When you think of almonds, you think of nuts. They’re delicious, aren’t they? I especially love almond chocolate. The almond blossoms are in full bloom now. They look just like cherry blossoms, and it’s hard to tell them apart. The difference is that the almond blossoms bloom one to two weeks earlier than cherry blossoms, and the branches on which the almond blossoms grow are shorter than those of cherry blossoms. Almonds are originally from southwestern Asia, but California in the United States is now the largest producer. In Japan, they are cultivated in Shodoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, and Yamagata Prefecture. In the Kansai region, there is a company called Toyo Nuts in Kobe, where an almond festival is held before the cherry blossoms bloom.
As a ratio representing beauty, there are the golden ratio and the silver ratio. The golden ratio is 1:1.618, while the silver ratio is 1:1.141. In the Western world, it has been known for a long time that the golden ratio is preferred, and it has been frequently used in buildings, sculptures, and paintings since ancient times, such as Leonardo da Vinci’s human figure, the Parthenon, the Arc de Triomphe, Venus de Milo, and the Mona Lisa. On the other hand, the silver ratio, also known as the “Yamato ratio,” has been considered the “divine ratio” among Japanese carpenters since ancient times. This ratio has been widely incorporated not only in the construction of buildings such as Horyuji Kon-do and Goju-no-to, and Ise Shrine but also in the streetscape, sculptures, and flower arrangement of Heian-kyo. The golden and silver ratios provide extremely interesting topics in mathematics, biology, and cultural anthropology. The Otome-tsubaki (Camellia japonica) in the photograph seems to embody the silver ratio.
Today, March 14th is White Day. It is said to be the day to return gifts for Valentine’s Day. While there is a basis for Valentine’s Day on February 14th being “the day Saint Valentine was martyred”, Japan is the only country in the world that has a designated day for returning Valentine’s Day gifts. Personally, I am more interested in the fact that today is “Pi Day”. It’s a play on words for the well-known pi value of 3.14. Actually, in 2019 on March 14th (Pi Day), Google announced that Japanese-born Emma Haruka Iwao successfully calculated pi to 31 trillion 400 billion decimal places, making it the most accurate calculation of pi ever recorded. This is a somewhat unrelated story to haiku poetry, isn’t it?
A coffee shop I dropped by on my way back from shopping. Yuming’s song “Spring is coming” was playing. When I looked at the menu, it said “Today is Sandwich Day.” Since it was lunchtime, I ordered a sandwich. It had rained in the morning, but the sun was shining outside the window. By the way, I looked up why today is Sandwich Day on my smartphone. It’s because of the usual wordplay: today’s date is March 13th, and the “1” is sandwiched between two “3”s, making it “3 (sand) 1 (wich).” It’s interesting that the name “sandwich” comes from the name of an English earl named Sandwich. Sandwich was a gambling addict who didn’t want to waste time eating, so he had his servants make him a sandwich, which is how it got its name.
It’s a warm and sunny day today, with temperatures exceeding 20 degrees Celsius. I went to a soba noodle making experience class at the “Fureai Farm Village” in the Yamate suburbs of Izumi City. However, as someone with limited mobility, I couldn’t make the soba noodles myself. So, I joined two friends and my main goal was to enjoy the soba noodles served after the class, as I had fond memories of the taste from a previous visit. Unfortunately, my plan was thwarted because of the impact of COVID-19, and the soba noodles were not being served. It was disappointing. Nonetheless, the suburban area we visited was a refreshing change of pace. Although it was slightly overcast, the occasional sunshine made it feel like spring, and dandelions were blooming along the agricultural roadsides. I felt my spirits lift, and my enthusiasm for life was rekindled.
Today, March 11th, marks the 12th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. I sincerely pray for the souls of the victims of the earthquake. Whether you know it or not, the trunks of old cherry trees nearby are already in full bloom. Even if you look up, the buds are swollen, but the flowers have not yet bloomed. It seems that it is a phenomenon called “body blooming cherry blossoms.” It is a kind of aging phenomenon, especially in somei-yoshino, when the crown of the tree becomes stressed and weakened, adventitious branches often grow from the trunk and roots. It’s getting old, but it’s a sign from the old tree that says, “I’m living hard!”
