Photo/Illutration The Japan Meteorological Agency (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

"Generally variable winds nationwide, changeable weather, but rain likely," went the first official weather forecast issued in Japan on the morning of June 1, 1884.

Ingeniously vague and all-encompassing in its pronouncement, the forecast could not possibly go wrong.

It was written by Erwin Knipping (1844-1922), a Prussian-born mariner, hired by the government in the Meiji Era (1868-1912) as an adviser for his specialized expertise.

He was no expert in meteorology, however; he just happened to be in Japan when the ship he had arrived on was sold here. He was then asked to become a German language teacher.

Knipping was interested in weather observations, however, and advised the Japanese government to issue storm warnings, as was the custom in Europe. His proposal was heeded, and he started working at a meteorological observatory.

His storm warnings, issued for the first time in Japan, saved many vessels.

Initially, Knipping issued only alarms, and was thus misunderstood as ''idling about" the rest of the time.

To clear his name, so to speak, he decided to try weather forecasting, knowing fully well it was going to be a tough challenge.

Once he started, his fears proved correct. A newspaper criticized him by name for being "too inaccurate."

But back then, his observation points were limited, and there was no such thing as a weather satellite. Still, he reported to work on his days off as well as holidays, and he never missed a day conducting his three-times-a-day observations along with completing a weather map.

When a storm was expected, he kept up observations through the night.

Knipping was 46 when his contract with the government expired, and he was let go.

"After guiding (the government) for eight years, I became redundant," he wrote in his memoir. "But I was able to give this country something new and necessary."

On June 1, Japan celebrates "Kisho Kinenbi" (meteorological day), in remembrance of the establishment of the Tokyo meteorological observatory on that day in 1875.

And it was on June 1 nine years later that Japan's first weather forecast was issued, as mentioned above.

When I think of the struggles of this former mariner in an unfamiliar, foreign country, I feel so petty for clicking my tongue in annoyance if the forecast proves wrong nowadays and I am rained on.

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 31

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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