Hakuro, the white morning dew

In Japan, as elsewhere, the year is punctuated by the 4 seasons, except that with its climate, these seasons are very marked. However, Japan divides its calendar into 24 lunar/solar periods called sekki of around 15 days, which are themselves separated into 3 kō of 4 to 5 days, for a total of 72 micro-seasons. The Japanese remain very close to the lush nature that is theirs, so the 24 sekki still punctuate their daily lives today in literature and poetry, the arts, health, seasonal events and even the media. Today, September 8, we enter the period of Haruko, the white dew, with 3 micro-seasons named “The dew sparkles on the grass” (Kusa no tsuyu) from September 8 to 12, “The wagtails are singing again” (Sekirei naku) from September 13 to 17, and “The swallows are leaving” (Tsubame saru) from September 18 to 22. I wanted to take advantage of this sunny period to introduce you to a Japanese photographer, Miki Asai, whose world is full of the tiny things we don’t admire enough. Her sublime macro photographs are full of poetry, featuring flowers, water and insects. Check out her 500px account.

Also check out this peaceful video on NHK World-Japan about Yamato Seasons.