Japanese sometime feel the four seasons by sounds

Japanese sometimes feel the four seasons by the sounds. In spring, the birdsongs at early morning are representative. The birdsongs which they feel like rejoicing at coming of spring on early morning are wonderful. In summer, the sound which the cicadas are droning is representative. Japanese famous haiku poet wrote a poem like the next one, 「Shizukesaya iwanishimiiru seminokoe (閑けさや　岩に染み入る　蝉の声)」. I think it is described in English like 「The calmness, it is merging into the rock, the drone of cicadas.」. I think it means that the drone of cicadas are merging into the rock in the calmness , but the cicadas droning hard will be dead in this summer. I think this haiku[(俳句)Japanese poet] is written about what the life is transient and the calmness in the place. In autumn, I guess it is the song of insects like Suzumushi(鈴虫). In winter, It seems to be the sounds of snowing. You may say that there aren't the sounds of snowing, but Japanese describe the sounds of snowing like shinshin(しんしん) . Do you feel the four seasons by the sounds？

Japanese fun in winter

There are games we play during Oshyogatsu(お正月). They are some of the fun things we do in Japan  in the winter. Oshyogatsu means originally the first month of a year, January in sum, but most Japanese are thinking that it is only January 1th, 2th, 3th. Oshyogatsu is the day in which the new year is celebrated , but Japanese treat Oshyogatu as the first three days in January. I think that the reasons which Japanese have these ideas is to be tired of continuing the significiant days and to be less thankful for long significiant days.
There are  games we play during Oshyogatsu like Takoage[凧揚げ(kite)], Komamawashi[こま回し(spinning top), Karuta[かるた(japanese cards)], Fukuwarai(福笑い), etc. Fukuwarai is a game that we enjoy making a funny face. It is played by blindfolding a person and having that person drop parts of the face, such as the mouth, nose, eyes, etc, onto an outline of the face of Japanese traditional character Otafuku(阿多福).

          

Japanese fun in autumn

 One of fun thihgs Japanese do in autumn is to hear songs of insects like Suzumushi(鈴虫), it's Homoeogryllus japonicus. Japanese feel that autumn came along and it got cool when we heard it at night. Do people of your country enjoy hearing the songs of insects？You may only feel that it is just loud.

  And there is the day of Otukimi(お月見), this is to enjoy looking at the full moon at night in September. Japanese call autumn's nights Akinoyonaga(秋の夜長), this word means that night is long. The culture of enjoying Akinoyonaga are the songs of Suzumushi and looking at the full moon at night.

Japanese fun in summer

    There are festivals and fireworks which are one of the ways Japanese have fun in summer. At summer festivals called Natsumatsuri(夏祭り), Japanese dance the Bonodori[a Japanese traditional dance(盆踊り)] at parks, where many outdoor stalls are set up. On summer nights, we go to the riverside in Yukata [Japanese traditional clothes (浴衣)] and view a lot of big aerial fireworks. There are also small fireworks, which are set off with excitement at neighbors' park and in front of their houses with their family and their friends.

 　　　　

　　　　 

 

Japanese fun in spring

  One of Japan's fun events in spring is to see Japanese cherry, Sakura(桜). Sakura are the most loved trees in Japanese. I like them, too. April in Japan is the time of entrance ceremonies' moment for schools. At that time, Sakura are in full bloom. It uprears Japanese moods with expectations for new school year and meeting new friends. And there is Hanami(花見), where people drink together and watch the fully blooming  Sakura. The dancing flower petals of Sakura are very beautiful.



                                                                             
  

                                                  

The Climate of Japan

　 　Today I will talk about the climate of Japan. Spring in Japan is cozy, its average temperrature is about １５℃. Baiu(梅雨) is characteristic climate of Japan from June to July. Baiu is the rainy season caused by 　　　　 Baiuzensen(梅雨前線), a seasonal rain front that causes frequentry, heavy rain during June and July. 

  Summer in Japan is hot and humid like a  tropical rain forest. Autumn in Japan is cozy, too. Winter is dry, and in the  Hokkaido(北海道) and Touhoku(東北) areas, there are plenty snow, It sometimes snows in the other areas of Japan without Kyushu(九州) and Okinawa(沖縄). Well, because the Japanease islands are long and vertical, the difference between climates in each area is big. So far, I have written in this article about the climate in Tokyo.

Aspects of Japanese islands

  Japanese islands is lengthwise. The distance is nearly 3,000km. Because of its length, there is a huge temperature difference between Japan's island furthest to the north, Ｈokkaidou(北海道), and Japan's island furthest to the south, Okinawa(沖縄) . The difference is about 20℃.
  The four seasons of Japan are clear, and Japanese know how to have fun during all four seasons. Japan is surrounded by sea and its inland has many mountains. Japan is composed of four big islands which are Honshu(本州), Hokkaidou(北海道) ,Kyushu(九州), Shikoku(四国)、and Okinawa and some little islands.