Japan's four seasons.

As I look out my study widow, there is enough light left in this late afternoon to see the early Spring rain of Kyushu falling quite heavily, as it has been since before sun-up this morning.

Ume blossom attracting attention in early spring, Osaka Castle park.

And it is warm, at last, given that this passing winter has been the coldest in the five years I have been here, and one of the very coldest on record. But the warm rain signals the end, or if not the end then close to it, of winter. And the pending arrival of sakura, or cherry blossom season.

The ume, or plum blossom that precedes the cherry flowers by a few weeks, is already out, in colors ranging from a gaudy coral pink thru pale pinks to white. Unlike the cherries, the flowers tend to stay on the trees until they are brown, and fall as a whole flower, whereas the revered cherry blossom rains petals down continuously with even the gentlest breeze, almost from the moment the flowers open. And a strong wind, or heavy rain, will strip the trees very quickly. The cherry blossoms are much more subtle, and delicate in color and constitution, than the plum.

The warm rain also reminds me of the Japanese love of the four distinct seasons that all of Japan enjoys, albeit in varying degrees of intensity for each season, depending on geographical position. From Okinawa to Hokkaido there is a definite spring, summer, autumn (or fall) and winter. There are of course fluctuations of temperature and precipitation in any season, and of course occasional typhoons and blizzards in the appropriate seasons, but it is remarkable how consistent Japan's weather patterns are. My main weather experience is in Saga, on the southern island of Kyushu, so I will concentrate this article on that region.

Cherry blossoms in Ogi Park, Saga, and a drunken hanami party under the cherry trees in Kono Park, Saga. The pale, subtle blossom on the left is the cherry, contrasted here with the more complex, and brighter ume, or plum.

The spring in Kyushu is a beautiful season, bringing warmth, early spring rain, longer days, and the blooming of spring flowers, such as the above-mentioned ume and sakura blossoms, jonquils and later daffodils. The trees start to bud, and really burst forth when the rain eases, and we get into spring proper, with warm, sunny days. This is the time for hanami, literally 'flower viewing', when Japanese of all ages, from kindergarten children in the mornings, through elementary and high school children during the day, to office workers and families in the evenings, gather under the blossom trees in the parks of Japanese cities, and eat, and drink (in the case of office workers usually excessively) and celebrate the arrival of the cherry blossoms. There would hardly be a person in Japan who does not partake in hanami to some degree.

Swollen waterfall, the lush vegetation and beautiful blue hydrangeas of the summer wet season.  Summer irises in Kono Park Saga. Summer is also the season of festivals, this one in the small Saga seaside town of Hamatama.

Early summer, or early June, is marked by the rainy season. Several weeks of heavy rain, and rising temperatures, lifting the humidity, and warning of the unbearable weather ahead. By the middle of summer in Kyushu the temperature hovers around the mid thirties, and drops very little even at night. And the humidity is extremely high, above 80%, usually into the nineties, and intolerable. Showering is futile, offering only a few minutes relief, and getting dry is impossible. Escape to the mountains of Honshu, or better still, to Hokkaido, offers about the only relief. It is a beautiful season visually though, with the end of winter red, pink and white camellias (sasanqua), giving way to the beautiful pale to deep pink, and purple azaleas and rhododendrons of  late April and May, and eventually the intense blue hydrangeas of the wet season. The azaleas in Japan are very heavily perfumed, and grow prolifically in Kyushu. The air seems to constantly carry the scent to you on late evening walks. It is also the time of irises, and wisteria, too.

Cascading summer wisteria, and every shade of pink azalea at Yutoku shrine in Saga. Rice fields after harvest, and boating on the Yanagawa canals to escape the summer heat.
Wisteria in Japan is breathtaking. Also heavily perfumed, and prolific, festooning from the huge special frames constructed in almost every public space to display the soft lilac fronds. And the wet forests around Kyushu take on a brilliant, vivid green, as every conceivable wild plant and imported weed, buoyed by the amount of water available for growth, fight each other for the limited space. The streams are full to flooding, and the waterfalls are at their most grand. The occasional typhoon sweeps through late summer, dropping vast quantities of water, sorting out the poorly rooted plants with huge winds, frightening the foreign visitors (the Japanese just seem to take it as stoically as they do any unfortunate event), and then in a few days the new growth has covered the beast's tracks.

The lotus flowers open in late summer, and the Cosmos appear in the early autumn, just before the leaves begin to turn. This lotus is in Kono Park and the cosmos in Kinryu park, Saga.

Summer is also the time in Japan for festivals, and fireworks. All over Japan people gather in huge crowds to watch the stunning fireworks displays, or line the streets to watch the festival parades that every town and village organize at this time of year. It coincides with rice ripening, and harks back to ancient harvest festivals. And mid-summer we see the lotus flowers blooming in the ponds, reminding us of the Buddhist influence imported into Japan.

Fallen ginko leaves look like gold pieces on the ground, and drying kaki in Saga really characterize the autumn colours of the region.

