Chap. XIII. THE RAINS. 209 
a hundred other flowers, are just as fragrant in 
Japan as they are elsewhere. Violets are scentless, 
but this appears to be the fault of the species, and 
not of the soil. 
Before I left Yedo a change seemed to be about 
to take place in the weather. Heavy clouds came 
up and hung over the city, and every one ac- 
quainted with the climate of Japan predicted the 
near approach of the rainy season. The rains com- 
menced on the night of the 26th of May, and con- 
tinued to come down heavily during the whole of 
the following day. At 6 p.m. the clouds broke into 
masses, and the clear blue sky appeared above them. 
This evening there appeared the most beautiful and 
perfect rainbow which I had ever seen, and about 
the same time the clouds which rested on Mount 
Fusi gradually rose, and showed us the holy moun- 
tain basking in the evening sun, and still nearly 
covered with snow. One can scarcely imagine the 
beauty of the scene which was now spread out 
before me, and it was rendered more lovely and 
enjoyable by the fresh green foliage of the shrubs 
and trees, from whose leaves hung many thousands 
of pearly rain-drops glistening in the sun’s rays. 
Heavy rains were now of frequent occurrence, and 
continued at intervals up to the 15th of June. The 
rainy season seems much more decided in its cha- 
racter here than in China ; indeed it reminded me 
somewhat of the same season in India, although it 
did not last so long. 
On the 1st of June I was awe 
oke about three 
