In the hilly terrain of Jōyō City, located south of Kyoto City and midway to Nara City, lies the largest Aodani Ume Grove in Kyoto Prefecture. Covering an area of approximately 20 hectares, the grove boasts around 10,000 plum trees of five varieties, including the locally grown Jōshūhaku and Shirokaga. Although currently only 50% in bloom, from late February to mid-March, it transforms into a breathtaking spectacle with full blossoms, blanketing the entire area in a sea of white, resembling the spread of a large white cloth. The air is filled with the sweet fragrance of plums.
While the exact origin of Aodani Ume Grove is unclear, it has long been renowned as one of Japan’s leading plum orchards. A waka poem composed by Prince Munenaga, a son of Emperor Go-Daigo, who once resided in this area, remains as a testament to its historical significance, suggesting that it was cherished by people as early as the Kamakura period. Umeboshi (pickled plums) made from Jōshūhaku are particularly popular for their large size, soft flesh, and a peach-like aroma. Additionally, the enticing fragrance is utilized to produce plum syrup and plum wine, which are also available for purchase.

京都市の南部、奈良市との中間に位置する城陽市の丘陵地に、京都府内最大の青谷梅林があります。約20haの面積に青谷梅林特産の城州白をはじめ、白加賀など５品種約１万本の梅が植えられています。今はまだ5分咲きですが、２月下旬から３月中旬にかけて満開になり、大きな白布を広げたように白一色となって、あたり一帯が梅の香りに包まれます。
この青谷梅林がいつごろからあるのか、その起源は定かではありませんが、古くから、日本でも有数の梅どころとして知られていました。後醍醐天皇の皇子である宗良(むねなが)親王がこの地で詠んだ和歌が残っていますから、鎌倉時代にはすでに人々に愛されていたことを物語っています。城州白で作った梅干しは大粒で果肉が柔らかく、まるで桃のような香りがすると評判です。またその香りを生かして梅シロップや梅酒も売り出されています。

Due to the impact of heavy snow, it seems that the cherry blossom festival in Kawazu Town, Izu, is experiencing a significant decline in visitors. In the Kanto and Koshin regions, snow continued to fall from the 5th to the morning of the 6th, with reports of a potential heavy snow warning even in the 23 wards of Tokyo. The Kawazu Sakura Festival, which used to start from February 10th until two years ago, is now affected by global warming, beginning on February 1st and running until the end of the month, the 29th. Despite attracting crowds mainly from the Kanto region, even on weekdays, today, as shown in the photo, there is not a single person around. It seems to be reserved exclusively for locals. As expected, it’s “Great Cold”. It is the ulterior motive that is trying to make you look forward to spring by imposing a final test.

大雪の影響で伊豆河津町のさくら祭りも客足がさっぱりだそうです。関東甲信は５日から6日の朝にかけて、広い範囲で雪が降り続き、東京23区でも警報級の大雪になるおそれがあると報じられていました。一昨年まで２月10日から開催されていた河津の桜まつりも、温暖化の影響で今は２月１日からの開催で、月末の29日まで開催されます。連日主に関東方面からの花見客で賑わい、平日でもかなりの人出だそうですが、今日は写真の様に人っ子一人もいません。地元貸し切りだそうです。さすが大寒。最後の試練を課して春を嘱望させようとする魂胆です。

I placed the kumquats we received in a bamboo basket by the window. As the afternoon turns to 5 o’clock, the once-dark dusk now bathes in sunlight. The rays illuminate each individual kumquat, creating as many sunsets as there are kumquats. Taking a bite, you experience a faint bitterness followed by a refreshing acidity, and then a prominent sweetness spreads in your mouth. It is truly a moment to feel the blessing of the sun. Since childhood, I have been fed kumquats with the belief that they prevent colds. Even now, when I visit the supermarket, I see them sold in mesh bags. Occasionally, I buy kumquat throat lozenges. Each one reminds me of the kumquats that used to grow in the backyard, creating a nostalgic and heartwarming feeling.

