72 Seasons

I was reading Austin Kleon’s newsletter and one of his “things worth sharing” was about living according to the seasons: “As Thoreau told us, “Live in each season as it passes.”

This got me thinking about the seasons in Japan. When you chat with a Japanese person, it won’t take long before they mention with pride how Japan has four seasons. I’m from Los Angeles, which arguably has two seasons, summer and not summer. So, I listen with some interest as they talk about the seasons.

Japanese people and Japanese culture celebrate the seasons. It’s fun and easy to do there as each season has specific foods associated with it and celebrations as well.

Until last year, I didn’t know Japan had 72 micro-seasons grouped into 24 mini-seasons called sekki. This system is originally from China. Lucian James had a fantastic email series of strategies based on the Japanese microseasons. The micro-seasons are fascinating and inspiring.

A few of the micro-seasons:

February 4–8: East wind melts the ice 東風解凍/はるかぜこおりをとく/Harukaze kori o toku

March 21–25: Sparrows start to nest　雀始巣/すずめはじめてすくう/Suzume hajimete suku

May 21–25: Silkworms feast on mulberry leaves　蚕起食桑/かいこおきてくわをはむ/Kaiko okite kuwa o hamu

December 12–16: Bears start hibernating in their dens　熊蟄穴/くまあなにこもる/Kuma ana ni komoru

Here’s the detailed Wikipedia entry for the Japanese Calendar.

If 72 seasons is too much to wrap your mind around, have fun enjoying the four seasons in Japan. Take a moment to see what is special about the season; enjoy seasonal foods and events. Each season's temporary, transitory nature with its unique personality and specialties helps me focus on the now, which is a great place to be, especially while traveling.

Top 10 Best Konbini Foods

Konbini offer an amazing array of foods and drinks. These are my top ten.

1. Onigiri - An inexpensive, satisfying snack. Better than most onigiri overseas.

2. BOSS Canned Coffee - BOSS is the best (the Cafe Au Lait is my usual choice).

3. PINO - A delicious ice cream bon-bon.

4. Yakiimo - Roasted sweet potato. The answer to Autumn and Winter chill.

5. Fried Chicken - Crunchy, greasy, savory. Perfect with a beer or a cola. This is the snack you didn’t know you needed. Famichiki from Family Mart is the most legendary (claiming Anthony Bourdain among its fans).

6. One-cup sake - You could get a beer or a Chu-hai, but where else can you enjoy a one-cup sake? Side note: it is legal to drink in public in Japan except for some new laws in Shibuya. Feel free to take your alcohol and enjoy it in a local park.

7. Nikuman - A Chinese-style steamed bun a la a hum bao. They come in many flavors (including pizza) and hit the spot when you want something warm and easy to eat.

8. Japanese custard pudding - I can’t believe I like this so much. it’s similar to a flan or a cold creme brûlée.

9. Tonkatsu Sando (fried pork cutlet sandwich) - A breaded, fried pork cutlet between two slices of the softest bread imaginable with shredded cabbage, some mayonnaise, and sometimes a bit of sauce. I eat them cold, but you can always heat them in a microwave.

10. Anti-hangover drink - You may not enjoy the taste. Although, it’s fine. Ukon no Chikara is the most popular. Hepalyse is also a good choice.

Bonus: Curry pan. I’ve been searching every dim sum shop on the West Coast for curry pan because it was one of my childhood favorites at Golden Dragon in LA’s Chinatown. Golden Dragon doesn’t make it anymore, so it’s been a nightmare to find. Of course, 7-11 in Japan has it sitting right there in the case by the register and they will heat it for you in seconds.

Mundane Halloween

It’s October, and Halloween is sneaking up on us. Time to get ready for candy, creepy crawlies, ghouls, ghosts, skeletons, horror movies, parties, and costumes.

However, if sexy(fill-in-the-blank) costumes and spooky (fill-in-the-blank) costumes aren’t your thing, you may enjoy Japan’s unique twist on costumes.

There’s a fun, understated, and sometimes highly creative version of Halloween in Japan called Mundane Halloween or Jimi Halloween. You celebrate by wearing a costume showcasing a normal, possibly boring, definitely relatable situation. 

It can be an excuse to wear a lazy costume or an opportunity to show your creativity and sense of humor. Have fun. Be “man who can’t decide which drink to order while the bartender gets increasingly annoyed.” I’m picturing this costume as you in your normal clothes with a drinks menu in hand and a puzzled, thinking expression on your face. You could probably put this together in a few minutes. —or be “woman who can’t remember where she parked her car. All you need is a car clicker for this one. Just walk around, pointing and clicking and asking people if they’ve seen your car. I think you get bonus points if you use this costume idea to extricate yourself from uninteresting conversations. Just say “Excuse me, I’ve got to find my car” and walk away. You could also carry some shopping bags if you really want to sell this one because I think the mall is where we normally forget where we parked. I’m sure you’ve got dozens of ideas of your own.

If this sounds fun to you, check out this article with photos of people dressed for Mundane Halloween. #7 “A girl who just gave blood and now can’t do anything for a few minutes” captures that feeling perfectly and gives you a moment to space out as well.

More examples. #26 “Person laid off from their job in the opening scene of a film” is my favorite.

Special thanks to Em for reminding me about Mundane Halloween.