In Okinawa, the humidity shoots up as soon as mid-March rolls around.
There’s practically no such thing as a refreshing spring climate here. The “Urizun” season is a total myth.
It’s not the crisp heat of midsummer either—it’s just a relentlessly humid climate that lasts until around Golden Week. After all, this is a subtropical region.

By the way, they say the optimal temperature for a Steinway piano is around 20°C, with humidity around 50%, and I imagine Western-born instruments like violins are probably similar. It goes without saying that the climate of the West is exactly what they’re suited for.
On the other hand, the temperature in my lesson room today is 25°C, and the humidity is a whopping 71%.

Subtropical Okinawa. This is bad. The piano is going to die.

Now, the long battle against humidity (about nine months) has officially begun, meanwhile, the cherry blossoms are beautifully falling in Tokyo. How sad!

As for specific countermeasures, I keep the air conditioner and dehumidifier running all day (though I don’t use the dehumidifier in summer because it gets too hot), and I keep the curtains closed as much as possible to block direct sunlight.
Also, (though I’ve never actually had a problem), I take various pest prevention measures like using daniconars, placing boric acid pellets throughout the house, and vacuuming frequently… According to my piano tuner, insects hate dryness the most.

As a result, my electricity bill in the summer exceeds 20,000 yen. Honestly, I sometimes wish I lived somewhere a bit drier and colder, but it can’t be helped.
But when I lived in Tokyo during college or studied abroad in New York, the winters were bone-dry—I don’t think the humidity even reached 30%. It was so dry that humidifiers didn’t even work, and that was tough in its own way. There are pros and cons to everything. Once you live somewhere, you start to see both the good and the bad sides.

Anyway. Once this indescribably damp climate passes, the rainy season arrives, followed by typhoon season.
I’ll prepare and battle through until December for the sake of my instrument. It’s the fate of living in this subtropical island.

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This is how I live and teach piano in a heat island, Japan. The room and pianos are fully prepared. And me, Megumi Miyazato is a professional pianist who earned Master’s degree in piano performance in Mannes college in NY and will offer you fun pino lessons. If you are interested in learning piano with me in Okinawa, START NOW with a trial lesson! Military families are welcomed.
Please apply via email info@memmylapin.com or contact me HERE.

The studio is located in Urasoe, Okinawa near Camp Kinser, open for anyone from kids to adults, from beginners to professionals.
For more information, see My School Site.