Why do Japanese people become so shocked at foreigners who don’t carry umbrellas? I’ve had a number of interactions now where it’s been very lightly raining and someone I know has asked me “why aren’t you carrying an umbrella?” or “is it true that foreigners usually don’t carry umbrellas?”
Of course I’ll use one if the rain is anything heavier than a shower or a light drizzle. But if it seems that the rain will stop soon, I’ll put my rain jacket hood up and not need to deal with the hassle of carrying a big wet piece of plastic around with me all day.
A phrase that comes to mind from my childhood is “it’s only a bit of water”.
On the flip side, I very rarely see Japanese people wearing warm hats when it’s cold, or sunglasses when it’s bright out.
*EDIT this has been misinterpreted in the comments as ‘i love getting rained on’ when what I’m actually trying to ask is – why does it matter so much to Japanese people when I don’t carry an umbrella in very light or short periods of rain? Why is something always brought up?*
*Of course everyone should carry one when the rain is heavy to get you sopping wet, don’t be daft*