Under the rows of cherry blossoms with large swollen buds, the yellow flowers of Rengyou(the Forsythia) are in full bloom, their brightness bouncing off the spring sunshine. Along with the early blooming Rohbai(Japanese wax tree), there are many other yellow flowers such as Nanohan(rapeseed flowers), Tanpopo(dandelions), Acacia, and Kochia. However, compared to the plum and cherry blossoms, they are all relatively plain flowers. While there are plum orchards and cherry tree-lined streets, there are no such things for yellow flowers. At best, there are fields of Tanpopo. Even so, Tanpopo blooming along the Kawazu cherry tree-lined street are beautiful, and the Kawazu cherry blossoms with Tanpopo in bloom look even more stunning.
Asebi(the azaleas) are in full bloom on Tobihino, located within the grounds of Kasuga Grand Shrine in Nara Park. Until late February, the park held the traditional “Shika-yose(deer gathering)” event, where the sound of natural horns would attract a large group of deer from the forest. Asebi begins to bloom around the same time. Known and loved since the Manyo period, the Asebi’s poem “My love is like the flowers of the mountain, now in full bloom” is accompanied by white or pale pink vase-shaped flowers. The plant contains a toxic component called “grayanotoxin” in its branches and leaves, which causes horses to become intoxicated and lose their footing when consumed, hence the name “馬酔木(the horse drunk tree)” in Chinese characters.
Yesterday (3/7) was a full moon. When I opened my smartphone, I saw numerous photos of the full moon from various places, accompanied by the term “Worm Moon”. Recently, I have noticed an increase in the use of katakana expressions to describe full moons. “Worm Moon” is one such term that originates from The Old Farmer’s Almanac in the United States. It signifies the time when the ground warms up and earthworms emerge or when worm-like beetle larvae come out of trees, indicating the beginning of the farming season. Japan’s twenty-four solar terms are also based on agricultural calendars. Just two days ago (3/6) was “Keichitsu,” which refers to the season when insects start moving as the cold weather eases and the spring weather arrives.
昨日(3/7)は満月でした。スマホを開けると各地の満月の写真と同時に、「ワームムーン」と言う書き込みが溢れています。最近は、こうした満月をカタカナで表した表現がよく目につきます。「ワームムーン」もその一つで、アメリカの農事暦(The Old Farmer’s Almanac)からきています。暖かくなって地面からミミズ(Earthworm)が出てくる頃、またはカブトムシの幼虫(Worm)が木から出てくる頃という意味からきていて、農耕を始める時期を示唆しています。日本の二十四節気も基本的には農事暦からきています。ちょうど一昨日(3/6)はその「啓蟄」の日で、寒さが緩んで春の陽気になってきたことで、土の中から虫たちが動き出す季節のことを指します。
There are countless examples throughout history of the loss of human life due to the intellectual mistakes of rulers. The 20th century, including the world wars, was also a century of slaughter, with the Holocaust by Hitler, Stalin’s Great Purge, and Mao’s Cultural Revolution, among others. And today, in the 21st century, there is a large-scale massacre happening in Ukraine due to Russian President Putin’s unilateral view of history. Putin is the worst mass murderer of this century. No one can catch him or bring him to justice. Can today’s society, which has gone through many revolutions, truly be called a civilized society?Human history is filled with tragic examples of the loss of life due to political power, and even today, there are situations where political leaders make intellectual mistakes and cause suffering for many people.In particular, the conflict in Ukraine by the Putin regime has caused a serious humanitarian crisis. Many people have become victims of this conflict, and the international community cannot ignore the seriousness of the human rights violations. However, there are civilized societies around the world that support the rule of law and respect for human rights, and the international community supports these principles. International frameworks such as the United Nations, International Criminal Court, and International Human Rights Law exist to address such issues. Whether today’s society is a civilized one depends on our individual actions. We can respect human rights, support the rule of law, and promote peace and justice through international cooperation. It is also important for us to hold our political leaders accountable and urge them to respect human rights and the rule of law.