Japan’s 72 microseasons

To be more in touch with nature, it’s nice to know what generally happens in a particular time of year. Japan has split up their calendar year into five-day segments.

If you’d like to follow along, I made a Google Calendar, Japan’s 72 microseasons.

Date range	Original English title	Original Japanese title	Google Translate from original Japanese	Transliterated Japanese	Google Translate from transliterated
February 4–8	East wind melts the ice	東風解凍	East Wind Thaw	Harukaze kōri o toku	East winds melt the ice
February 9–13	Bush warblers start singing in the mountains	黄鶯睍睆	yellow nightingale	Kōō kenkan su	The bush warbler begins to sing
February 14–18	Fish emerge from the ice	魚上氷	Fish on ice	Uo kōri o izuru	Fish emerge from the ice
February 19–23	Rain moistens the soil	土脉潤起	Junki Tono	Tsuchi no shō uruoi okoru	Rain moistens the earth
February 24–28	Mist starts to linger	霞始靆	early haze	Kasumi hajimete tanabiku	Mist begins to linger
March 1–5	Grass sprouts, trees bud	草木萌動	Vegetation sprouting	Sōmoku mebae izuru	Grass and trees begin to bud
March 6–10	Hibernating insects surface	蟄虫啓戸	Hibernating insect Keito	Sugomori mushito o hiraku	Hibernating insects emerge from the earth
March 11–15	First peach blossoms	桃始笑	Momoji lol	Momo hajimete saku	Peach blossoms begin to bloom
March 16–20	Caterpillars become butterflies	菜虫化蝶	Vegetable butterfly	Namushi chō to naru	Caterpillars become butterflies
March 21–25	Sparrows start to nest	雀始巣	Sparrow’s first nest	Suzume hajimete sukū	Sparrows begin to nest
March 26–30	First cherry blossoms	櫻始開	Sakura’s beginning	Sakura hajimete saku	Cherry blossoms begin to bloom
March 31–April 4	Distant thunder	雷乃発声	Raino’s voice	Kaminari sunawachi koe o hassu	Distant thunder crackles
April 5–9	Swallows return	玄鳥至	Itaru Gencho	Tsubame kitaru	Swallows return
April 10–14	Wild geese fly north	鴻雁北	Kogankita	Kōgan kaeru	Wild geese fly north
April 15–19	First rainbows	虹始見	First sight of the rainbow	Niji hajimete arawaru	First rainbows appear
April 20–24	First reeds sprout	葭始生	Reeds begin to grow	Ashi hajimete shōzu	First reeds sprout
April 25–29	Last frost, rice seedlings grow	霜止出苗	Frost-stopped seedlings	Shimo yamite nae izuru	Frost stops and rice seedlings grow
April 30–May 4	Peonies bloom	牡丹華	Peony flower	Botan hana saku	Peonies bloom
May 5–9	Frogs start singing	蛙始鳴	frog first cry	Kawazu hajimete naku	Frogs begin to sing
May 10–14	Worms surface	蚯蚓出	worm out	Mimizu izuru	Earthworms emerge from the soil
May 15–20	Bamboo shoots sprout	竹笋生	bamboo shoot	Takenoko shōzu	Bamboo shoots sprout
May 21–25	Silkworms start feasting on mulberry leaves	蚕起食桑	Silkworm eating mulberry	Kaiko okite kuwa o hamu	Silkworms awake and eat mulberry leaves
May 26–30	Safflowers bloom	紅花栄	Benihana Sakae	Benibana sakau	Safflowers bloom
May 31–June 5	Wheat ripens and is harvested	麦秋至	Autumn solstice	Mugi no toki itaru	The time for wheat harvest arrives
June 6–10	Praying mantises hatch	蟷螂生	Mantis life	Kamakiri shōzu	Praying mantises hatch
June 11–15	Rotten grass becomes fireflies	腐草為螢	Rotten grass is like a firefly	Kusaretaru kusa hotaru to naru	Decaying grass becomes fireflies
June 16–20	Plums turn yellow	梅子黄	Umezi Huang	Ume no mi kibamu	Plums turn yellow
June 21–26	Self-heal withers	乃東枯	Notogaru	Natsukarekusa karuru	Self-heal withers
June 27–July 1	Irises bloom	菖蒲華	Iris flower	Ayame hana saku	Irises bloom
July 2–6	Crow-dipper sprouts	半夏生	half summer raw	Hange shōzu	Crow-dipper sprouts
July 7–11	Warm winds blow	温風至	Warm Air	Atsukaze itaru	Warm winds arrive
July 12–16	First lotus blossoms	蓮始開	The beginning of the lotus	Hasu hajimete hiraku	Lotus blossoms begin to open
July 17–22	Hawks learn to fly	鷹乃学習	Takano Learning	Taka sunawachi waza o narau	Young hawks learn to fly
July 23–28	Paulownia trees produce seeds	桐始結花	Paulownia flowers	Kiri hajimete hana o musubu	Paulownia trees produce seeds
July 29–August 2	Earth is damp, air is humid	土潤溽暑	soil run heat	Tsuchi uruōte mushi atsushi	The earth is damp and humid
