After the passing of the “88th Night” (Hachijuhachiya) in Japan, it is time to start preparing for rice planting. However, since Japan is long from north to south, the timing of rice planting varies. The timing depends not only on the temperature difference, but also on the variety of rice, the growth period of the rice, and the weather of the year. Generally, the earliest planting takes place in Kyushu, where planting is finished by early April. The most common timing is from mid-May to early June, after the “88th Night”. In the Tokyo area, planting is often done in early June. The photo is of the scenery in Shiga Region, Otsu City, in the north of Shiga Prefecture, where rice planting is completed by the “88th Night”. Immediately after planting, there are no singing frogs, but when the leaves start to grow, a chorus of frogs begins. It is because many creatures, both in and out of the paddy fields, and they become food for the frogs, and the rice leaves are a good hiding place for them.

八十八夜が過ぎると田植えの準備を始める頃となります。とは言っても、南北に長い日本は田植えの時期はまちまちです。寒暖の差だけでなく、米の品種や稲の生育期間、その年の気候などによっても田植えの時期は異なります。一般的に、早いのは九州地方で、４月上旬頃までには田植えを終えます。一番多いのは、八十八夜の後、５月中旬から６月上旬頃です。東京近辺では、６月上旬からという所が多い様です。写真は滋賀県大津市の北部、志賀の風景ですが、この辺りは八十八夜までには田植えを終えます。田植えを終えた直後は鳴くカエルはいませんが、しばらくして葉が伸び出すと、カエルの大合唱が始まります。水田の中にも外にも多くの生き物が集まって来て餌にもなりますし、稲の葉がいい隠れ場所になるからです。いよいよ夏も間近です。