Japanese Seasons: An introduction

In Japan seasons are quite differentiated from each other – a cold, snowy winter is followed by a mild spring, exploding with flowers. Next, a short rainy season with tropical-like precipitations makes a prelude to a hot and humid summer which feels like a constant heatwave that progressively fades away toward a mild autumn.

Seasons in Japan are so distinctive that they quickly earned an important role in the Japanese culture and everyday life. A properly written letter has to begin with a mention about the weather.

In a similar way, haiku (俳句), traditional Japanese 17 syllabled poems, always include a consideration about the time of the year season.

Seasons are also important for the culinary culture: restaurants and households adapt their meals according to the products and current ambience. During the hot summer people seek refreshment in cold preparations like hiyashichūka (冷やし中華) or sōmen (素麺), cold noodles based dishes, while in winter hotpots like nikujaga (肉じゃが) or shabu-shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ) warm up the spirits.

Written by Marty Borsotti