In Japan, people eat, sleep and wear the seasons, from elegant kimono motifs to petal-shaped sweets and festivals dedicated to nature’s spectacular displays. Unlike its western equivalent, Japan’s ancient agricultural calendar is governed not solely by the waxing and waning of the moon and the sun’s position in the sky, but also by the blooming of seasonal flowers and other small changes in nature against the wider backdrop of the seasons.
According to the traditional Japanese almanac, the year is divided into four major seasons, 24 sekki (solar terms), and 72 kō, or micro-seasons. Each kō lasts only five days and is associated with specific seasonal rituals, foods, flowers and festivals.
These micro-seasons are heralded by natural phenomena, such as the first sighting of returning swallows, plums ripening or the unfurling buds of a camellia. This elegant framework of flora and fauna breaks the year into a comforting, reliable rhythm. Each new kō gently grounds us in the present by reminding us to observe the changes in nature. It’s exemplified by the Japanese word kisetsukan – an awareness or sense of the seasons.
Kisetsukan goes hand in hand with gardening; both help us find beauty in the smallest of things, bringing a kind of everyday enlightenment.
We are all suffering from attention deficit. Technology is constantly stealing it from us. When we recalibrate our lives by tuning into nature and training ourselves to notice, for example, the slightest changes in the colours of the leaves or the fronds of a fern unfurling, a new world opens up.
Just as tending a garden, no matter how small, can reduce stress, promote a sense of calm and help us to process grief and sorrow, the predictable unfolding of the micro-seasons helps us slow down and reminds us that the only constant is change: everything ends, everything begins anew. The weight of the dark seasons can feel inescapable but, slowly, ever so quietly, the light returns, winter ends and spring returns, bringing green shoots, pink blossom and the promise of new beginnings.
Although we may not be able to see rice fields maturing from our kitchen windows, several Japanese micro-seasons match the progression of the seasons here in the UK. These can act as markers that help us hone our awareness of the seasons and the natural world in general.
No 18: Peonies bloom
(30 April-4 May)
An English cottage garden favourite, peonies (known as botan in Japan) are treasured by gardeners everywhere, including east Asia. They were introduced to Japan from China more than 1,000 years ago. Popular with Chinese nobility and the Japanese imperial court, peonies have retained this majestic association through symbolism, representing honour and nobility.
British peony season begins in April, peaks in May and finishes in June; the Sarah Bernhardt (Paeonia lactiflora), with its layers of delicate pink ruffles, is one of the UK’s best loved. Returning year after year, peonies make fantastic late spring and early summer arrangements. Depending on the cultivar, herbaceous peonies can bloom for seven to 10 days if protected from the sun’s harsh rays. In contrast, tree peonies can last up to two weeks.
No 21: Bamboo shoots sprout
(15-20 May)
Despite being indigenous to Japan, bamboo is now a common sight in UK gardens. In Japan, takenoko – tender young bamboo shoots – are a spring delicacy. Temperate, broad-leafed bamboo varieties are popular in the UK for their graceful lines, impressive height and ability to withstand harsh weather. There are now black, blue and even golden varieties; black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra) is a striking way to cover a wall in a Japanese-inspired garden. The most important thing is to choose a clumping variety rather than the invasive running types.
No 24: Wheat ripens
(31 May-5 June)
In Japan, this micro-season marks the beginning of the harvest of grains such as wheat and barley, which must be brought in before the rainy season begins in early June. In the UK summer, fields of rippling golden wheat are a quintessentially British pastoral scene. The change in colour indicates the approaching harvest season, which for cereals such as wheat, barley and oats in the UK typically starts in July, peaks in August and ends in September.
No 27: Plums turn yellow
(16-20 June)
Small, unripe Turkish green plums (erik), which begin to appear in greengrocers in June, are the best for making umeshu – plum wine. This is when I make my annual batch. In the UK, early plums begin to ripen around a month later. Varieties such as the opal are available in July and early August. Most plums, such as the victoria, ripen mid-season, in the latter half of August. Foraging for wild plums such as golden mirabelles or inky purple damsons in the Cambridgeshire and Kent countryside to make jams is one of the highlights of British summertime.
No 29: Irises bloom
(27 June-1 July)
Irises (shobu) symbolise summer; in Japan they also represent eternal youth and are a talisman against misfortune. In the UK, we enjoy both spring- and summer-flowering irises. Dutch irises (Iris hollandica) flower in late spring alongside tulips. Later, bearded irises (Iris germanica), with sword-like leaves and extravagant colour combinations of buttercup yellow, coral pink and every shade of purple, put on a display in May-June. Some, like the pure white Immortality, flower a second time in summer. They are relatively easy to grow, prefer alkaline soil and enjoy full sun. Siberian irises (Iris sibirica) are more delicate and bloom in May, June and July.
The Japanese Art of Living Seasonally: An Invitation to Celebrate Every Day by Natalie Leon is published by Watkins (£18.99)
