Teru Teru Bozu: Ward off rain with this cute handmade doll

Remember the famous scenes from "The Notebook," "Breakfast at Tiffany’s" and "Chasing Amy?" Yes, those scenes. We wish! In movies, rainy days are primarily signaled by passionate kissing in the rain. 

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 Well, I don’t know about you, but my life doesn’t work that way. In my world, rain means melancholy days, moldy interiors and candy-floss hair. And now that June is here, I hate to be the one to say it but the dreaded rainy season will very soon be upon us.

In a typical manner, however, our host country has its own quick remedy for most things bad — including never-ending rain. It’s called Teru Teru Bozu and it looks like a tiny Casper. Almost. 

Teru Teru Bozu or “Japanese rain-prevention dolls,” as I like to call them, are traditional handmade dolls made from tissue paper or cloth, usually white and ghost-like in appearance, and hung outside doors and windows in Japan in hope of sunny weather. You’ll see many of them especially during the tsuyu (rainy season) and on special occasions, such as outdoor festivals or harvest events.