頂いた金柑を竹籠に置いて窓際に置いてありました。午後も５時になれば暗かった夕暮れも、今は日差しが差し込みます。その日差しが金柑の一つ一つに照り生えて、金柑の数だけ夕日がある様です。一つ齧ると、ほのかな苦味と爽やかな酸味、そのあとに際立った甘さが口の中に広がります。これぞまさしく太陽の恵みと実感する瞬間です。小さな頃から金柑を食べると風邪をひかないとよく食べさせられたものです。今でもスーパーに行くと網袋に入れて売っています。金柑のど飴も時々買います。どれも口にすると、昔庭に成っていた金柑を思い出し、ほのぼのとした気分になります。

Continuing from yesterday, today marks the first day of spring in the 24 solar terms, signifying the beginning of the year. On the other hand, the year according to the lunar calendar (solar and lunar calendar) begins on February 10th this year, and this day marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year. In Japan, the tradition of celebrating the ‘Old New Year’ persists in some regions, particularly in Okinawa and the southwestern islands. When we were children, we often heard about the Lunar New Year still. However, in contemporary Japan, New Year’s celebrations have firmly established themselves during the first three days of January in the Gregorian calendar.
The resurgence of interest in the Lunar New Year is attributed to China’s Spring Festival. With the rapid economic development of China, many Chinese people visit Japan during the Spring Festival, and the phenomenon of ‘explosive buying’ became a topic of conversation. Looking around neighboring countries, Japan is unique in celebrating the New Year according to the Gregorian calendar. In China, Taiwan, and Singapore, it’s the ‘Spring Festival,’ in Korea, it’s ‘Seollal,’ in Vietnam, it’s ‘Tet,’ and in Malaysia, it’s the ‘Chinese New Year’—all of which are based on the old lunar calendar.
While Japan celebrates the New Year according to the Gregorian calendar, traditional events following the old lunar calendar and the 24 solar terms are abundant throughout the year, starting with today’s first day of spring. It’s a curious country.

昨日の続きになりますが、二十四節気では立春の初日の今日が１年の始まりです。一方旧暦（太陽太陰暦）の１年の始まりは、今年は２月10日で、この日を旧暦の元旦とし、旧正月が始まります。日本では、沖縄の一部地域や南西諸島辺りで「旧正月」を祝う風習が今も根強く残っていたり、私達の子供の頃には旧正月の事もまだよく耳にしたものです。しかし今では日本の正月は新暦の１月の三が日が完全に定着しています。
旧正月を思い起こさせたのは中国の春節です。急速に経済発展した中国から春節に沢山の中国人が日本を訪れ、「爆買い」が話題になってからです。日本周辺の国々を見渡しても、新暦で正月を祝うのは日本くらいで、中国や台湾、そしてシンガポールの「春節」、韓国の「ソルラル」、ベトナムの「テト」、マレーシアの「チャイニーズ・ニュー・イヤー」など、すべて旧正月です。
日本では正月は新暦ですが、今日の立春をはじめ、旧暦や二十四節気の伝統行事が一年中目白押しです。不思議な国です。

Today is Setsubun, tomorrow is the beginning of spring (Risshun), and the 10th is the New Year’s Day of the old lunar calendar. This time of year feels like spring is rapidly approaching. While Risshun marks the start of the year in the 24 solar terms based on the sun’s movement along the ecliptic, the old lunar New Year falls on the first day of the “old calendar,” determined by the phases of the moon. When combined with the new calendar’s January 1st, Japan has three different beginnings of the year. While the new calendar’s New Year is fixed on January 1st, the old lunar New Year varies between January 22nd and February 19th, depending on the new moon day, making it different each year. Although Japan’s New Year is almost always on January 1st, in countries like China, Taiwan, Korea, and some Southeast Asian nations, the old lunar New Year is celebrated as the New Year. China’s New Year, known as the Spring Festival (Chun Jie), is well-known in Japan as well. The Spring Festival in 2024 is an 8-day holiday from February 10th (Saturday) to February 17th (Saturday), and many Chinese visitors are expected in Japan during this period.

今日は節分の日で明日は立春、そして10日は旧正月の元旦です。一気に春が押し寄せた様な時期がこの時期です。立春が太陽の黄道上の動きを基準に決められる二十四節気での１年の始まりであるのに対して、旧正月は月の満ち欠けを基準とした“旧暦”の1月1日です。新暦の１月１日と合わせると、日本には１年の始まりが３回あることになります。新暦のお正月が1月１日と固定している一方、旧正月は1月22日から2月19日までの間で新月の日が元旦ですから、旧正月は年によって変わります。日本の正月は１月１日がほぼ確定していますが、中国や台湾、韓国を初め、東南アジアの一部の国々は旧正月が正月です。中国の正月は春節と言って、日本でもよく知られています。2024年の春節は2月10日（土）～2月17日（土）の8連休で、日本にも沢山の中国人がおとずれます。

