Taisho (大暑) in Japan: How to Survive the Scorching Summer Season
Discover Taisho, Japan's peak summer heat. Learn how Japanese culture adapts with cooling tips, seasonal foods, and travel advice for enduring the intense heat and humidity.
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Discover Taisho, Japan's peak summer heat. Learn how Japanese culture adapts with cooling tips, seasonal foods, and travel advice for enduring the intense heat and humidity.
Discover the significance of Seimei (清明), a seasonal marker of clarity and renewal in Japanese culture. Explore its connection to nature, ancestral worship, and the spiritual tradition of honoring the deceased during this time of year.
Discover the meaning of Higan-ake (the end of Higan), its cultural significance in Japanese Buddhism, and how to properly observe it with grave visits, offerings, and respectful customs.
Koshōgatsu, or Japan’s “Little New Year,” is a quiet yet meaningful tradition celebrated around January 15. Unlike the grand festivities of Ōshōgatsu, it emphasizes agricultural rituals, ancestral offerings, and the beauty of slow, reflective beginnings rooted in nature and community. One of Japan's most beloved holidays is certainly New Year's along with the time leading up to and following the actual day itself. Various customs and traditions surround this event, from the many delicious foods that are prepared, to the first shrine visit of the year, known as “hatsumoude”（初詣） which is done as a way to greet the new year. Unlike other countries that weren't primarily influenced by Christianity and thus do not celebrate New Year's Eve on the 1st of January, Japan has adopted the Gregorian calendar with the Meiji Restoration, the time when Japan opened its borders to the rest of the world after more than 200 years of seclusion. Ever since 1873, the official Japanese New Year has been on the 1st of January. Prior to that, Japan utilized the Chinese lunar calendar and shared its New Year's day with China, Korea, and Vietnam which usually was (and still is) around mid-February. As the moon plays such an immensely important role in this very calendar system, the first full moon of the new year was celebrated accordingly. This tradition is called Koshōgatsu (小正月), Little New Year. When most people think of New Year in Japan, they envision Ōshōgatsu (大正月)—the grand celebration that spans January 1st to 3rd, filled with shrine visits, family gatherings, and festive meals. But tucked quietly in mid-January is a lesser-known tradition called Koshōgatsu (小正月), or “Little New Year” a holiday that offers a softer, more reflective side of the season.