Autumn is as special, too. Especially if we start to have cold nights, and near frost temperatures. The rice is in, heavy smoke from burning the stubble in the rice-fields fills the very still, post typhoon season air, and the leaves start to turn. The beautiful, uniformly golden tones of the ichoo (ginko) leaves, the many varied warm hues of the Japanese maples, and the mottled tones of the kaki (persimmon) trees. The kaki look especially beautiful, with their falling multi-colored leaves, their gnarled black limbs and the deep orange fruit hanging to ripen. Saga is quite famous for kaki, and it is quite a stunning site to drive past the kaki orchards that dominate parts of the countryside. The fruit hang on until very late autumn, when they are picked, peeled, strung together and hung under the eaves to cure in the cold, dry winds of late autumn.

Autumn colors at a shelter in Kansaki, Saga prefecture.

Japanese people seem to have as much reverence for autumn leaf viewing as they do for hanami, without as much revelry. Perhaps the pending winter brings a more somber mood. Traveling large distances to see famous places for leaf color is quite common. Local temple sites, and famous local parks get large numbers of visitors, and cities like Kyoto have a domestic tourist boom in Autumn.

A lovely swirl of autumn maple leaves in Kofu, and red leaves in Ureshino, Saga.

Winter in Japan is cold. In varying degrees of course, but even this far south, Saga is cold. We get a little snow each year, a third of a meter or so, in a couple of falls throughout the season. But Hokkaido, and Norther Japan, get huge snowfalls, up to four meters in a few days this passing winter. Ski resorts prosper in northern Japan, and Sapporo in Hokkaido has a very famous, and by all accounts very beautiful, snow and ice festival every February. It is good when it snows in Saga, because the normal winter color here is dead, dry brown. The grasses, the leafless trees, are all in winter mode.

A slight snowfall in Saga, which happens two or three times a year, a couple in Sapporo at the winter Christmas festival rugged up to keep warm, and a typical snowfall in Hakodate, which gets heavy snow, and often.

There is not much rain in winter though, and the season is blessed with a lot of clear blue sky days, and when there is a breeze, the air is very clear, and the distant scenery is very sharp. Saga is surrounded by mountains, and the view is gorgeous on clear days. It is cold, often around zero degrees, but the sunshine and vivid blue sky make it more than tolerable. I don't like the cold but I much prefer the Japanese winter to summer here. Summer is a season of possible madness. Winter is a season when you can still move about, carefully rugged up of course, and do things. And the snow is very beautiful. It is very fine powder snow in Japan, and it falls and stays on everything. Bicycles, trees, even people if you stand out in it. And it is too cold to be wet, so as long as you are warmly clothed, it is very charming to walk around in.

Beautiful blue sky days, with lots of sunshine, but biting cold, typify Japanese winter. A huge cherry tree in Kyoto, just getting ready to burst its buds for another spectacular spring showing.

But as I said at the start of this article, the snow is finished, and it is getting warmer, and it is raining softly every few days. Which will bring on the cherries soon, and the scenery will start to change, and green up, and Saga will look beautiful again. As much as I cannot stand the hot weather, I do like the greenness it brings.

RK

Comments

[doreen]

Ray,

I enjoyed this article and really liked the accompanying photos... my own little cherry tree is in brilliant bloom now and I keep waiting for an opportune time to take some photos.....

we have such a short time here in CA where the hills are vibrant green, the flowers and trees are blooming, the animals and birds are active, and there is some cloud cover to soften the usual harsh sunlight...... unfortunately, it has been raining, snowing (!), hailing, flooding, wind gales, etc. for weeks - I don't mind the rain (actually quite like it) but I haven't figured out how to cope with the monstrous mud.... I'm hoping to get a few dry days while the poppies are out before everything turns to brown for another 7 months...

still, I keep reminding myself that I can't really complain about 7 months of daily blue skies and bright sunshine....

[Ray Kinnane]

Thanks Doreen. Good to hear from you again. Thanks for the compliment. I shouldn't praise my own work, but I'm really happy with this story!

Last year when I was photographing a family planting rice in a beautiful valley not far from here, I was watching the farmers kids play and work in the mud (rice fields are just one huge mud paddock). They were having a great time. I was thinking how much we like it as kids, and dislike it as adults.

Japan is an interesting country. Most people think of it as hugely crowded, but actually only 17% of it is populated, due to earthquake risk and steep mountains. So it is easy to get into the countryside alone, which I find neccesary. The cities, although vibrant and well serviced, are noisy, and concrete jungles extraordinaire.But even then, constant touches of nature are not far away.

Funny, I've never imagined mud in California. I always imagined it as constantly dry.

Ray Kinnane

[ANONYMOUS]

this shall be a big hit in the future, this shall be interesting for other young or old readers.

[Angel Cross]

I'm doing a PowerPoint in school on japan and can someone help me? Here's what i need climate location and resources.

[Angel Cross]

I loved this artical because it gave me a lot of info.

[louisa]

Hi, nice article.
Just curious, when does the winter start in Japan? When does it usually start to snow?

Planning to Japan in the end of the year. preferbly during snowing time.

[Ray Kinnane]

If you are planning to ski, then Hokkaido is probably your best bet, in January and February. Some of the best powder snow in the world. Tokyo area gets snow in January February, too. Most of Japan will get some snow by February, but the Japan Sea Coast, and the northern part of Honshu, and Hokkaido, are you best bets.