In the first Nagisa Park in Moriyama City, located on the eastern shore of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, approximately 12,000 early-blooming rape blossoms, known as Kanzaki Hanana, are in full bloom. The contrast between these flowers and the snow-capped Hira Mountains on the opposite shore reflected on the lake’s surface heralds the arrival of spring along the lakeshore. In mid-January, the rape blossoms, which usually begin blooming one week earlier than usual, faced a setback due to a cold snap, but they still reached full bloom earlier than usual. Like cherry blossoms, rape blossoms bloom nationwide and represent spring. In the southern part of the Izu Peninsula, at Shimo-Kamo Onsen, both rape blossoms and Kawazu cherry blossoms bloom simultaneously during this season. In many other regions, rape blossoms bloom alongside cherry blossoms from March to April, and even after cherry blossoms have finished blooming, rape blossoms often continue to bloom. The rape blossoms in Yokohama Town, Aomori Prefecture, home to Japan’s largest rape blossom field, bloom from mid-May to early June. Thus, both cherry blossoms and rape blossoms bloom somewhere in Japan for about six months.

滋賀県の琵琶湖東岸に位置する守山市の第１なぎさ公園には、カンザキハナナ（寒咲花菜）という早咲きの菜の花約12,000本が満開を迎えています。湖面に映る冠雪した対岸の比良山とのコントラストが湖畔に春の訪れを告げています。１月中旬には、例年より１週間早く咲きはじめた菜の花が、寒波来襲で足踏みしましたが、それでも例年より早い満開です。菜の花も桜と同じで全国に咲き、春を代表する花です。伊豆半島の南伊豆にあたる下賀茂温泉では、もうこの時期に菜の花と河津桜が同時に咲きます。他の多くの地域では、３月から４月にかけて、桜と平行して咲きますが、桜が咲き終わっても菜の花は咲き続けるところが多いようです。日本最大の菜の花畑のある青森県横浜町の菜の花は５月中旬から６月初旬にかけて咲きますから、桜も菜の花も約６ヶ月間、日本のどこかで咲いていることになります。

On February 3rd, the day after tomorrow, is Setsubun. When it comes to Setsubun, in the past, people used to roast soybeans and throw them towards the window, saying ‘Oni wa soto’ (Demons out). After scattering the beans, they would close the windows. Then, they would say ‘Fuku wa uchi’ (Fortune in) while throwing beans inside the room. This ritual was performed from the innermost room to the entrance, and finally, beans were thrown at the entrance. Afterward, people would eat the same number of beans as their age plus one, symbolizing the dispelling of misfortune for the new year.
However, nowadays, the tradition of eating ‘Ehomaki’ (lucky direction sushi rolls) has become more popular on Setsubun. Many households no longer engage in the bean-scattering ritual. The origin of Ehomaki is unclear, but it is believed to have started in the late Edo period in Osaka’s Senba district. It became a custom in some parts of Kansai, and in the 1990s, major convenience stores popularized it nationwide. Now, it’s firmly established that people eat Ehomaki on Setsubun. The term ‘Eho’ refers to the direction where the deity ‘Saitokujin’ (god of good fortune for the year) resides, determining the year’s fortune. Eating rolled sushi facing that direction led to the name ‘Ehomaki.’
The location of Saitokujin changes every year, and this year’s lucky direction is ‘Northeast by East, slightly East.’ On February 3rd, people across the country will enjoy Ehomaki facing this direction. Just imagining it brings joy.

明後日２月３日は節分です。節分と言えば、一昔前までは、炒った大豆を、先ず窓に向かって『鬼は外』と言いながら撒き、豆をまいた部屋の窓は 締め、次に『福は内』と言いながら部屋の中に豆を撒きます。 これを一番奥の部屋から順に行い、最後に玄関で豆を撒きます。その後、 自分の数え年より1つ多くの数の豆を食べて、「新年の厄払い」をしたものです。
しかし今では節分には「恵方巻き」を食べる習慣が定着し、豆まきもしなくなった家が多くなりました。恵方巻の発祥ははっきりしていませんが、江戸時代の末期に大阪の船場で始まったと言う説が有力です。それが関西の一部で習慣になり、1990年代に大手コンビニエンスストアが全国的に広めたことから、今ではすっかり節分には恵方巻きを食べると言う習慣が定着しました。「恵方」とは、その年の幸運を司る神様「歳徳神（としとくじん）」がいる方角まうを指します。 その方角を向いて食べる巻き寿司と言う事から「恵方巻き」と名付けられました。
歳徳神のいる場所は年によって変わります。 今年の恵方は「東北東やや東」です。２月３日には、全国各地でこの方角を向いて多くの人達が恵方巻きを頬張るのです。想像しただけでも愉快ですね。