Spring enters slowly, taking her time. She whispers, then mumbles, then belts sublime. For me it’s like stepping out of the shade into a patch of sunlight — suddenly, the world seems just a bit brighter. I feel like a kid again, savoring the peace and joy. So thank you, spring, forever and always.

In the first snowdrops brightening the valleys of roots beneath bare tree canopies, in the creeping-forward of the sunrise and the ever-loudening of the dawn chorus, spring is here at last. A welcome reminder that once given the time to rest, beauty comes forth with quiet confidence, bringing with it hope.

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Perceptibly, there seem to be more than just four seasons, as we experience the gradual changes of the natural world through the cycle of the year.

In ancient times many Asian countries, one of them is Japanese who divided the year into 24 periods (sekki), from Risshun (Beginning of Spring) in early February until Daikon (Greater Cold). Each sekki are split again in three for a total of 72 poetic micro-seasons (kō), each one shifting every 5 days, to create a map that is a fascinating mixture of culture and nature.

Fundamentally, it is an invitation to reconsider our relationship to the passage of time. In breaking up the four seasons into discrete, more manageable chunks, we start to pay more mindful attention to our immediate physical surroundings. This more nuanced and evocative way of seeing the natural world encourages us to appreciate our environment more deeply, to find beauty in the smallest details while realizing that the only reliable constant in our life is change itself.

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BEGINNING OF SPRING

East wind melts the ice (Feb 4th - 8th)

Bush warblers start singing in the mountains (Feb 9th - 13th)

Fish emerge from the ice (Feb 14th - 18th)

RAINWATER

Rain moistens the soil (Feb 19th - 23rd)

Mist starts to linger (Feb 24th - 28th)

Grass sprouts, trees bud (March 1st - 5th)

INSECTS AWAKEN

Hibernating insects surface (March 6th - 10th)

First peach blossoms (March 11th - 15th)

Caterpillars become butterflies (March 16th - 20th)

SPRING EQUINOX

Sparrows start to nest (March 21st - 25th)

First cherry blossoms (March 26th - 30th)

Distant thunder (March 31st - April 4th)

PURE & CLEAR

Swallows return (April 5th - 9th)

Wild geese wild north (April 10th - 14th)

First rainbows (April 15th- 19th)

GRAIN RAINS

First reeds sprout (April 20th - 24th)

Last frost, rice seedlings grow (April 25th - 29th)

Peonies bloom (April 30th - May 4th)

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BEGINNING OF SUMMER

Frogs start singing (May 5th - 9th)

Worms surface (May 10th - 14th)

Bamboo shoots sprout (May 15th - 20th)

LESSER RIPENING

Silkworms start feasting on mulberry leaves (May 21st -25th)

Safflowers bloom (May 26th - 30th)

Whats ripens and is harvested (May 31st - June 5th)

GRAIN BEARDS & SEEDS

Praying mantises hatch (June 6th - 10th)

Rotten grass becomes fireflies (June 11th - 15th)

Plums turn yellow (June 16th - 20th)

SUMMER SOLSTICE

Self-heal withers (June 21st - 26th)

Irises bloom (June 27th - July 1st)

Crow-dipper sprouts (July 2nd - 6th)

LESSER HEAT

Warm winds blow (July 7th - 11th)

First lotus blossoms (July 12th - 16th)

Hawks learn to fly (July 17th - 22nd)

GREATER HEAT

Paulownia trees produce seeds (July 23rd - 28th)

Earth is damp, air is humid (July 29th - August 2nd)

Great rains sometimes fall (August 3rd - 7th)

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BEGINNING OF AUTUMN

Cool winds blow (August 8th - 12th)

Evening cicadas sing (August 13th - 17th)

Thick fog descends (August 18th - 22nd)

MANAGEABLE HEAT

Cotton flowers bloom (August 23rd - 27th)

Heat starts to die down (August 28th - September 1st)

Rice ripens (September 2nd - 7th)

WHITE DEW

Dew glistens white on grass (September 8th - 12th)

Wagtails sing (September 13th - 17th)

Swallows leave (September 18th - 22nd)

AUTUMN EQUINOX

Thunder ceases (September 23rd - 27th)

Insects hole up underground (September 28th - October 2nd)

Farmers drain fields (October 3rd - 7th)

COLD DEW

Wild geese return (October 8th - 12th)

Chrysanthemums bloom (October 13th - 17th)

Crickets chirp around the door (October 18th - 22nd)

FROST FALLS

First frost (October 23rd - 27th)

Light rains sometimes fall (October 28th - November 1st)

Maple leaves and ivy turn yellow (November 2nd - 6th)

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BEGINNING OF WINTER

Camelias bloom (November 7th - 11th)

Land starts to freeze (November 12th - 16th)

Daffodils bloom (November 17th - 21st)

LESSER SNOW

Rainbows hide (November 22nd - 26th)

North wind blows the leaves from the trees (November 27th - December 1st)

Tachibana citrus tree leaves start to turn yellow (December 2nd - 6th)

GREATER SNOW

Cold sets in, winter begins (December 7th - 11th)

Bears start hibernating in their dens (December 12th - 16th)

Salmons gather and swim upstream (December 17th - 21st)

WINTER SOLSTICE

Self-heal sprouts (December 22nd - 26th)

Deer shed antlers (December 27th - 31st)

Wheat sprouts under snow (January 1st - 4th)

LESSER COLD

Parsley flourishes (January 5th - 9th)

Springs thaw (January 10th - 14th)

Pheasants start to call (January 15th - 19th)

GREATER COLD

Butterburs bud (January 20th - 24th)

Ice thickens on streams (January 25th - 29th)

Hens start to lay eggs (January 30th - February 3rd)

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Art is genuinely a gift to the world.

It's what we crave in the human experience.

Art gives meaning to our lives and helps us understand our world.

When we give ourselves the opportunities to connect with art, we are able to take a step back, reflect what's going on in our world, evaluate our lives, and learn. That is why I believe it is so important to incorporate art into our life on a daily basis. This could be through visiting a museum, seeing a concert, watching a movie, reading a great book, or even drying flowers.

FEEL your emotion. Don’t suppress it. We can’t get rid of our emotions. To be human is to have them. And like clouds, feelings take time to be processed, to be felt, focused on, and then freed from our mind. And art is a great way to channel our emotions.