5 | tsuyu | rainy season | Tsuyu wa itsu kara desu ka. |
| 6 | kaminari | thunder, lightning | Kaminari desu ne. |
| 7 | chien | delay | Densha wa chien desu ka. |
| 8 | tenki yohou | weather forecast | Tenki yohou wa dou desu ka. |
Recognize only — never say these:
| Script line | It means | You do |
|---|---|---|
| Taifuu sekkin no tame, keikaku unkyuu o jisshi shimasu. | planned rail suspension | replan today, not tomorrow |
| Unten o miawasete imasu. | trains stopped now | leave the platform, wait it out |
| Kono bin wa kekkou to narimasu. | flight cancelled | airline counter or app, early |
Anki deck
Download the booster deck — sentence cards are the course; suspend the vocab cards unless a word won’t stick.