August 3–7	Great rains sometimes fall	大雨時行	Going during heavy rain	Taiu tokidoki furu	Great rains fall occasionally
August 8–12	Cool winds blow	涼風至	cool breeze	Suzukaze itaru	Cool winds begin to blow
August 13–17	Evening cicadas sing	寒蝉鳴	cold cicada sound	Higurashi naku	Evening cicadas hum
August 18–22	Thick fog descends	蒙霧升降	Mengiri Shufuku	Fukaki kiri matō	Deep mist descends
August 23–27	Cotton flowers bloom	綿柎開	cotton cypress opening	Wata no hana shibe hiraku	Cotton flowers open
August 28–September 1	Heat starts to die down	天地始粛	beginning of heaven and earth	Tenchi hajimete samushi	Heaven and earth begin to cool
September 2–7	Rice ripens	禾乃登	Henoto	Kokumono sunawachi minoru	Rice and grains ripen
September 8–12	Dew glistens white on grass	草露白	grass dew white	Kusa no tsuyu shiroshi	Dew appears white on the grass
September 13–17	Wagtails sing	鶺鴒鳴	Wagtail sound	Sekirei naku	Wagtails sing
September 18–22	Swallows leave	玄鳥去	Gencho leaving	Tsubame saru	Swallows leave for the south
September 23–27	Thunder ceases	雷乃収声	Raino Recording	Kaminari sunawachi koe o osamu	Thunder ceases
September 28–October 2	Insects hole up underground	蟄虫坏戸	Hibernation door	Mushi kakurete to o fusagu	Insects seal their burrows
October 3–7	Farmers drain fields	水始涸	Water begins to dry up	Mizu hajimete karuru	Water begins to dry up in the fields
October 8–12	Wild geese return	鴻雁来	Kokarai	Kōgan kitaru	Wild geese return
October 13–17	Chrysanthemums bloom	菊花開	Chrysanthemums bloom	Kiku no hana hiraku	The flower of listening opens
October 18–22	Crickets chirp around the door	蟋蟀在戸	Crickets in the house	Kirigirisu to ni ari	There is a grasshopper
October 23–27	First frost	霜始降	Frost begins to fall	Shimo hajimete furu	Child also full for the first time
October 28–November 1	Light rains sometimes fall	霎時施	Instant application	Kosame tokidoki furu	light rain sometimes full
November 2–6	Maple leaves and ivy turn yellow	楓蔦黄	maple yellow	Momiji tsuta kibamu	Autumn leaves ivy yellowing
November 7–11	Camellias bloom	山茶始開	Camellia begins to bloom	Tsubaki hajimete hiraku	Tsubaki open for the first time
November 12–16	Land starts to freeze	地始凍	The ground begins to freeze	Chi hajimete kōru	blood first col
November 17–21	Daffodils bloom	金盞香		Kinsenka saku	Made by Calendula
November 22–26	Rainbows hide	虹蔵不見	The rainbow is hidden	Niji kakurete miezu	secondary hidden invisible
November 27–December 1	North wind blows the leaves from the trees	朔風払葉	Shuo Feng leaves	Kitakaze konoha o harau	The north wind leaves the leaves
December 2–6	Tachibana citrus tree leaves start to turn yellow	橘始黄	Tachibana first yellow	Tachibana hajimete kibamu	Tachibana turns yellow for the first time
December 7–11	Cold sets in, winter begins	閉塞成冬	Closed into winter	Sora samuku fuyu to naru	The sky is cold and it’s winter
December 12–16	Bears start hibernating in their dens	熊蟄穴	bear hole	Kuma ana ni komoru	Stay in the bear hole
December 17–21	Salmons gather and swim upstream	鱖魚群	Mandarin fish school	Sake no uo muragaru	Crowds of alcohol
December 22–26	Self-heal sprouts	乃東生	Noto student	Natsukarekusa shōzu	Summer dried grass calligraphy
December 27–31	Deer shed antlers	麋角解	elk horn solution	Sawashika no tsuno otsuru	Horned crane
January 1–4	Wheat sprouts under snow	雪下出麦	Wheat grows under the snow	Yuki watarite mugi nobiru	Wheat building across the snow
January 5–9	Parsley flourishes	芹乃栄	Serino Sakae	Seri sunawachi sakau	auction, i.e., buying a difference
January 10–14	Springs thaw	水泉動	water spring moving	Shimizu atataka o fukumu	Shimizu warm o included
January 15–19	Pheasants start to call	雉始雊	first pheasant	Kiji hajimete naku	Pheasants begin to call
January 20–24	Butterburs bud	款冬華	coltsfoot	Fuki no hana saku	Giant butterbur flowers bloom
January 25–29	Ice thickens on streams	水沢腹堅	Mizusawa Harakata	Kiwamizu kōri tsumeru	Mountain streams freeze solid
January 30–February 3	Hens start laying eggs	鶏始乳	chicken first milk	Niwatori hajimete toya ni tsuku	Chickens begin to brood (lay eggs)