WHY ARE TRANSPARENT UMBRELLA USED IN JAPAN?

Anyone who has visited the country of the Rising Sun has wondered: why are umbrellas in Japan transparent ? It is one of the nice and particular mysteries of a nation full of curiosities , whose inhabitants certainly cannot be said to have a peculiar relationship with rain.

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Cherry blossoms on Lake Kawaguchi's Cherry Blossom Path © aiaikawa

The rainy season in Japan starts with the blossoming of the cherry trees in the months of March and April, continues with thunderstorms in May, monsoons in June and typhoons between July and October. During this period - in which showers, drizzle and downpours alternate on a daily basis, appearing suddenly - everyone travels with an umbrella in hand.
The funniest thing is that the vast majority of people have the same umbrella, made of transparent plastic with a white handle . Not out of a desire to conform, not to follow a cool fashion, not for their particular stylistic beauty, but for an incredibly practical reason.

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A young Japanese woman with her transparent umbrella in Shibuya © NamiUchida

The first models were developed in 1958, and then increased their diffusion during the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games and then in the 1970s, with the growth of the fashion and design sectors, as well as the national industry.
Transparent umbrellas, originally born as handcrafted products and designed by Japanese manufacturing companies , have in fact become in everyday use today, a common good that is also exchanged with other people, such as office colleagues or a neighbor at the table, without problems or attention. at the restaurant.

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Some of the umbrellas available in our E-SHOP and shop in Milan

They can be bought at any time in "konbini", convenience stores, traditional Japanese shops with good-priced products that can be found on every corner and sell these beautiful and functional umbrellas, with a diameter of up to 70 centimeters for around 500 Yen.
Precisely the size of these typically Japanese accessories is one of the factors that makes their transparency almost essential, so as not to block the view in whatever position you are in or hold . Among the crowded streets, chaotic streets and narrow sidewalks of the metropolis, transparent umbrellas are essential to avoid collisions and at the same time remain protected from water .

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One of Tokyo's busiest intersections in the rain © Yao23

These umbrellas, called kasa , are distinguished from wagasa , the typical colored Japanese umbrellas used to protect themselves from the sun, in tea ceremonies and in kabuki, Japanese theatre. In Japan it is not uncommon to witness scenes of strong impact, where an expanse of transparent umbrellas creates the effect of a "painting on canvas", especially in the most populous places with high population density, such as Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, Nagoya and all major cities in Japan .

Japanese.