＜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
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・「虎が雨」「身に入む」「畳替」「香水」「端居」などの面白い季語
1. Tora ga Ame (Tiger’s Rain)
“Tora ga Ame” (Tiger’s Rain) is a seasonal word for summer. It is also known as “Tora ga Namida Ame” (Tiger’s Tear Rain), “Tora ga Namida” (Tiger’s Tears), or “Soga no Ame” (Soga Rain).
It refers to the rain that falls on the 28th day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar. It originates from a legend that when Juro, the elder of the Soga brothers famous for their revenge at the foot of Mount Fuji, was killed by Nitta Tadatsune, his lover, Tora Gozen, grieved so much that her tears turned into rain.
“The Soga Brothers’ Revenge” refers to the incident in 1193 when, during a hunting expedition held by Minamoto no Yoritomo at the foot of Mount Fuji, the brothers Soga Sukenari and Soga Tokimune avenged their father’s death by killing Kudo Suketsune.
Examples of poems using this term include the following:
* A somber tale of a tiger on a rainy night – Yasomura Rotsu
* As the seaweed burns, the tiger rain falls – Takahama Kyoshi
* The scent of face powder rises in the tiger rain – Hino Sojo
* The grass cutters, without love, are in the tiger rain – Ishii Rogetsu
・しんみりと虎が雨夜の咄かな 八十村路通
・藻汐草焼けば降るなり虎が雨 高浜虚子
・寝白粉（ねおしろい）香（か）にたちにけり虎が雨 日野草城
・恋もなき草刈共や虎が雨 石井露月
2. Minishimu（To take to heart）
“Minishimu” (身に入む) is a seasonal word for autumn. It can also be written as “身に沁む”.
It refers to the feeling of the autumn chill and melancholy deeply penetrating one’s body. The chill begins to penetrate as autumn deepens, and this feeling intensifies in late autumn. This word carries a profound emotional resonance.
Examples of haiku using this phrase include:
* “My body, exposed to the elements, feels the wind seeping in.” – Matsuo Basho
* “The chill penetrates my body; the boat is damp at dusk and dawn.” – Takarai Kikaku
* “The chill penetrates my body; I step on my deceased wife’s comb in the bedroom.” – Yosa Buson
* “The chill penetrates my body; the leaders of the uprising are all young.” – Sato Ikuko
・野ざらしを心に風のしむ身かな 松尾芭蕉
・身にしむや宵暁の舟じめり 宝井其角
・身にしむや亡き妻の櫛を閨（ねや）に踏む 与謝蕪村
・身に入むや一揆の頭みな若き 佐藤いく子
3. Tatamigae（Tatami Mat Replacement）
“Tatami-gae” (replacing tatami mats) is a seasonal word for “winter.”
As the New Year approaches, people replace the dirty and worn tatami mat surfaces. Recently, some houses only replace the surface covering the entire room, and some don’t replace the tatami mats at all.
A room with freshly laid, dust-free tatami mats, filled with the fragrance of new mats, becomes a fitting place to welcome the New Year.
Examples of haiku include:
* The tatami mats of the old house are replaced, a joyous occasion – Takahama Kyoshi
* The landlady replaces the tatami mats in my favorite room – Suzuki Masajo
* The paulownia tree is like a pillar during tatami replacement – Awano Seiho
* It seems someone is moving in again, tatami mat replacement – Takahama Kyoshi
・古家の畳替して目出度けれ 高浜虚子
・女将わが憩ひの部屋の畳替ふ 鈴木真砂女
・青桐は柱のごとし畳替 阿波野青畝
・又人の住みかはるらし畳替 高浜虚子
4. Kousui（Perfume）
“Perfume” is a seasonal word associated with summer. “Eau de cologne” is a related seasonal word.
While perfume use isn’t limited to summer, it’s especially common during this time due to increased sweating and body odor concerns.
Foreigners, regardless of gender, often use perfume, perhaps due to stronger body odor. Recently, in Japan, men, as well as women, have begun using perfume.
“Chanel No. 5” is known as the perfume favored by the famous Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe. It’s said that “Chanel No. 5” was created from Coco Chanel’s desire to “create a perfume for women that evokes the very essence of femininity.”
Example haiku include:
* The scent of perfume is impenetrable – Nakamura Kusatao
* The breeze of perfume on Fifth Avenue in New York – Hirata Shoko
* I love the melancholy of the perfume bottle – Goto Yahan
* The perfume bottle with its original label is transparent – Hoshino Tatsuko
・香水の香ぞ鉄壁をなせりける 中村草田男
・香水の風紐育五番街 平田笙子
・香水の壜の愁を愛しけり 後藤夜半
・香水の正札瓶を透きとほり 星野立子
5. Hashii（Sitting on the edge of a ledge）
“Hashii” (端居) is a seasonal word for summer. Its related seasonal words include “Yūhashii” (夕端居) and “Endai” (縁台).
In summer, it refers to seeking coolness by sitting near the edge of a house or veranda, escaping the indoor heat, and gazing at the trees and flowers in the garden.
“Hashii” means “the edge of a house,” like a veranda. While not necessarily at night, it’s a moment of relaxation after getting out of the bath in the evening or at night, changing into a yukata (light cotton kimono), and enjoying the cool breeze.
“Noryo” (納涼) means going outside to seek coolness, while “Hashii” (端居) means finding coolness at home.
Previously, as an example of “Kazehikaru” (風輝る), I cited Takahama Kyoshi’s haiku, “Putting on my robes, sitting on the edge, the wind shines.” While “Hashii” and “Kazehikaru” overlap seasonal words, in this haiku, “Kazehikaru” is the main seasonal word.
Example haiku include the following:
* Sitting on the edge, I felt drawn to travel. – Mizuhara Shūōshi
* My mother, hard of hearing, has become one who prefers to sit on the edge. – Ōno Rinka
* Sitting on the edge, in the deep wind blowing through the grass and trees. – Hino Sōjō
* Sitting on the edge, with unspeakable words in my heart. – Hoshino Tatsuko
・端居して旅にさそはれゐたりけり 水原秋櫻子
・耳遠く端居を好む母となれり 大野林火
・ふけわたる草木の風に端居かな 日野草城
・いふまじき言葉を胸に端居かな 星野立子