Grains Ripen is the last microseason of Heat Breaks. This time of year, I have come to observe the landscape evolve from monotone green, to one that is graced with golden hues. Spending this microseason to remind myself to yudaneru has become an annual ritual.

Phrases such as “break bread” or “bread and butter” showcase the prominence of bread or wheat in English-speaking regions of the world. “Rice” is used similarly in Japan.

While cotton is a recent introduction to Japan, only seeing widespread cultivation and active use from the 1600s after its reintroduction into Japan, it is interesting to note that “Cotton Flowers Open” is a microseason that does not exist in the original Chinese calendar.

In the wee hours of the morning fog dresses the mountains and waterways. Signaling last days of the heat. It’s an official farewell to Summer, as well as to our Ancestors who have come for a visit this past week.

In Summer, one cannot go without noticing the cicadas. For Japanese people, they are as synonymous with the season, as is watermelon, yukata, fireworks, and festivals. They are so iconic in fact, that the average person is familiar with the various species and there are widely accepted onomatopoeia associated to each of their unique sounds.

Koyomi, the historic microseasonal calendar, is central to my study of Time. Each research theme I have explored over the past decade, has been selected because it is absolutely imperative to Japanese living. And the sense of time is perhaps the most poignant.