Japanese Words & Culture 鴻雁来: Wild geese arrive | Japan’s 72 Microseasons
What 鴻雁来 (Wild geese arrive) means in Japan, and what is actually in season now through the lens of shun.
Japanese Seasons
Japanese Words & Culture 
Japanese Words & Culture Kanro (寒露): Cold Dew in Japan
What 寒露 (Cold Dew) means in Japan, and what is actually in season now through the lens of shun.
Japanese Words & Culture 蟄虫坏戸: Insects seal their shelters | Japan’s 72 Microseasons
What 蟄虫坏戸 (Insects seal their shelters) means in Japan, and what is actually in season now through the lens of shun.
Japanese Words & Culture 水始涸: Water begins to recede | Japan’s 72 Microseasons
水始涸 marks the point when rice paddies move toward harvest: water recedes, golden fields mature, and new-crop rice begins to reach the table.
Japanese Words & Culture 雷乃収声: Thunder ceases | Japan’s 72 Microseasons
What 雷乃収声 (Thunder ceases) means in Japan, and what is actually in season now through the lens of shun.
Japanese Words & Culture 禾乃登: Rice and other grains ripen | Japan’s 72 Microseasons
What 禾乃登 (Rice and other grains ripen) means in Japan, and what is actually in season now through the lens of shun.
Japanese Words & Culture 玄鳥去: Swallows depart | Japan’s 72 Microseasons
What Tsubame saru (Swallows depart) means in Japan, and what is actually in season now through the lens of shun.
Japanese Words & Culture Shubun (秋分): Autumn Equinox in Japan
What 秋分 (Autumn Equinox) means in Japan, and how the old seasonal calendar compares with present-day weather and everyday life.
Japanese Words & Culture 鶺鴒鳴: Wagtails begin to call | Japan’s 72 Microseasons
The old calendar says wagtails begin to call. In mid-September 2026, a clearer seasonal signal is on the table: sweet potato harvest begins while autumn foods appear in everyday retail and summer heat lingers.
Japanese Words & Culture 草露白: Dew whitens the grass | Japan’s 72 Microseasons
What 草露白 (Dew whitens the grass) means in Japan, and what is actually in season now through the lens of shun.