＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
1. Teruyuki Kagawa’s “Insect Collection” Brand is a Huge Hit
While our sense of the seasons has faded in recent years, I recently learned about an interesting phenomenon on TV.
The drama “Hanzawa Naoki” became a hot topic for its exaggerated, kabuki-like facial expressions. Teruyuki Kagawa, who played Managing Director Owada in the drama, is a huge insect lover and has even produced and launched his own insect apparel brand, “Insect Collection,” which is apparently hugely popular among children.
Recently, children have fewer opportunities to interact with nature, and fewer children are collecting insects. I hope this will be an opportunity for them to get acquainted with nature and regain their sense of the seasons.
He appeared on the NHK Educational TV program “Kagawa Teruyuki’s Insects are Amazing!” in a costume called “Mr. Mantis,” and is apparently very popular with children. I hope that this program will inspire more children to become interested in nature, including insects.
2. In the past, there was a clear sense of the seasons
When I was a child, I remember having a clear sense of the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Why has this sense of seasons become less clear recently?
It’s said that “spring in the north comes all at once.” Sen Masao’s “Spring in the North” and Mozart’s “Longing for Spring (May Song)” both convey the joy of welcoming spring for people in northern regions. Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” also expresses this sense of seasons well.
I’ve also heard that “spring, summer, and autumn flowers bloom all at once in Okinawa,” but in areas with a warm “Setouchi-style climate” like where I live in Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture, I was able to fully enjoy each season.
However, recently, it seems like the spring and autumn seasons, which are comfortable for outings and sports, have become shorter, and the heat comes earlier and the cooler weather takes longer to set in.
3. Possible reasons for the fading sense of seasons
(1) The impact of global warming
One factor that’s often cited is the impact of global warming. In Japan, summer temperatures are rising every year, with an increasing number of “scorching hot days” exceeding 35°C and “tropical nights” exceeding 25°C. Some locations are even reaching 40°C, indicating a trend toward a subtropical climate.
However, I have doubts about the effectiveness of “reducing CO2 emissions” as a measure against global warming.
(2) The availability of year-round fruits
Bananas, melons, kiwis, and other fruits are sold year-round.
Apples typically ripen from late summer to autumn, but they’re available in supermarkets almost year-round. This is made possible by a technology called the “CA storage method.” CA storage is a method of storing apples for long periods by putting them into a state of suspended animation. By suppressing their respiration, apples can be stored for over six months while maintaining their freshness.
Furthermore, some fruits, such as strawberries, are normally in season between March and April, but the harvest season is being advanced to accommodate Christmas demand. This is made possible by greenhouse cultivation and selective breeding.
This also seems to be one of the factors that messes with our sense of the seasons.
(3) Decreased interest in and opportunities to experience nature, such as insects and plants.
When I was a child, “insect collecting” was a standard summer homework assignment, and even in urban areas like Takatsuki City, we could collect rhinoceros beetles and stag beetles.
Even outside of summer vacation, I often chased insects in fields, and I think I had more opportunities to experience and be interested in nature than children today.
(4) Decreased freedom to enjoy observing the moon, clouds, and stars.
I think most people forget about the moon, clouds, and stars they learned about in science class at school as they become adults.
It’s especially understandable that busy office workers, swamped by their daily work and constantly repeating the same routine of “come home tired and sleep,” don’t have the time to be interested in such things.
However, I believe that taking even a short moment of relaxation and having the freedom to enjoy observing the moon, clouds, and stars is important for mental health.
(5) Fewer opportunities to hold annual events
One of the reasons for this fading sense of the seasons is likely the decline in opportunities to properly observe annual events such as playing “karuta” (card games) like “Hyakunin Isshu” (Poems by One Hundred Poets), “rice porridge with seven herbs,” displaying Hina dolls and May dolls during the New Year, replacing shoji screens with sliding doors in the summer, removing tatami mats for a thorough cleaning, moon viewing, Christmas, and the end-of-year “mochi pounding” and thorough cleaning.
(6) People’s sensitivity to the seasons has dulled (become weaker) in urban life.
I feel that people’s sensitivity to the seasons has dulled after living in the city for a long time.
I make it a habit to change out hanging scrolls and paintings with each season so that I can feel the sense of the seasons even in my home.
2. The Four Seasons: A Foundation for Japanese Culture and Events
The four seasons have been closely intertwined with Japanese culture. Not only housing, but also poetry, paintings, crafts, and most annual events have revolved around the seasons, which has had a profound impact on the national character.
The seasons also vary from region to region, and these regional characteristics and climates have a significant influence on lifestyles, culture, industry, and systems. The Japanese national character has also been nurtured from a culture born from the four seasons.
Emotionally rich Japanese people have a strong sense of the seasons, and their rich preferences for seasonal elements such as spring flowers, summer moons, autumn leaves, and winter snow are no less than those of ancient Chinese poets.